Hunting with dogs. What are your thoughts.

I hunt without a dog. Where I grew up, lots of guys had beagles for hunting. The 11 years in Saskatchewan, one was bound to bump into coursing hounds on the prairies. My rabbit hunting has morphed into a particular style which is fine. But I always have a nagging feeling something is truly missing when I'm bird hunting. Also, I think a (even better a pair) of Rhodesian Ridgebacks would be the bee's knees for hunting wild boar. And I would buy then kevlar neck guards too BTW.
 
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I just spent 3 days in Holmesville Ohio at Bluetick Days, arriving back home this morning. Entered my female into the Invitational Hunt on Thursday night and the Registered Hunt on Friday night (didn't win either of the casts, but was pleased with how competitive she was and only one minus in the 2 nights of hunting). There were hundreds of dogs competing in casts of 4. Tracks struck, coons treed, plus and minus points assigned and not a single coon shot. The sport was in the dogs hunting.

What I truly find incredulous is anyone suggesting that hunting with dogs is not sporting. The argument can be made that unless you are belly crawling up on an animal with nothing more than a field stone for a weapon, than you are not being sporting. Is it sporting to be hiding up in a tree with a compound bow, waiting to arrow an unsuspecting critter on the ground? Is it sporting to shoot an animal at 2 or 3 or 4 hundred yards with a magnum rifle and scope? The animal has little sporting chance when it's pursuer is so far away. Is it sporting to hunt over bait? Or food plots? Or field crops and orchards? Although all these scenarios offer the hunter a distinct advantage over belly crawling with a rock, I still consider them sporting. And I consider the tradition of hunting with dogs to be sporting, and as natural a hunting relationship as has ever existed.
 
Sad part is if the various posts on Hunting BC and other such Canadian hunting sites over the years are anything to go by then I doubt I would feel safe bringing a dog to hunt deer with.

Unlike places like Sweden where hunting dogs are used for big game, here in Canada some so called hunters (trigger happy bozos) openly talk of playing self appointed game cop and threatening to shoot dogs they find in the woods. I guess some can't tell the difference between a real wolf and someone's hunting dog.

Methinks Canada could learn a thing or two from Sweden and their hunter education.
This would be awesome...

[youtube]91fS4neHq0U[/youtube]
 
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My dogs hunt the feral cats every time i walk them to the beach,Good exercise for both,They did catch one once,I want you to know that little female Brittany was some proud when she delivered that dead cat to my feet.
 
cariboocreek said:
I am not anti-hunting. Actually quite the contrary and I will fight for the right for everyone to hunt. I do not suffer form irrational emotion but want everyone to realize that the right to hunt is being scrutinized by antis at the highest levels. We do ourselves no favours when we hunt certain species without proper cause, without restraint in how we advertise the hunt, and without restraint in how we advertise our success or our failure. I will support your right to hunt wildcats with my dying breath but I choose to leave them alone.
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why do you consider hunting cats any diffrent than hunting bears
 
drache said:
Yes I was on a hunt with a dog. The dog treed the bear and my friend shot it. Never hunted like that again and never hunted with that friend again. I don't find chasing a terrified animal through the brush until it's so tired it climbs a tree sporting at all. No different than chasing an animal while on a quad until it's so tired that it lays down waiting for you to kill it.
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And let me guess, you consider baiting bears cruel as well, not because it's illegal in BC of course, but because you consider it unbecoming of an ethical sportsman such as yourself. :rolleyes:
 
When I was a kid in Ontario, all the guys hunted deer with hounds (many still do). I did it. It was okay. There is a sense of anticipation, when you hear the dogs tonguing on a deer. That's cool; get's you amped up, thinking maybe a buck is coming your way.

It's quite a random style of hunting, I think. You never know what's coming, and basically are expected to shoot whatever comes by. Group hunting thing.

So you don't really have the ability to 'select' a buck. Heck, you're expected to shoot does, which I have ZERO desire, or interest in doing. I'm all about hunting for big bucks or nothing. Most years my tag doesn't get filled. So hunting deer with hounds is not for me.

So for myself, the only hunting I would do with dogs now, would be if I went on a cat hunt.

I have no issues with guys that like it. It's a traditional method of hunting in many parts of Ontario. Go get 'em, I say.
 
We prefer to shoot bucks only. It is actually easy enough to do, just let the doe scoot on by, and there is a good chance a buck will also try take that safe route.
 
p17 said:
why do you consider hunting cats any diffrent than hunting bears
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I don't. I hunt for animals that will fill my freezer. Don't care for eating bear so I don't hunt bear. I don't care for cougar casserole so I don't hunt for cougars (insert joke here).
 
It's been done since the beginning of time ... if you don't like it, don't do it ... if it works for you and legal in your area, have at'er!!!

Otokiak
Rankin Inlet, NU
CANADA

p.s. Inuit have hunted nanuq(polarbear) forever ... huskies that is ... I have a britteny spaniel I use to pick up my geese ... ;)
 
bearkilr said:
And let me guess, you consider baiting bears cruel as well, not because it's illegal in BC of course, but because you consider it unbecoming of an ethical sportsman such as yourself. :rolleyes:
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I got a pm about this thread. I guess the same guy gut shot a bear and posted about it on here. Whatever.
 
Anyone who thinks that hunting with dogs isn't sporting needs to put away their centrefire rifles and start sharpening rocks, in the name of keeping it "sporting". Humans have been using dogs to hunt for thousands of years.
 
Calum said:
Sad part is if the various posts on Hunting BC and other such Canadian hunting sites over the years are anything to go by then I doubt I would feel safe bringing a dog to hunt deer with.

Unlike places like Sweden where hunting dogs are used for big game, here in Canada some so called hunters (trigger happy bozos) openly talk of playing self appointed game cop and threatening to shoot dogs they find in the woods. I guess some can't tell the difference between a real wolf and someone's hunting dog.

Methinks Canada could learn a thing or two from Sweden and their hunter education.
This would be awesome...

[youtube]91fS4neHq0U[/youtube]
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I keep missing what type of husky that guy has. He said it was some Swedish breed? What a beautiful dog!
 
A clean kill shot is my only criteria for an ethical hunt. How you get there, with or without dogs, is up to the individual. I bird hunt with dogs because I like to wing shoot them. It is a year round pursuit as you are constantly working your dog and I just like watching him work. Probably one of the biggest advantages of bird hunting is your season is every day from Sept. to Nov. Once you get your moose or whatever big game you seek that is it for that year. A dog means wounded birds are usually do not get away.
 
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