I posted a question last week that got locked because some name calling started. Please try to just answer the question and not start any name calling.

The question is "What is the difference in hunting deer with dogs and birdand rabbit hunting with dogs from a fair chase stand point?"

The Tazman

Have you ever run deer with dogs?

Dogs and Deer don't know where the property lines are. Would you want someone dogs running deer across your property. Birds and Rabbits don't run nearly as far as deer. In the north and west, dogs on bear and cats work because it mainly done on vast tracts of State and Federal forest. Still there is conflicts of dogs running bear accross private properties. I'ld someday like to experience a bear or cat hunt with dogs, before the practice is outlawed. Dogs on deer just don't seem right.

I have hunted deer with dogs a few times in Va. I had a great time and would probably do it again. But to be honest I would not consider it fair chase. The dogs we hunted with were hounds. I understand beagles are smarter and slower. These dogs also could not read no tresspassing signs. Any deer hunting that is legal is ok with me. Actually deer drives can almost be the same as hunting with dogs, except with people pushing the deer instead of dogs. If someones dogs were running the deer off MY property I hate to say it but after warning the dog owners one time I would set traps.

Sagittarius1 I have hunted deer in front of dogs in the past, fortunantly it was with an ethical club that only run their dogs on the property, they had thousands of acres they leased from timber companies and a cannery. They made every effort to retrieve their dogs if thay ran onto property they did not have permission to hunt. Yes there are bad clubs out there that ignore property lines and that eventually will end deer hunting with dogs in Va. To me there is no difference between running bear, cat or deer with dogs.

The Tazman

Deer hunting with dogs is fun and exciting. That is when it is done on a large club run by a group of hunters that respect the surrounding landowners and the deer being hunted.
To me hunting deer with dogs is the same as bird hunting with a dog. To me it's as much about enjoying the dog working hard for his master as it is about killing game.
Please don't bring up all these examples of poorly run dog hunts. I was a still hunter for over 20 years before I got involved with deer dogs. I know what it's like to be up a tree and have dogs spoil a mornings hunt.
There are just as many bozo's that can give hunting a bad name that don't dog hunt as there are that do.

I will take anybody who wants to see dog hunting at it's best as a guest to my club next year. Oh yeah you'll need to bring a shotgun and $20 guest fee. I pay the $3 for your breakfast at the clubhouse.

Once again, I feel that if it is legal in that state , I do not have a problem with it, even though I would not do it. But, since I would not do it, I would not want dogs running deer on my property either.

I think that there is room for deer hunting with dogs and maybe {room} is the word for it.It would be hard to hunt with dogs here in my area.There are too many small woods bordered by posted property.If you did not see the deer right away the dogs would be on someones land in no time.I am not completely against it if there is enough land available the owners of the dogs control them at all times I see no problem in it.

I agree with Shorthair 100%. My feelings exactly. Most of the hunters that don't think hunting deer with dogs never had a chance to experience it. I love it and did it for many years. I had my own Walker hounds as well as Beagles. If you have a good club and surround the area you hunt in fairly well (most club members know the normal deer escape routes), the deer normally don't get to go very far before someone gets them. The problem comes in when you try to hunt too large an area with too few people. The deer get through as well as the dogs, and they're out of hearing range pretty fast. I used tracking collars and was lucky enough to keep in contact with them and know their direction to catch them before they cross roads or other property. A good club will help you with staying with the dogs and keeping them out of trouble. Like Shorthair said, there are good clubs and bad clubs, just like with anything else. It's too bad the bad ones spoil it for everyone. I don't know about you, but the sound of a pack of dogs coming hot on a deer trail is pure music to my ears. To me, it's no different than fox hunting. It IS fiar chase and a lot of the deer get away unharmed. In fact, most of the areas I hunted in SE VA, the deer are so used to dogs being around, even if they are chased out, they are back in the same spots withing a few days. It's a different kind of hunting (one that I love) but it's not for everyone. If you like sitting in a tree stand all day "hoping" something comes by, then that's fine. Don't knock it until you've tried it.

My uncle has a camp in Northern Ontario and they run dogs every year. They get together with the other 3 camps in the area(about 22 guys total), hire 2 native guides and run about 5-8 dogs. They hunt the 4 camps own 1800 acres, and about 3000 acres of crown land. They only harvest 3-5 deer a year between all camps.

Some areas its the only way, anybody will see deer! a major drawback is you usually dont go home with the same dogs you went up with, or you have a "new one".

I'm not sure on what kind of answer you are looking for Taz. I'll give it a shot. I doubt it is the one you are looking for.

Bird hunting is done with little or no controversy amongst hunters. You're bird dog is usually in-sight of its master at all times. The dog points and you flush the bird. The dog then retrieves the bird and on to find another within site of his master.

Dog hunting is quite the opposite done ethically of course. The dogs run wildly through the woods in hot pursuit of a deer. The hunters keep track of their dog not by watching him but by listening to it bark. Is their any way to call your dog back when it gets too close to property boundaries? No.

<BLOCKQUOTE id=quote<font size=1 face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' id=quote>quote:<hr height=1 noshade id=quote>They made every effort to retrieve their dogs if thay ran onto property they did not have permission to hunt.<hr height=1 noshade id=quote></BLOCKQUOTE id=quote></font id=quote><font face='Verdana, Arial, Helvetica' size=2 id=quote>

It does not matter if they made every effort to retrieve thier dogs. The bottom line is that they ran onto private property. It happens way too often with dog hunters. Way, way too often. So thier is your fine line.
Bird hunters are in complete control of thier dogs and dog hunters are not.

I would love to discuss on how dog hunting screwed up the deer hunting in East Texas and how it lead up to it being Banned (illegal) here in my state. But I'll keep it on track for ya Taz.<img src=icon_smile_wink.gif border=0 align=middle>