The Hunter Opportunity Program was established in 2005 as a means of developing goodwill between houndsmen, members of the general hunting community and public, providing houndhunting opportunities to those who would otherwise not have a chance to experience this exciting sport, and generating revenue for the fight against the efforts to threaten legitimate hunting practices across the United States.

     CHC recognizes the importance of educating members of other hunting interests and the non-hunting public on the recreational, cultural, and scientific benefits of using hounds for the pursuit of wildlife. CHC believes that by offering the opportunity to hunt with hounds, the hunting guest will have the necessary insight into the sport that will allow them to separate fact from fiction, see through the anti hunting propaganda, and make a more informed and accurate decision as a voter.

     The Hunter Opportunity Program allows those who do not or cannot own hounds to be able to experience the excitement, challenge and utter thrill of hunting a good pack of hounds on some of America's most abundant and beautiful wildlife. This sport goes beyond our own country's origins, past the time when Man's Best Friend was domesticated, and to the point when the ancestor of the dog was pursuing the ancestors of the game we hunt today. To be a part of the history and tradition of the sport and witness the ancient relationship between dog and prey is an honor and privilege to be shared and appreciated by as many people as possible. Besides the many intangible benefits it provides, the pursuit of wildlife with dogs allows for the guest to be in very close proximity to wildlife, thereby allowing for some wonderful photographic opportunities for this non-consumptive program. Rather than being armed with a weapon, the host and guest(s) hope to be fortunate enough to pursue and tree a bear as a means of being provided with a chance to take movie videos and still photographs from a distance that most professional videographers and photographers never experience.

     The Hunter Opportunity Program provides a means of generating donations for the warchest used to defeat anti hunting measures that seek to ban hound hunting and other recreational uses of wildlife. CHC and its partners have defeated recent legislative and ballot initiative efforts in California and Maine to ban dove hunting and hound hunting for bear and bobcat. CHC acknowledges that the anti hunting organizations will never relent, and for that reason, CHC must never tire in its efforts to raise the money necessary to prevent prohibitions against the reasonable use of our natural resources.

     The Hunter Opportunity Program provides members of the public with the chance to pursue black bear on private and public land throughout the state during the legal seasons according to legal methods. The Program matches qualified guests with qualified hosts who have met stringent eligibility requirements in order to ensure a safe, enjoyable, ethical and legal experience. The guest provides no compensation to the host at any time or for any reason; the host acts as an ambassador for the sport of hound hunting and volunteers their time, dogs and expertise to the guest in appreciation of the donation to the Political Action Committee fund that CHC is affiliated with. Furthermore, because of the non-consumptive nature of this program, the guest is not required to purchase a hunting license or bear tag in order to participate.

    To find out more information about the program, get references from previous Program guests, or to make arrangments to be a guest on a photographic hunt, please contact Dan Tichenor, Program Director, at 510.537.8440 or fundraising@californiahoundsmen.com.