Opinions on resolving deer-chasing dogs...

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SEHunter

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No intent on a heated discussion but i have had and am currently having problems with dogs chaseing deer. I see it while in the stand and while not hunting as well. I have shot dogs from the stand and i dont necessarily feel wrong for it but at the same time, its not somthing i enjoy or wish to have to continue to do. To my best memory, each one has been one i have witnessed chaseing more than once. I have passed once on a dog that i believed was a pure breed lab..only for that reason...thinking it may be a hunting dog that got out or atleast a dog that is cared for that usually would be kept up. The rest appeared to be mixed mutts.

Just asking if there are any tactics or tricks to detering a dog from a specific location. I cant think of how that would be possible but still throwing it out there for discussion. I live in a rural area and its almost impossible to locate the owner, nor do i have the time to go door to door. From past experience, that has not been effective so for arguments sake, that is not an option in this case.

The "collar rule" is one i have tried to honor but most of them have some sort of collar and they chase deer just as well as the rest. I also feel that poison is too risky for more than one reason. No offense to the dog lovers here. Im not anti-dog. I can honestly say i would have nothing to say if my own dog (i do not have a dog now) had repeatedly ended another hunters hunt and he or she decided to end the situation by shooting it. This past Saturday, i was watching a 6 pointer that i did not plan to take and all of a sudden, he stomped and spooked off. As fast as i could turn my head, a dog came flying by my stand at about 15 yards and barked all the way through the woods. I was pretty ill at that point. If it would have been a mature buck, that chance for a trophy (not to mention hours of extra sleep) would be lost. Any thoughts?
Thanks Guys.
 
1 - Is this on your private land?
2- Is using dogs to hunt illegal where you are?

If the answer to these is "no", then I don't see where shooting the dogs is ethical or legal

JMO
 
This is land i own and im not sure of the dog hunting laws. All i can respond to the dog hunting is that i dont know personally or have heard of anyone in this area that uses dogs to hunt deer or other game for that matter. Besides, a well trained hunting dog would not be roaming like these are. Or should i say most people that have a prized hunting dog would never allow them to. One, for respect to fellow hunters and two, they simply care for these types of dog and maintain them.

I cant jump to this conclusion but in my personal opinion, i dont feel its ethical for a dog owner to carelessly allow their pet (if infact they are pets..dont know for sure) to freely roam in an area that has a high concentration of deer hunters, you know?
 
I don't see where shooting the dogs is ethical or legal
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While I appreciate and share my love for dogs,,I don't see where this is pertinent. The man is witnessing wildlife being harrassed by feral dogs. I would shoot on sight just as if it were a coyote.
For what it's worth, I live simply w/ simple beliefs. I do not believe that you as my neighbor should be bothered by neither my dogs,,,nor my children..conversely, your dogs and kids should not bother me..I will enforce this...
elkman
 
I see nothing wrong with what you're doing. I have done the same thing.
If you dont know who the owner is and its your ground then its up to your discretion.
I cant jump to this conclusion but in my personal opinion, i dont feel its ethical for a dog owner to carelessly allow their pet (if infact they are pets..dont know for sure) to freely roam in an area that has a high concentration of deer hunters, you know?
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The sheep herders regularly abandon dogs in SE Idaho, they just get left to fend for themselves at the end of the season. They eat what they can catch.
 
While I appreciate and share my love for dogs,,I don't see where this is pertinent. The man is witnessing wildlife being harrassed by feral dogs. I would shoot on sight just as if it were a coyote.
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No proof any of them were feral. Here in FL using dogs to "drive" the deer IS legal. At the time of my posting, it was unclear as to whether this was happening on private or public land, which is why I mentioned if BOTH of them were true..........;)
 
Appreciate the replys, guys. On a side note, thats kind of a waste for those guys to ditch those dogs. Wonder why they dont use them the following year or season or whatever the term would be.

Anyway, the more i thought about what i said about any tactics for detering dogs, the more i realized thats not possible. Anything that would deter a dog would definately have already ran off wild game.

I personally dont see another option besides shooting them. Some may not agree its ethical but well, dont know what else to say about it.
 
Don't know where you live but in some states it's illegal to shoot a dog with a collar unless it is harrassing or attacking people or livestock.

I used to hunt deer with dogs. My dad and I had some really good hounds, but we never could teach them to read 'No Trespassing' signs. :D
We did however do our best to catch them before they ran across posted land, and we wouldn't turn them out anywhere we knew someone was still /stand hunting.

If they are definitely wild or ferral dogs then I would probably do what you're doing. BUT if there is a chance that those dogs are pets or hunting dogs I would be very very carefull about shooting them...pet owners can get crazy and dog hunters even more so.
 
I see this complaint on the archery site I visit regularly and it is amazing how many people think that dogs have more rights than you and I.


I personally believe that if you like your dog you will keep track of it and keep it in the yard or kenneled. People who like their dogs don't just let them wonder.


I personally believe in property rights, your hunting dog no matter how prized does not belong on my land and neither do you. There are quite a few hound hunters who don't understand this. It is my property stay off unless I invite you on. I will shoot your dog without hesitation, and maybe even you.:eek:

I really like my dogs and spend a lot of time,money, and effort to train mine. If you find one of them on your property or on public land doing something they should not, that's my fault period. The only curticy(can't spell this for some reason) you should afford me is to tell me where the body is so I can dispose of it properly.

I firmly believe that you should take responsibility for your self and your animals, keep track of them and take care of them or they should be disposed of.
 
Whether dog hunting is legal where you are or not, it's your land and the dogs are trespassing and harassing wildlife. Doesn't matter if they can read posted signs or not. The slob dog hunters in S. Miss. turn their dogs loose with the knowledge they will go on others land and their redneck reply always is, "Well, them dogs don't know no property lines:barf:. I say, "Commence firing, fire at will!"
 
but most of them have some sort of collar
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That would indicate to me that they are not feral.

I know that if deer are hard to come by in your area it is probably quite annoying. I like to kill a deer every now and then. But, I'm certainly not going to kill somebody's dog over one.
 
If it's my land.
If they're chasing game.
If they don't have owners actively trying to stop them.

Measure will be taken to stop any further harassment of the wildlife.

Collar, or not... (within the limits of the law, where applicable)
 
lol. Publius, had to laugh at that one.

I can understand a dog owner whose maintained hunting dog was shot for running deer having a big problem when they find out the one time it got out, it got shot. But all i know to say is thats just bad luck....What can you say...sometimes somthing like that happens. More times than not, its likely just a run of the mill dog.

I admit i dont know exactly what is stated in this law but i do know the county this property is in has a "leash law". I understand that if its off its owners property, the law doesent protect it. Like i said, i was leaning toward the right/wrong aspect and not the legal aspect. When i have shot a dog in the past, i dont broadcast it and i dispose of it immediately in a concealed location.
 
SEHunter, what state are you in. Your state may have some very specific laws about what you can and cannot do to the dogs that are chasing wildlife. Note that some states have a clear distinction between animals that harass/threaten/harm livestock versus those doing the same to wildlife.

Consider calling your local sheriff's department, game warden, and or animal control in your area to find out what you can and cannot do legally. From what I can find, killing said dogs in many states would be a misdemeanor and in some cases may be considered a felony.

I say, "Commence firing, fire at will!"
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In MS, poisoning a dog is not legal and punishment can be as long as 1-3 years in jail or prison. I can find no provision that makes it legal for you to kill stray or neighbor dogs on your property unless they are bothering livestock or are threatening you or loved ones with immediate injury.

With that said, you might consider trapping the dogs and if you can't determine the owner, turn them in at your local animal shelter. You would be taking care of your problem without breaking animal cruelty or related laws, and you would be free of the potentially illegal (for you) kill task. In other words, they dogs would no longer be your problem.

but most of them have some sort of collar
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That would indicate to me that they are not feral.
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The presence of a collar may indicate that they are not feral, but not be proof. Certainly the dogs may be strays even if they have a collar as the dog may not have been stray long enough for the collar to have failed and fallen from the dog. Some collars may take years for this to happen.
 
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Im in Georgia. I agree that is a good strategy but i will be honest in saying between the job and family obligations, i dont have time to trap these dogs. I am giddy each chance i can take to just hunt. All said, i may contact the sherrif. I atleast want to know what the law is with this because i havent looked into that before.
 
I'm certainly not going to kill somebody's dog over one.
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So, just to be clear..your belief is that a roaming personal pet, trumps my(and your) wildlife on private ground..
This makes me assume that your ability to be inattentive to your animal is more important than my right and ability to hunt and maintain my private ground. All I can say is WOW! That must have been the mentality of the person who let his husky streak across the meadow and jump on my "controlled" Lab. The husky got a size ten in the chops. It's actually a good thing I was not carrying.
elkman 06
 
While dog-hunting is legal in some parts of Florida, the dogs must remain on land under the hunter's control--or public lands where such hunting is allowed--and must not trespass onto other people's land.

Collar or no, any dog chasing a game animal such as deer without being part of a legal hunt can be treated as feral. This will vary with state laws pertaining to animal cruelty, etc.

Being a well-loved pet and having a collar in no way keeps a dog from chasing and killing game animals or livestock. At age 12 I had to shoot my own dog because we could not break her from killing a neighbor's turkeys--and my parents didn't have the money to pay for more turkeys. My dog, so my responsibility.

But it's pretty much up to the individual to decide how to deal with such dogs. Outsiders' opinions are irrelevant.

For the OP, however, I see no way to keep stray dogs from trespassing and hunting--other than killing, which doesn't actually end the problem of irresponsible dog owners.

It's a people problem, really, not a dog problem...
 
Sorry Cornbush but I have to- HAHAHAHAHAHAH you are a Utard
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Some of us do suffer that cruel fate :( But someday I hope to leave this singleminded state for the land of milk and honey........preferably Idaho or Wyoming.

As far as the dogs..........in Utah, even if the dogs are not wearing a collar and are harrasing game, all the law allows is for me to report it to the fish and game (if it is on public land) and the rest is up to the warden (if it has a collar, and you shoot it, you can be held liable for damages or the value of the dog). On private land, if it is chasing game, I would definitely feel it is a threat to me and my family, since it is capable and willing to go after game much larger than itself ;), and would not hesitate to, um, "fix" the problem.
 
grubbylabs and publius-

I am sorry that you have had bad experinces with dog hunters. Some have no respect for others property or hunt. Not all of us are that way. We stopped hunting with dogs when our parts of our lease were sold and we could no longer run without being certain (as we could) that they wouldn't run across posted land or disrupt other hunters. We even went door to door and asked permission from land owners and tried to work out schedules with stand hunters. I think that anyone that hunts with dogs should do the same.

The point I was trying to make is that dogs have a mind of their own and will go places they should not. A phone call or personal visit to surrounding land owners and hunters would be common curtisy BEFORE the dog cross the property line.

It would be a shame to shoot a hound or person because of an HONEST (not willfully tresspassing or poaching) mistake.

If someone was KNOWINGLY turning their dogs loose or tresspassing on personal property after being denied permission however,
"Commence firing, fire at will!"
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