Found a hunting dog that was left behind
12-12-2011, 08:48 AM
#1
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Virginia
Posts: 1,473
Found a hunting dog that was left behind
It was about 4:45 p.m. and I could hear the deer finally making their way in, and they were getting close. What was probably a sure thing was ruined when I heard a vehicle coming down the forest road and could see headlights thru the trees. The deer stopped and never resumed their progress. THANKS RANGER RICK!! 
Anyway, I climbed down and headed to the forest road where I left my mountain bike. My headlamp hit the bike’s reflectors and I also noticed two eyes reflecting back to me. I wasn’t sure what it was until I got closer and it started whimpering. It was a hunting beagle, and she was basically clinging to my bike. I got on my knees and called her to me. As soon as she made contact with my hand, she was all over me, making whimpering sounds and licking my face. She was sure glad to see someone! I am not sure how old she was, but she seemed young and not quite full-grown. Her fur was very soft.
I peddled back to the car slowly and she kept right with me, but she was whimpering alogn the way as if to tell me she was tired and she should be riding on my lap. With a muzzleloader across my chest and a treestand on my back, that wasn’t going to happen! We made it back to the car, and I tossed her inside while I put my gear away, I gave her some water and then we headed home. She was so tired she fell asleep on the 20 minute drive back!
I introduced her to my dog and my kids, and then I locked her in the bathroom while I called the owner (I would have let her run around the house except she was LOADED with ticks, several of which were huge). He was very casual about it (referred to her as a puppy, so my suspicion as to her being very young was probably right), and we agreed on a place to meet. Maybe it wasn’t my place, but when I handed her over to him, I told him he needed to take better care of her. He asked why, and I said that I didn’t think he looked very hard for her (I found her not long after getting down from the tree), and that she had huge ticks on her (indicating negligence to me since they were so obvious and nobody had bothered to pull them off). He said that he and his two brothers looked “all over” for her. I say horse hockey, and here’s why:
1) It was not long after sundown that I found her
2) She was right on one of the forest roads
3) She was clinging to the first thing she found that had anything to do with humans
4) I never heard anyone calling for any dogs, and you can hear a pin drop when the woods are quiet
5) I checked all the parking areas while driving out and no-one was still parked at any of them
I have never been a fan of deer hunting with dogs, mostly because I think it is highly invasive and forces that type of hunting on all hunters in the woods (on public land…private?...have at it!!). But now I have another reason not to like it. I just don’t like the idea of dogs being left behind overnight in the woods, especially when the temps drop so low at night. I assume that she is kept in a kennel outside anyway, but I would hope that she would have some type of cedar filled doghouse or shelter to sleep in.
I didn’t feel good about giving the dog back, but I wouldn’t have felt right about keeping her either.
Anyway, I climbed down and headed to the forest road where I left my mountain bike. My headlamp hit the bike’s reflectors and I also noticed two eyes reflecting back to me. I wasn’t sure what it was until I got closer and it started whimpering. It was a hunting beagle, and she was basically clinging to my bike. I got on my knees and called her to me. As soon as she made contact with my hand, she was all over me, making whimpering sounds and licking my face. She was sure glad to see someone! I am not sure how old she was, but she seemed young and not quite full-grown. Her fur was very soft.
I peddled back to the car slowly and she kept right with me, but she was whimpering alogn the way as if to tell me she was tired and she should be riding on my lap. With a muzzleloader across my chest and a treestand on my back, that wasn’t going to happen! We made it back to the car, and I tossed her inside while I put my gear away, I gave her some water and then we headed home. She was so tired she fell asleep on the 20 minute drive back!
I introduced her to my dog and my kids, and then I locked her in the bathroom while I called the owner (I would have let her run around the house except she was LOADED with ticks, several of which were huge). He was very casual about it (referred to her as a puppy, so my suspicion as to her being very young was probably right), and we agreed on a place to meet. Maybe it wasn’t my place, but when I handed her over to him, I told him he needed to take better care of her. He asked why, and I said that I didn’t think he looked very hard for her (I found her not long after getting down from the tree), and that she had huge ticks on her (indicating negligence to me since they were so obvious and nobody had bothered to pull them off). He said that he and his two brothers looked “all over” for her. I say horse hockey, and here’s why:
1) It was not long after sundown that I found her
2) She was right on one of the forest roads
3) She was clinging to the first thing she found that had anything to do with humans
4) I never heard anyone calling for any dogs, and you can hear a pin drop when the woods are quiet
5) I checked all the parking areas while driving out and no-one was still parked at any of them
I have never been a fan of deer hunting with dogs, mostly because I think it is highly invasive and forces that type of hunting on all hunters in the woods (on public land…private?...have at it!!). But now I have another reason not to like it. I just don’t like the idea of dogs being left behind overnight in the woods, especially when the temps drop so low at night. I assume that she is kept in a kennel outside anyway, but I would hope that she would have some type of cedar filled doghouse or shelter to sleep in.
I didn’t feel good about giving the dog back, but I wouldn’t have felt right about keeping her either.
12-12-2011, 09:21 AM
#2
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Audubon & Red Rock, Penna.
Posts: 4,472
I've had my dog lost in the woods a few years ago. When the person who found my dog called me, there was know question in their mind about how grateful and releived I was. Sounded like this guy didn't really care too much about his dog.
Too me, my dogs are my best friends and part of the family. To some, dogs are just hunting tools. It would be like forgetting your grunt call out in the woods.
Too me, my dogs are my best friends and part of the family. To some, dogs are just hunting tools. It would be like forgetting your grunt call out in the woods.
12-12-2011, 09:59 AM
#3
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Virginia / West Virginia
Posts: 4,906
The vast majority of dog hunters don't care about the dogs on a personal level. They are tools. Unfortunately alot of these same guys don't treat them that well either.
Doesn't mean every dog runner is that way. I have a friend that has some great dogs, and he treats them like kings and goes to great lengths to find any that might go missing. He also has tracking collars on all of them.
You did the right thing as much as you hated to.
Doesn't mean every dog runner is that way. I have a friend that has some great dogs, and he treats them like kings and goes to great lengths to find any that might go missing. He also has tracking collars on all of them.
You did the right thing as much as you hated to.
12-12-2011, 03:39 PM
#5
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: MN
Posts: 1,260
Here in SC deer hunting with dogs in a big debate. They run them on some property next to my club. No they really don't give two craps about them. In fact during the summer they shot like 4 of them and dumped by our club. when I find one I bath them and feed them, and find them anohter home Most not all don't deserve to own dogs. I know you were doing the right thing. But sometimes the right thing isn't the right thing. Some of you my beat me up about not finding the owner but the dog clubs by me treat their dogs like crap and I would and will never return one to them.
12-12-2011, 09:02 PM
#6
Fork Horn
Join Date: Jul 2011
Location: Shady Grove, Al
Posts: 220
there is still alot of dog hunting in alabama especially around the county we hunt in, and appearently we are the onlly club in the freakin county that doesnt run dogs (or so it seems ha) I cant remember the last saturday morning i went hunting and didnt have dogs runnin all over me.... the men who hunt there do typically care for their dogs as far as i know (enough to find them and keep em fed anyways). But WV hunter is right, alot of people just see them as tools. I know guys that wont feed them for a few days before a hunt because they believe that the dog is more likely to chase a deer if it is hungry.
I do not particullarly care for dog hunting either simply because 1) there is no controlling where a dog will chase a deer... They dont see property line paint to well for some reason and the main reason 2) Once the deer in our area hear a dog they go into serious lockdown mode... yeah you may see the one or two deer that are actually getting run by the dogs but i have been watching 4 deer in a pine thicket before hear the dog bark from 500 yrds away and immediatly bed up where they were standing and not stand back up for over an hr... they aint stupid.
To each his own however, not a hater of dog hunters, just the sport itself ha
I do not particullarly care for dog hunting either simply because 1) there is no controlling where a dog will chase a deer... They dont see property line paint to well for some reason and the main reason 2) Once the deer in our area hear a dog they go into serious lockdown mode... yeah you may see the one or two deer that are actually getting run by the dogs but i have been watching 4 deer in a pine thicket before hear the dog bark from 500 yrds away and immediatly bed up where they were standing and not stand back up for over an hr... they aint stupid.
To each his own however, not a hater of dog hunters, just the sport itself ha
12-13-2011, 07:57 AM
#7
Typical Buck
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: Eastern Virginia
Posts: 661
I have been yelled at by landowners who had dogs kill their chickens. Thinking i owned ghe dog or hunted with them. Found the dog and was a sad looking dog. Tracking collar on its neck skinny and looked just tired. Collar showed location almost two hours away. Dog was left there from a saturday hunt. It was Tuesday or Wednesday afternoon.
Another joke is retirement's kennels for deer dogs when people ask what happens to older dogs. So I started asking people who I know run if they ever heard of such.
I got everything from
Take off collar and drop off
Call animal control to pick up
Put up for adoption
shooting the dogs who won't run
But none have ever heard of this retirement kennel.
Go figure....
Most dog runners are scared to get 10 feet from their truck or the road. When hunting let alone when trying to find their dogs.
Another joke is retirement's kennels for deer dogs when people ask what happens to older dogs. So I started asking people who I know run if they ever heard of such.
I got everything from
Take off collar and drop off
Call animal control to pick up
Put up for adoption
shooting the dogs who won't run
But none have ever heard of this retirement kennel.
Go figure....
Most dog runners are scared to get 10 feet from their truck or the road. When hunting let alone when trying to find their dogs.
