Phil from Maine

Did you read my first post? If you did you would know that I am in agreement with you my friend.. Bird brain thinks he knows all sees all that is all.. If only part of his statements on here are true he could never own a kennel or even one single dog in this state.. I know what hounds are and what they do as up here they a trained for a varity of game from coons to bears. We do not have any of the problems that bird brain has been doing. But then again alot of this area is forest land. It does happen though when a dog gives chase and crosses onto private land. The owners really do not mind and would state to get your dogs and get out of here. No real issues though with dogs being shot or anything else. Betterbirddogs wants to be brave on the internet but really is out in left field on this issue. Here they use hand held antenas to track the dogs down with as they do infact travel very quickly..

sproulman

phil,DOG KILLER would be shot in my area and thrown on wood pile but i dont think thats good idea because he would stink up the area.

Stonewall308

Lol. You shoot a human and tell me how that works out for you.

It really makes others commiserate with your position when you threaten to commit murder. Now that you state your case, I think its perfectly fine that you run all over other people's land and let loose animals that you have no control over. And if the landowner takes some action you don't like you can alway murder them and throw them in a woodpile. Hound hunting really sounds like its on the up and up.

mr.mc54

It's ok to agree to disagree, but lets not get so personal. We have to remember there are alot of non hunters who read our posts and we need to set an example of the hunters on this and other sites. I get into disagreements on here also however we cannot attack each other personally. We all must stand together in these times where there are many that would like nothing more than to take away our guns. By threatening someone only feeds the sharks who are against hunting and guns!!!!!!!!!

Mite

Chickenrunn,
I don't much about coon hunting as it would seem to be a very dangerous sport for the dogs from reading everyone's posts. Also because in the area I live in, state laws and the distribution of land will not permit it.

But I can only recall a similar incident which happened while running a young six month old setter at the hunting grounds off season. Within the grounds, there are two private parcels which are located directly in the middle ofthe grounds. Both are off-limits to dogs and hunters getting their dogs. Naturally, all the birds end up on their property due to hunting pressure. And just as naturally, my pup ran into their yard chasing flocks of pheasants. Now, I won't put a shock collar onsuch a young dog and especially one not conditioned for itandthe pup showed for the first timeherbird drive.I stood on theedge of their property profusely apologizing while the owner was screaming/chasing and throwing stuff at my pup.

I did eventually get my pup back but I chalk that one up to my stupidity for (A) not thinking about where the birds would be (B) not having her on a check chord. I've run her many time off chord in alot of open fields but thought this would be a perfect opportunity to run her where she'll likely be hunting but wasn't thinking about something like this could happen. So, now I don't even hunt there, shock collar or no shock collar until either the game department resolves something with the owners like buying the property outright or letting owners retrieve their dogs in peace or enforce the enclosure of their property with a fence of some sort.

Stonewall308

Mite, that sounds to me like the responsible and considerate thing to do.

I have absolutely no problem with hound hunting so long as its conducted responsibly. I do have a problem when people don't respect surrounding land owners, and when people act entitled to what isn't theirs.

mr.mc54

Stonewall; First of all, not all houndsmen feel as some who have made an a$$ of themselves on here. I do not condone shooting dogs or people. We have coon hunted for many years and most land owners will let you get your hounds with no problem. I will say there is no comparison between hounds and bird dogs!

sproulman

thats no threat,ITS PROMISE.

BetterBirddogs

Is it no wonder why people don't care for people who are from back east. You're a damn moron Sproulman. I think most here can see that.

SWOSUMike

Fellas, there is also a balanced way to look at this situation. It's unrealistic to say if you don't have perfect total control of your dog then the dog deserves to get shot and the hunter deserves it, too. That is nonsense and everybody who has hunted any amount of time with a dog knows that, no matter what kind of hunting you are doing, there is some chance you will never see the dog again once you unsnap them. There are too many variables no matter how much yard work or training you have done. And the concept of using a check cord on a big running dog is impractical as well as dangerous. Teach them to come with the electric juice!

Additionally, tracts of land are often small and dogs can cross fencelines rather easily.

That said, a hunter needs to be careful and take care of his dogs. I understand that some states have a right to retrieve law that says a person has a right to get his property. To me, that is fair. If a cattle rancher can come on my place to get his cows that got through the fence, then I can go get my "livestock" as well. In states where it is legal, it is simple enough to put your gun down, step through the fence, go to your treed dog, leash them up, tell them good boy, and lead them out of there. Go back to get your gun, move on, cast the dog again and keep hunting. The landowner will never even know you are there and your dog is led safely out of the danger zone back to where it is supposed to be hunting. No harm, no foul and nobody ever even knows it happened--IF IT IS LEGAL. Sure, if your dog is treed across the fence at 2 a.m., you could go ask someone for permission and risk the landowner saying no and going and shooting your dog just to spite you. OR, you can set your gun down, slip over and get the dog and get out of there. If the state you live in says you have that right, then you have that right. Boo hoo to anybody that says otherwise. Now if you don't have this right in the place you live or if circumstances don't afford you that right, then you have the ever-plaguing issue for today's modern treedog hunters. Good dogs hunt and find game regardless of where it is. There are answers to this issue facing today's hunters that do not include taking away a hunter's right to cast his dog in the woods. Everybody can win.

I see it two ways: For one, the landowner could say your property (your dog) is infringing on there property. I can understand their frustration, especially when hunters are using their "right to retrieve" as an excuse to be irresponsible and uncourteous or for poaching. But on the flip side, if a landowner says you can't go get your dog, that to me sounds like they are stealing your dog and withholding your property. It's all in how you look at it.

At the same time, there is a way of doing this respectfully. Try to know all your neighboring landowners and go meet them. Know the laws as they pertain to the situation and the land on which you hunt. Tell landowners what you are doing and let them meet your dog. Ask them to be understanding in the event your dog slips over, but assure them it won't happen often and make sure it doesn't. Tell them you may have to retrieve your dog now and then but that the dog will not hurt their property, and make sure the dog doesn't. Make sure they know you are a hunter that supports their rights and that, as a hunter, you can be a landowner's most valuable assett. If they don't want you there and you cannot reasonably hunt without trespassing or illegally retrieving,then hunt somewhere else or build a dog-proof fenceor figure something out. Don't put your big running dog at risk. This is also good motivation to handle your dogs like a pro and make sure your dogs are ladies and gentlemen and not troublemakers.

If you do not have a right to retrieve in your state that says you can go get your dog, you'll have to be careful about where you hunt and get in good with your neighbors. Or hunt in the middle of BIG tracts of public land. But just because a hunter uses his rights to get his propertyWHERE LEGALdoesn't make him scum. It might make him better, actually, than if he had just left the dog to become a nuisance. Additionally, if a hunter has the right to go get his dog and knows his dog is in danger of being shot, he needs to go get his dog. Again, all this only applies when the laws give him the right to retrieve his dog.

It's a fine line, but its a price we pay to have the freedom to live the lifestyle of hunters and be part of the heritage of hunting with game dogs. We need to be smart before we try to take away the right of hunters to freecast their dogs for hunting. And as hunters who cast our dogs, we need to be responsible as well and look out for our neighbors and landowners. Both parties can win. I don't know how in every circumstance, but in my own hunting, I have found a way to win.

Personally, I hunt public land and always try to cast the dogs away from fences, roads and private property. I work them at home on the come command and I try to hunt where and when deer gun hunters are not in the woods. Bowhunters don't need the same courtesy because they have a lot longer to hunt, and therefore if I know where they are in the woods, I avoid them but don't worry too much about them. My dogs are probably just as likely to help a bowhunter as mess them up. Additionally, I try talk to landowners that own property joining the public lands I hunt, and this has helped build some good and stable relationships. In fact, they may even like having me around as an extra eye on things. These are just a few things. There are more ways for both parties to win.

On that same note, I sure wish other hunters would respect me as a small game hunter in the same way. Sometimes they do and I am sure sometimes they do not.