ORIGINAL: Virginia Mike
I have lived in VA my entire life and understand that running deer dogs has a long history and tradition in our state. That being said, you dog guys only ever mention the laws that protect the dogs. Not once in your post did you mention trespassing or having your dogs on leads or leashes and making sure the collar stays on. I had a piece of property that I used to own that the local dog hunters were adjacent to. In 5 years of owning that property, I never had a hunt without having to deal with there dogs. I did not shoot them, but instead went to the club and told them to control their dogs. All I ever got was attitude and threats of harm if I ever shot their dogs. I got the authorities involved and nothing ever happened. I ended up selling the land because I could not hunt without the dogs running. The simple, realistic fact is that most clubs with dogs know that the dogs run onto other land and do nothing about it. You yourself said your dog crossed a road onto other property and the only solution you gave is you would have been mad and handled it if someone shot your dog. I think all that the hunters on this topic are asking is that you control your dogs, ON YOUR LAND! I have never shot a dog, but I understand the motives of those who have. How are you going to make sure your dogs are not going to ruin your neihbors hunt the next time? I know, dogs will chase, that's what they do. What a crock, control your animals.
Well maybe I didnt get my coloring pencils out and draw it in blac and white so here it is... If you read my post you see that one tract of ours is adjoined by two large tracts that are still hunt only clubs.. we have great relationships with these guys. One club is strictly a trophy club (minimum of 8 points and past the ears in order for them to harvest) we have in place our own buck managment practices which may not be the exact same one (ours is 16" minimum on the tract). These guys have no problems with the way we hunt with dogs.. we try to make our drives on the edges of the property moving toward the interior of our tract to minimize the chances of the deer/dogs running onto their land. We also place back standers in place in case of the deer circling. In the case that the dogs leave the property then 1 person and it is usually me, tracks the dogs and catches them as quickly as paossible.
You make mention that Idid not say anything in regards to collars etc.. all of my dogs have atleast two and alot of the time three collars on. One is a basic neon green collar with my name and cell phone(cell phone so that I can get the call as soon as someone catches my dog and retreive it quickly) sometimes a second blaze orange collar with my name, the dogs name and my phone numbers on it. They will always have a tracking collar on them so that I can track them in the instance they get off our tract of land. This allows me to locate and retrieve them as quickly as possible so as not to interrupt anyone else who is hunting in adjoining areas. I spend $150 per collar for the tracking collars and the system that tracks the collars gost me over $1000, I am serious about being able to keep acurate account and location on all my dogs.When I have to track a dog who has left the property I always leave my gun with someone else so that I can not be accused of road hunting. The only exception to this is if the are going into another tract that we have hunting rights to then I will keep it with me but once I leave our leases I leave the gun behind.
We do everything in our power to ensure the dogs do not leave the tract (when they do it is not doing us any good anyway) and in situations they do then we are quick to retrieve them and not allow them to run all over the countryside (once again not doing us any good and it doesnt make for good neighbor relationships).
Virginia Mike I know that alot of the clubs out there that run dogs are not like us, that they do allow the dogs to leave their peace and some do drop dogs on other tracts on purpose in order to run the deer into theirs. I DO NOT AGREE with this style of dog hunting at all. In fact I am against it as it is not only illegal it is unethical.Clubs like that are one of the reasons that dog hunting is becoming more disliked by those who have never done it the correct and legal way to see if they like it or not. They cause people to form instant bad opinions about it and assume that everyone with a dog box is like that. We are quick to call the local wardens(I have both of our local wardens cell numbersboth their state issued and personalphones in order to get ahold of them when needed)or sheriffs office and give them the needed information. We have helped with leads leading to the catching of several spotlighters.
Our club is also one of the founding clubs for a annual veterens hunt that we help put on every year. This is done on state park lands and is a great day. We enjoy great meals, good hunting (man drives made to the veterens) and great fellowship amongst local hunters, veterens and state officals.
SO please before you go put everyone with a dog box in the same group stop and think.. There are still alot of clubs who do it legally and are good guys. But yes there are those such as the case in every activity that are not shinning examples and yet those are the ones that everyone bases their opinions on.
As I do for everyone who has never done it or who has had a bad experience with it I openly invite you to attend a hunt with us at any point this year. Maybe you will see first hand that all of us houndsmen are not road hunters or slob hunters.NOthing ventured nothing gained.