ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Sunday, February 4, 1996 TAG: 9602050062
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-11 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: Outdoors
SOURCE: BILL COCHRAN
George Washington, Virginia's original fox hunter, wasn't bothered by houses, highways and humane societies when his hounds hit full cry.
That's not the case for his modern successors. Because there are fewer and fewer places for their hounds to race untrammeled across the landscape, their sport often is conducted inside enclosures where live-trapped foxes are released. The enclosures are called ``fox-hound training preserves.''
Although they are little-known beyond the fraternity of fox hunters, the Virginia Fox Hound Training Association, an organization of preserve operators, says its members have $7.5 million invested in these enclosures.
The Department of Game and Inland Fisheries is in the process of setting regulations to govern the preserves. Fox hunters are supporting the effort, because the proposed regulations, while lengthy, assure the continued operation of the preserves. Lacking regulations, the preserves have been limited in their ability to obtain foxes.
The proposals are expected to get strong support from hunters during a series of public hearings scheduled across the state in March and April.
``We believe they are conditions we can operate under without problems. We are very pleased with them,'' said Tom Evans, a spokesman for the training association.
Susan Hagood promises her people also will be vocal at the hearings, but for a different reason.
``We feel it [the preserve system] violates all principals of fair chase,'' she said. ``We are strongly opposed to these regulations.''
Hagood is the wildlife issues specialists for the Humane Society of the United States, which is based in Washington.
``We have 17,000 members in Virginia, and we will be in touch with them.,'' she said.
Kenneth Haney, who operates a 300-acre preserve at Kents Store, believes Hagood and other opponents don't understand what they are talking about.
``I think when they say a `preserve,' they think it is a small area where the fox doesn't have a chance,'' he said. ``This is a good, clean, healthy sport. Everything we do is for that fox to survive. A fox that gets caught or killed is no good to me.''
``I have never seen a group of sportsmen with a higher regard for the animals they use,'' Evans said. ``These preserves are different from most preserves, because there is no shooting or taking of animals. Foxes are faster than dogs, so they are unlikely to be caught under these conditions.''
The preserves are tucked away in rural areas where fox hunting is a welcome boost to the local economy, said Evans. The money spent on dog food alone likely is $1 million annually, he said.
Without preserves, fox hunting is in trouble, said Haney. Often, where hounds once gave voice to foxes, there are houses and highways.
``There are no places left for these hunters,'' he said.
The proposed regulations call for a minimum of 100-fenced acres per preserve. For every 20 acres, there must be at least one natural or artificial escape area for foxes.
That's not enough, said Hagood, who believes foxes are at a distinct disadvantage on preserve land.
Two-thirds of the proposed regulations address the stocking of foxes. The animals must be wild. They can't be imported from another state. They must be trapped within a 50-mile radius of the preserve. Trapping and transportation is restricted to Sept.1 through March 31. The stocking rate is one fox yearly per 10 acres of enclosure.
While preserves are an attraction of the ``good old boys,'' the regulations are getting support from red-coat hunters who ``ride to the hounds.'' Most of the enclosures are too small for galloping horses, but they provide places for horseback hunters to train hounds, the supporters say.
Gerald Simmons, a retired wildlife official who is a fox hound judge, believes the proposed regulations serve a dual purpose.
``They cover both the protection of wildlife and allow preserves to operate,'' he said.
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