Stop GPS Hound Hunting of Deer in California

Please consider signing this important petition: 

https://www.change.org/p/california-fish-and-game-commission-stop-gps-hound-hunting-of-deer-in-california

     Hound hunting of deer is considered abominable by a majority of the citizens.  It's akin to coursing, if not worse.  Houndmen and their handlers tried to change California's hunting regulations back in 2009-2010 to allow GPS collars on hounds for hunting, but they failed.  In 2012, California passed a law to ban hound hunting of bear and bobcat.  However, many citizens did not realize that hounds are also used to hunt deer--chasing them to exhaustion, or attack and mauling, and then shot.  Although GPS collars are currently banned, hounds are allowed to wear radio telemetry collars that informs the hound handler of their location.  Now, houndsmen want the GPS collars and tree switch ban to be deleted. 

     By signing the petition, you will help send a message to the California Fish and Game Commission to vote NO on the proposed amendment.  The final vote on this horrible proposed amendment will be on April 14, but to be in the meeting packet, they need to be sent in by April 1, 2016.  
Update
               As of today, 3/24/16, in a little less than one week (on March 30) the above petition, with all its signatures (hopefully 29,000 or more) and comments will be sent to the California Fish and Game Commission (FGC) for their April 14, 2016, meeting.  A critical final vote is scheduled to be taken on a hunting amendment, which if approved, will wrongfully allow GPS Collars and tree switches on hounds for deer hunting.  This nothing more than releasing dogs so that they can hunt deer.  The humans come along after the exhausted deer is caught, trapped or injured and fire away.  This cannot possibly be called “hunting.” 

If you have already signed the petition, we hope you can help with one last push by asking your friends, family, and animal welfare advocates to please sign, or email the FGC directly (fgc@fgc.ca.gov), or mail them a letter:  The mailing address is:

California Fish and Game Commission

1416 Ninth Street

P.O. Box 944209

Sacramento, CA 94244-2090

Please ask the commissioners to VOTE NO on amendments to CCR Sec 265 and keep the ban on GPS Collars and Treeing Switches for hound hunting—both for “fair chase” and “ethical hunting” issues.  Message or emails do not have to be lengthy. 

            Three opposing comment letters made it into the FGC “Meeting Documents” for the FGC February 11 meeting.  They are relatively short.  To read them, go to: 

http://fgc.ca.gov/meetings/2016/index.aspx .  Scroll down to the February 10-11, 2016, meeting, and in the center column, click on “Meeting Documents.”  Because that will open an enormous 951 pages, it’s difficult to find the three opposition letters, but you can scroll to each one:

from PEACE:  page 839; from Public Interest Coalition:  page 948; and an email from  Ojai Wildlife League, page 951.

            More comment letters came in after the February 11 meeting and should be included in the April 14 “Meeting Documents” once it is posted (possibly by around April 4).

            Thank you!