Never done it or seen it done. It would be interesting to try. Ive hunted hogs with a knife and pitbulls. That is rather exciting.

SevenMag
The double standard I was referring to was people saying it is ok to kill dogs on their land because they don't like dog hunting. It is not ok, it is a felony. Now if your situation is as bad as you describe(which Ibelieve it is, or you wouldn't have posted it)I would be working with the local game wardens and law to remedy it because it is illegal to intentionally turn dogs outto runyour property and by lining the opposite side that is clearly their intent. If you get no results go above the localwarden, also contact the police also and tell them where a good DUI checkpoint would be after some of their organized "hunts". I'm not saying you haven't tried these things but we continually did everything in our power to eliminate the problem we had on our farm which was quite similiar to yours and yes it took a couple of seasons and we still have to stay on our toes to this daybut it has changed for the better over the last 5 years and hopefully will continue to do so.

yes, we did go down that path... the problem was that rarely could the cops ever make it out there to catch them in the act (our land is pretty remote from town)... and since we don't live on our land it makes it difficult for us to catch them as well... also, and i've posted related info about this before, the people down there doing this think it is their right to do it... so if you post the land or get them busted or whatever they threaten you at gunpoint on your own land or they wait til mid summer when its nice and dry down there and go strike a match... after the word gets out to the local gun shops (one of my uncles owns one) what happens on that property eventually people start leaving it alone, but it took about 10yrs and three dead dogs to improve it... once other landowners started getting sick of it, eventually it became banned in those counties... its no longer a problem so to speak, but there are still occasionally some that are poaching in various areas in the county...

isn't poaching a felony in most states as well???

Ok, the thread started out by asking if you would approve of hound hunting if it were to be "on the table" so to speak. My answer is no. Not for WI. Even though we have large tracts of public land where hound hunting would be feasible, I'd be against it and I would bet that a huge majority of hunters and non-hunters alike would be. I read through much of this thread, and I can understand both points of view, and my opinion is based purely on tradition. Hound hunting is not part of our tradition up here, and it wouldn't go over.

One thing I can't understand is that baiting was never part of our tradition either, until about 20 years ago. Now we have it,it's controversial, and I hate it. I don't understand how baiting came to be legal and accepted. I guess the theory was to make it easier to reduce the deer population, well it didn't work so let's nix it!

Dog hunting is not poaching, so I don't see your point unless it is that your wardens and law enforcement suck at their jobs. To poach is to hunt illegally so I imagine the penalties range from misdemeanors all the way to felonies depending on the actual offense.

I live in VA as well and I've hunted with dogs, though I've never been a member of a club. VAbowman, I hunted Ivor (Southhampton) for years and had hunt clubs put there dogs in on all the property around us, and through ours, and 6 packs of dogs running deer every which direction is a circus to behold. Add in the truck hunters trying to race the dogs to the end of the woodlotand you havea comedy right out of stereotype Hollywood. Most clubs in that area I dealt with are what I would refer to as "slob hunters". Breaking laws, speeding, hunting on public roads, threatening, tresspassing, the whole gamit. It was stupid. We had hundreds of acres we kept posted and stand hunted out of, but I'd be lying if I said the sound of a pack hounds heading your way didn't get your heart racing. It's a fun relaxing way of hunting, similar to small game hunting in my mind. After 6 weeks of intense bowhunting/BP, and after the rut, I don't mind relaxing and letting the dogs work and set up on escape routes. I think the answer to most problems is that clubs need to stop using the long legged "running type" hounds and use beagles. I've hunted with friends that had 3 or 4 beagles and we'd push small patches of woods/briars on Fort Pickett and private land and we never had problems keeping track of the dogs. They walked slowly, trailing the deer and the deer moved slowly in front of them, similar to a man drive, feeding as they go. Often I saw a deer looking back and waiting until the dog got within 50 yards before moving on, as if it were a game. Yes it's not an intense, chessgame, of move/countermove, but it does take strategy and can be intense and fun. My ego is not so strongly tied to how I hunt that I can't sit back and enjoy a chorus of random chaos for an evening of fun. I don't make a practice of it; in fact I now live and hunt in the section of the State that doesn't allow dog hunting, except for coons and bear. Yes it does stink when you have a buck patterned and you are in the perfect setuponly to have someone exercising their dogs before season come throughyour hunting area. BTW, it's been my experience thatdeer stillmove through an areaeven after dogs have run through. Understand, one of the tricks used most often by bucks is to circle back around on their own track and bed down, or to hold tight and let dogs run by. So, in my experience, I've found that dog hunting (on neighboring property), enlivens the mid-morning/mid-evening hunt but doesn't do much to change the evening stands, unless the buck happens to be killed, but that doesn't happen as much as you'd think.

My problem with the "anti-dog" crowd is that you are joining the whole "anti-hunting" crowd and helping them give hunting in general a black-eye. We should police our own ranks through education and peer pressure, but inviting legislative interference could be inviting the fox into the hen house, so to speak.

On a related note how many of you bird/rabbit hunters do it the old fashion, manual way? or do you use dogs?

running your dogs across private posted property in order shoot the deer on the other side of it isn't poaching??? how so???

i disagree with this as being anti-hunting... i believe you can dog hunt all you want anywhere you want as long as you have permission to do so from the landowner... its the dog hunters themselves that are giving the sport a black-eye by stomping on land owner rights and ignoring the personal property laws of whatever state they happen to be in... its their own fault for the plight they face now from other hunters...

Well let's not make them my dogs but I see what you are saying now. And yes if someone is lining your property and dropping into it I would say they are breaking the law(like I stated earlier), now does that mean all dog hunters are doing that, no it doesn't. And in areas where that is happening it is up to law enforcement to enforce the laws and having been in that situation it takes a lot of personal effort too. I don't live on my farm it is 100.5 miles away and it took a lot of work and getting to know some locals and working with the law(sometimes nagging them and their bosses constantly) to bring about changes and ifthat can't be doneor youare afraid somone will burn your land down then I guess there is nothing you can do, but all I was saying is that situation in your area and county is bad but it does not represent the behavior of all dog hunters. If you took the dogs away from the guys you describe they would stillbe trespassing, spotlighting, road hunting, slob hunters. Yes the dogs would be gone but I would be willing to bet your problems wouldn't go anywhere because your problems are of the two legged persuasion, not four. Good luck to you, I honestly hope your situation improves.

Good post Talondale and I would have to agree that the more I hunt with dogs the more I like beagles especially when it comes to control and staying within a property. Like I said earlier I think the VDGIF will end up having to regulate it because there are too many renegade hunters who don't care and the only way you will get through to them is to hit them in the wallet and hold them accountable. It would be nice if we could "police our own ranks"but it seem like for every 1 or 2 good clubs there is a group of "renegades" who won't be told what to do so you will have to make it law and hurt their pocket to get their attention.I think we as hunters then must hold theVDGIF and wardens accountablefor enforcing thestuff and help themin any ways we can as clubs and individuals.