Unknown Dogs on your property
 

I went back yesterday to check my camera one last time and to do some other checks in the woods. When I got into the woods and crossed the creek to the other side I had two domestic dogs that I have never seen before running around in my woods. The two houses that sit near my woods dont own dogs so I'm not sure where they are from. I also noticed that my trail camera pictures have dwindled. My question is if you as a hunter were in stand and a dog from an unknown location came by what would you do about it? I don't really want to kill someones dog however on the other aspect I dont want them on my property as well.

it isnt what would i do it is what i have i done. use your imagination. same thing that several outfitters i know do.

All my neighbors dogs have collars. Dogs without collars are shot.

If folks don't want their dogs shot on MY land, they need to teach their dogs what fencelines and NO TRESPASSING signs mean! :violin:

If I'm in a good mood they might just get peppered across the backside with a load of 6s from my usual present Judge pistol. But usually if I have a rifle handy... :nonono2:

If they don't have collars and I am in stand they may not be long for this earth. But right now before the season starts I would involve animal control and see if they could take care of the issue.

I don't want to shoot somebodies dog but if there is a chance they might push deer from my property and ruin all of my hard work scouting and planting food plots I would not hesitate to show them the business end of my rifle.

Wild dogs can be mighty dangerous....

Those answers were what I was thinking. The dogs wouldn't come within 50 yards and neither had collars. If i ever see them again they wont make it home

If a dog doesn't have a collar and won't come to you, it is more than likely that they are wild.

I will not indescrimanently shoot dogs crusiing the woods. Dogs will be dogs, and woods cruising is in the blood of some, for sure.

However, feral or what I'd call "semi-feral" dogs packing up around where I hunt have been an issue for decades. If they look rough, they are goners. Have collars ... I let them walk. If they are not collared but appear fat 'n happy, I let them walk. I'll run them off if I can but not shoot 'em.

Don't matter on the farms I hunt. Dogs get taken care of. No questions. Same as with a coy dog, coyote, makes no difference. I have a zero tolerance for this kinda thing. Period.

Two dogs tend to wander all over where as one won't. Call around within a mile or so and find out whose they are. We had a beagle get loose and our normally home-bound sheltie ran off with it all over the place, as far as a mile away we got calls! If they are wild they should be destroyed as they can only cause a lot of harm and/or spread rabies. And NO dogs have the right to wander all over the place in most, if not all, states - where we are, you can get a few hundred dollar fine if your dog is wandering all over causing problems.

In Tennessee we have a leash law. Don't matter if you live in a city limit or not, applies state wide. There are those that don't adhere to that. When they bother livestock, they are illiminated. If they are bothering neighbors, well it depends on the neighbor how it gets handled. By and large, most that live in the country side where I live and hunt, know that by allowing them to run al large puts them at risk. Dogs do wonder, especially if two or more are together. They will, by thier nature hunt and chase, which creates the problem. If I know the dog, I have and will call the owner, other than that it gets handled if possible without ruining a hunt, if it ain't already.

I've hunted in Va where dogs are legal, not a big deal as far as hunting deer go. What do you think those dogs are doing, just chasing the deer out of your place and not chasing them back? If there wild they won't last long.

Wild dogs don't bother me, in fact they've moved deer to me. They do make a quiet hunt like being stuck in a room with squabbling women though, that gets'm as close as can be to a vet hole sometimes.

We've had this problem before,people just turn there dogs lose or in there minds"setting them free".It doesn't take long for them to get hungry and then mean.If we see an uncollared dog that's starting to look ruff we take them out.I'd love to have a long talk with there former owner.

Been a country problem for decades
 

Those trail cams must be getting all kinds of pictures besides deer.

Some country folks will turn a dog out, or let it run for the day. Knew a fella at work who had the latter problem with his small farm. A number of country neighbors who let the dogs run. Sure cut his opportunity to get a deer. But dogs will be dogs.

I've called around to some people in the area and no one will fess up to whos they are. All I know is if I see them again they will be gone.

Recently my son has lost a dozen chickens, 10 ducks, and several rabbits to foxes and dogs. Neighbors took care of one of the foxes and due to living in a residentual area of the county he called county animal control about the dogs and was told that they are phantom dogs and no owners can be located. Guess his only choice is to quietly help them become actual phantoms.

Casper will watch over those lost souls and make them his new pets!!!! Loose and no collar calls for a new collar, one made out of lead and copper!!!!!

I had one a few years ago,he had a collar so I let him walk.Every day about the same time and going the same direction he would come by.After a while he would be coming back,never during peek hunting times so no problem.I was down at a store near where I hunt and this guy was complaining that a dog named Jake had been visiting one of his female deer dogs.I asked the guy to tell me what he looked like and he described the dog I was seeing.I saw him one more time and as he was going by I was thinking "Go Jake Go"!!Never saw him again.I guess he finished his job.LOL