Gryan

This topic makes me angry but I do like to see what everyone thinks.

I can' t believe this opinion still exists. I' m sorry my dog can' t read the no hunting sign on someone' s property. I assure you, he is not chasing a deer. Again, I know it is my job to keep him out of the situation. For God' s sake, find me and call the cops. I spend a lot of money and time to train my dog. (He doesn' t even notice deer thank God) My kids love that dog and I don' t take kindly to someone hurting my family.

When I was twelve or so there was this guy in the gun club I was in who shot every dog he saw in the woods no matter what the dog was doing. I saw him shoot a beagle that was just sniffing around near some property that the club had access to. I almost puked and I almost tried to shoot the guy myself. My dad thought that it would be a bad idea. I hope the guy rots someplace someday. Twenty eight years later and I can still see him swinging the dog with the red collar into a brush pile and laughing off the other guy telling him he was a jerk.

As far as I' m concerned, it is just a bullcrap excuse to kill something. We all have seen dogs chase deer but most give up the chase. I know, I know...the deer burn up much needed energy that they should be using to survive the harsh winter, they hamstring the deer so that it dies a slow lingering death, they kill one then move on to another simply for the sport of it. Did I miss any? Some dogs do bring down deer and they have to be dealt with through hammering their owner. If the dog needs to be put to sleep because it is too agressive ro whatever, let the owner do it.

I just think there should be some kind of decency when dealing with someone' s pet. As TXCowboy said, " I' ve got a dog and she' s like a child to me."

Greg

jsasker

Gryan,
How about when you tell the owner that his dog is chasing deer on MY property when i' m out hunting and he does nothing about it?To me he might as well take out the rubber glove and slap me in the face with it.This did happen to me one year and i actually saw the dog 8 different times during archery season!I did not shoot the dog but sure as hell wished that someone would have.A couple of those times the dog had another dog with it!What do you do then?Quit hunting?Hope the dog turns over a new leaf after seeing the error of his ways or what?I really want to hear the answer!

portable ladder

some bowhunters are complete a$$holes, i could never shoot a domesticated dog, i wonder if the dog had a collar on.......there are hunters where i bowhunt, who say that if a dog is chasing deer shoot it......i couldn' t do it

Steve F.in MD

In the state of Maryland, intentionally shooting a domestic animal (unless your are a game warden) is a felony. Is it worth giving up your right to own guns for the rest of your life to shoot a dog, running deer or not?
Dogs are just dumb animals. They don' t know any better. Do we have to prove we are just as dumb by shooting them?

avid_bowhunter2005

I would never shoot a dog in the woods, even though it might scare off a buck of a lifetime. But i wouldn' t hesitate to shoot a cat that i have seen several times and has ruined hunts for me past and present. Too many people let cats roam the whole county and go as they please.
I am glad that the dog is okay, and the hunter who shot it should feel pretty lame.[:@]

badshotbob

This is a tough one but i think I' m with jsasker - when any animal becomes a nuisance they must be dealt with - in one way or another. I personally couldn' t shoot someone' s dog, but I sure as hell wouldn' t be letting my dog run wild either.

When I was young my dad had a dog that killed a neighbor' s calf. The neighbor shot our dog, called my dad and told him to come get his dead dog off his property and to pay for the calf. So my dad did. What could he do? A dog is a responsibility, not something you can forget about until you need the dog.

dpv

I don' t know how the hell anyone could mistake a dog or a cow or a horse for a deer. Especially bowhunting. As far as shooting a dog on your land. I have killed a feral dog before, but we had packs of them around when I was a kid and they were a danger. Killing a dog because it scared my deer? Nope. I think you are taking the hunt just a little to damned seriously. Now......there have been a few days where I am hunting and someone is running dogs and I wouldn' t mind shooting the owner. I don' t have anything against running dogs, but some of the rookies I have seen who go out on hunts like that scare the hell out of me.

David

Gryan

jsasker,

In a word...police. and I' m glad you didn' t shoot it even if you wanted to. In your situation I' d probably want to also but even if I' m pissed I try to do what is right. I' d press any charges that apply. Here in NJ there are several. While you shoot back at me, I' ll look them up.

The one time that I talked to someone about their dog chasing a deer, they apologized and the dog looked depressed every time I drove past the house. I know that is unusual behavior especially here in NJ.

Greg

DaveH

It' s the rut and in the morning yesterday, I had deer all around me with grunting--all before light. At daylight, the activity ceased, just like it always has since my neighbor' s dogs began running my woods--one of them is a lab. Yesterday evening, I went to a different farm to hunt and was listening to brush rustling just before sunset. I prepared for a shot if a buck appeared when " it" started barking. Of course, the deer were scared away by that!

I' ve never killed a dog near me--even ones that were chasing deer, but it irritates the heck out of me. I' m a dog lover and have always owned dogs. Like Txcowboy, my dogs are like my children to me, but when others don' t control their dogs, it' s enough to send some people over the edge.

adams

I' m with you on this jsasker,

My favorite stand has become a victim of urban sprall. Fist one house pops up where deer would come from into my funnel. Then 3 houses where the deer would funnel out into. The latest travisty to my hunting stand is a 6 house development where the deer come from again. With all these houses poping up the deer still seem to find there way into my 3.5 acers and through my funnel. Now the houses are being sold and people are moving in who own dogs. No problem, or so I thought.
If the dogs are on there own land there is nothing I can do. Well one afternoon this year I' m sitting in my stand and along come a dog w/o a leash just out for a jont on my land. I' ll be damned if someones mutt is going to run thru my land under my stand and ruin my hunting. I followed the dog to its home and had some pleasent words with the dogs owner. He assure me that the dog will not be running my land again. Same dog 2 weeks later comes trotting down the run under my stand. This time I' m not so nice, I called the dog officer who came down and because he didn' t see the dog on my land he said there was nothing he could do but he spoke with the owner who assure us the dog would not be back around. I assure both of them that if I saw the dog on my property again that the dog office would be able to see the dog on my land because he will lay right where I catch him.
I' m not into shooting someones pet but the issue was brought to a head with the owner. If he dosn' t care enough to keep his dog on his property then I can' t be to blame. THAT DOG IS INFRINGING ON MY RIGHT TO DO AS I WISH ON MY PROPERTY!!! I belive a dog in the woods (on my property) is no diffrent that a coyote. If a coyote had an owner he would get one warning before the problem would be solved. To this day I haven' t seen that dog again. I honestly hope I don' t.