Dogs on our hunting property

If they are truly feral dogs, and are causing property damage or distress, shoot them. If not, trap them and call animal control to deal with them.

I guess that's a big problem everywhere.
To me, it's fairly irresponsible around here
because of the large predators and poisonous snakes and the many traps
people set for predators and feral hogs.
Things may well be completely different in
other regions. We also have the hog dog
hunters that live by the motto " I go where
my dogs go, and they can't read a posted
sign . . "
I will say that how it's dealt with is something that's best kept to yourself
and not shared on a public web forum

GatorHunter said:

its really hard to tell how wild they are. No collars, very disheveled looking like nobody is taking care of them but they are eating well. They are killing deer though

Click to expand...

I personally would consider no collar and disheveled appearance to be indicative of a feral dog, but it's always a judgement call. I consider deer damage to be property damage as well.

One thing to consider is if you're
willing to risk a bite from the animal
if you handle it.

We have dog problems on the farm where I hunt. I was given orders to shoot on sight. The owner raises registered cattle. A pack of dogs get stupid when there are several and have a tendency to chase the cows. When you have cattle that can sell for several thousands of dollars you don't need them stressed or mangled.

The dairy farm I worked at the policy was
SSS
on all canines.
They don't last long buried in a manure pile.

Doesn't sound like Bob Johnson's dog from down the road. Probably best for them to go away.

The hunters in my area who chase deer with dogs know to make sure their dogs all have orange collars on.

My rule of thumb when dealing with uncollared dogs on our lease was to call them really friendly-like. If they came to me, they went to the pound; if they ran, they were shot.

Before you go doing mag dumps on someone's dogs check with the dog warden or sheriff first to ensure you wont get charged with a crime. In my state anyone knowingly harming a companion animal can be charged with a felony. I also highly doubt a house dog is killing deer. I have heard rumors of coyotes packing up and killing deer for years but never seen any proof to that. Some farmers don't register, collar and let their dogs run a muck. You also mention its your hunting property. I have hunting property too that I don't own, i just have permission to hunt. If this is the case I would check with the actual owner.

Ranger99 said:

I will say that how it's dealt with is something that's best kept to yourself
and not shared on a public web forum

Click to expand...

Without saying too much, this has been our policy on our lease.

Folks in this area often haul their unwanted dogs to the country and turn them loose. Most are soon killed by coyotes but some large mean dogs survive. i was attacked by a huge samoyed while opening a gate.

Axis II said:

Before you go doing mag dumps on someone's dogs check with the dog warden or sheriff first to ensure you wont get charged with a crime.

Click to expand...

^^^ My first word of advice too. In my state it is illegal to put a dog down unless it is attacking you, your loved ones or your domestic animals. Call the local authorities and they will advise you. If they blow you off, go farther up the line. If dogs are running loose on your property, odds are they are on the neighboring properties too. Talk to the neighbors and get their help.

buck460XVR said:

^^^ My first word of advice too. In my state it is illegal to put a dog down unless it is attacking you, your loved ones or your domestic animals. Call the local authorities and they will advise you. If they blow you off, go farther up the line. If dogs are running loose on your property, odds are they are on the neighboring properties too. Talk to the neighbors and get their help.

Click to expand...

I have had 1 encounter with a dog in the woods and 1 encounter working armed security at a bar. Both instances a good yelling at the dog got them to back down. The bar one yelling didn't quite work so the pistol came out as I was walking backward yelling at the 100lbs pit bull. Eventually it decided to leave. This thread has shown me that not too many people have regard for life or someone else's pet. I think the whole feral dog, vicious dog, killing deer/cattle is just an excuse to shoot the dog than get up off their rear end and find the owner. I've got a buddy who owns a cabin hours away from his house and the local, with a house in the middle of the woods, no other houses for a mile lets his dogs run a muck. He has called the dog warden, sheriff, game warden and finally after 2-3 issues/calls the owner was cited for each loose dog. He hasn't complained about the dogs since. The guys excuse was he's done this for many years because his land butts to a national forest so what's the harm.

H&Hhunter said:

I love dogs, but I absolutely despise irresponsible dog owners. Irresponsible dog owners are the reason dogs get into trouble.

Click to expand...

100%. Everyone always blames the dog and never the owner but are quick to pull the trigger on a dumb dog doing what it finds fun and that's to chase stuff. Some people just shouldn't have pets.

My in-laws were farmers & ranchers. Their land was a dozen or so miles out of town, and it seemed like people were always dumping dogs in their area. They adopted a lot of them, but sometimes there were just too many and they had to shoot way too many. It's sad, it's hard, but it's necessary.

So, there have been generations of rural southerners who were raised to believe that it's cruel to contain a dog who "naturally wants to run free." The dogs that are dead on the side of every country road were probably thrilled right up to the end. That's because they're dogs. Dogs may or may not naturally want to do xyz, but people should know better. Those who put out a bowl of food and water and call themselves dog owners are not. They are dog feeders. They contribute to or even cause this problem. Training and conditioning solve it. If you cannot be a responsible dog owner, stop calling yourself a dog owner. Then the problem of "wild" dogs goes away.
Having said that, as in the case of axis II, sometimes a dog gets loose. It happens. That doesn't make the owner irresponsible. If he never enforced boundaries (real or trained) and conditioned the dog to go hog wild, then he would be. When I see a dog who is not growling or otherwise acting aggressively towards me, I assume it to be a situation like axis II describes. If someone were to shoot my dog while she was burning energy having slipped out of her collar I would be very violently offended. As a pacifist it takes a lot to offend me to that point, but that would do it.

courtgreene said:

So, there have been generations of rural southerners who were raised to believe that it's cruel to contain a dog who "naturally wants to run free." The dogs that are dead on the side of every country road were probably thrilled right up to the end. That's because they're dogs. Dogs may or may not naturally want to do xyz, but people should know better. Those who put out a bowl of food and water and call themselves dog owners are not. They are dog feeders. They contribute to or even cause this problem. Training and conditioning solve it. If you cannot be a responsible dog owner, stop calling yourself a dog owner. Then the problem of "wild" dogs goes away.
Having said that, as in the case of axis II, sometimes a dog gets loose. It happens. That doesn't make the owner irresponsible. If he never enforced boundaries (real or trained) and conditioned the dog to go hog wild, then he would be. When I see a dog who is not growling or otherwise acting aggressively towards me, I assume it to be a situation like axis II describes. If someone were to shoot my dog while she was burning energy having slipped out of her collar I would be very violently offended. As a pacifist it takes a lot to offend me to that point, but that would do it.

Click to expand...

We made great strides with this dog. When I came into the picture she didn't listen for squat, messed in the house, bum rush the door and take off. Now when its walk time or back yard tether time she sits at the door and doesn't move until told to go, doesn't try and drag you down the street during walks, lays down when told to do so, hasn't had a house accident in almost a year. Like you said, all you need is some training and conditioning. She's full of energy and always wants to run, chase the cats cause they run, spins in circles when on the tether and you can tell she's happy and that's all we can ask for. I got into it with neighbors on a FB group because she was walked farther than normal, got in her mood and slipped the collar on my girlfriends 70yo mother. She ended up on someone's porch and because she's and old English bulldog everyone freaked out thinking she was going to drag them to the ground and rip them apart. When we tried explaining that she's a sweetheart and was just confused no one wanted to hear it. She wouldn't come near me, barked at me and ran from me when my girlfriend and I first got together. Now when I come home she comes flying through the house, slides to my feet and sits awaiting to be petted. She used to jump but we worked on that and she doesn't do that anymore. If I sit down on the couch she is right there and must be touching me. Let a stranger come in and she hides in the corner. Its all about how they were raised. Just like kids. Raise them right and you shouldn't have issue.