I have 2 points to make, but before go into this, there are cases where a dog probably should be taken care of, I am not 100% against it. If you do it, just make the dog disappear (avoids problems later). But for the most part, I wont shoot one.

1). I gained permission to hunt on a property exactly because the ladies dog liked me. If that dog turns up missing and found shot, they may blame me and not let me hunt anymore. Stories of hunter-shot-dogs ruins it for others. I am good with dogs and they do like me, this dog doesn't like many people. I explained to the couple that I could never shoot a dog, and wouldn't shoot thiers. I have seen their dog and deer from the same stand in the same hunt in the same day. Most people can't sit still long enough to know you can. the dog is there all the time, so are the deer. The deer know that dog and where it runs, and how to stay away from it. Which leads me to point #2.

2). Sitting in a tree stand on an adjoining property, I saw three does coming towards me, about 60 yds away (bow hunting). They turned up a hill and away from me. I then saw the neighbors chow and mutt running around, down where the does were. They ran around at the bottom of the hill for about 5 minutes then left. The does came down the hill and proceeded on to me (where one busted me pulling my bow, I beat 4 out of 6 of the eyes that day, not enough). So again, the deer are used to the dogs and know how to avoid them. And came right back thru within 5 minutes of the dogs.

I believe the dogs push the deer around. Sometimes, the dogs are gonna push the deer away, and sometimes you will never know that a dog pushed a deer right to you. So my opinon is to let the dogs do what the dogs do. But I do know there are extreme cases. My dogs are fenced, but my GSP would get out occasionally when he was younger. If I lived in the country I would make doubly sure during deer season he wasn't out off a lead, being solid liver he would have gotten tagged!

--Jim

Edited by - hucklburry on 12/02/2002 22:24:51

In our state we have dog wardens. I found our neighbors dog on my land with a dead fawn in it's mouth. I never wanted to kill a dog so badly in my life. I warned the owner that this could not happen again (not the fawn thing, the dog loose on my land). If it does happen again I will call the dog warden and insist that the animal be destroyed. Dog owners are subject to big fines if their dogs run deer here in NY.

An ajoining land owner continuously allows his dogs to roam the property I hunt. I have had these dogs jump and run deer out of the clearcut I hunt on numerous occassions. I have asked the dog owner to please contain his dogs. He has pens. He says he has never had a problem with anyone else complaining about his dogs. I contacted the game warden and he informally suggested I ...well...take care of business. While I have never shot a domestic dog I have shot cyotes. We have an open season on them. But I am a dog lover. Guess I'll have to ignore the situation or find another place to hunt.

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>Stop harping on the irresponsible owner as a scape goat please, if your daugter ends up at a party you don't know about it doesnt give some scumbag teenager the right to have his way with her. I am not saying those people don't exsist but you guys are running that one into the ground. I feel as if people are advocating not even seeking amicable alternative solutions. Just fire away with no regard.....

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I agree. I would never shoot a dog. Dogs get loose and do dog things, you cant blame the dog. My only problem is the dog owners who do not even try to keep tabs on their dogs. This burns me for two reasons. First: my dogs are keep up with, I would expect you to do the same. Not all people do this, I know many who live in the country and justify not fencing in their dogs by saying its ok we live in the country. Second: If you let your dog loose you are allowing your dog to put itself in harms way, you appearently dont care what happens to your dog.

I live in the country, my dogs stay in the house, the back yard, or are with me. My neighbor has a chow that he lets run loose. My dogs have gone out with me in the fields to play to have the neighbors dog (which is running free) attack my dogs. The neighbors dog will frequently come over to my house and bark and charge at my family, I usually give him a rock in the side or a bb in the butt. This use to work, he is now more brave, he now gets mad. I have explained the situation to my neighbor and his response is &quot;I just cant keep him in the pen&quot;. I respond with &quot;then get a better pen or get rid of the dog&quot;. I have two young daughters 4 and 5yrs, the first time the dog gets near the yard when the girls are out he is toast.

&quot;Nothing in all the world is more dangerous than sincere ignorance and conscientious stupidity&quot; Martin Luther King Jr.

I live in a rural area and many folks let their dogs roam. For the most part they are not a major problem...but there are two that are walking a fine line. They continually get in the garbage (on garbage day you can drive up and down the road here and see ripped bags and strewn garbage)...and have even stolen shoes, my realease and a few other items from my porch. I have went door to door up and down the road trying to find the owners and no one knows who they belong to. Calling the dog warden didn't do any good either.

Last week, on the rifle opener here in WV, I was in my stand and started to hear movement. Along came the two dogs right through the middle of my property. I have watched them chase deer through the neighboring fields and property, and have seen them on my land in the timber on other occassions. I fired one shot....intentionally above them, they turned and ran.

If it had a collar...I would not shoot. If I could find the owners to let them know of the situation....I would not shoot. Neither are the case in this situation...so call me what you want, but next time, they will not be so lucky.

Pat in WV

[Deleted by Admins]

I can't believe some of the posts i've read in this thread. I'm allowed to throw my opinion in so here goes.
I think that anyone that kills something they have no intentions of eating is not a &quot;hunter&quot;. (except for self defense)
I think to shoot someone's dog is a cowardly and pathetic act regardless of the circumstances.
The dogs in this story FOUND a deer for the guy. I would have been thankful and thanked their owners and even given them a ride home.
It worries me reading all the hunters that posted saying that they would kill dogs for &quot;screwing up their hunt&quot;. Come on guys, contact their owners or try something else if it happens more than once. Killing a dog for being a dog and doing dog things is being a &quot;Killer&quot; not a &quot;Hunter&quot; and there is a BIG difference between the two. HUNTERS know the difference.

i say u find out who these guys are and get them arrested that bull***

Blake - Go get'em

Ok,heres my 2 cents.I sat in a stand one morning and a dog spotted me.He sat there and barked at me for more than an hour.Finally got down and went back to camp.Two seperate time had a pack of dogs chase a 10 pointer ,which we never got a shot at ,when they ran up on use the lead dog took an aggressive stance with us.The second time this happened he took an arrow through the chest.I was hunt next to a river one evening when about an hour before dark two boats pulled up on the bank right behind me and let their 4 dogs out of the boat.I watched them run all around my stand.Got down and approached the 2 owns who were both standing under a NO TRESSPASSING sigh with beers in both of their hands.I could go on forever.This happens way too often.
ALL I CAN SAY IS &quot;WORMS HAVE GOT TO EAT TOO&quot;.



Edited by - ret3006 on 12/03/2002 19:13:31

Red Dawn, you have obviously never had dog problems to the magnitude that some of us are talking about. In my opinion if you are willing to let a dog chase a deer all over the woods for hours until one of them is too tired to carry on, they YOU my friend are not a true hunter. Lets turn this around and look at it from the deer's point of view. What will happen if that deer stumbles? What will happen if the deer tires and can go no more? I will tell you that dog will be all over it and most likely kill it but at the least maul it. One thing is for sure, a domestic dog is NOT chasing a deer for food so it can survive. That dog will go home and eat Alpo for supper. That is one reason I hate dogs chasing deer more than coyotes. At least a coyote will east the deer as a means of survival. A domestic dog is doing it for fun.

If I shoot a domestic dog I won't call it hunting, I'll call it killing. No problems there. You can't confuse hunting and killing. The killing is also being done for a reason. Not one person here has said they'd shoot a dog just because they saw it. Everyone has said they'd shoot it because it was harassing deer or destructing private property.

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Hunting the Piney Woods of Deep East Texas.