FirstBow

Alright. Don't take what I say wrong. I justdon't understand.........cool?
Look I have hunted most of my 44 year life, man and beast.
What I don't get is the use of dogs running deer. I mean I was taught to walk, look, track and hunt. Fair is fair. OK I see some people just can't do the walking and stuff getting toold physicallyill and so on. But when you see young healthy fellows with 10-20 walkers big 4by's cut dogs loose track them witha radio collars and stop on the side of the road andwait for the dogs to run the deers dag near to death then into an open fieldthen start blasting. Uhm...... where is the true hunt? I mean dag man. A still hunter dont stand to muchof a chance with deer going by at 200 miles an hour thru the WOODS. Bouncing like a rabbit.
I will say that sometimes when I'm out and here 'um my heart does race a bit. But I am in the woods.
Shoot, I get more than that just hearing one come creeping up thru the woods.
I just don't get the hunt with dogs?
I have been coon, bird, rabbit hunting with dogs I sort ofget that. OK
But still can do it with just walking and do theflushing outmyself and hunt. Coons are a different story to me. Need a little backup sometimes.
So where is the fair hunt and chase with deer huntingdogs?Dont go frettin' I just don't understand.
Just more toys thansomebody else? To lazy? Never really been taught how to track and trail?Woods to big? What is it?
Figure of speach on the 200 miles an hour........[8D]

WAYNE1

I hear what your saying.....I don't understand the use of dog's running deer also....here if we see a dog chasing one...we shoot it....but here it's unlawfull to use them for that........But..I don't want top make wave's where it is legal. As long as the law's in what ever state say's you can use them....then I'll stand behind the hunter there that use's them, and fight for their right's....I'm sure there's lot's of different law's in different state's, that other hunter's don't agree with....but us hunter's need to stick together...myself...I could never use a dog for my deer hunting, and hope they never legalize it here. just my 2 cent's..

shpines

I personally don't deer hunt with hounds, but know people in other states that do. It is illegal here. But, I don't shoot a dog for chasing a deer. It could be someones hound for another sport that is training and ends up running trash. I've seen some good rabbit and coon hounds shot because that one time that they decide to run deer. I know that I'd be upset that my dog ran deer, but I'd be really fired up that someone shot em.

WAYNE1

I guess here we know the difference between a dog...and a hound....doubt anyone here would shoot a hound...knowing it just got off track...but pack's of dog's chasing down and killing deer ain't stood for..[:@]

Mite

I think what Wayne meant was shooting the deer not the dog? They outlawed dogs for bear and cougar hunting in Washington. Now, it seems every month there's a news broadcast of seeing a bear or cougar in a residential neighborhood.

I can understand tracking wounded game. I would be all for it. But as to actually hunting live healthy animals, well, to each his own. I guess most people want or need meat on the table. As to birds, you could walk right past them if they are holding tight. And dogs are essential for wounded birds as they will run. I would not like to leave a wounded bird or any animal in the field.

FirstBow

Its legal here in Eastern NC. When rifle season comes in so does dogs.
We start around the middle of September and runs thru Jan 1. And they run about everyday.
Seems we could share sometime. Don't get me wrong I love tobow hunt, not muchon Black Powder but likerifle season to.
I just won't rasied to huntlike that. So its hard to understand

porknbeans

Along the same line, why do they use dogs to hunt bear and cougar? I don't hunt them, so I preface my question with the fact that I know very little about the sport.

FirstBow

This is why I'm asking to shed some light. I don't know anything about running deer dogs. Ireckon thats why I dont understand.
What am I missing?
Hit me with a thrill that you get when you run them.
Maybe that will help. Take me thru a normal hunt with dogs.
All I know is when I here them coming I go to looking. Cause its going to happen fast.
I get antsy and can't sit still trying to look everywhere because you don't know where they are to come from. Besides it takes the two or three days to get all the dogs back up.I have seen them many times looking starved,Imean down right skin and bones right out the back of the trucks. .
Whats up with that?
As I said I know nothing about raising deerhunting dogs or hunting with dogs.
I know sit, stay, lay down, shut up, get on somewhere, load up, find him boy, wheres he at and thats about it.
So inform me please.

porknbeans

I hunt birds with my dog so I guess I can talk to that. Watching the dog get excited, learn how to trust its nose, point or flush a bird from a spot you wouldn't think one would be, fetch a downed bird and retrieve it to hand. It is all very orchestrated in a freelance kind of way. You have expectations for your dog to do certain things and you work very hard with your dog to have them happen. The difficulty is that there are no two conditions alike. I really enjoy and appreciate watching my dog and bringing home a bird or two is an added bonus. It also helps the dog in that all it wants to do is make you happy. The bond is reinforced when you congratulate it or give it a hearty scratch.

Using dogs to hunt larger game is a quandry for me since the dogs seem to have a job to do, but it is on the edge of reckless and usually out of eyesight. Running the dogs to near death and hounding (no pun intended) your quarry to the same doesn't sound real sporting. I'm obviously missing something and would also like to hear what.

3Ddepression

OK fair questions!
As with all hunting my guess is that traditions are important. Hunting in general is a part of the cultural legacy. Id rather hunt anything with a dog than without one.Justlove to bring a 4-legged friend along.Then there is of course always a wrong way to do anything.

There are two main streams that I know, depending on drive duration but the main thing is that the dog find the deer and make it move and then follows after. A big dog should not follow a deer for long. 5 min or so. just to push the game past the prepositioned shooters. Many breeds work this way, like my terrier for instance. It will bark and that sure is something Im conditioned to find exiting. Dog hunts are more compressed. It is faster and more action oriented. When the number of hunters are small and the land is big or with many places to hideit is more efficient with adog. As porknbeans said, collaboration and expectation is a large part of the worth. Hunting in general brings me extra joy when a new plan is proving its worth. I find that alot when training and hunting with my dog. This way of hunting also gives the exitement of not knowing what kind of game thatwill come before you. My terrier and my brothers SGP will both drive anything. Can be hares, deer, moose, pigs, foxes or whatever. Sometimes there is a shot and sometimes there are not.

A small dog like a dachshound and such will hang in for about an hour but in such slow pace that the deer is less stressed. It moves along when the dogs closes in. They can circle in a quite small area and you hear the barking moving in diffrent directions. The minimum permitted area here for this is approx 100 acres.

As for other animals like bear, some boars and moose and badgers, they will sometimes be pinned down so to speak. They will take the fight making attacks at the dog that keeps out of harms way and attack if the animal decides to leave. Then the game again turns on the dog and so on. This gives the hunter time to stalk for a shot.

Sorry that this turned into a book.

This is the breeder that sold me my pup.