Ok, sorry it took me so long to find this thread. I can't beleive the number of guys who say it is wrong to kill a dog on your property!! I'm dealing with this exact same situation right now, here is my story.

We own/lease over 800 acres out of town. There are rual subdivisions on 3 sides of the property. Used to dogs didn't seem to be a big problem, however that has changed in the last couple years. This year we have seen no less than 20 <u>different</u> dogs running and barking thru the property while we were on deer stands. We even have pictures of them at our feeders waaaay back in the woods taken by our game cameras. Yes, we have also personally seen them chasing deer. The problem has become epedemic. The problem is with the dog owners, NOT us. It is their dog who is tresspassing on our land. Used to people kept their dogs penned up, tied up, or trained to stay on their place. That doesn't seem to be the case anymore.

So what are we supposed to do? There are literally hundreds of houses around the property so contacting the dog owners is not a possibility. We are left with two real choices: 1) let the dogs keep running deer all over the country and ruining our hunting or 2) start shooting dogs. It is real easy to say that you should just forget about it and let the dogs go. Just wait until their are dogs in the woods barking and dogs chasing deer EVERY single time you go in the woods! I'll be honest, I don't like the idea of shooting someone's pet either. I hate the thought of shooting a domestic dog because there is no sport in it. However, this isn't for sport, it is for neccessity. However, I'll add that as of now, we have not killed any dogs. We have been hoping and praying the problem would slow down. Instead it is getting worse.

My folks have spent over $300,000 buying this land in the last 10 yrs and the land we lease is an additonal $2,200 per year. We put in 10 acre food plots, mow roads, put out feeders and minerals, and practice and an extreme QDM plan. Don't tell me that I have to let some 2 cent dog ruin my hunting.

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Hunting the Piney Woods of Deep East Texas.