Hound hunting is under attack across North America. Animal rights organizations like HSUS, PeTA and The Fund for Animals continue to devise ways to keep our hounds out of the woods. Across America, front-line organizations like the Michigan Hunting Dog Federation (MHDF) represent our main defense against the onslaught of ill-conceived regulations that, if enacted will spell the end to the sport of hunting with hounds.

In this episode Chris and Steve talk with Mike Thorman who has served MHDF twenty-four years, many of them as Legislative Director. Steve and Mike relive many of the battles they fought together when Steve served as Vice President of Legislative Affairs for two national kennel clubs. Victories under Mike’s direction have included the fight to create hound-friendly recreational trespass laws and the defeat of overly restrictive animal cruelty and puppy mill legislation. Some of the bills the MHDF has successfully defeated were not necessarily dog related but nonetheless affected the ability of houndsmen to free cast their dogs afield in Michigan.

Mike Thorman is a former drill sergeant, high school football coach, farmer and lifelong houndsman. He runs the pack of Walker hounds he has bred successfully over several decades on coyote and bear in his native Michigan. Listeners wishing to join the fight against the foes of hound hunting will profit greatly from this informative and entertaining episode.