DOGS!!!!!

[Ol'Mossy]

That sucks

[catdaddy]

I can not visualize too many circumstances that would cause me to shoot a dog i.e. killing someones pet---- especially over a turkey. I know some guys that do and brag about it--but it makes me wonder about them.  

I happen to know about a dog killing incident that happened in the county next to me back in December. A lady who lived in a rural area let her Lab out early one morning to do his business. The dog went to the property next to hers and was shot by a deer hunter. She heard the shot and when the dog did not come back she walked over to investigate and her fears were confirmed--a deer hunter has shot him. To make matters worse, when she confronted him about it he told her she should have kept the dog in her own yard and that if another one of her dogs came back over he would do the same.

Now, you may ask--where is the husband during all this?? He is in  a special forces unit in Afghanistan. If I was that guy that shot the dog, I would move and not leave a forwarding address before hubby gets back in the states.    

[huntingirl]

I can not visualize too many circumstances that would cause me to shoot a dog i.e. killing someones pet---- espcially over a turkey. I know some guys that do and brag about--but it makes me wonder about them.  

I happen to know about a dog killing incident that happened in the county next to me back in December. A lady who lived in a rural area let her Lab out early one morning to do his business. The dog went to the property next to hers and was shot by a deer hunter. She heard the shot and when the dog did not come back she walked over to investigate and her fears were confirmed--a deer hunter has shot him. To make matters worse, when she confronted him about it he told her she should have kept the dog in her own yard and that if another one of her dogs came back over he would do the same.

Now, you may ask--where is the husband during all this?? He is in  a special forces unit in Afghanistan. If I was that guy that shot the dog, I would move and not leave a forwarding address before hubby gets back in the states.    

I'm with catdaddy on this one.  Dogs slip out of collars and I don't think anyone can decipher a stray from a house dog with no collar.  There are just too many circumstances when a pet can be mistaken for a feral.  I can't help but look at it from a pet-owners point of view, and I'd be heartbroken if someone killed my dogs.  People screw up just as many hunts, and we can't shoot them.

[Gobblestopper]

Crossman Pumpmaster BB gun put a stop to my neighbors dog crapping in my yard all the time. Only took two times in the rear. First time I only gave it six pumps, second time I gave him the full ten. Maybe you could convince those dogs that running after a gobbler just might not be worth the pain. CO2 pistol would probably do the job too and easier to carry. 

[hookedspur]

 

I talked with a biologist who was involved in stocking turkeys in Alabama years ago he told me that dogs were the worst thing  for turkeys especially during laying season they would bump hens off the nest and she would not return. Sooo you might want to take care of them.

[Trip]

Im gonna try my best to take care of it the humane way...I love my dog to death and if someone ever hurt him I would be very upset. Im hoping I never see them again...If I do Ill try and run them off and if I cant I may try and catch them and call Animal Control...Im just gonna play it by ear.

[snarer]

I'm the kind that likes the SSS.  If you talk to the landowner more than likely the problem will continue and you'll be the first one they talk to when their dog goes missing.  This is the reason if my dog went on someone elses land and caused a rucus I wouldn't blame the landowner for shooting him.  Granted it's not the dogs fault but he must be stopped..

[StruttinGobbler3]

I'm not intending to start a war on this post, but some of these replies are disturbing to me. Being a coon hunter I have several hunting dogs and love them all. I would never intentionally shoot another man's dog, whether I thought it was a stray or not. I do my best in this situation to catch the dogs, if they have a collar there should be some contact info for the owner on it. If not, I take them to a shelter. We've had problems in the past once before with hunting dogs getting shot. Most people who don't own hounds or other hunting dogs have no idea of the years of work, the countless hours of time, and the thousands of dollars it has cost the owner to raise that dog into a top notch working animal. To have someone throw all that out the window with one pull of the trigger...well I know of no words to describe the kind of frustration and anger that comes with that. I'm sure you've all heard the saying that dogs can't read posted signs, but it is a true statement. Don't blame the dog for merely doing what it was bred and trained to do. There are a few bad apples in every group, but most all responsible hunting dog owners are careful where they release their dogs. Most of the time it doesn't happen, but in some cases the dog may hunt outside of your property. That is not the dog's fault. He knows nothing of boundaries and property lines. No dog should be shot for just running by you, but it really makes no sense when the dog clearly has on a collar along with a GPS tracking collar. It's obvious that the dog belongs to someone who definitely wants it back. As I said in the beginning, it is not my intention to start trouble with this post and I hope none of you take it that way. However, I do hope the next time you line up the sights on a dog you will think about this post, and deal with the matter in a more humane, sensible way.

[woodchip]

I'm the kind that likes the SSS.  If you talk to the landowner more than likely the problem will continue and you'll be the first one they talk to when their dog goes missing.  This is the reason if my dog went on someone elses land and caused a rucus I wouldn't blame the landowner for shooting him.  Granted it's not the dogs fault but he must be stopped..

[bowhunter2k9]

If a dog's wearing a collar I won't bother him. If the dog is feral or the owner doesn't think enough of him to put a collar on him I'm doing the wildlife a favor and putting him down. Cats are different. If they're within 100 yards of a house or outbuilding, they're safe. Any further than that, I figure they're wild. Feral or loose pets do a lot of damage to wildlife.

[Struttin Spurs]

We have two dogs and cant keep collars on them. They chew them off of each other. Sometimes our dogs will get loose and go exploring through he woods and on surrounding farms. Just doing what farm dogs do. Around here the farmers have enough respect not to kill the dogs and can tell if a dog is a pet or not. If they want them gone they may run them off with bb guns or bird shot at a far range but will not kill them.

I would think that most people could tell a good hunting dog or pet from a stray...I know I certainly can.

I would like to see someone explain to my wife why they shot her golden retriever...because of a turkey hunt? Somebody better be ready to catch hell because she would not be the least bit happy. Haha

[turkey slayer]

I don't think I would actually shot one, but I would be seriously thinking about it.   

same here but i have a buddy who will pop em every time.

[Nimrodmar10]

Fellas, I raise and train Labrador Retrievers so I know how valuable a good hunting dog is. But if you think I'm going to let a very expensive ($3,000-$10,000)dog run loose you're crazy. My dogs stay in a kennel when they're not either training or hunting. It's a matter of safety. I don't worry as much about one getting shot as I do one getting run over. That's why I keep them in a kennel. If you think dogs should "run free" then you take your chances. Every town I know and most counties have leash laws. There's a reason for that. A loose dog is a nuisance at best and a danger to humans and wildlife at worse. There was an elderly woman mauled and killed by two Great Pyrenees and a Lab near my home just a year or so ago. The owner couldn't believe it was them, even when they were covered in the womans blood. These were pets. Now they're dead pets. If you like your dogs, and cats, keep them up or risk the danger of them becoming road kill. And if they decide to go out and chase deer or turkeys or Farmer Brown's calves, they will probably be killed. Either you take care of your pets or someone else will.

[870supermagnum]

I was with a friend and we were closing in on a gobbler with some hens and had just set up to do some close in calling.  We saw two hens take to the air and fly out over a swamp head and then saw three dogs appeared that had just busted up the flock.  About fifteen minutes late the gobbler shock gobbled to a crow call about 200 yards away.  Once the flock busted the dogs were running around trying to get a scent and came upon my buddy and I.  They weren't aggressive, just checked us out and moved on.  We could've killed all three dogs, but didn't.  I'm a gobbler killer, not a dog killer, unless he is aggressive and I have no other choice.   

[sugarray]

I'm not intending to start a war on this post, but some of these replies are disturbing to me. Being a coon hunter I have several hunting dogs and love them all. I would never intentionally shoot another man's dog, whether I thought it was a stray or not. I do my best in this situation to catch the dogs, if they have a collar there should be some contact info for the owner on it. If not, I take them to a shelter. We've had problems in the past once before with hunting dogs getting shot. Most people who don't own hounds or other hunting dogs have no idea of the years of work, the countless hours of time, and the thousands of dollars it has cost the owner to raise that dog into a top notch working animal. To have someone throw all that out the window with one pull of the trigger...well I know of no words to describe the kind of frustration and anger that comes with that. I'm sure you've all heard the saying that dogs can't read posted signs, but it is a true statement. Don't blame the dog for merely doing what it was bred and trained to do. There are a few bad apples in every group, but most all responsible hunting dog owners are careful where they release their dogs. Most of the time it doesn't happen, but in some cases the dog may hunt outside of your property. That is not the dog's fault. He knows nothing of boundaries and property lines. No dog should be shot for just running by you, but it really makes no sense when the dog clearly has on a collar along with a GPS tracking collar. It's obvious that the dog belongs to someone who definitely wants it back. As I said in the beginning, it is not my intention to start trouble with this post and I hope none of you take it that way. However, I do hope the next time you line up the sights on a dog you will think about this post, and deal with the matter in a more humane, sensible way.

This topic is not about collared hunting dogs.  It is about strays or dogs that run too far from home.  I would not think about shooting a collared hunting dog, as yes they are likely doing what they are trained to do.  Now, a dog even with a collar should not be allowed to run deer.  If they do, that dog likely will get shot and should be tied up and if not, then that is the way it operates, especially here in rural WV.   Now, my dog always has a collar and has never gotten out of his collar, but if he does and is running deer and gets shot, then I have to accept that I didn't do my job to protect my pet.

We have to remember personal responsibility falls back to the OWNER not the hunter.  If a dog is doing something it shouldn't, then this should only happen once.   If the owner can't/won't take responsibility to protect the dog then the owner has to be acceptable to whatever may happen to the dog.