Running Dogs

[noonebil]

How do you feel about using dogs to hunt deer. It is legal in Ga. but there have been some recent regulation changes.
I personally don't mind it & will ocassionally participate, but don't want to be still hunting an area where dogs are allowed (the deer don't move naturally).

[BlueNorther]

Never done it but would like to give it a go.It actually sounds like a good time by all the accounts I have read.I've read more positive than negative about hound hunting.

[mudfish2]

I have nothing against it..I even enjoy hearing them on ones trail at a club in Bennetsville that my bro skeeter belongs to, but I hate to hear the tailgate of a poacher near my land come down and the dogs come out...but NOW with new regs and rules here (you have to have the registration number in big bold print dyed on the side of your dogs..now if the GW catches you with a load of dogs without the numbers on their side ..its just as bad as hunting or spotting at night..they can take your truck, guns , dogs and anything else dealing with hunting...it's alot easier now to catch who's poaching around here...matter of fact had a load of dogs running deer on my land the other day..number 205...gonna let this one pass but if I see them again...I'm gonna bust the guy

[flhuntress]

to each their own as long as it's legal and the dogs stay off land in which they aren't allowed.

[gulfcoasthunter]

I grew up running dogs and love it but do to loss of adequate land I have given it up.

[Shorthair]

It is my prefered method of deer hunting now. In fact I don't see me climbing in a stand again anytime soon. The fellowship, the sound of the dogs, the sharing equally of the kill the cookout at the end of the day it's a whole lot more to it than just killing a deer.
The thing I have come to enjoy the most about it is you really get to see a deer at their best. I never saw a deer running full speed, I thought I had, still hunting. I believe they might be faster than a cheetah. They are smarter than I ever gave them credit for.
Just this Saturday we had big doe give us the slip. The dogs jumped her and she hit a pond and swam across. The dogs jumped her again on the other side she lit out through the woods again. When she got far enough in front she must have stopped for a minute and then did a 180 and came right back through 'em and scattered 'em like quail. She turned and ran up the hill and did another 180 came back down the hill. She jumped in the branch down from where I was and came out in a big briar bed. I could see white but not enough to deer to safely shoot. She got away and will live to teach them dogs another lesson some day. About 15 minutes after she came by me the dogs came by me looking a little lost. I had to smile.

Dog hunting is under great pressure these days and many say it will be gone in a matter of years. It has gotten a bad name over the years in part from bad people acting badly. There have been many doghunters in all states where it is legal with no respect for their neighboring land owners. They trespass not only trying to retrieve lost dogs but in order to realease dogs to start a hunt like mudfish2 describes.
Geogia passed legislation this year to try and curtail the illegal doghunters. You have to get a license, you have to have at least 1000 contiguous acres, you get a license number that must be on all trucks involved with the hunt and all dogs and if you get caught trespassing or get any legitimate complaints filed against you, you will loose your license for two years.

[Shorthair]

Here is a link to a story about doghunting and my club, as luck would have it, in yesterdays paper.
www.augustachronicle.com/stories/110203/pav_143-5454.000.shtml

[gulfcoasthunter]

SH you are right about deer being smarter than people give them credit for. The area we used to run dogs was bordered by a bay,probably 1mile wide. For years when the deer would get far enough ahead of the dogs and us they would head for the bay and the dogs would usually lose it then it was sit and wait on them to come back to the roads. Well one day the dogs didn't come back so I had to fight my way through the thickest stuff you ever saw until I reached the bay and found the dogs running up and down the beach. I found where the deer whent into the water and assumed he had swam the bay like I had heard growing up. Looking across the I noticed something out about 60yrds out in the water, looking through my binocs I saw it was the deer and all the was above water was its nose. It stayed there for about 5 minutes till I could stand it anymore and popped a shot a foot or so in front of it then it exploded out of the water and I could see it was a 4" spike so had to let it go.

[Shorthair]

I just went back to the article again and looked at all the pictures. There was a picture of my brother-in-law in there. He was one of the ones talking to the Game Warden, Billy Blitchington. They failed to mention his handle is Goober.

[StealthHunter]

I have never hunted deer with dogs, but I would like to give it a try. If it is anything like coonhunting, I will be hooked.

[benhuntin]

I dont have anything against it. Its just not my prefered hunting style. I like the quiet tranquility of the woods while watching the sunrise from comfortable tree stand.
And yes, i will be eating a york peppermint patty while doin it.

[BT]

I love it. But sadly its dying out due to over population of the states and leasted lands and due to some bad hunters taking avantage of it and people.

its another grand old suthern tridision that is dyeing out.

the vast majorty of hunters that i have heard complain about dog hunt were move in hunters from places that it was not leagle.

true there has been alot of bad press about dog hunters.
but the stand hunters allways seamed to be left out of the press.
here in the early and mid 80's. stand hunters were the bigest problems for dog hunters on shared Wma,s.The stand hunters would shoot dogs and poisine them put broken glass out on trails

[SWAMPTHING]

It is pretty bad when it only takes a few bad apples to ruin the whole cart.I hunt with dogs on several clubs and most of the people I hunt with are pretty good folks,but it only takes one shot across or trespassing on posted land to make us all look bad.We have a good relationship with our neighboring landowners,with permission we will only walk in to get the dogs out and with no guns.I use a tracking system to keep up with the dogs and to avoid problems.Whatever kind of hunting you prefer and as long as it is leagal ROCK ON!!!

[SWAMPTHING]

It is pretty bad when it only takes a few bad apples to ruin the whole cart.I hunt with dogs on several clubs and most of the people I hunt with are pretty good folks,but it only takes one shot across or trespassing on posted land to make us all look bad.We have a good relationship with our neighboring landowners,with permission we will only walk in to get the dogs out and with no guns.I use a tracking system to keep up with the dogs and to avoid problems.Whatever kind of hunting you prefer and as long as it is legal ROCK ON!!!

[Shorthair]

Ah yes a fellow dog hunter. Welcome to the board my hound hunting brother!