hunting dogs

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We are now at the end of hunting season and tired from chasing the annoying hunting dogs from our property. The owners send them in to chase the deer from our land. They claim the dogs can't read our posted signs. Anyone out there with any thoughts?

-- julie britt (jbritt@ceva.net), January 05, 2002

Answers

Go find the trucks, copy the tag numbers, call the deputy.

-- mitch hearn (moopups@citlink.net), January 05, 2002.

Set up some live traps on your place and then hall them into the pound. Tell the pound master what is going on and make sure they are charge to pick up there dogs everytime and this will stop real quick. Our pound charges 25.00 everytime to get your pet back and you also have a ticket to get the pet fixed the next time the pet show up the pound will fix it themselfs and charge the owner. For owners of hunting dogs this will get old real fast.

-- Teresa (c3ranch@socket.net), January 05, 2002.

When you talk to those hunters next year, meet them with the shotgun on your arm and tell them if you see a dog bothering deer on your property you're shooting them. Dogs running deer is seriously frowned upon around here. That ought to put a crimp on their plans for letting the dogs loose on your property. Calling the game warden is probably a good idea, too.

-- Jennifer L. (Northern NYS) (jlance@nospammail.com), January 05, 2002.

We have been thinking about catching the dogs (most of the come right up to us and lay down) putting them in the lot. When they come to get the dog the second time --charging $50. I have a friend who did this last year and the hunters no longer let their dogs run around their farm!

-- Debbie T in N.C. (rdtyner@mindspring.com), January 05, 2002.

shoot the dog,, and put a dead chicken ner it,, call the sheriff

-- Stan (sopal@net-port.com), January 05, 2002.


We live in an area that hunting dogs are allowed also. If you don't have fences then dogs will come through. The hunters are not supposed to though. You might try driving down the roads early in the morning when they're starting and be friendly about it. Maybe they'll go elsewhere. But until you have fences it's hard to enforce. There are many farmers around here that lease the hunting rights to their land to hunt clubs in the area (after they pull in their crops). But then again if the dogs aren't doing any damage, maybe it's not worth bothering about. The dogs will soon find the road and be taken home, they aren't really lost. I don't quite go in for the shooting them solution, it's not their fault that they're there. and they are usually peacefull dogs anyway. Fences might be the answer.

-- Joan Murray (alandjoan@juno.com), January 05, 2002.

Yep, wwe havee the same problem here. In one hour during Bow Season (you arent allowwed to use dogs during bow season, incidentally) I witnessed 5 hunting dogs cross the tail end of my property. Two of the dogs attempted to come at me, but thought better of it when I stood my ground. Around heere, folks are known to use "quiet dogs" that dont bark when making the drive of the deer. And they also use killer dogs to take down the deer. Nothing quite like hunting and not even having to shoot the gun, just follow the dog using the radar system (dog has collar with radar device on it). What the heck ever happened to going out in the woods and being quiet and still and getting a deer.? But the hunters are correct in saying the dogs cant read. If the dogs are 'on' a deer- it might be alright just to allow them through. If the hunters are hunting on your land w/o permission, OR letting the dogs out where they HAVE to go across your property, then you need to do something about it. The dogs generally wont mess with anything else when they are hot on a deer. Its one of those no win situations. I wish they would just ban dog hunting- much as I hate govt rules, this is one that just isnt fair to the deer, and it generally gives deer hunters a bad name. Not too surprisingly, I am firmly convinced that you get more deer without the use of dogs, all the dogs do it get the deer to hide real good!

-- Keevin in NC (Vantravlrs@aol.com), January 05, 2002.

I'd be careful about following some of the advice offered.As aggravating as it my be in Virginia dogs have a "right" to cross your property and chase wild game.The state law says the deer and other wild animals belong to the state and if the dogs are in legal pursuit you cannot interfer with them.Also hunters can legally trespass to retrieve their dogs.Not saying I agree with this but it is the law. There was a couple in Buckingham last year that got into some serious trouble for shooting a dog chasing a deer across their property so I'd check the law before doing anything.

-- Gary (burnett_gary@msn.com), January 05, 2002.

Please use caution and logic in dealing with this problem and not the advice from the lady in NYS which was shooting them. Although one may feel justified at the moment you do it, one seldon feels that way later on. Other people had good suggestions such as catching them and taking them to the pound where the hunter is required to pay a fee for their return. I'm sure you would not want someone to shoot your dog if it was doing what it was breed to do. Public opinion and court juries seldom show understanding or compassion for dog shooters.

-- jim phillips (jhphillips@ccrtc.com), January 05, 2002.

i use small treeing dogs to hunt squirlles and coons, while i don't hunt on land i am not supposed to the dogs will trail game over a boundry line,thats a given. if they tree off my land i will pull them off the tree and carry on....now... if you shoot a hunting dog that clearly marked or has a neon-orange collar, in most places you will go to jail ,and you will pay dearly for that dog, some dogs sell for 2-3 thousand dollars. and make no mistake you will go to court and you will pay. if your state or county allows dog hunting for deer, then you have two choices fence your land or talk to the hunters about not shooting deer on your land. if you are surrouned by gov. hunting land then all you can do is fence them out. folks have been dog hunting for a hundred years in this country, and some folks think about their dogs as family members.

-- paul a coleman (wormfarmerone@yahoo.com), January 05, 2002.


Are dogs allowed to run deer in your state? If they are then there may not be much you can do about it. If they are using big deer hounds the chase could start as far as 10 miles away and not end for several miles after they have past your property. If they are dumping the dogs off on your property to start the chase then you could call your local game warden.

I would fire a gun over the dogs head and then call the game warden. And I would do this everytime they dumped the dogs off on your property. I'm a hound owner myself and the last thing I would do is hunt my dogs in a area where it could get shot. A good hunting dog takes a lot of hours to train and to me are worth far more than a lathered up dead deer that will stink and have a very bad gamey taste. (my dogs don't run deer, just squirrels and rabbits). Also, are you sure they are deer dogs? In my neck of the woods people have hounds for the sole purpose of running coyotes and wolfes. When a pack of wolf hounds are hot on the trail, deer will run also thinking they are the ones being chased.

-- r.h. in okla. (rhays@sstelco.com), January 05, 2002.


1st just for the record most still hunters kill more deer than dog hunters its just a tradition in the south. in some places its a necessity (coastal NC swamps) the forage is so good the deer don't move much and they or the stands can't be approached quietly because of the dense undergrowth. 2nd most states that allow dog hunting (of any kind) prohibit the killing of dogs engaged in LEGAL activities (hunter harassment laws) 3rd most states allow hunters to legally trespass to recover their dogs (landowner consent is usually required to carry guns or bows and to use vehicles of any type including atv's) 4th as a general rule unless the dogs are actually damaging your property and you can prove it don't shoot them (even up north) because the owner(s) could return fire instead CALL THE LOCAL GAME WARDEN

-- Pops (pops762@hotmail.com), January 06, 2002.

I say if the dogs are just running through and the hunters are staying off, then let them be. Provided dogs are allow during deer season in your area. Check with your local game and fish, or get a rules and regulations book at Wal Mart. If they are not allowed at all or the hunters are trepassing themselves(with guns and such), then call the game warden. They are allowed to let the dogs lose before gun season for "practice runs". If the dogs are hanging around you can try to catch them and return them, but in the rare instance you can get close enough, the hunter is more than likely to just let them go again. If they are destructive and you feel the dog deserves to be shot, and you dont think the hunter would do anything to help you. Then the dog should just disappear, otherwise you could have a problem like some of the others here have said. I personally only shot dogs that are after and kill my livestock or are aggressive to my family on our land. I usually give the owner a chance, but if the owner isn't cooperative, then the dog doen't get another chance and I just don't mention it to the owner if I think they would cause problems.

-- Kellie Duncan (kashaa@swbell.net), January 06, 2002.

If your area has a leash law you can be totally free from any sort of legal liability if you happen to shoot one. If you do want to kill them use a large enough caliber weapon to do the job quickly and effectively, then rather than burying the animal wait until late at night drop it in the road and run over several times so it looks like a car killed it. I've heard of sheep producers doing the above because even a pet dog can kill sheep and most people refuse to believe that their pet could do anything of the sort. Also if you didn't want to kill the dogs shoot them with a bb gun at a long distance to simply burn the dog it shouldn't enter the animal only welt it.

-- possum (possumpals@yahoo.com), January 07, 2002.

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