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Dogs

I agree 100% that this is a touchy subject. I don't want to be argumentative, but would like to throw a few things into the conversation.
Believe me I am not some murderous bastard that is out to shoot every dog that I see in the woods. I actually have never shot a dog, but that dosen't mean that I wouldn't. If I did noone would know about it.
I guess that I have a little different view on this. I don't see this as being the dog's fault. I mean dogs chase stuff-it's what they do. You can't fault a dog for being a dog. I see a dog running all over hell as the owner's problem. I'm not saying that the dog needs to be kenneled or tied up-just keep the damn thing home. People need to realize that not everyone is as fond of their dog as they are. As far as farm dogs being loose I don't have a problem with that, but again people need to understand that their dog dosen't have the right to go wherever it wants and do whatever it wants to do. A dog has the right to do whatever you tell it to. I guess that I just don't understand why it would be so hard to be courteous, and comply with a request to keep your dog at home. Especially if the dog may get shot over the deal. I took the suggestions of talking to the owner as asking and not telling them to keep the dogs at home.
Again I just want to reiterate that I am not against dogs. Not by a long shot. I have had dogs my entire life. As pets, as hunting partners, and as a partner on the street at work. I would choose the company of dogs over that of most people. I just feel that owning a dog is a responsibility that people take too lightly.
 
I had a similar problem when a neighbors dogs started showing up in the middle of the night on my trail camera. They were obviously hunting something.
I went to the neighbor, whom I'd never met, and talked to him about it. First, I'm pretty sure the guy was drunk, and second, he kind of laughed when I said I would be trying to bowhunt soon and would appreciate the dogs staying home. He said "I did'nt know anybody hunted with bows anymore". WTF!? I was less than happy.
Naturally the dogs kept showing up, and I caught them in the CRP one night and nearly shot them, but decided to talk to him once more.
Turns out, the drunk guy I talked to was the neighbors bro-in-law. The actual neighbor was very nice and understanding about the dogs. He had no idea they were straying that far. Havent had a problem with those dogs since, and in retrospect I'm glad I held off on the trigger.

Personally I have never seen a single dog chase deer, its always two or more dogs. Should the problem dogs be reduced to one dog, I bet the problem would stop and the cure would be a little less obvious.

Oddly, my own black lab pays virtually no attention to deer even when they walk close by in the yard. He sure pays attention come processing time though. He is so full of scraps tonight he looks like a tick.
 
I agree with the touchy sitution. I also had dogs in the country but kept them kenneled cuz I was close to the highway but if I lived on gravel they would of ran loose. I don't know what I would do if I had a dog chase off deer, never had it happen. but I can see where one would get pissed.
I have asked a DNR about dogs crossing fences if that was trespassing and he told me this "can dogs read signs?" and if you are good enough friends with the landowner maybe ask him if you yourself could kennel/tie them up when you went out to hunt and let em out when you are done so you don't piss him off and he won't let you hunt anymore. maybe just a thought.
 
I agree with you timekiller that it is the owners responsibility to take care of their dog and how far it wonders away. My dogs never stray too far away from home (that I know of) and I have never had anyone complain to me about my dogs. So I guess I dont know what I would actually say to them. I was just saying that I would probably be more bias to one of my neighbors as to someone I have never met before. I can see your point though.
 
I have had very limited experince with dogs in the woods. Eleven years ago when I moved out here one of the neighbors had a german wire hair, or short hair or something. It was a huge pointer type dog named Gus. For eleven moths of the year he had his run of the timber but was alwyas tied during shotgun season. When he wasn't tied he would be in the woods, nose to ground, hunting. It wasn't unusal to see him 1/2-3/4 miles from his place, always with his nose to the ground. He was a common site, in fact he kinda became the niegborhood pet. If I was out in the woods and Gus came by he would stop hunting long enought to come over, give me a sniff and start hunting again. Then the owners son was old enough to bow hunt and the dog was tied from Oct.-Feb. I didn't start bowhunting until that time also. They moved a couple of years ago and took Gus with them. They are a few miles away but Gus has never shown up again. The new neighbors have a couple of dogs that I have seen from my stand twice over the years. They haven't been a problem as they tend to hang by the house and bark. I know they have a friend that hunts their 40 so maybe they keep em tied.

Anyway, my point is I'm really pretty lucky to live where I do, with all the developement going on around me, and not have a dog problem. Course not many of the folks that are building out here have farm dogs. As someone else said in a different post, these folks have "mutts with a publicity agent" that the coyotes would have for a snack.

The 'Bonker
 
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