Many questions from an inexperienced hunter

• Jun 21, 2012

• #1

D

Dan7723

Member

Hello folks! I'm Dan. I'm 29, in the Army (but only for another 18 months!), and I have two young boys who I really want to get into hunting. I want to be able to share that with them as they grow up and when they are adults. I have been interested in deer hunting with dogs for a while and recently discovered this forum.

It seems like there is not a great deal of information about deer dog hunting online. I really want to try it, but unfortunately it is illegal here in Kentucky.

So, my questions are:

1. If I were to live in a state where deer dogging is legal like Georgia, would it be considered bad form to join a deer dog hunting club and participate in organized dog hunts even though I don't have my own dogs?

2. Does anyone know of any good books on deer dogging?

3. Are there any clubs that allow visitors to pay a one time fee and hunt with them for one day only? I would be willing to travel if this were possible.

 

• Jun 21, 2012

• #2

U

unclefester

Member

Ive got no experienced in georgia but like you said go get with a good club or group of guys and learn how to hunt over dogs....learn how to appreciate all the work it takes to have a good pack of dogs..

 

• Jun 21, 2012

• #3

grouper throat

Senior Member

1. Yes it's fine. Some doggers never own dogs in a lifetime of hunting.
2. Not that I have heard of. The closest you might find is some historical fox hunting books and an occasional magazine article.
3. I'm sure there are somewhere.

 

• Jun 21, 2012

• #4

D

Dan7723

Member

grouper throat said:

1. Yes it's fine. Some doggers never own dogs in a lifetime of hunting.
2. Not that I have heard of. The closest you might find is some historical fox hunting books and an occasional magazine article.
3. I'm sure there are somewhere.

Click to expand...

Thank you!

 

• Jun 21, 2012

• #5

flhunter82

Senior Member

You just come on down here to florida. We will show you how to shoot at bucks the size of coyotes moving at a high rate of speed. The best advice I have for you as a rookie is that no matter who you end up hunting with, get there early and help track, always stay and help catch dogs(even if the ole boys "I can get em")

 

• Jun 21, 2012

• #6

H

HOG-HEAD

Senior Member

hey dan . first of all , thank you for your service...to answer your question as all the others have , you do not have to have dogs to go, or even enjoy the sport...each club has a group of dogmen that handle , turn loose and catch up the dogs...more than likely they also organize they hunts and pretty much run the show...they are also likely they ones who were introduced to the sport at a early age by a fellow dogman , probably there grandpa or father in most cases...you see deer hunting with dogs is a time honored tradition,,,,but to a dogman handling and breeding and using his dogs to run a deer for the standers to kill is where we get our reward....us dogmen just like people to help us sometimes to keep up with them and help us cath them and hopefully someone will kill a deer if front of our dogs...thats our reward....so in every club there is a need for good standers as much as ther is a need for good dog men....and as far as hunting goes when you get out or even get a chance to go you sir have a open invitation to join us at the duckroost here in central ga , and bring those boys , we will show you what its all about....stay in touch

 

• Jun 21, 2012

• #7

D

Dan7723

Member

Hog-Head,

Thanks for the invitation and the information. My boys are five and three. I would love to bring them along to a hunt.

 

• Jun 21, 2012

• #8

D

Dan7723

Member

flhunter82 said:

You just come on down here to florida. We will show you how to shoot at bucks the size of coyotes moving at a high rate of speed. The best advice I have for you as a rookie is that no matter who you end up hunting with, get there early and help track, always stay and help catch dogs(even if the ole boys "I can get em")

Click to expand...

The size of the deer doesn't matter to me. I'd rather get a get a small one than miss a big one.

I hear what you are saying about being willing to pitch in. Everyone likes to have those kind of people around.

 

• Jun 22, 2012

• #9

simpleman30

Senior Member

dan, thanks for your interest in our sport. your post made me want to write a thread about deer-dogging and some articles i've found on it: http://forum.gon.com/showthread.php?t=695757

 

• Jun 24, 2012

• #10

deermaster81

Senior Member

In my opinion dog hunting is one of the best ways to get kids involved and interested in hunting. I was raised around dogs and I have a full pack myself. My oldest daughter is 3 and goes with me most every time I go. She was with me on 2 of the bucks I killed last year and she gets so excited when the dogs are smoking one near us. She love to help catch the dogs after.
As for owning dogs that is defiantly not necessary or expected by anyone espically if they are new to the sport.
I hunt in n fl but your more than welcome to come down and hunt for a few days. Defiantly bring the kids. the way I was raised dog hunting is more of a family and a group of friends enjoying each others company.
Thank you for your service!

 

• Jun 26, 2012

• #11

grouper throat

Senior Member

I think it's worth mentioning to you that we also have different styles of deer dog hunting too. What I like to call the traditional style is practiced alot in Ga and the rest of the South where they have big groups of hunters that are dropped off at crossings and they surround the block with hunters who are on foot. This is the way I grew up doing it in Ga.

In Florida we have run and gun dogging. Small crews of 4-10 trucks and we cut the dogs off by letting the deer cross the roads more while we are near the trucks or on the dogboxes. It's a little more efficient to run alot more different deer as most of Fl is buck-only and we typically have alot more land we can run on.

 

• Jun 26, 2012

• #12

flhunter82

Senior Member

We always called the traditional way "driving". And The way we do it "runnin dawgs". I am too impatient for traditional hunting. I like talking on the radio, driving in the mud, standing on the box, shining till midnight, poking fun at each other, and sometimes we get serious and kill a buck. I cant count the bucks I have shot still hunting in Ga,Fl, and Al and some of them we pretty big. But not one of those bucks shake me up like a 4 point in front of dogs. I have killed spikes that had me hollering through the woods. And then we ride them little bucks around on the box like he was a world record. Man I better go take a cold shower!

 

• Jun 26, 2012

• #13

firefightermpc

Senior Member

I'm with ya flhunter82! I hear you about hollering through the woods, it makes ya feel good when you get to do that.

 

• Jul 4, 2012

• #14

Cooondog

Senior Member

This song says it all... Dog hunters enjoy..

 

• Jul 6, 2012

• #15

georgiabuck6

Senior Member

Dan, You can come with us at Briar Creek anytime this season, (and bring your boys)! Just shoot me a PM. Also I would be happy to cover your guest fee with us for your service to our country, so we can still have the right to run dogs down here in south GA.

Hog-Head couldn't have answered your questions any better.

 

• Jul 22, 2012

• #16

R

respro

Senior Member

X2 on coming to briar creek. We'd love to have you folks come on over. Family atmosphere. I can't think of one single way that is better to start kids hunting than the way we do it at briar creek!

 

• Jul 26, 2012

• #17

mojo02

Senior Member

There are several great gestures in this post. I personally can say that of the dog hunters that I know, 99% of them are great "salt of the earth" people. I knew that Scott and the other Duckroost members would jump right into this discussion.

I'm not a deer-dogger myself, but love running rabbits with my beagles. I appreciate all of the efforts put forth by the Duckroost and other dog clubs to help the public understand the tradition and sportsmanship of hunting behind hounds.