A State House meeting Thursday on a proposed rule for deer hunting with dogs led to a lawmaker’s disclosure of a wild threat against him years ago.
Six landowners and lessees around Talladega National Forest asked Alabama lawmakers for assistance in keeping hunting dogs off their property during deer season.
The Talladega County residents said the dogs were a consistent issue and ruined their ability to hunt on and enjoy their own property. One man spoke about an encounter he had with a group of hunters that ended with him and his 10-year-old daughter being threatened and chased by the men while he called 911.
The Legislative Council, after more than an hour of discussion at the State House, moved to ban “dog hunters” from allowing their animals to roam onto private property without permission. A repeated offense would be a misdemeanor.
Before the vote, one legislative leader said he didn’t want to get sideways with the hunters, who were advocating for more days in deer season to hunt with dogs in exchange for the new private property rule.
“Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to warn you that you do not want to deal with dog hunting days,” House President Pro Tem Chris Pringle, R-Mobile, said to his colleagues. “The last time we did this, the dog hunters pulled me aside and told me in no uncertain terms that if I did not vote with them, they would burn down my house and burn my timber down.”
Pringle is co-chair of the legislative council. He voted against the proposed hunting rule. His comments drew outcry from property owners at the meeting.
Later, Pringle, whose legislative career started in 1994, told Alabama Daily News the threat happened about 25 years ago.
The issue
Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Commissioner Chris Blankenship told the council, a body of lawmakers with members from the Senate and House, that dog deer hunting has been a divisive issue in the state for decades.
“The problem is dogs being allowed to run off one piece of property where their owner is hunting onto another and disrupting hunters there,” Blankenship said.
In May, the Conservation Advisory Board, which reviews and formulates rules for the department, voted to make it illegal to have a deer hunting dog on someone else’s property without permission.
The first offense would be a warning, then a citation. Blankenship said that was the least intrusive way to deal with “a few bad apples in dog hunting groups,” of which there are three in the state.
Blankenship said he’s had extensive conversations with the hunting groups, but there was opposition to the rule change. State law gives the Legislative Council the ability to review and weigh in on rules adopted by state agencies.
Lane Stephens, who represents the Alabama Dog Hunters Association, said it agrees the dogs shouldn’t be on private property uninvited. He said they’ve even proposed stricter penalties for those who can’t control their dogs. His group agreed to support the proposed rule if the season for hunting with dogs was extended. It is currently late November through mid-January. But so far, that hasn’t been done, so the group opposed the change.
Rule change
While the initial rule proposal would have applied to anywhere deer hunting with dogs is allowed, council members noted that the six people speaking during a public comment period were all from Talladega County. Sen. Sam Givhan, the council co-chair, moved to amend the rule to only apply to areas surrounding Talladega National Forest.
That change eventually got council approval Thursday and it now goes back to the Conservation Advisory Board. If it agrees with the amended rule, it will become effective. Blankenship said he would also recommend expanding the dog hunting season within Talladega National Forest for one week.
Some lawmakers hesitated at dealing with the issue Thursday. House Speaker Nathaniel Ledbetter, R-Rainsville, asked why this was being brought to the council so close to the start of hunting season.
“This should have been brought up last session,” Ledbetter said. “… I think this should be debated more and have more conversation, that’s my opinion.”
Rep. Mary Moore, D-Birmingham, said the residents in Talladega County had been dealing with this issue for years and needed help now.
Sen. Vivian Figures, D-Mobile, said if nothing is done, conflicts between dog owners and landowners could increase.
The council had to vote on the rule twice because of confusion on the voting procedure. Pringle accidentally voted for it initially and then called for a second vote.
“I wanted to come out clearly against this rule,” he said. “I do not want the dog hunters to burn my stuff down.”