Tazman

Okay folks, for a long time I have seen long winded debates on whether or not hunting deer with dogs is sporting or not, so I posed a question which you can see the replies by following this link:

http://www.huntingbbs.com/forum/topi...rHunting%2ECom

Where am I going with this? Ha I would like all of you, especially those of you who hunt bird or rabbit with dogs who feel it is unfair to hunt deer with dogs, why you feel this way.

I have hunted rabbit with dogs and love it, I have never used dogs on birds, of course the only bird hunting I have done is some duck hunting. Would I use a dog bird hunting? You bet.

Watching hunt shows where they hunt bird with dogs I have come to realize that 90% of bird hunters probably would quit if it was illegal to use a dog. In my youth I hunted deer in front of dogs, but with time and age just did not enjoy it so I moved on to still and stand hunting, to me it is outsmarting the deer totally, but I will not knock anyone who hunts deer with dogs as long as it is legal.

I just do not get why so many people who hunt bird and rabbit with dogs get so upset when they hear about people hunting deer with dogs? What is the difference? Could you kill as many rabbits or birds without your dog?

The Tazman

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buckhunter3

It sounds like you got hooked on hunting with a dog Tazman, as I said in the post before I miss hunting rabbits with a beagle I had and quit when it died,Once you start it is hard to go without one.As far as deer hunting some states in the south use them because of all the swamps it seems almost needed to hunt deer.I would be afraid here in my area alot of deer might die of stress
from dogs chasing them.A dog can not out run a deer but can eventually tire a deer.

Tazman

buckhunter I can tell you for a fact that yes a deer will get tired, but a dog will, as my uncle who hunted with dogs his whole life used to say "bust his heart" before they would ever catch a deer. A dog has no where near the stamina or speed a deer has, during buck season many moons ago I watched 3 doe that the dogs were running take a 5 minute break waiting for the dogs to catch up, then they got up and trotted on off, about 4 or 5 minutes later the dogs showed up tongues hanging! A deer can run circles around a dog all day long, the only thing the dogs do is get them moving, and there are no swamps where we ran dogs, as a matter of fact it was so flat that it is shotgun only and has been for over 40 years.

The Tazman

kentlyone

I do not disagree with you Taz. I would just be worried about the saftey of my dog.

buckhunter3

Tazman,I am not saying I am against them that is why my hunting party pushes deer we are actually doing the same thing as a dog by pushing them out.I just think here in Pa it would be a battle to get people to go for it.Alot of hunters don't like people who drive deer although we have been successful doing it.It would have to be in gun season only I know archery hunters wouldn't go for it and I really couldn't blame them.We only push deer during gun season for that reason.

nny243

I've thought about this also. I've hunted rabbits with dogs before but also used to think using dogs for deer was unsporting, until logic kicked in and I saw there wasn't much of a difference. I think it comes from growing up in a state where dog hunting is illegal and considered poaching. In NY, if a dog is in the woods during deer season many people would shoot it and let the deer go. I'm not condoning that but that's the way it is. I think that's where some peoples uneasiness with dog hunting comes from. If I'm down south and I get a chance to do it, I'll give it a try. (I think some people shy away from buckshot for the same reasons)

6ptsika

Another thing to consider, a state like NJ, where the parcels of land are smaller than other states, the dogs would be tresspassing half the time. This would lead to most the dogs getting shot within a year or two. I also think it should be limited to private property where it is legal. It could sure mess up somebody's hunt in a hurry. I have no problem hunting deer with dogs, I'd like to try it. I don't think I'd do it often, I like the quiet too much. On the other hand, I've shot a couple of dogs in my life that were running deer on my land.

GoTres

I have hunted birds with dogs, (quail, dove, and ducks) but running deer with dogs is illegal in Texas. I guess I don't have enough of an opinion to be against it. I can say that dogs would be great for tracking lost deer. Just as with downed birds, the dogs would prevent a lot of lost game.

JagMagMan

I am against deer hunting with dogs. It is now illegal here in Texas to hunt deer with dogs. Before I go further I will say that I back your right to hunt with dogs IF it is LEGAL where you hunt. I think that the best place to change things that we don't like is at local public forums, where law changes are discussed.
My number one reason for not liking dog hunting is more of a gripe against the OWNERS, not the dogs! Before it was outlawed in Texas, a lot of these hunters would drop off their dogs on one side of someones property and then drive around to the other side and wait for the dogs to run the deer to them. This is trespassing, but then how many dogs do you know that can read signs and figure out property boundries?
As to the relation between deer hunting with dogs and bird hunting with dogs, they are not the same. When you are bird hunting and even rabbit hunting too for the most part, the dogs are almost by your side, under complete control, they are not running lose to ruin other peoples hunt. As I said though, if it is legal and you keep your dogs on your land, then have fun! I'm just glad they finally stopped it here in Texas!