This past season me and a friend were putting up a new stand when all of a sudden we were surrounded by dogs. Since is was early bow season we didn't have a gun with us. Luckily he had a pistol in his truck that allowed us to finish our work!!! Another time I was walking to my stand and looked up to see a pit and a lab starring at me. As they began to walk toward me I laid down my rifle (no way of getting a good shot if they started running toward me) and pulled out my pistol. As soon as the dogs saw my pistol took off the other way. Bottom line is that hunters don't kill dogs. Its the owners who let them run.