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TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer -

Posted By: swmays

TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/23/13 01:23 AM

Texas Agriculture Daily News
TPWD to reconsider use of dogs to track wounded deer in East Texas


Monday, July 22, 2013

After 20 years of restrictions, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) is reconsidering the law prohibiting the use of dogs to track wounded deer in 34 East Texas counties.

TPWD has scheduled a trio of public hearings to provide details on its proposal to the community and give the public an opportunity to comment.

The first meeting will be held Tuesday, July 30 at Woodville Elementary School in Woodville. The second will be held Wednesday, July 31 at Angelina County Courthouse in Lufkin, and the final will be held Thursday, Aug. 1 at the Sabine County Courthouse in Hemphill. All three meetings will begin at 6 p.m.
Posted By: Seadog

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/23/13 07:15 AM

Wouldn't you know it!!! I'm offshore for this one also!!! I missed the one in Woodville regarding AR's prior to subjecting Tyler County with them!!!
Posted By: Buccaneer

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/23/13 01:53 PM

Curious, but why would TPWD have tracking-dog restrictions in some counties but not others?

On the surface, it seems like tracking dogs are a good ethical hunting tool to reduce waste of game. I'm sure there are some counter-points, but not familiar enough with it to know. Hopefully someone here can shed some light on the topic.
Posted By: Seadog

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/23/13 02:05 PM

I think it boiled down to people hunting deer with dogs and saying they were tracking wounded animal!!!
Posted By: cameron00

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/23/13 02:18 PM

Originally Posted By: Seadog
I think it boiled down to people hunting deer with dogs and saying they were tracking wounded animal!!!


You think?

100% chance that happens.
Posted By: catslayer

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/23/13 04:38 PM

Deer don't bay like pigs do they? I feel like this would be WAY less effective than hog dog'n...

Now if you drew blood and are tracking I'm perfectly fine for it seen dogs find deer we NEVER would have
Posted By: Texas Dan

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/23/13 05:16 PM

This could be something being pushed by game ranches as a better way to recover trophies and the revenue that would otherwise be lost.
Posted By: bradshaw02

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/23/13 05:46 PM

I would loved for this to be in effect a few years ago when I shot a big one and trailed blood for 5 hours but never found him.
Posted By: BOBO the Clown

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/23/13 06:32 PM

Originally Posted By: Texas Dan
This could be something being pushed by game ranches as a better way to recover trophies and the revenue that would otherwise be lost.


Willing to bet they do it all ready. ..since they are behind a tall fence
Posted By: BowSlayer

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/23/13 07:16 PM

Originally Posted By: Seadog
I think it boiled down to people hunting deer with dogs and saying they were tracking wounded animal!!!


It's perfectly legal to run hogs with dogs so they could just say they were hog hunting if caught. The ones that break the law will do it regardless. I think it's stupid not to be able to try to recover a wounded deer with a dog. I have found many deer with dogs after hours of not being able to find them without dogs.
Posted By: TexasEx57

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/23/13 07:28 PM

definitely a good way to recover deer. i agree with other posts that people who are breaking the law will do it anyway.
Posted By: Texas Dan

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/24/13 03:37 AM

Keep in mind that deer are considered trash game to those who use hounds to run hogs, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, and everything else. For that reason, finding one that will track a deer can be harder than you think. Most good houndsmen don't want a dog that will run deer and are very embarrassed when any of their hounds does it.

A hound that is truly "broke" will only track the animal for which it has been trained and can easily cost several thousand dollars when sold.
Posted By: NDN98

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/24/13 11:55 AM

I think it is a good idea. Never understood why some counties could and other counties could not use tracking dogs.
Posted By: Grayson

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/24/13 04:11 PM

Originally Posted By: Texas Dan
This could be something being pushed by game ranches as a better way to recover trophies and the revenue that would otherwise be lost.
It's being pushed by tracking dog owners (many of whom benefit financially when their dogs are called out on a track). That being said, a lot of them don't charge or don't charge a lot of money for a track, and I believe their motives for pushing this are more or less pure.
Posted By: rifleman

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/24/13 04:18 PM

Originally Posted By: BOBO the Clown
Originally Posted By: Texas Dan
This could be something being pushed by game ranches as a better way to recover trophies and the revenue that would otherwise be lost.


Willing to bet they do it all ready. ..since they are behind a tall fence


Sí. But dogs were the main reason for fences going up in the first place in our area.

I think it's a good idea if the dogs have to be on leash or are contained by such a tall fence. Cuts down on the excuses of a dog not knowing what a property boundary is.
Posted By: BOBO the Clown

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/24/13 06:46 PM

Not disagreeing with that, certain guys down south won't even track for you if a ranch isn't a certain acreage
Posted By: bkj

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/24/13 07:59 PM

I agree!!
Posted By: Texas Dan

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/24/13 10:43 PM

IMO, it's the fear that a dog might somehow chase off "their buck" that causes most of the negative sentiment towards dogs. And this same fear of deer leaving a property and being killed by a neighboring hunter is what drives today's high fence owners. Hunters haven't been able to run dogs to hunt deer for years and yet high fences continue to go up. The fact is, deer movements are impacted by a variety animals and hunters can do very little about it. They see a dog and see it more as extension of its owner who is somehow trying to kill their deer.

The issue also brings to mind the reason for so many heated discussions on hunting property lines.

Fess up guys, how many times have you seen someone get upset when someone else takes a certain deer on the same property?
Posted By: rifleman

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/24/13 10:55 PM

Since the dog is personal property it is an extension of its owner...people invest too much time, effort & $ in deer mgmt & deer hunting to have to open their property up to everybody's mutt. Feral animals that disrupt deer movement can be shot...same should be able to happen for a dog turned feral by its need to wander.
Posted By: rifleman

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/24/13 10:59 PM

Originally Posted By: Texas Dan


Fess up guys, how many times have you seen someone get upset when someone else takes a certain deer on the same property?


I've had a few get shot by neighbors or family that I wish hadn't, but have more that I hope somebody...anybody... can kill to enjoy that moment before the deer die of old age.
Posted By: Coonhunter78

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/25/13 01:18 AM

rifleman nobody wants to hear how you get off on shooting dogs.
Posted By: rifleman

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/25/13 01:35 AM

Will never hear anything about me personally shooting a dog... I just don't want them roaming on my place..this includes my own. Soooo...I expect everyone to respect my wishes on MY place or go find some way to "get off" with their dog that doesn't interfere with me. If you need pictures to understand that simple concept I can oblige.
Posted By: stxranchman

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/25/13 01:53 AM

popcorn
Posted By: MS1454

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/25/13 01:57 AM

Originally Posted By: Texas Dan
Keep in mind that deer are considered trash game to those who use hounds to run hogs, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, and everything else. For that reason, finding one that will track a deer can be harder than you think. Most good houndsmen don't want a dog that will run deer and are very embarrassed when any of their hounds does it.

A hound that is truly "broke" will only track the animal for which it has been trained and can easily cost several thousand dollars when sold.


Keep in mind that tracking BLOOD and tracking/chasing DEER are two different things as well.
Posted By: Coonhunter78

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/25/13 02:00 AM

yeah I would like to see a pic.....
Posted By: rifleman

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/25/13 02:50 AM

Whew..Google may shut down from all the hits on no dog signs.








Posted By: Red Bone 936

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/25/13 03:06 AM

Dog Hater!
Posted By: stxranchman

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/25/13 03:08 AM

IBTL popcorn
Posted By: SwampHunterFw

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/25/13 03:19 AM

when yall shoot that buck of a life time an cant find it im sure yall all would be glad to have a dog find it for you..........no matter how good a shot you are sooner or later one is gonna run off an you wont be able to find it
Posted By: rifleman

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/25/13 03:33 AM

A good dog on a leash could...or someone actually looking for blood. Found too many deer for folks who were too impatient with their search who claimed there was no blood.
Posted By: Coonhunter78

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/25/13 12:28 PM

I like that last one.
Posted By: Texas Dan

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/26/13 04:06 AM

There were many times as a kid growing up in Mississippi when I would welcome the sounds of dogs running a deer later in the season. It always seemed to get the deer moving when they would otherwise stay bedded from all the hunting pressure. Now I just wait on the guys who say the deer have disappeared to give it up and hunt during the middle of the week when the deer feel less pressured.
Posted By: txshntr

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/26/13 04:20 AM

Funny. You read some of the topics we have had on this forum and some of the post from some of the folks that run dogs and you can see why certain areas had to put restrictions on them. But like was said before and like was said in those other threads, the ones that are going to break the law are going to do it anyway.

I have no issue with dogs tracking deer and have seen some great deer recovered that would not have been if the dog was not brought in. If I felt a made a good shot and the animal was mortally wounded, I wouldn't hesitate to call in a dog.

It is a shame that in certain areas, the mindset of a few ruin it for the rest.
Posted By: rifleman

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/26/13 04:51 AM

Just contain them to the properties they have permission to be on an there's no issues.
Posted By: stxranchman

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/26/13 11:47 AM

If the deer has crossed a fence and left the property it was shot on then a simple courtesy phone call to gain permission is not that hard to do.
Posted By: Team Hillbilly

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/26/13 12:26 PM

Originally Posted By: MS1454
Originally Posted By: Texas Dan
Keep in mind that deer are considered trash game to those who use hounds to run hogs, raccoons, rabbits, squirrels, and everything else. For that reason, finding one that will track a deer can be harder than you think. Most good houndsmen don't want a dog that will run deer and are very embarrassed when any of their hounds does it.

A hound that is truly "broke" will only track the animal for which it has been trained and can easily cost several thousand dollars when sold.


Keep in mind that tracking BLOOD and tracking/chasing DEER are two different things as well.

+ 1
up cheers
Posted By: rifleman

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/26/13 02:25 PM

Originally Posted By: stxranchman
If the deer has crossed a fence and left the property it was shot on then a simple courtesy phone call to gain permission is not that hard to do.


Bobo would have had to call everyone in the states of UT, NV & AZ a cpl years ago...
Posted By: stxranchman

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/26/13 11:20 PM

Originally Posted By: rifleman
Originally Posted By: stxranchman
If the deer has crossed a fence and left the property it was shot on then a simple courtesy phone call to gain permission is not that hard to do.


Bobo would have had to call everyone in the states of UT, NV & AZ a cpl years ago...

And still not found his elk....
Posted By: psycho0819

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/27/13 03:56 PM

I see no issues with using tracking dogs to find wounded deer.

I understand as much as anyone, the will to keep dogs from freely roaming a piece of property where they do not belong. It's a good way for the owner to end up missing a dog. But for a dog to trail blood and scent doesn't mean they have to run wild.
Posted By: Cajun Raider

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/27/13 04:11 PM

Used a dog on a leash several years ago to find a nice 10 point. Key words are "on a Leash" in my opinion.
Posted By: Texas Dan

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/28/13 09:13 PM

A tracking hound is seldom needed for those who time at the range.
Posted By: TEXAN1970

Re: TPWD to reconsider use of dogs for tracking wounded deer - - 07/28/13 10:22 PM

[quote=Texas Dan]A tracking hound is seldom needed for those who time at the range. [/quoe]B/S
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