Landowners argue that hunters are using the “Right to Retrieve” law as an excuse to trespass and hunt on their private property. The “Right to Retrieve” law allows hunters to retrieve their hunting dogs on prohibited lands even when it is posted. In 2022, landowners sued the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources in hopes of ending the “Right to Retrieve” law. The DWR won the case, but the landowners appealed. If the landowners prevail, hunters will be unable to retrieve their dogs unless given permission by the landowners.
Taking away hunters’ rights to retrieve their dogs on private property is potentially putting our dogs in danger. The last thing that a hunter wants is for their dogs to be on your private property. Unfortunately, it does happen because if the deer crosses out of the block being hunted, the dogs are likely to follow.
To track where the dogs are headed, hunters use a Garmin GPS dog tracking and training system. This allows hunters to track their dogs and know where they are at all times. When the dogs go out of the hunt, hunters try their best to retrieve them as quickly as possible. Sometimes the dogs are caught up easily; other times, things can get a little more difficult, which is where the “Right to Retrieve” law comes into play.
You are no longer hunting when you are entering private property to retrieve your dog. Pursuant to Virginia Code Section 18.2-136, you cannot legally carry any type of weapon with you while retrieving. When using the “Right to Retrieve” law, hunters are entering the property long enough to retrieve the dog and leave.
The law is used as a last resort when we are unable to get ahold of our dogs any other way. It is used solely to retrieve our dogs and ensure their safety. Our hunting dogs are like our family, and we always want them to make it back home safe and sound.
I know that sometimes hunting dogs can get a bad reputation due to people only sharing their bad aspects, but most hunters truly do care about their dogs. This is why it is incredibly important that we keep this law alive.
If you have never participated in this tradition, there can sometimes be some misunderstandings of how things work. People like to say that hunting dogs are being forced to hunt, starved or even mistreated. These dogs were born to hunt. To hear and watch the dogs hunt is truly an amazing thing. It is obvious that these hunting dogs love what they do and that it is their passion.
Sometimes hunting dogs can appear a little skinny in comparison to your average house dog, but this is due to their highly active nature. These dogs are healthier than ever and at a perfect weight. I love my hunting dogs as much as you love your house pets, and I can tell you that many other hunters feel the same way I do.
I urge everyone to come to join us in dog hunting and understand why we want to preserve our rights. I feel that if more people were educated on dog hunting and got to experience it firsthand, they would be more understanding towards hunters’ rights and why the “Right to Retrieve” law, in particular, is important to keep around.
Jordan Smith lives in Isle of Wight County. She graduated from Old Dominion University this month with a degree in business administration and is an avid hunter.
