Get off your asses and lets all get in gear!!!!!!!! There is NO time to waste. The statement was made by one of the anti's in the meeting today that Florida is going to be the precedent for all of the other states regarding hunting in pens.

There is no more time for for begging and pleading to get all of you on board to face what is happening. This is just a start for the anti's to take all of our hunting, fishing and agriculture as we know it.

PLEASE contact:
Ken Lewis at 352-26-4659 cell phone or 352-567-9860 home phone

Trish Rogero at 334-691-3188

Debbie Johnson at 417-777-1027 cell phone or 417-754-2669 ranch phone

We will get a list of names and numbers started to give out jobs of what we are needing people to do to help fight this. This is not just FLORIDA, this is nation wide.

Do not think that there is nothing that you can do. We will find something that everyone can do to help.

START by sending in your dues to your STATE sporting dog association. We need numbers in these state associations to make our point heard in the state capital.

Pray like you have never prayed before to stop this in it's tracks. This is an issue that will have far and wide repercussions before we know what has hit us if we do not do something NOW!!!!!!!!!

And this website and Speeddogs was their main ammunition if I am not mistaken!! They used it against us and it worked THEY ARE WATCHIN'
I said long ago this internet was BAD!!

From what I have been told the pens are closed or are to be closed in the next few days This will be until at least Sept There is a group that is suppose to be ironing out regulations or rules between now and then in attempt to get an agreement for the pens to open back up under. There are no gurantees that an agreement will be reached Sept is according to what I understand the next meeting date for the Florida Game and Fish or whoever the meeting was held with today. Guys we have to organize and stay organized there are no further room for compromise and no longer time to wait on someone else to get the job done. There will be more info coming later please be considering what you and your hunting club can do Together we can make a formidable org for our enemies to deal with Derek Dupre

The pens are now shut down until further notice, i.e. The FWC is going to be putting together a group of people to set down together, write a set of rules for governing the pens and submit them to the Conmmission at the June meeting.

Than there will be a meeting in September to take a vote and see if they will allow them to open back up with a set of rules and regs or if the closing is going to be permanent.

REMEMBER.........Jennifer Hobgood, President of the Florida Humane Society stated today that Florida is going to be used as the precedent for all of the other states.

Alabama had similar issues in last few yrs, we all attended their little meeting at the state capitol. The numbers of hunters present at this meeting was remarkable. We all voiced our opinions,we helped them see that we actually was trying to do a good thing "running in a pen".
Our motive was the fact: We are running our hounds in these pens,we are not bothering land owners, stalk hunters, farmers, etc. We are doin our thing, and not disturbing other people in their everyday life. We also voiced how we as hunters help the econmy as well. With all dog food, supplies, GAS, etc.
I do believe our state problem was with the trapping and transporting yotes and fox . But ths was same people,"PETA" starting all this BS.
All hunters in surrounding states should do what they can do to help stop this act of foolishness. THis will eventually be a problem in all states sooner or later.

We as "FOX HUNTERS" regardless, if u like a very fast 3hr hunt,3 day, or just pleasure hunter, have to all pull together and put our differences aside, so that we can pick at one another for years to come. Maybe even our kids and grand kids can pick as we all do!!!!

I was at the meeting today and it was a joke FWC sided with a few anti and left us hunters and pen owners feeding hundreds of dogs and coyotes until Sept in hopes that we maybe able to run again.

FWC decides to draft rules guiding fox and coyote enclosures
News Release

February 17, 2010
Contact: Stan Kirkland, 850-624-7000

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) voted Wednesday to temporarily prohibit the chasing of foxes and coyotes in enclosures, while moving forward to draft rules guiding such enclosures in Florida. An executive order prohibiting chasing of foxes and coyotes within an enclosure will be issued by Feb. 24.

Before making the decision, Commissioners listened to more than 40 speakers on fox and coyote pens, beginning with Rep. Debbie Boyd, D-High Springs. Boyd urged the Commission to recognize the shortcomings on both sides of the issue, to address those shortcomings and engage stakeholders in the process.

"This issue has been painted with a broad brush," Boyd said. "I ask the Commission to engage stakeholders and put fox and coyote enclosures into rule rather than through the permit process."

After listening to emotional appeals from the public, whose comments ranged from calling the practice of hunting foxes and coyotes within enclosures a "heritage" and "a way of life" to making charges of "cruelty" and "mauling" of the animals, Commissioners discussed how to proceed based on staff recommendations and public comment.

"Rep. Boyd said it best," said Commissioner Kathy Barco. "We need to allow for the process so everybody works together."

FWC Chairman Rodney Barreto said he leaned toward an outright ban of the practice but also felt the process should be given a chance for review.

"I'm not sure I'll support the draft rules when they come back," Barreto said. "I don't see any sport in the animals' having no escape. I personally don't agree with the practice."

Last September, FWC commissioners directed the agency's law enforcement staff to explore the history behind the enclosures, including a review of the agency's permitting process and the number of such enclosures in the state. Then-Executive Director Ken Haddad issued an executive order, putting a moratorium on issuing permits for chasing foxes or coyotes in enclosures.

During Wednesday's meeting at Apalachicola, commissioners received the report, indicating such enclosures have been around since 1988, when the agency began meeting with stakeholders to draw up regulations for permitting them. Previously, fox hunting took place on large land tracts, but fewer tracts were available as Florida's human population grew.

Enclosure operators also began using more-readily available coyotes captured within Florida. Importing coyotes from other states is illegal.

It is not legal to kill foxes in Florida, but chasing them with dogs has been a long-standing tradition.

At one time, there were about 50 fox and coyote pens from the Panhandle to Central Florida. Currently, however, because of the moratorium and decreasing demand, the state has only one permitted facility.

In 2007, the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources completed an investigation into fox pens in that state, and shared information with the FWC, indicating illegal importation, sale and delivery of foxes or coyotes was taking place among Alabama and six other states.

FWC investigators made similar discoveries during a 10-month undercover operation in 2008. They found some enclosures were ignoring permit provisions. As a result, officers cited 12 suspects for 46 alleged violations.

FWC wildlife veterinarian Mark Cunningham stated in a report that importation of foxes from other states could result in the spread of disease strains and parasites that are not native to Florida, and that poses health risks for humans, native wildlife, pets and livestock.

"This is not a referendum on hunting; we are a pro-hunting commission," said Commissioner Brian Yablonski. "But we must consider the concept of 'fair chase,' and I am not sure chasing coyotes and foxes in an enclosure meets that standard of hunting - a standard that is important to preserving hunting in the future."

The Commission asked staff to hold workshops and meet with stakeholders to develop draft rules. The draft rules will be brought back for consideration at the June meeting, with the possibility of final rule approval in September.

I thought Florida already had significant regulations on their pens. I don't know what the pen owners could do to make their operation more acceptable to the FWC or the groups that support a ban.

Guy and Gals,

This means a complete shutdown of Fox Pens in the state Florida until at least the June FWC Meeting. At that time they will listen to the results of the stakeholders meeting. They can either bring it to a vote then or delay the final vote until the Sept. meeting.

Things did not go our way today, but I am convinced that if everyone had not turned out the way y'all did, it very well may have come to permanent ban today. I would like to thank everyone that attended the meeting, signed and sent us a letter, or both. We were able to turn in over 2000 letters this morning. We are going to continue to fight this and will let you know of plans as soon as we can.

Trip Lancaster
NRA North FL Field Rep

If you live in Florida start going to another state to buy all you dog needs!! STOP buying anything in Florida and at the end of every month send your recipts to your local taxing agent they will see how much they are losing. Go to where you buy your feed and tell the owner why you are going somewhere else to get your supplies! This is the ONLY thing they will understand!! HIT THEM WHERE IT HURTS : POCKETBOOK !!!!

You can take a known predator, a predator so despised by game management that most states allow 24 hour hunting, a predator that kills house pets , drags kids off playgrounds - You can take this predator out of the public environment and put it in 1000 acres and chase it with dogs , feed it, try to save it so you can chase it again later - and this is NOT a good thing ???

"Amazing"
It's not fair for us to attack other forms of hunting! Lets don't lower our standards like the anti"s have.


The thing is we care more about the fox and coyotes that they do! I guarantee you noone at that meeting yesterday wanting the pens closed has ever doctored, fed, or handled a coyote. All the pen owners and hunters I know care as much for the games health as their dogs. They say we let the dogs catch them, think about if one gets caught how many hunters you see RUNNNING to get the dogs away and get the coyote fed and doctored!!

everyone needs to take the time to email the florida commisioners. Its pretty simple to do here is the link. Might wanna post it up top and get every fox hunter in every state to start emailing.

http://myfwc.com/contact/Contact_Employee.asp

Thank you Radar I live to Hunt my dog's (out Side)!! I run in a pen some great to get pup's started.I support you right to hunt any way you all wish. I don't see eye to eye with most deer hunter's (Still hunter's) you can't run them with hound's here. But support ther right to do it 90percent cuss you if your dog's cross ther lease ground call the Law threaten to shut your hound's. But don't realize that when ther done with us they will start on them.And most of them are not from here HUNTERS ALL NEED TO STAY TOGEATHER!! Attacking us Or implying our way is not right will not get any point's THANKS

quit hunting and start FISHING!

dont worry rickey they will make there way to that sooner or later

To Debbie and Trip,
What about contacting the Bass Pro Shops and Cablea's. We need to get the head people that run these stores on our side. If hunting goes down so will they. they have the money and should have some pull.
Just an idea.

A pen owner or large kennel owner needs to file a law suit against the FWC . Any judge will grant an injunction until rules are drawn up.You have to get psycho with the pscyhos to get something done !!!

It is an executive order not a legislative action. The difference being that an executive order stays in force until a judge over turns it. A Legislative action could be temporary halted by a judicial injunction. There is no legal remedy to delay the executive order by FWC going into place that I am aware of.

Trip...I would believe that an Executive order can also be challenged in a court of law too!
And that is exactly what the penowners need to do!
Fight em hard.....and let the FWC know it's all about the MONEY. To that they will pay attention. They're just like any other politician!
Especially the head of FWC being from Miami....they hardly have any trees in Miami....much less hunting!!

ALLAN BISHOP
(JABBER JAW)

UNFORTUNATELY ALLAN IT IS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY.
ITS NOT ABOUT THE HONEST MAN WHO GOES TO WORK AND WANTS TO RUN HIS DOGS.
ITS ABOUT A MONEY LOADED GROUP TELLING THAT HONEST WORKING MAN WHAT HE CAN AND CANT DO.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOUT HSUS EXPOSED.
LOUISIANA WORKED A YEAR AND A HALF ON PROSECUTING HSUS.
A YEAR AND A HALF WITH TAXPAYERS MONEY.
THEN STOPPED AFTER HSUS BOUGHT THEM OFF.

ITS ALL ABOUT THE MONEY.
AND THERES LOADS OF MONEY IN FLORIDA.
ESPECIALLY MIAMI.

Allan, It can be most definitely challenged, but the problem is the order stays in place until the final outcome of the Judges hearing. The judge can not stop or "stay" the action by the FWC. It is my understanding, and I am not a lawyer, that a hearing and final ruling about this by a Judge would most likely not take place before the commission meets again in June or possibly even September. That is no help to those of you that still have feed to buy, vet bills to pay, leases to pay, much less dogs that are getting fat and out of shape.

In Alabama the equivalent of the FWC is an extention of the governor's office. Basically it is the governor's responsibility to oversee wildlife management and the commission is empowered by him to do what they do. Since it is an executive order that means it is upheld by the power of the governor. Perhaps someone should try to talk to the governor or maybe skip the one in office and start talking to the candidates who may occupy the office after the upcoming election.

Has Mr Stonecipher and his organization been contacted about the particular florida situation and the enclosures in general ?


His people should have the legal answer to what's the next appropriate step.