Dogs Straying Off WMA

[TurkeyH90]

I coon hunted a lot many years ago back when I was in high school with a couple of buddies. I had everything from labs to beagles growing up in the country. I understand the deal with dogs. Regardless, it is my, your, and this kids responsibly to do everything possible to keep our dog off of someone else property.

This kid is hunting public land. Why for goodness sake would you hunt a small tract of public land with houses around it when there are plenty of large tracts he could hunt. If it happens once, o.k. I get it. Lesson learned. Yet he goes right back and hunts the same tract again and does the same thing. Go somewhere else. It isn't his land, so he isn't stuck there.

There is this attitude among a lot of dog hunters that since they are dog hunting, they should just have the right to go wherever they want, because "dogs can't read posted signed." That is hogwash. If you don't have enough land to hunt, or can't find a WMA tract large enough to hunt, on which can reliably keep your dog on the place the overwhelming majority of the time, don't have a dog. It is the simple. There is no "right to dog hunt". If you have 60 acre to hunt surrounded by houses, guess what, a coon dog probably isn't a smart thing for you to get. I know several guys who have a yard full of pig dogs, beagles, coon dogs, etc.... and absolutely no where to hunt them. I don't for the life of me understand it.

Must not have any good coon dogs. It used to not be an issue. Deerhunting and city folks moving to the country have about ended it. That being said I would definitely try to find somewhere else to hunt. We used to get treed next to a ladies property years back. She drank alot and shot at us a time or two. Thought we were killing her cat!

 

[Ray357]

I coon hunted a lot many years ago back when I was in high school with a couple of buddies. I had everything from labs to beagles growing up in the country. I understand the deal with dogs. Regardless, it is my, your, and this kids responsibly to do everything possible to keep our dog off of someone else property.

This kid is hunting public land. Why for goodness sake would you hunt a small tract of public land with houses around it when there are plenty of large tracts he could hunt. If it happens once, o.k. I get it. Lesson learned. Yet he goes right back and hunts the same tract again and does the same thing. Go somewhere else. It isn't his land, so he isn't stuck there.

There is this attitude among a lot of dog hunters that since they are dog hunting, they should just have the right to go wherever they want, because "dogs can't read posted signed." That is hogwash. If you don't have enough land to hunt, or can't find a WMA tract large enough to hunt, on which can reliably keep your dog on the place the overwhelming majority of the time, don't have a dog. It is the simple. There is no "right to dog hunt". If you have 60 acre to hunt surrounded by houses, guess what, a coon dog probably isn't a smart thing for you to get. I know several guys who have a yard full of pig dogs, beagles, coon dogs, etc.... and absolutely no where to hunt them. I don't for the life of me understand it.

He is turning out 2 miles from the land in question. Two miles is huge in most of Ga. We not on the great plains.

 

[Ray357]

If you have a coon dog that can be called off a track, it's not much of a coon dog.

Amen to that.

 

[across the river]

He is turning out 2 miles from the land in question. Two miles is huge in most of Ga. We not on the great plains.

He drove him two miles to his truck, and had to ride up to where he could cross the creek taking him back. Doesn't by any stretch mean the dog tracked a raccoon two miles, though I realize it may in rare circumstances be possible, especially late in the year like this. You are making my point for me though. This time of year, you are more likely to be tracking a "rutting" coon farther than you would other times of year. Two miles might be a little farther than typically, but if you reasonably expect a dog to possible track a coon a 1/4, 1/2, or even a mile, why in the world would you put out on a 200 acre piece of property. If you set out dead in the middle of it, you have less than a quarter of a mile to be off of the property. When you do that, you are asking for trouble. You know you are highly likely going onto someones else property. Again, just because you have a dog and want to coon hunt doesn't mean you shouldn't make an effort to hunt somewhere you can reasonably expect to not have to wander on someone else's property. If you let out on a small tract, you are pretty much planning on trespassing. That isn't ok. Like I said originally, he needs to hunt somewhere else.

 

[Hillbilly stalker]

Y’all ain’t hunted a good cur if you don have a rewind button on him.

 

[across the river]

Must not have any good coon dogs. It used to not be an issue. Deerhunting and city folks moving to the country have about ended it. That being said I would definitely try to find somewhere else to hunt. We used to get treed next to a ladies property years back. She drank alot and shot at us a time or two. Thought we were killing her cat!

We had great dogs, but we didn't hunt small tracts by people's houses so it wasn't really an issue. There was one tract we hunted on occasion, that two people lived on either side of it where it necked down. We called both before we went, and we weren't hunting at 2am. Never had a n issue. Like I said, we made and effort. We didn't act like we could just do whatever we wanted because we wanted to coon hunt and the "dogs can't read." I can recall one time that we ended up in someones yard. It was our fault because we let them out right off the road thinking they would go deeper in, and they crossed back over the road to get there, which we weren't expecting. We apologized and we never set out on the edge of the property again. I don't buy it this "I can't help it" stuff, especially when you aren't even trying.

I unfortunately live in a neighborhood now, but coon hunters, and dog hunters in general with that attitude, are the equivalent to the cat lady down the street that thinks just because she has cats they should be free to roam all over the neighborhood and everyone else's yard, walk on their car, etc...... The first time, I'm nice an let her know her cats are all up at my house at night. When it continues and the cat scratches the hood of my wife's SUV, I start trapping them and call the county to come pick them up. Guess what, she started making an effort to keep them inside. Had I not done something, I would still have cats coming int the yard. Similarly, the kid would get a free pass the first time, and maybe even a stern warning the second time. If it continues, I would call the GW, otherwise I am still waking up at 2am to a coon dog forever.

The neighbors have never had a problem with my dog running on their property, whether it was a coon dog or beagle years ago running on others property in the country, or this lap dog we have now pooping in the neighbors yard net door. If I can control it, they can too. The problem is, most guys don't really try.

 

[NCMTNHunter]

If you have a coon dog that can be called off a track, it's not much of a coon dog.

I’ve had some fine ones that could. They are the best kind of coon dog.

 

[jiminbogart]

I don't have a dog in this hunt(never thought I use that literally), but I am surprised a coon can travel 2 miles. I always thought they hung out in a small area(from watching them from a tree stand).

 

[NCMTNHunter]

I don't have a dog in this hunt(never thought I use that literally), but I am surprised a coon can travel 2 miles. I always thought they hung out in a small area(from watching them from a tree stand).

They typically don’t. A rutty boar coon can cover some ground late winter though. Chances are that dog is traveling about 1.75 miles before he strikes that coon.

 

[Ray357]

He drove him two miles to his truck, and had to ride up to where he could cross the creek taking him back. Doesn't by any stretch mean the dog tracked a raccoon two miles, though I realize it may in rare circumstances be possible, especially late in the year like this. You are making my point for me though. This time of year, you are more likely to be tracking a "rutting" coon farther than you would other times of year. Two miles might be a little farther than typically, but if you reasonably expect a dog to possible track a coon a 1/4, 1/2, or even a mile, why in the world would you put out on a 200 acre piece of property. If you set out dead in the middle of it, you have less than a quarter of a mile to be off of the property. When you do that, you are asking for trouble. You know you are highly likely going onto someones else property. Again, just because you have a dog and want to coon hunt doesn't mean you shouldn't make an effort to hunt somewhere you can reasonably expect to not have to wander on someone else's property. If you let out on a small tract, you are pretty much planning on trespassing. That isn't ok. Like I said originally, he needs to hunt somewhere else.

Because, back in the day when we were all neighborly, people didn't care if your dog treed on their land. There are some guys that hunt on 150 acres adjoing me. I don't care if they tree on my land. If they asked, I would even let them turn out on my place. I don't care. I don't have a dog in this fight. I just wish people were still neighborly and not so greedy and consumed with ME AND MINE. Just be nice every once in a while and share something.

 

[JustUs4All]

You need to read the original post again, Ray. The landowner was being more than nice and neighborly. I do too but times have changed. I used to hunt all over creation like everyone else. Others hunted on our place and we did not care.

Back in the day there were no crack heads and folks who would tear down fences, cut trees out of their way, and steal anything in sight. Today there is that plus the courts have gone craze and will hold a property owner liable for an injury a trespasser does to himself in the act of trespassing. Times have changed and dog hunters will just have to catch up with reality.

 

[Ray357]

You need to read the original post again, Ray. The landowner was being more than nice and neighborly. I do too but times have changed. I used to hunt all over creation like everyone else. Others hunted on our place and we did not care.

Back in the day there were no crack heads and folks who would tear down fences, cut trees out of their way, and steal anything in sight. Today there is that plus the courts have gone craze and will hold a property owner liable for an injury a trespasser does to himself in the act of trespassing. Times have changed and dog hunters will just have to catch up with reality.

I have said I don't think the O P. Is being unreasonable. The easy solution would be go hunting with the boy one time and kill the coon.
Georgia law protects landowners from hunting injury liability. If someone tears up my stuff, then I have a problem with them. If their dog trees in the big water oak by what's left of the slave cabin, I have no problem.

 

[across the river]

Because, back in the day when we were all neighborly, people didn't care if your dog treed on their land. There are some guys that hunt on 150 acres adjoing me. I don't care if they tree on my land. If they asked, I would even let them turn out on my place. I don't care. I don't have a dog in this fight. I just wish people were still neighborly and not so greedy and consumed with ME AND MINE. Just be nice every once in a while and share something.

HAHAHAHAHAHA The guy not wanting a howling dog by his house at 2am is being greedy and selfish. Dude, lets be serious. The person consumed with ME and MINE, as you put it, is the kid who coon hunts on a 200 acre plot in late winter at 2am, and has no issue with his dog running up beside some man's house raising cane after a raccoon. If he has coon hunted even a little, he knows the chance of going off of that property this time of year are pretty doggone high. He is hunting public land, so there are obviously other tracts that are larger that he could hunt. Please explain to me, how the original poster is being greedy?

And since you are so neighborly, fell free to post your address for all of the coon hunters on here that have no where to hunt so they can stop by and put out this Friday night around 2am.

 

[Ray357]

You

HAHAHAHAHAHA The guy not wanting a howling dog by his house at 2am is being greedy and selfish. Dude, lets be serious. The person consumed with ME and MINE, as you put it, is the kid who coon hunts on a 200 acre plot in late winter at 2am, and has no issue with his dog running up beside some man's house raising cane after a raccoon. If he has coon hunted even a little, he knows the chance of going off of that property this time of year are pretty doggone high. He is hunting public land, so there are obviously other tracts that are larger that he could hunt. Please explain to me, how the original poster is being greedy?

And since you are so neighborly, fell free to post your address for all of the coon hunters on here that have no where to hunt so they can stop by and put out this Friday night around 2am.

Want to coon hunt? P.M. me.

 

[across the river]

You
Want to coon hunt? P.M. me.

Naaah. I don’t need to ask permission, remember. I’ll just show up this weekend around 2am one night since it isn’t a big deal according to you to do that. Leave me sausage biscuit and a cup of coffee on the porch through the weekend since I’m not sure exactly when I will be there. You know, since you are so nice and not greedy like all these other guys.

 

[JustUs4All]

Georgia law protects landowners from hunting injury liability.

To an extent it does, but complete protection for the landowner is not offered and it is intended for invited and unpaid hunters. The case law is replete with cases holding property owners liable for all sorts of harm done to people who had no legal right to be where they were when they caused their own injury and t. The law also offers no protection whatever for the costs and aggravation associated with this sort of foolishness.

 

[Ray357]

Naaah. I don’t need to ask permission, remember. I’ll just show up this weekend around 2am one night since it isn’t a big deal according to you to do that. Leave me sausage biscuit and a cup of coffee on the porch through the weekend since I’m not sure exactly when I will be there. You know, since you are so nice and not greedy like all these other guys.

I don't care if you coon hunt. Long as you ain't messing up nothing, I don't care.

 

[Ray357]

To an extent it does, but complete protection for the landowner is not offered and it is intended for invited and unpaid hunters. The case law is replete with cases holding property owners liable for all sorts of harm done to people who had no legal right to be where they were when they caused their own injury and t. The law also offers no protection whatever for the costs and aggravation associated with this sort of foolishness.

There has to be gross negligence.

 

[JustUs4All]

Nope, just wilful or malicious failure to guard or warn will expose the landowner to liability.

The landowner is also not protected for paying through the nose while it is being decided exactly what wilful means, What malicious means, what failure means, what guard means, and what warn means and whether any of this bears on the lawsuit that has been brought by the trespasser. The landowner might even have to prove that the perp was on the property for a recreational putpose and not to poach breakfast.

But this is getting off into the weeds pretty badly now.

 

[Ray357]

Nope, just wilful or malicious failure to guard or warn will expose the landowner to liability.

The landowner is also not protected for paying through the nose while it is being decided exactly what wilful means, What malicious means, what failure means, what guard means, and what warn means and whether any of this bears on the lawsuit that has been brought by the trespasser. The landowner might even have to prove that the perp was on the property for a recreational putpose and not to poach breakfast.

But this is getting off into the weeds pretty badly now.

Thankfully I live in the sticks and those lawsuits go nowhere.