[Ridge Runner]

Lil,
I never hunted deer with dogs, its not legal in wv, have turned down, regretfully, a couple invitations to hunt eastern va.
I have though hunted bear with hounds for years and I know what your talking about. Those who don't hunt with hounds, don't understand the bond between a hunter and his hounds, and they never will, sure they own dogs, but they have no idea how you feel about an animal who lives to hunt, as we do, and will literally run himself ragged just doing what he loves, sounds like a hunter huh.
Like you said lil, most houndsmen are law abibing respectable hunters, but we're held responsible for the "rogues in our ranks" I think the other groups of hunters should hold the same responsibility.
RR
BTW, our bear hounds, youngs ones especialy, once in a while, jump track, and run a deer, never do they catch one, even though our deer are not pursued by dogs much, however, those house pets, the geman shepheards, and dalmations, and the like, those dogs who run by sight catch a good many, hounds run with nose to the ground and a deer can keep they're pace up for days, sure a fast long legged hound could possibly run faster than a deer, but with nose to the ground working a track, they never see one. and they'll usually run a track awhile, as the deer gets farther and farther ahead of the dogs, the track gets colder, most of the time another deer runs over the track the dogs are following, since its a deer and a fresher track, the hounds switch tracks, so not many deer are ran over 1/2 mile or so.
RR