It blows my mind that an incident on Sunday, where a horse got worked up and sweaty with coydog hunters in the area, turns into Thursday’s “word on the street” that the hunters had shot through two houses and killed a heifer.
Yes, the hunters were in the area using dogs with GPS collars. Yes, they had permission from the landowner to hunt coydogs on his property. Yes, they offered the coordinates from the dogs’ collars to prove the dogs had not been in her pasture. She refused to view the evidence and began an anti-dog hunting campaign. For someone that knows the law, what happened to innocent until proven guilty? Could it have been a coydog, a fox, or even her own dogs upsetting her horse?
I have been following comments on Facebook that are very troubling to me. Apparently another individual has nothing better to do with herself than to slander respectable and responsible people. Calling the hunters drunks, thieves and drug dealers? Really?
I have known nearly all of this hunting group and the people involved on this street for 20 years or more. Yes, there are a few “bad apples” out there but not in this group. If you feel the need for that much drama in your life then join Trump’s campaign.
I personally feel these hunters are doing a public service. The people opposed to them obviously don’t remember when the coydogs howling kept you awake night after night, or the attacks on pets and livestock. It was so bad at one point that a farmer had offered a bounty on coydogs. These animals have no fear of humans and will chase everything, including people.
To abolish hunting with dogs would be a mistake as well as a sad loss of tradition. These hunters help control the population of not only coydogs, but also raccoons and rabbits. The chances of a rabies epidemic would seriously increase with the rise in the “varmint” population.
Think about it for a minute. No one would be safe outside without a gun to protect themselves in rural areas. Do we really want untrained people out there taking “pot shots” at anything that moves?
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife wardens told the hunters that they broke no laws. Please accept the facts and get on with your lives. There are so many other positive things that you could be doing instead of spreading hate and discontent.
Linda Torrey Laberge
Shoreham