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Update: Deer Dogs Busted in Florida
We asked you about running dogs for deer early this month, and the topic seemed to strike a chord. So, just in case the horse is still kicking, here's an update, from the Northwest Florida Daily News:
Two dogs who . . . trespassing at Eight Point Hunting Club [in] Escambia County were captured and their owner was charged for allowing them to hunt on private property, according to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission's weekly report.
Officers used the tags on the dogs' collars to find their owner. The owner was then issued a citation for allowing the dogs to pursue doe deer without the property owner's permission.
Same old story - one guy wants to keep up an old tradition, but apparently doesn't have enough acreage. The other guy just wants his property rights respected.
The world is shrinking.
Posted by: Tommy S. | January 14, 2008 at 01:43 PM
I guess the guy owns the deer the dogs are running and the dogs are suppose to read a no trespassing sign when they run by it. And the land around eight point hunting club is public access management land used for running deer with dogs not private property.
Posted by: Deer dogs | January 14, 2008 at 02:51 PM
Hundreds of thousands of acres in Apalachicola NF and you have to run your dogs along public property? I could walk all day in the state forest and not see another person or even hear a dog. Probably trying to run off someones "Pet Buck" that he grew off of some scientific feed and trail cams. I guess its what happens when people celebrate "shooting" zoos a.k.a. "hunt" clubs and not hunting wild deer and on the opposite side, when deer doggers get greedy and monopolize the public land. I have no interest in feeding a deer and then taking his picture and then shooting it. I did not hunt that animal. I would rather track an undersized swamp buck or even a spike in the forest and actually hunt it with skills taught to me by my grandaddy than shoot a ten point that was "grown" on a "hunt" club. They need to end the unlimited buck harvest in FL and reduce it to two per year to free up some space.
Posted by: Ryan | January 14, 2008 at 03:05 PM
This hunting club purchased this property for hunting. If these dogs are hunting on it that would ruin the hunt for the land owners.
I don't expect the dogs to read the signs i expect the dog handlers too and if can't control his dogs then he deserves a ticket.
I dont expect this club would let human hunters on to hunt, why should they let canine hunters. This practice destroys the value of the property for its intended purpose.
Posted by: Jason | January 14, 2008 at 05:39 PM
TommyS I agree with you, the world is truly shrinking.
The issue here is the same as the previous discussion. Unless the owner has the deer hounds on a leash, the dogs are going to go wherever the scent leads them. Personally I think it is a scabby citation. There should be some type of warning citation first because I speculate the owner of the dogs didn't purposefully release the dogs to run on the hunt club property. Having said that it's back to the importance of ensuring that one has enough "acreage" to dog hunt because these incidents are going to become more frequent. Like it or not dog hunting may become a county by county thing based upon the land available to allow it. That would be a whole lot better than continually citing people because their dogs strayed onto private property. Truly the world is shrinking.
Posted by: John R | January 14, 2008 at 06:54 PM
I am afraid that dog hunting is on the way out. It is steeped in tradition that I am familiar with and it runs deep. Large tracts of unbroken land are becoming a thing of the past. I have no problem with running deer with dogs its just becoming more and more difficult to find places to run them. I actually had a conflict with dog hunters in Escambia county. Their season opened a week before ours and they would purposely make their dogs swim the Perdido river and run deer on our property.this was 20 years ago and Im almost sure it was Escambia county. Anyway it was pretty low down for them to do that. We rounded up the dogs sometimes and took them to shelters. Some would have killed them but we talked them down. Back to the point if done proper with enough land it is a great southern tradition. Just for the record, I have dog hunted but prefer not to run deer with dogs.
Posted by: GREG | January 14, 2008 at 09:29 PM
I respect various traditions that people hunt with but I think a citation is not going overboard. Perhaps better judgement should be used so that dogs don't trespass and ruin other people's hunts. If there is a large danger of dogs running into another person's property without permission then commmon sense dictates to choose a better place to hunt where these is less chance of this occuring. Just because a dog does what it will doesn't mean it is acceptable. I think the issue could be better resolved by a seperate hunting season for running with dogs so other people's hunting isn't disrupted. It seems the majority of the complaints are coming from hunters in the first place.
Posted by: William | January 15, 2008 at 12:44 AM
Right or wrong, the hunting/wildlife rules require us to control our dogs in Washington, too. One can get a ticket for allowing a retriever to cross into a reserve or posted property to retrieve a duck or goose legally shot on adjacent property that sails into the restricted area. I have seen this happen on occasion.
Posted by: WA Mtnhunter | January 15, 2008 at 12:52 PM
Dogs caught running deer in many NC mountain counties are dispatched pronto, no apologies,no excuses needed. They hunt deer with dogs down east in this state. the dog hunters also use pick-ups and radios to corner deer. A lot of these fellers I've seen couldn't walk up one hilly trail to take a shot, much less drag out a big buck. I know, I know...usta be ships were wood and men were steel, blah blah blah. Hahheehee.
Posted by: Neil Smith | January 15, 2008 at 04:48 PM
I used to like deer hunting.Ihave sense changed my mind sense reading this arugments about how to hunt them...I think I will just start fishing. Hope Might outlaw hunting any way.
Posted by: tony | May 09, 2008 at 12:25 PM
dog hunting should be outlawed, how about get up a tree and shut up those cbs
Posted by: jamie bell | October 24, 2008 at 06:13 AM
outlaw dog hunting, it is crazy grown men out running dogs messing up every bodys still hunting.
Posted by: jamie bell | November 12, 2008 at 11:37 PM
Dont forget the old saying Divide And Conquer.If we dont work together we will lose all our huntig rights as well as our guns.I enjoy all types of hunting and try to respect other peoples beliefs as well.
Posted by: Ray | December 03, 2008 at 12:00 PM
I left a previous comment and apparently I am a bit ignorant to the laws of other states. Maybe, just meybe we here in Louisiana have it right for once and all you other guys have it all wrong! Our dog season does not start until 4 weeks of still season has happened. The end of December to be exact. By this time the rut has passed. I did not even consider the thought that you guys may have year-round dog hunting (although I personally would love it). I think that if this is not thte systen that all of you are using then maybe you should write your congressman. It seems to give the still hunters (I love to still hunt as well) their time to really hunt the deer that they are after without the "interference" of dogs. i have killd most of my bigger bucks during still hunt only season.
Posted by: Finnon | December 07, 2008 at 12:21 AM