my post may have been confusing. i just want to make sure everyone knows that I'm a still hunter. I mad the statement "I am all for doing whatever tickles your fancy but being a still hunter" I meant that I am a still hunter

If you truly believe that Bigg then you know even less about hound hunting than I previously thought. For most it has very little to do with possessing a deer, it has to with the chase. The excitement of hearing a good dog work a trail and the anticipation of what will come. It is a change of pace and fun. There is more comradery, young kids love it as it keeps their interest a bit longer than sitting looking at a field. I am a die hard still hunter but I love hunting with dogs as well, you actually can be both.

Jimmy28303 I take people dog hunting often that have never done it and they love it, we always have good hunts and a great "hunting camp" atmosphere. If you hunt with good responsible dog hunters that are safe and knowledgeable it is a blast. Don't let someone with little knowledge and tons of predetermined prejudices towards all dog hunters tell you about something he obviouslydoesn't know much about(other than all of his bad experiences which we all hear about almost daily, well that and how to trap dogs, he can tell you about that). I bet you would be surprised how often dog hunters are unsuccessful, even with dogs it is not likeshooting fish in a barrel assome would have you believe.

The dog owners and club members I hunt with are as hard working asthe hardest workingstill huntersand far from lazy and I havelearned a lot from them that has helped me tremendously during bow season because simply put they know the woods and how the deer like to use them.

Hey VA
I wasn't trying to imply any hunters are for PETA OR HSUS but the fact is when thiings need reforming it is best handled by those involved like VDGIF,still hunters, dog hunters, landowners, etc. People with a stake in the matter. When things like this go to the "public" for reform lots of other groups get invovled and many with anti-hunting agendas, they can/do participate in anything that will limit or restrict hunting. That is all I was saying, I feel like with stronger enforcement of laws already on the books and possibly new regulations for registering and being held responsible for your dogs much of this could have been avoided. Now we have invited other parties into the mix that have there own agenda which does not include what's in the best interest for hunting/hunters.

Here is a perfect example of people trying to shut down hunting based on personal opinions rather than weighing all of the facts, I know it is not the same thing as the dog issue it just shows that all hunting is scrutinized and the situation could have very easily gone the other way without support from the ATA in this case.

http://www.deeranddeerhunting.com/article/Bowhunt_Victory/

Hound hunting is a big part of VA's management of whitetails and yes some changes need to happen to better it for everyone in the future, I just hope hunters are the ones making the changes and not someone else.

Wait just a minute. I bet i put in more time training dogs(legally) than most anyone on this site does in stillhunting preperation. Don't get it confused, we are not lazy just because we wait out on the roads to shoot our deer.Dogs just don't get dumped out 1 time and are great dogs, it takes alot of practice and patience on mine and their part. I stillhunt during our bow and muzzleloader seasonsand stillhunting is far easier and more predictable than any doghunt to kill bucks. Ican kill3-4 bucks stillhunting to 1 buck doghunting every season. It is aboutthe sport and hearing the hounds run, becausewithout a great love of itmost wouldn't be taking care of dogs all year long.Doghunting ismore of a lifestyle than a 3 month hobby

ok, i was just curious. i didnt say it was wrong. i just said i didnt understand it.

You may but the average stander doesn't put in squat. A work party or two clearing lanes or roads. Effort or preparation for the shooter is not a requirement. I don't see any sport in having something chase a deer to you and then unload on it as it runs by. No dogs is standard in more states than there are ones allowed.

Also the two previous posts both say it isn't that successful. How come a arguing point for the pro-hound hunter was that dogs are needed in the eastern portion of VA? Can't be both.

As a dog hunter/bowhunter I can say that feel more in control when bowhunting, because I know deer behavior in their natural state. I have killed over 50 deer with dogs, so it's not like Im a rookie at it, dog hunting is pure luck for the most part. I know lots of fellows that have killed a big buck after being dropped from the truck within 10 minutes of the hunt on a peice of land they have never been on. My brother is a perfect example last yr. first trip to his new club on the stand for the first time and shot a wall hanger the first 20 minutes on stand. It was the first time he has hunted in 8 yrs!!!He got to the club at lunch time and got on the stand after lunch and they dropped the dogs and pow.It happens a lot. Now, how many times does a guy get that lucky in the bow woods?? You gotta know deer if you want to kill big bucks with a bow. I have killed some really big deer with dogs, and i can tell you for the most part it was pot luck. the deer I have killed still hunting or bowhunting, I had to know and understand big bucks....I know that big bucks will run certain ways when chase and will lay down with does and let the dogs get on them and all that stuff, but come guys, you know how many big deer are killed by using dogs and who kills....they couldn't find a buck rub on deer farm in Texas if they had too....Im just saying.

Forget the hunters!!! It's not about the hunters as much as it is about the dogs. I think that dog hunting is good for dogs. I am trying to train my Great Danes to chase deer. They are catching on pretty quickly. Can;t wait for this season!!!!

They don't say it isn't that successful just that it is not as easy as many describe and to be consistently successful killing deer with dogs you better know the deer in the area.

What you see as sport and I see as sport are just differing opinions, only difference isI'm not trying to force my opinion or demonize an entire type of huntingbasedonmy limited experience with a bad crowd.

You don't like it and that's fine but you sure go out of your way to lump every dog hunter together into one group, everything you just said about "the average stander" could be swapped out with "the average still huter" and the same could be said about them, you know the guys who never shoot, take their bows/guns out the week before season, don't scout, that logic is weak at best.

I honestly feel that if many of these dog "haters" hunted with a good crowd of dog hunters they might viewthis topicdifferently, I'm not sayingtheir opinions would change but they may be able to see it from our perspective better.

Anyway I'm pretty sure we should probably just agree to disagree as we could go round and round forever and I'm all typed out on this one. Good luck this season all.

VA I didn't see your post at first but all I will add is this. First congratulations to your brother I'm sure he washappy about that hunt. And whileit can get frustrating seeing deer killed by others who may not put in quite the effortthat kind of luck is definitelynot limited to just dog hunting. Bow, blackpowder, rifle hunters get lucky every season and bag monsters they had never seen or knew were there. What's the difference? I hope to be on the "lucky" side this season at some point. I too have killed a truckload or two of deer dog hunting and admit some of them were outright luck, but many more were not. They were killed by knowing the woods, the travel patterns of the deer, bedding areas, escape routes and many other details that can all effect a chase/hunt. But againthere is a big difference between big club stand hunting dogs and small groups dropping dogs and cutting to the chase, I prefer the second choice and when you are on foot in a bigblock of woods trying to predict a deers path the wrong guess puts you out of the hunt faster than a rabbit gets humped. I'm not saying it's rocket science but strategy comes into play.