What to do about trespassing dogs

That's your opinion, TexasHeat, but it's not a cure-all by any means. Since you didn't know who the dogs belonged to, why would it be wrong to dispose of them? Let me say that I do understand your point and respect your opinion, but at the same time wild dogs and yard dogs are very hard to tell apart. How did y'all know?

Some shoot fist and ask questions later. Well IMHO that is not the right thing to do. We have dogs that over run our place and yes it is an issue but when it comes time to deal with it, there are much better ways than blasting Rover. Trapping seems the best option. Dogs have to eat too and if it was not for jack [censored] folks dumping dogs out in the sticks it would not be an issue. I would rather shoot the ones that dumb the animals than the animal itself.

Unless our landowner tells us to not shoot something like a wild dog or cat, we are going to do it. If the landowner in that situation told them not to shoot them, then they were wrong, if nothing was said, I dont see how they did anything wrong. A wild dog is the same as a coyote, and in a pack can be even more dangerous sometimes.

( I use the term wild loosely, it can be a domesticated dog, but out running around with or without other dogs, I consider that wild, as you never know what it will do. )

The rule on our place is shoot any dog that is in the pasture. The owner has expresly told us that we are to,(not allowed to, but supposed to), shoot any dog on sight, weather it is his his son's, or anyones. THey do not belong there, and will just make trouble. I would have no problems with trapping them, but I dont have the time, and animal shelter already put down many animals every day, because there are too many. JMO

matt

Yes, the problem sits squarely on the shoulders of the folks that abandon dogs on the side of some backroad, but lesees pay to hunt an area. If an unwanted predator of any kind interferes with their rights the animal should be taken care of immediately. Whether or not the animal is a pet makes no difference, imo.

On the other hand, as was stated, if the landowner tells you up front, before you lease the property, that you'll have to share your hunting area with predators, then it's your burden.

This topic could go on and on, but what it boils down to is what was agreed upon at the onset. If there was no agreement, if nothing was in writing or otherwise, then it becomes apparent, at least to me, that the problem is solved even before it develops.

No, the bull did not cross the fence. I went out one day and our herd had increased by three large cows. No broken fences and we had to help the neighbors get their cattle out of our place by using our loading facilities. Our bull was content where he was at. He got fed concentrate every other day and had enough cows with varied cycles to keep him busy. I think the neighbors knew he was a registered black angus and wanted a piece of the action.

BTW, I talked with my brother in law who's the primary owner of the acreage today. He informed me that all dogs are to be killed but to make sure I deliver a instant death shot...I guess that would be a head/neck shot. He said he'd be gunning for them too.

I hate shooting dogs. I don't find that the dogs on my place have been dumped or abandoned and I have never seen a country dog that wouldn't run off deer. I have 205 acres that represent a huge investment, or at least it is huge to me. I own it to hunt and fish and to leave the concrete behind. I have no cows and manage strictly for deer and bass. People who let their dogs run know what they are doing. The neighbors who hunt keep their dogs penned or tied. The non hunters don't. They just don't care whether I can enjoy my land. Unfortunately, the dogs pay the price for the rude owners. Almost every dog I see pays the price. If not by me, then by others.

Of course, there is an occasional dog that comes up to me wagging it's tail and showing that it is glad to see me. I just can't do that. They get hauled to the Fort Worth SPCA.

these dogs I have on my place bark at me and snarl as they get closer. they sure run like hell when they see a gun though. I'll get 'em, they won't see the gun or hear the shot. Snipers up.

If they bark or snarlled at me, they'd do it only once.
We all know if the dog in question is ole Luke owned by the neighbors, or some mut not recieving proper care and out for himself. One look at any dog will tell you if anyone cares about it. While the mutt got a bad break in life, it is still more humane to me to kill it instantly than lock it up for a few weeks, only to be killed later.
I was confronted by a pack of dogs on family land in Fairfield years. Upon seeing me, one of them wheeled around and came at me. I raised my rifle and he stopped. I told myself "if he comes any closer, he's dead". He moved...I don't know if it was away or toward me. But he died anyway. And so did two others in the pack, before they reached the treeline. And I'll do it again.
On the other hand, I was down there coyote calling a few years later. I called in the neighbors Blue Heeler. If this dog hadn't come out in the sun, it might have taken a bullet too, but one good look told me NO! This is not acceptable. Someone cares about this dog. And I turned the safety back on.

But definately, If you shoot one, drop it right there. DO NOT let a wounded dog run up on the porch balling. That will definately get the Sheriff out there.

I decided to weigh in here for my first post. I think you should fix your fence and keep the cow seperated and while your doing that shoot the dogs. Someone from your family will be out for a walk sometime and get mauled by those Pit Bulls. You might even be able to sell that hunt here on THF!

I'd shoot'em the first time I saw'em. The owner knows what can happen if his dogs are running loose. But if it bothers you that much, I'm sure there is someone in town that will come get'em, for the right price.

The cattle have been sold due to the summer drought conditions, so at least that's done. Now to the dogs. Hopefully the dogs will get careless and wander into where our donkey roams...killing is his business and, according to the people we got him from, his business was good for him but bad for anything smaller than himself. If I see them first the rifle in the link below will dine on old Canis familiaris using its 55 gr Vmax teeth.

Well just to put a different spin on this.

My brother and I went out dove hunting this last September with his two labs. Both labs are family pets and have been hunting for the last 9 years. We start the afternoon hunting at our best tank around 5pm and the doves immediately start flying.

While we are still at the truck the first few doves fly over and both of us shoot. Something spooks Daisey the chocolate lab and she bolts like a bat out of hell. She is last seen running up a ravine about 300 yards away.

Just to set the tone she is a 90 pound fat female lab that has been sleeping on the couch and eating people food for the last 9 years.

After a few hours of calling and whistling she is no where to be seen. Please remember that this is a dog that has been hunting every year, a family pet and cherished by my 8 year old nephew and 5 year old niece. As it got dark we feared the worst.... That some drunk dove hunter would be out on his lease driving around and looking for anything to shot.
Well, right after sundown we heard the shot.............
After driving over to the fence line we found two guys on the neighboring property sitting with spotlights shining on Daisey laying, gasping for air in the grass.

After talking to them they said she came out just across the fence on their property. I am sure she was confused and scared and saw people was glad to be around humans. There justification was "legally I can shoot anything on my property".

If I could do it all over again sure, I would have not taken her with us. I am still not sure what happened.

Trying look in the eyes of two small kids and explaing that Daisey is gone but hunting is still a great adventure. Shooting a dog just "because" does not justify the act.....

Just my two cents.

I would say it depends on the situation. We have no problem shooting coyotes, and they are dogs as well. The only difference is that we attach a value to domestic dogs because we figure someone is attached to them emotionally. Well, I am not attached to them emotionally, so if you are, keep your dogs off my property and it won't be an issue.

That's my opinion.

Letsgo; Sorry about Daisey and I understand that there are 2 sides to every story. For a long time, I took no final action because I didn't want kids to cry about their lost dogs.

However, I went through a period where the dirt under all of my feeders contained dog tracks; no deer tracks. I actually saw 3 deer that season. Every morning neighbors dogs got together and went walkabout. They quite normally went to the most interesting places. My requests to the owners did no good. Had Daisey, Rusty or Spot or any other dog been in the pack of peoples favorite pets I would have taken the same action. Not that I have a right to because I don't. The Sheriff or the GW investigates when an owner reports that a neighbor has shot their dog. That will get you a citation and a trip to see the Judge. In other words, I have no LEGAL right to protect my property or to use it for the purpose that I choose. So, what else can be done? I guess I could call the Sheriff and complain about roaming dogs. However, there are only 5 Deputies for the entire County. Heck, they can't keep down the druggies and thieves. They don't have the time to mess with roaming dogs but they do have the time to issue tickets.

I repeat the question. What else, other than SSS, can a landowner do or leaseholder do? If a dog gets loose in ranching country, it may as well be in the middle of a busy expressway. There's no shortage of dogs that chase deer, calves and colts. Not much fun doctoring a colt that has been into wire. I've done it.

Last year, a local guy had a damn coon hound that enjoyed the countryside. You could sit in a blind and hear it coming for miles. I understand that it is no longer with us.

BTW, some nice looking papered Labs used to roam the local ranches.

Although I blame the owners, I shoot the dogs. We still have roaming dogs and for the most part, they know they are in the wrong. Generally, when they see a man, they light out running for home.

BTW, we no longer shoot coyotes around my area. They are the first line of defense against hogs.

DAVE you must have huge yotes in your part of texas cause i have tons of yotes and hogs but not many deer! ive read that coyotes kill half of all fawns before they get to be 1yr old. one thing i do know for sure the only way a coyote is going to get some young porker is if you shoot momma first!

A word of caution to all, if your even thinking about shooting somebody else's dog, just because you've seen them chase deer or are on your property. It's a long read, but a must read. Actual TX case law, involving hunters and dog's.

http://www.animallaw.info/cases/caustx886sw2d368.htm

Let's Go,

Your circumstance with the Lab and Dove season, should have obtained somebody an Arse whoopin. There is a whole heck of a lot of difference in shooting a dog or dogs that you know roam the country and chase deer on your property. Than shooting a dog during dove season or quail season, that it's pretty obvious what he is doing. Pointers get out of range and on other people's property all the time, and somebody would be getting the wrong end of right if they shot one just on sight. I don't know if I'm making this clear. But 2 totally different scenario's.

To put this back in perspective...

What would you do? That's the question.
#1 - You've already talked to the neighbors.
#2 - They understand your position and know that if they allow their dogs to molest the hunt, the dogs could get shot.
#3 - They tell you not to shoot their dogs under any circumstances. In that case you still need to warn them, but you'll need to cover your arse and tell the sheriff and GW - get them on your side. It's their job.
#4 - Neighbors claim their dogs don't roam and you don't have to worry. In this case it's not your resposibility to catalog dogs. Dogs that do not belong to someone do not fall under the property rights law - they are predators, period.
#5 - All others fall under common sense. JMHO.

What would I do?

1. Talk to the owners.
2. Discourage the dogs from being there, yell, spank or whatever & run them off.
3. If #1 and #2 fail, then it’s a dead dog walking.

I have had two instances of dogs on my property (remote weekend property):

- The first has been resolved by steps #1 and #2 above. This takes good neighbors. My neighbors were very understanding and have help keep their dogs off my place. I was nice but clear “I like your dogs, but I do not want them on my place for any reason”.

- The second instance is of a hound chasing deer on my property. I could hear him coming from a mile away, trailing a deer. I stopped him and chased him off. I do not know who owns the dog but he has used up his ONE warning with me. Next time he will be gator bait.

I love dogs too, but, that doesn’t mean they can trample my land and chase deer. I spend too much $ to own property just to have a dog screw it up.

Gator

I'm going to talk to my neighbors in a nice tone one time and one time only. I'll be diplomatic towards the situation until war is the only option. As stated before, I don't enjoy shooting dogs but when confronted I'll react.

If a dog seems friendly and approaches me wagging it's tail, I cannot, even in the foulest mood, shoot that dog. I'm not that mean. Those dudes that shot that lab named Daisy must have been some real high caliber sportsmen (please detect a hint of sarcasm). I've never met a lab that didn't like me and vice versa. What a bunch of undiscerning lab shooting momes.

I'm talking about a pit bull and a bunch of Heintz 57s. We'll see what happens.

Before you talk to the neighbors that own the dogs you should ask other neighbors if they have already discussed the dogs with them. If they have then it's likely you talking to the owners won't have much more effect than your other neighbors did. In that case just shoot one. If the remaining dogs show up the next weekend then shoot another. Hopefully, the remaining dogs will have wised up by then. The real downside of talking to the owners is that when the dogs go missing the owners might seek retribution.

Putting the dog problem aside for a bit,TEXASHEAT said something that just floored me,HE DIDNT LIKE WOMAN IN A DEER CAMP,that sounds like you DEAR hunt instead of DEER hunt,no offense but you would not be welcome in my camp,if somebody deer hunts to get away from the wife then thats not what deer hunting is to me,its being around friends.

You gotta look at the other side too. I think most women are happy to see us go to deer camp. Then when we come home the honey-do list is a mile long. We get paid back...thrust me.

Take it easy gut shot - opinions are like...you know.

Surely you ain't instigating...

I'm sure he has his reasons. Think about TCH's poop bandit curling up next to your fire...

I would talk to the owner, talk to the sherriff, and talk to the game warden, & other neighbors. If I still had problems after talking to the neighbor then the Sherriff, And or Game Warden could advise me better than anyone else could. I would talk to the Sherriff for sure in case I have future problems they would have it on record.

I guess finding a good woman is alot like deer hunting,those 10 points and 10s dont come very often,I am glad I found one that likes to do the things I do,fish,hunt,anything outdoors,Im sorry some of yalls wives are naggers,I have been on leases that the men $itch more than the women and all most come to a free for all,if a dog is chasing a deer on my place and doesnt have a coller on then BAM,GOOD BY DOG,didnt mean to ruffle feathers but if it is raining and the wind is howling then the wife is going to get some camper time..................

Their wives are naggers?

Heck no I don't want no naggers in my camp, neither.

Can't fault a man for disliking a man's wife that's a nagger...

Hoytman, I've also read about fawn mortality from coyotes. It has always been in hunting mags. However, I haven't seen it scientifically documented and dang sure don't know anything about it myself. Maybe they do, I just don't know. It is my impression that coyotes are more scavenger than predator. But, again, I don't know for sure. I would sure like for them to scavenge some of my hogs. However, they would have to get them pretty early. A 6 month old, 40 to 50 pound hog can be pretty testy.

We seem to have a lot more stray dogs than yotes.

HWY_MAN, thanks for the link. I read the whole thing twice and it reinforces my idea of SSS. Odd that the owners who valued their dogs so highly and were counting on their future high dollar offspring didn't take better care of them.

Had the Defendant owned the land, the court might have had to take into consideration the values that the TPWD places on wildlife when taken by poachers. If the Defendant had been a lessee, the landowner could have countersued for the loss of valuable resources. Or, so I think. Heck, I'm not a Lawyer.

Interesting read.

Your are right Davidson, when I read it I thought the guy should shoot his lawyer for not bringing up that fact People with high dollar dogs don't let them run loose. When working for the Post Office I found out you can kick a man's wife and kids and that is OK, but he will fight you if you kick his dog when the dog is trying to bite you.

It is better to have no contact with the dog owners, because they will lie then and later about how their dog would not be doing anything wrong.
My pennys worth.

The thing I don't like about talking to the neighbors first is if something happens to the dog, I'll be the first person they'll look to and place blame upon. I'm a wishy washy person ain't I?

After reading the case law, I've pretty well decided to not to shoot the dogs at all. After all there's more than one way to skin a cat. Don't worry I don't and won't use traps or snares. I'm more creative than that and I won't provide details.