One topic floating around the Interweb right now: If you are in your stand and all of a sudden deer burst out, chased by a dog or dogs, do you shoot the dogs?
In one discussion I read, a guy said he was having this problem with stray dogs in Penn. years ago. He called the game commission and the people there told them point-blank that if you see a dog chasing deer on your property, not only should you shoot the dog but you have an obligation to do so. They also told the guy that if you shoot a dog, with or without a collar, you have to report it to a game warden within 48 hours. They went on to say that the warden would contact the dog’s owner if it could be determined, and that the owner of the dog may even face charges for letting his dog run loose and harass wildlife.
I can’t verify this, but if true, it must have been some old-school guy at the game department shelling out that advice. I know there are lease laws and prohibitions about letting dogs run wild in many places, but I can’t imagine anybody in a fish and game department these days telling you, “Heck yeah, shoot those dogs!”
Dogs, strays and even pets left loose, chasing and harassing deer is not a new problem. In some areas of the South I’ve hunted, it’s an epidemic really. I used to have this problem with strays a lot where I hunted in Virginia years ago, and no doubt it is frustrating. You feel like killing them. But here, it seems the problem is not nearly as bad as it was. People don’t let strays run loose and breed as much as they once did.
In the threads I‘ve read, a majority of people say they would shoot every damn dog they see chasing a deer…some say they’ve killed many dogs doing it. Shoot, shovel and shut up. I don’t know about that. It’s easy to say macho, blood-thirsty stuff on the Interweb, it’s another thing to actually shoot a dog in the woods.
A good number of people said they could never shoot a dog, even one harassing deer. “Suppose it was some kid’s pet that got loose one day and chased a deer,” one guy wrote. “Why would anybody kill a kid’s pet?” Pet or stray, some people don’t have the heart to shoot a dog.
After thinking about this some, I believe I fall into a small group of people who say they could not and would not shoot a dog UNLESS they were still-hunting or walking to or from a stand, and ran into a barking, snarling dog that was running wild and chasing deer and generally causing havoc, and seemingly not scared of people. “If I really felt threatened and a dog started coming at me, then hell yes, I’d kill it,” one guy wrote. This seems reasonable to me. It’s also why I firmly believe you ought to be able to carry a sidearm while bowhunting for protection.
What would you do? Have a dog(s) chased deer and ruined your hunts? What did you do? Are there any laws on the books in your state that deal with dogs chasing deer?
I was hunting on a friend’s property last year and I saw some deer run through early and was surprised as it was a bit warm, then we saw the dogs. One of the neighbors of his farm just lets his dogs run loose. He’s had this problem a bunch. I think they’re a bit slow to catch one although it’s possible they could get a fawn in the spring he has plenty of good cover and food and no shortage of deer so I don’t think they’re impacting the population. We ended up having quite a few more deer come through that evening so it didn’t impact this hunt much.
One thing I would suggest for Jack is an e-collar. My dog likes to run off leash, but she’ll chase anything with fur. On a very low setting she’ll turn and come back, whereas without the collar she’ll chase it until she doesn’t see it, then sniff around trying to find it for a minute before ever coming back.
Once I was bow hunting from the ground and before I knew it two rottweilers were behind me sniffing around only about 20 feet away from me. I could tell they were hunting and how they did not see or smell me I don’t know but lets just say I had to change my underwear when I got home. Another time I was in the woods with friends (not hunting) a small buck came running by bleeding from the hind end and shortly after three dogs came by on the deer’s trail. One thing you have to keep in mind is that these dogs will do this all year long, not just hunting season. This also includes fawning season. The coyotes are bad enough without domestic or feral dogs getting in their licks also. On the other hand I have seen beagles chasing deer which I don’t think is much of a threat. To me, I will determine if I am going to shoot a dog based on it’s size and looks. If I determine it is a feral dog it will get shot or a bigger dog that looks like it chases deer frequently. I have not had to shoot one yet, nor do I want to but I will if the circumstances warrant it. I have had many dogs and am a dog lover also but I also love my deer.
Great discussion thanks guys
Prefer to keep anonymous for legal purposes., I love dogs, have had them all my life. have hunted deer with dogs, its legal in VA where I live. Have grown to dislike it as its not much a sport killing a deer behind dogs, they are hunting, you are just killing… We are still hunters and spend an enormous amount of time, money and effort to manage our farm for trophy hunting. Personally, if you care about your dog, you wouldn’t let them run wild on others property, therefore I have no problem shooting them. Have done so many times, and will continue to do so regardless of collared or not… My theory is, if you love your pet its your responsibility to keep them off my property, its true dogs don’t know boundaries, but their owners do. I have and will continue to shoot everyone I see on my property. Won’t lose any sleep over it, don’t care if they have a collar, don’t care if I know the owner. Problem is, if you get caught you will do more jail time than if you shoot a man in the woods?? I’ll thin the herd on my property, but not on yours. I just keep it quiet.. They are no different than coyote to me..
This is one of those deals where there is no right answer. Every situation is different. Many years ago there was a pack of dogs running wild where I hunted that had no fear of anybody. I went after them specifically and ran on to them chasing deer through the woods. 4 were large dogs, 2 were medium dogs, and 1 was a little beagle mutt cross. I yelled and the big lead dog turned my way and snarled. I had a .22 semi automatic and I dumped him instantly. I then opened up on the rest of the group, killing 2 and hitting another hard before they got over the ridge and gone. Never had any more problems again, though I think the culprit was an old farm where people dumped strays and an old man let them stay and fend for themselves. Right or wrong? I don’t know but I would do it again under the circumstances. In my book, loose dogs are much more dangerous than any coyote, and we all hate coyotes. Nuff said!
Know people who have done it. I couldn’t do it just for the sake of hunting. But, have dealt with them on many occasions. Pisses you off beyond belief, but not enough to kill one.
The post about the golden was mine. Sorry I forgot to post the name.
People should do their best to keep their dogs @ home, but unless I felt I was going to get bitten, I wouldn’t shoot anyone’s dog.
A few years back I got into a ground blind and started unzipping the windows as quietly as possible. As I was unzipping one window, I felt something outside the blind move. I took my flashlight and just as I was going to look out the window, a dog looked in.
Scared the crap out of both us…..
Turned out the dog was a golden retriever that was nothing but skin and bones. We fed him and got in contact with a rescue group for Golden retrievers and they came and took him. I trust they were able to find him a home.
Back in the late 1960s when I was just a snot nose kid. It was not uncommon back then for farmers in our area to let their farm dogs run loose, we did it too. But everyone had the good sense to tie them up in hunting season. Unfortunately town people would drive out in the country and turn old Rover loose if they didn’t want him anymore. Well one day my older brother and I were hunting groundhogs on our farm with our .22s when a cur comes running up to us barking and snapping. Bud, my brother, hollered at him but the mutt backed us up against a stone fence row. Bud shot him between the eyes and as I recall I pumped another or two into his side. We left him lie there and walked home. When we told Dad what happened he laid into both of us real good. Turns out he knew the dogs owner and had brought the dog home to stud our bitch but he got out of the barn and headed home when we bumped into him.
I’ll tell you that was 50 years ago and I still feel the hairs on my neck raise up when I think of how scared I was then.
Growing up in the south I’ve heard many hunters make the same claims as you stated Mike about how any dog ruining their hunts was a dead dog, yet I never saw a hunter actually kill a pup. I personally know how it feels to have hunts ruined by them, and I also know how it feels when those random dogs run deer right to me. I had someone’s house dogs run a really cool 135″ swamp buck right to the base of my stand and after I harvested that deer I was the happiest hunter who had ever seen dogs in the woods. I also took my second biggest buck which was a 145″ eight point being run by some other hunters walker hounds. I was actually pissed I could hear them bellowing from a mile away and was thinking they were going to ruin my hunt, but as they crossed the powerline I was hunting they pushed the most beautiful tall racked buck I had ever seen right across my food plot. So remember even if your not hunting with dogs they’re not always a bad thing, and maybe they’ll change your luck and outlook on them running through the woods one day. Either way it’s against my code of ethics to shoot a pup. To each their own though and best of luck hunting to all of you.
This is timely for me. Just three nights ago I was on my lease with my Wirehaired Pointing Griffon for a walk. He was about 100 yards from me running a fence line and jumped three deer. He took off after them into an area we call the DMZ because it is off limits for hunting. I immediately went in after him calling for him but he kept following the trail and was gone for about an hour. I was worried sick for this very reason among others. When he turned back up after dark he was covered in burrs and had slipped his collar. As much as folks try, things like this happen. My dog is pretty well trained and usually comes to my commands but jumping deer like he did he just lost his head. The alternative would be to never let him run off leash outdoors, but I think that this would be a shame. I like for him to get some run time in the woods on our property. This time he got into the DMZ but this hasn’t happened before. I am mindful about keeping him on a check cord during the deer season and I know when folks are hunting on our property and dont let him run then. This is a timely post I will keep in mind. I would be heart broken if someone shot my dog, but I am also not willing to keep him tied up for his entire life – a bird dog needs time to run in the woods. My dog is a trailing dog too so sometimes I have him in woods during deer season, but on a check cord. Something else to keep in mind is that in Mississippi there is a legal season to hunt deer with dogs. Sure they shouldn’t be doing it on your property, but it seems worthy of consideration because dogs cant read maps and posted signs. As for myself, I would shoot a dog unless I could confirm that it is feral and/or dangerous.
Jack I was writing my post at the same time as you, both bucks I mentioned below were shot in Mississippi. Even though I’m a still hunter and don’t run dogs I don’t hate those hunters who do. It’s a tradition as old as hunting in MS is and it’s every bit their right to use them. As you stated they can’t read property lines and are bound to mess up occasionally and cross property lines.
One bow hunt, a buddy of mine was hunting my property in Missouri and he had a small to medium sized dog chasing deer by his deer stand. Absolutely ruined his hunt that trip. This dog unfortunately, was left behind on purpose, by a jerk who was evicted from his rental house bordering my property for not paying rent. He left a bunch of trash and junk around the rental house and moved to Texas, and oops, forgot the family pet, yeah right. My buddy didn’t bother the dog and I’m sure over the next few days or so, it was recycled by either the coyotes or bobcats. In Missouri, I believe you can only shoot a dog on your property if it is bothering your livestock or pets or you feel in danger. Be smart and be careful out there.