Where Are All The Dog Men?

[Nimrod71]

Where are all the dog men?  I have been on many hunting sites an few had any post about dogs.  Here in the South hunting deer with dogs is a time honored tradition.  I started hunting deer at my fathers club back in 1964.  Deer were few and far between back then, the woods and swamps were thick, it took a good pack of dogs to get a deer out to where someone could get a shot.  Within the pasted 10 years the hunting regulations have changed.  Dog hunting is limited, and not in this county.  Many a good hunting dog was put down because there was not more use for them.  The anti-hunters were a big part of this.  As in England they have outlawed all hunting with dogs even Fox and Rabbit.  I hope that doesn't happen here.  I love dogs, I have 13 now, beagles, brittanys and german short hair pointers.  Most hunters don't know what they are missing by not having a dog with them.  I have carried several non dog men with me and they couldn't believe how having a dog along improved the hunt.  I hope to see more dog post on this site.

[Muddy05]

I never hunted deer with dogs, mainly because it is outlawed in the county I'm from here in alabama, but I do love to hunt squirrels with my Treeing Feist!!  I'm 26 now, and this is the first year I've done it, and I'll have to say I have truely been missing out all these years. My buddy owns a quail preserve and I've been quite a few times with his pointers in years past, and it is also a lot of fun.... But, I enjoy working with the dog, and watching him work for me the way I've trained him...  I guess it's just something one could take pride in doing! 

[Totenkopf]

I hunt upland and small game with a Chesapeake Bay Retriever. Very smart dog. She points, flushes and retrieves. In the thick I have her zig zag to drive rabbits to me. She also trees squirrels. I don't let her chase big game though. There are mountain lions on my place. No need for her to get out of my range. I have a dumb male lab I  take as well. He will retrieve. I mainly use his clumsy butt to bust through the brush and kick stuborn ringnecks up. He is wide open all the time. Lives to please so you can't help but overlook his bad qualities. I got him from an idiot that had him tied out in 10 degree weather without a dog house. He is a bit neurotic and attention starved. Both are wonderful hunting buddies, follow commands to a T and are a very special part of the family. It's hard to beat a good hunting dog.

[Nimrod71]

This is the kind of stuff I am talking about.  Hunting with dog adds a new side to hunting.  A friend has offered me Feist puppy.  Tommy is well known for his Squirrel dogs.  Back when I was a young boy I remember my father would go squirrel hunting without a dog.  We didn't have one so he would always call one of his dog friends to bring his along.  I wish more hunters would try hunting with our four footed friends. 

[Dee]

I've had a many a Beagle, but rabbits are scarce now and I can't walk like I used to. I had bird dogs for years but the fire ants stopped much of the quail hunting along with liquid fertilizers, liquid herbicides, and liquid pesticides.
I trained Police Dogs, and was Sgt. over a K-9 unit. Does that count? We hunted, so to speak.

All kidding aside I hunt feral hogs, and squirrel with my 7 year old Jack Russel. Huff will hunt anything if you show him what your looking for. Squirrel is however, his passion.

[Totenkopf]

Dee in another post about the pitbull, you talked about that little scrapper. He must be a tough little guy for pigs!
 What is the deal with the liquid things. Does it sterilize the eggs or kill the birds? I am planning to do some work on my pastures, don't want to mess anything up. I need to lyme and fertilize will probably drill some forbes as well. This will be at the snow thaw before they bust up to set.
Thanks

[Dee]

Dee in another post about the pitbull, you talked about that little scrapper. He must be a tough little guy for pigs!
 What is the deal with the liquid things. Does it sterilize the eggs or kill the birds? I am planning to do some work on my pastures, don't want to mess anything up. I need to lyme and fertilize will probably drill some forbes as well. This will be at the snow thaw before they bust up to set.
Thanks

Here in North Central Texas, they use a large wheel tricycle type rig or a similar four wheel rig. They both have booms that swing out quite a few feet on each side of the vehicle with spray nozzles every few feet. Several weeks before they get ready to plant, they go in with these units and spray Roundup to kill any plant life. Then they go in and spray liquid fertilizer BEFORE they plant. Then after the crop comes up, they will spray MORE liquid fertilizer on the crop to make it grow faster. So much so that it burns the crop and turns it yellow for several weeks from the burning.
As I said these booms on the vehicle stick out to either side perhaps 35' or more each side. The basic instinct of a rabbit or a quail is to hunker down and let whatever pass. In doing so, it is soaked with what ever chemical the farmer is spraying. Think about it. How long would WE last if every few weeks or months someone soaked us down with one of these chemicals.
To even suggest this ideology to a farmer is to not only make him mad, but possibly lose your hunting rights there. In a conversation a couple of weeks ago with a couple of them, they admitted that if the chemicals were banned, they could not make a living. WHY YOU ASK? Any of these chemicals kills the GOOD BACTIERIA in the soil that help the plants (in this case crops) break down the minerals they the plants need to grow.
A little off track but for you gardener dog guys. A study was done in Michigan a few years ago, on 75 acres of land that had NEVER been farmed. It was split right down the middle, and one half was farmed with chemicals and one with out. The crop was an assortment of vegetables and grains.
When the crop was harvested and tested, the crop with out chemical additions had a little over 70% more healthy nutrients in them that are good for US.
Areas of Texas that have no farming but, do have fire ants, and actually had them BEFORE we did, have both bobwhite quail and cottontails. We used to. Now almost none.

[BirdHunter94]

well where i am from in new york. you cant hunt deer with dogs. i don't think that you should be able to. its just not hunting. all it is is just shooting. if you want the good feeling of you get after you get one. you got to work for it. hunting birds with dogs are fine though. mostly because they just retrieve. But i LOVE dogs they are great.

[Totenkopf]

I disagree slightly. I would come home with very few birds and small game if not for my dog pointing, chasing or treeing. In the brambles it is near impossible to kick a bird out. But an over zealous dog running wide open does the trick to get them up. And after the shot I would be 50% or less if not for them finding them. So truly if it were not for the dogs, we would not have birds for dinner very often, in my particular terrain anyhow.

I have never hunted deer with a dog, but a running shot on a deer isn't exactly easy.  My dogs are required to put game on the table for the family. If they do not I give them away to good families for pets. While they are hunting they are welcomed indoor companions. When they get to old to hunt they spend their last years in front of the fireplace in retirement.
 I am not challenging your opinion. Just saying different people have different needs. It sounds like you hunt for sport, which is perfectly fine. A good number of people still depend on dogs to supply them with food. So where legal I can't see anything wrong with big game hunting with dogs as long as responsible hunters are doing it.

[Nimrod71]

A quick description of hunting deer with dogs.  It is not like most people believe.  Its more like hunting giant rabbits with big beagles, well really you can use beagles if you want.  First off you must have several hunters willing to work together to hunt with deer with dogs.  It is as much a big social event as anything.  This is usually done by Hunting Clubs.  Large tracts of land in the 1000's of acres in heavy woods and swamps are the main areas.  These areas are usually to thick or have hazards that prevent successful tree stand, stalking, or still hunting.  We usually have 10 to 20 hunters with their dogs.  We draw cards to see who will be a driver and who will be a stander.  The dogs are divided into how many runs we plan on having during the day.  Usuall 4 to 6 dogs will be used per run.  The standers are taken out and placed on their stands with instructions not to leave the stand.  The drivers and their dogs go to the starting area and start walking the drive through the hunting block.  The dogs run ahead of the hunters and will pick up the scent of the first deer and start the run.  Man that is some great music hearing those big hounds open up.  Away they go, the race is on.  This is were it gets tricky.  Big Bucks are smart they will run with the does for a short distance and then just drop off.  The dogs are so excited they miss the buck and stay with the does.  The bucks will ease off and fade in the timber.  This is were the drivers come in, they get most of the shots on the big bucks.  Does will run in the open.  Depending on club runs does may or may not be shot.  To get a big buck you have to be lucky and in the right place at the right time.  They move fast and don't stop.  If he gets past the standing line he is safe until that block is hunted.  Standers are required to catch the dogs as they come across the their line.  This is and exciting and enjoyable sport if you ever get in it, ask a beagle.  Deer are just big rabbits.  Oh, when a deer is killed the meat is divided among the hunters.  Most of the time you can get in 2 morning runs and 2 afternoon runs.  The deer return to their normal lives during he night.  Deer are smart it doesn't take them long to understand the game.  Unlike what most people think, the dogs aren't right on the deers heals.  I have seen the dogs be a full 15 minutes behind the deer.  This is a dieing sport here in the South, I hate to see it go, but like all things hunting changes, more people now, not as much land.  The country and woods are changing.  I love my dogs, Ben, Belle, Ranger, Russel, George, Becky, Pixie, Dixie, Suzi, DeeDee, Chippy.

[BirdHunter94]

I disagree slightly. I would come home with very few birds and small game if not for my dog pointing, chasing or treeing. In the brambles it is near impossible to kick a bird out. But an over zealous dog running wide open does the trick to get them up. And after the shot I would be 50% or less if not for them finding them. So truly if it were not for the dogs, we would not have birds for dinner very often, in my particular terrain anyhow.

I have never hunted deer with a dog, but a running shot on a deer isn't exactly easy.  My dogs are required to put game on the table for the family. If they do not I give them away to good families for pets. While they are hunting they are welcomed indoor companions. When they get to old to hunt they spend their last years in front of the fireplace in retirement.
 I am not challenging your opinion. Just saying different people have different needs. It sounds like you hunt for sport, which is perfectly fine. A good number of people still depend on dogs to supply them with food. So where legal I can't see anything wrong with big game hunting with dogs as long as responsible hunters are doing it.

I agree with you. I think hunting with dogs for birds is fine. And i agree that without dogs you wont get that many birds. But i dont just hunt for sport. I don't let good meat go to waste

[Dee]

I'm sittin here lookin at a 6 1/2 week old German Shepherd male pup, that is gonna be a hos. He has European breeding, and my Jack Russell hates him. Anybody live close to Sherman Texas? I'll give'm to ya? He's probably gonna be black and sable. Right now he black and bold as ruttin buck.

[Totenkopf]

I agree with you. I think hunting with dogs for birds is fine. And i agree that without dogs you wont get that many birds. But i dont just hunt for sport. I don't let good meat go to waste
[/quote]

 Sorry to imply that, was not meant to be derogatory. I used to live in the South, sport hunting was just a term used for people who enjoyed to hunt. Meat  hunting was a term for people that generally survived off of it. As long as it's legal nothing wrong with any method of hunting in my book. I just like to do things my way and let others do it their way. So in respect to the original poster, so as not to hijack his thread. Do you have any dog stories?

[FourBee]

I've always enjoyed hunting with dogs.    Squirrel, Rabbit, birds, and Coon.   But nowdays in my area I'm kinda getting closed in, what with more and more people relocating out here away from the city.  

    A friend of mine lost his best coonhound the other night.  Spent all the next day looking for him, and when he found it, it was almost dead.  Shot right through the middle.  No vitals were hit, and the Vet says he'll make it.  That kind of thing in the last several years has put a stop to a lot of dog men.