08/11/2025
So I would not normally post something like this as it is usually best to keep politics out of business, but enough is enough. This morning at 7:00 we had a milking cow out of her pasture and standing by the yard, definitely not a normal thing as the cows have tons of grass available and the fence is 4 strands of electric high tensile. Walking over to put her back in with the others I realized something wasn’t right, Twig was completely spooked, and that is not her at all. This is a cow that was born on the farm, her mother was born on the farm and her grandmother is still in the milking herd, she is very sweet and easy to handle, but she was absolutely spooked. Took several tries to get her back into the paddock and settled down but I did and chalked it up to “cows do strange things” after checking the whole fence and not finding it down. Shortly after that I noticed one of our work horses was lying on her side – well they do that from time to time but I walked over just to make sure she was ok – she wasn’t - her left front leg is swollen and she was keeping weight off of it. I treated her for what appeared to be a soft tissue injury and went about checking the rest of the herd. Well, her half sister, also a work horse, had a fresh cut on the back of her rear, left leg. Now these are experienced work horses, they have many hours in harness as a team and are 17 and 19 years old, I can’t think of an injury either has had, but now both are hurt. Checking the rest of the herd I discovered a yearling bull calf that was also limping with no visible injury so it appeared to be soft tissue. Three injuries and a cow driven through a fence all at the same time. The only real thing that can cause that many injuries at the same time would be a stampede or some sort of running event. I was still scratching my head when sure enough we heard hunting dogs on a chase on the farm – then I realized hunting dogs had gotten into the herd and either chased or at least spooked them. I have seen Diamond Hill Hunt Club deer dogs loose for over a week now, some with tracking collars, some without. It appears there are dogs belonging to others out as well. I tried to intercept the dogs, which is almost impossible, and then called DWR (Fish and Game)– only to be told there was nothing they can do. Today is August 10 and it was 90 degrees outside. Deer season with dogs does not begin until the middle of November. I later saw two spotted fawns, maybe 20 lbs each, tucked in with another group of cows. If those dogs get into those fawns they will kill them – that is a fact – hunting with dogs isn’t just chasing the deer, the dogs will kill what they chase if they catch it – it is grotesque and inhumane. What is incredible is the fact that more than a few people who hunt with dogs post videos of their dogs attacking the game they are pursuing. This is not the “great sport of royalty” it is purported to be.
Now some know that I have been dealing with this issue for over a decade and have gone down the road of speaking to the DWR, serving on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee they set up, I have even spoken directly with the Secretary of Natural and Historic Resources along with the Governors Chief Policy Advisor and every sitting member of the General Assembly – so I am no stranger to the issue. We have suffered the loss of countless poultry, a calf, and likely a cow last fall to these hunting dog intrusions and never have we received a single cent in reimbursement. We own 253 acres of land we have bought over time ourselves, we literally work 7 days a week, and we love what we do – in the past I stood up and defended others, I will be dammed if I will lie down and be a victim due to the spineless elected officials that inhabit the administration in Richmond. There are about 60,000 people who hunt deer with dogs in Virginia – out of 200,000 total deer hunters – and that’s out of 8.811 million total residents here. To put that in perspective those who hunt with hounds comprise 30% of deer hunters and 0.68% of the population, so basically 2/3rd of 1% of the population. Either way you look at it they are a minority, and the definition of a special interest group, yet the current administration blatantly refuses to address the massive problems they create for farmers and others alike. Sadly, it’s not 100% of the population that eats every day in Virginia, but it’s a lot more than 0.68% - oh and we donate to food banks to help bring that number up by the way, yet property owners and farmers are second class citizens to this administration.
Over the past several years Governor Youngkin has placed a “big red X” on any attempt at creating accountability for those who choose to allow their hunting dogs to enter onto properties where they don’t have permission. He allowed DWR to spend over $250K to conduct a “Stakeholder Advisory Committee” and at the end had the DWR Board of Directors refuse to accept the regulatory changes the DWR suggested as a result of the committee. Flushed $250K down the drain, hey it's not "his" money. But – he did expand the legal sale of “cake pops” to include Christmas Markets and not just farmers markets, such a crowning achievement to help the agricultural producer.
Lt Governor Winsome Earle-Sears cast the tie braking vote in the Senate during the 2024 session which would have prohibited the release of hunting hounds on public ways, then took a social media victory lap to tout her achievement. Because dropping off dogs in the middle of the road from the bed of a pickup truck is clearly a “tradition” dating back to the time of President George Washington, I am sure he ran 35" Super Swampers and dual Thrush tubes on his GMC.
Attorney General Jason Miyares continues to brag about defending the “Right to Retrieve” law – VA 18.2-136, which allows those who hunt with dogs to access private property, against the will of the owner, 24/7/365. This law goes so far as to allow those who say they are hunting “foxes or racoons” to be armed as well, don't believe me? Call DWR and aske them. So the AG thinks it’s a good idea to allow complete armed strangers access to your entire property at 2:00 AM simply because they say they are “looking for their hunting dog”. What is your first though when you look into your back yard and see two guys with a flashlight poking around? What if they have rifles?
The problem here is that this administration has zero regard for property rights and has kowtowed to a miniscule special interest group over the rights of the vast majority of decent, hard working, folks. They need to go. They need to become a footnote in the history book of Virginia – all three of them. Something tells me that the Chincoteague Island c**t Governor Youngkins wife just bought for $50,000 won’t be chased by any local deer dog club, but it's just fine when my bull calves are chased. The Governor has plans to go to DC – we don’t need, nor want his type of “leadership”, put him out to pasture with the c**t and see if the dogs chase him, I will volunteer the pasture. The Lt Governor wants to be Governor – no thank you, she has failed at being a leader and done nothing for four years. The AG wants to keep his job – sorry, clearly, he isn’t a fan of the Constitution which speaks to the fact that states can not deny any person equal protection under the law. A dog hunter can go get his dog he allowed onto my farm, but I can’t go get my cow that escaped onto his land if he says no. All of this is for votes by the way – these elected officials are so hungry for power that they decided to place the 0.68% over the 99.32% - must be the new math or something.
We need new leadership in Richmond; we need people who will address this conflict and create accountability for those entitled individuals who feel they can do whatever they want with property that they don’t own nor have permission to control.
November is coming – tell these people to pack their bags, I am going to, in the meantime I have three animals to doctor up. ---Jim
