Well all I can say is I am glad that all the "Dog Hunters" opps I am sorry nusancie control experts are out in the mid west or up north somewhere. I live in a state that allows deer hunting with dogs. I for many years was a still hunter only having been brought up that way.

I have been on stand plenty of times, sometimes since well before dawn and had a pack of beagles or hounds chase a deer into the area I was hunting. I have made use of the situation and harvested the animal and other times I have let it continue to run. On the instances where the chase continued I have managed to kill some nice deer. The argument that the dogs will scare the deer out of a tract of land is nonesense. I will agree they will chase out which ever deer they are pursuing however alot of times it doesnt spoke most of the other deer in the area. When it does spoke them it usually only causes them to tip to around to find another vantage point to see whats going on and that has been to my bennifit.

Now I am one of "those" and yes throw your stones or what have you I really dont care. I am a proud hound/beagle/bird dog owner. I hunt deer with dogs! I hunt then with beagles, hounds and sometimes we use the bird dogs on small tracts(under 400 acres)of land so that we dont have to worry about the dogs getting away since they only wind/sight chase a few hundred yards and drop the chase and come back to the driver. I spend way to much time and energy and money in my dogs to let some one who calls themself a hunter because they follow every little piece of advice from a forum or from a magazine or tv show harm my dogs.

The dogs are only doing what is instinct to them, for those that dont know or understand a hound breeds instinct is to chase game, be it foxes, rabbits, bear, mt lion, deer, stags etc.. and this is how alot of hunting was done in the old world and over across the pond as well. But it is not a instinct limited to a hound breed it is a instinct in all breeds of dogs. No need in punishing the dog for something it is instinct for it to do.

I do undertsand the problem with feral dogs and yes it is easy to tell the difference however you cannot say it is a feral dog simply because it has no collar that is not vaild. Case in point I had one of my best gyps out last season and somehow here collar ended up off, now I have my theory on this but that is not relavent. Anyway I looked for her until I finally heard her running and was able to keep up and catch her crossing a logging road on a neighboring landowners property however if someoen woudl have shot her just because she didnt have a collar and they thought she was feral I would have been might upset. So please make sure you are looking at a feral animal and not a domestic one who has pulled out of its collar.

I usually try really hard to keep my dogs on our tracts of land so as not to disturb anyone hunting the adjoining tracts.. on place we hunt they adjoining land on two sides is leased by two different groups who only still hunt. I can say we get along wonderfully with both of these groups. They know we are not trying to intentionally make drives or run the dogs through their land. They have killed deer that are being run or have been stirred up by our dogs including some very nice, very good scoring deer.

I do relize that there are those who hunt with dogs in a fashion that is pretty much poaching and when I see these actions I call the game wardens, not shoot an animal since it is not his fault.

Here in VA it is a felony to kill a hunting dog and it is a law that every sticks to including the local courts. I have seen firsthand the results of someone shooting a hunting dog and how unpleasant their life becomes. I do know in some states it is legal to shoot a free roaming dog who posses a threat and I have no problem as long as it is a legit threat.. simply chasing a deer or other game animal is not a threat.. chasing people is a threat.

Before you start with the I am not a hunter because I hunt with dogs let me say this. I have killed a few P&Y and B&C deer still hunting and still am a huge still hunter. I do 90% of my harvesting with a bow and blackpowder. I run dogs for the fellowship and to hear them run. No difference in that then those who run rabbit dogs, or use turkey dogs. Actually on a whole our club does most of its harvesting still hunting no matter the season.

Go ahead and throw your stones and blast away about how I am a unethical hunter. All I can say is unless you have tried it with a group who does it legally and safely dont knock it. I mean I could get on here and preach about how hunting over a pile of bait or right beside a automatice feeder is unethical as well. But the way I look at it is this, to each their own but as a whole community we need to stand up and support each others chosen LEGAL methods and stules of hunting and when we see a hunter acting in a illegal matter than we turn it over to the authorities and police ourselves. Otherwise the bickering amongst us is only making us weaker and the antis stronger....

Just some thoughts... not a sermon