Right to Retrieve Law

Dr. Strangelove

Senior Member
I understand the tradition of hunting over dogs, the investment owners have in their dogs, and all that.

However, simply being a dog owner doesn't supersede the rights of the land owner. The old "dogs can't read" doesn't fly with me. You have a responsibility to keep your animals under control and on property that you control, just like anyone else does.

Like it or not, this isn't the olden days anymore. Prearrange permission with the landowner, or don't hunt in areas where your animals are likely to end up on someone else's property.

Having said that, someone who won't allow a "once in a while" retrieval of dogs or a downed game animal isn't being kind to his fellow sportsmen. If it's every Friday night, that's another story.

I would not vote for such a law, but I wouldn't begrudge the occasional ingress to retrieve dogs or downed game.
 

Ruger#3

RAMBLIN ADMIN
Staff member
I'm against a right to retrieve law because people would abuse it. In the scenario above would more harm be caused by me retrieving my dog or by letting him tree or harass your mare until he decides he's ready to come home. If my dog is proven to be the cause of the damage to your property I'm already responsible regardless of whether I enter the property or not.

If your pasture fence went to the property line, a tree fell across the fence during a storm one night would you go to get it? Yes I'm sure you would call first. After not getting an answer what would you do? What if you could see it a hundred yards across the line in a food plot eating oats? You would go get it.

You bring up good points to consider when discussing such a law. Your points taken on your liability. Knowing that, how many hunters carry liability insurance for their dogs? My worse case is my stock gets out on the highway and is involved in a fatal accident. You bet I carry liability insurance for the stock.

If a tree downs a fence and my stock gets out I'll be calling my neighbor and the Sheriff. I want a report of the damage and a witness to my retreiving my stock.

FYI, I'm the guy who will go get the front end loader and help you get your wounded game out or point to the gate to access your dog when asked.
 

027181

Senior Member
O27, ive hunted a good part of my life, but not so much with dogs, except for birds, mostly upland, some waterfowl. In those situations, the dogs are more directly controlled.

It sounds like you may be hunting a parcel too small for the type of hunting your doing. I've not hunted hogs or coons before, but have been interested in trying it. Where we are though, and our parcel size, well, it's just too small. I can walk across the the place in about... 10 or 15 minutes, walking slow. Its about 100a.

Now a dog, on a dead run, chasing a hog or coon. Man I think they'd be across in under a minute or two. I think the neighbors would really hate me!

The worst part is, ima dog lover!!! I'd hate to see a dog get tore up, I guess I'm also into the property owners rights too.

I've spoken multiple times with 2 of the neighbors, and have their numbers, names and good relations, do retrieving would be fine... The 3rd neighbor, well I have his name and number, but I just haven't talked to him yet, and I really need to, just in case.

I guess I am lucky where I hunt. :)

your confusing me what is a parcel :bounce:, but seriously i hunt medium speed rabbit dogs the peice of land is definatley a good size it usually only happens if a yound dog runs a fox or deer, i got rid of te coondogs i had because of how land has gotten around here, if you've lived in cummming longer than ten years you know diferent the landscape is now :cry:
 
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JustUs4All

Slow Mod
Staff member
Times change and hunters must adapt to the changing times.

At least a third of the area I quail hunted as a kid is now unhuntable because of development. Folks just don't seem to want you wandering through their yards and subdivisions hunting quail for some reason. A high percentage of what is left is now posted. When I was a kid almost no one in this part of the world posted their property and everyone was welcome to hunt nearly anywhere.

Another complicating factor, especially for dog hunters, is that as time goes on many of the large tracts of land are broken up into smaller parcels with many owners. I am sure that dog hunters find this inconvenient just like I find that subdivision on my favorite hunting spot inconvenient.

I have had to adopt my hunting practices to the new reality and dog hunters will have to do the same. The woods are simply no longer wide open to hunting like they used to be.
 

jmfauver

Senior Member
I would not support the law...However,I would allow folks to retrieve if they spoke to me before the season starts.If you know you are gonna hunt on a specific night call me leave me a message that you will be in the area and may need to cross to retrieve,no issues then.I don't want folks just coming up and asking at 2 am,have some courtesy and ask before you start running,then I get a good nights sleep and you have peace of mind I won't come out of the house with an attitude....
 

holton27596

Senior Member
Question for the few that said they were going to hunt thier neighbors land after being told no. If he starts trapping and puts leg traps all over his land, whose fault is it when you dog gets caught in them??
 

hunter_58

Senior Member
Question for the few that said they were going to hunt thier neighbors land after being told no. If he starts trapping and puts leg traps all over his land, whose fault is it when you dog gets caught in them??

Good Question
 

Nicodemus

The Recluse
Staff member
Question for the few that said they were going to hunt thier neighbors land after being told no. If he starts trapping and puts leg traps all over his land, whose fault is it when you dog gets caught in them??



The fault rests entirely on the owner of the dogs.
 

GA DAWG

Senior Member
Question for the few that said they were going to hunt thier neighbors land after being told no. If he starts trapping and puts leg traps all over his land, whose fault is it when you dog gets caught in them??
Which post said anybody was going to hunt thier neighbors land even if told no? I dont feel like reading them all again..
 

scullshoalk

Member
Question for the few that said they were going to hunt thier neighbors land after being told no. If he starts trapping and puts leg traps all over his land, whose fault is it when you dog gets caught in them??

Would make it alot easier to catch them out of control dogs.
 

027181

Senior Member
Question for the few that said they were going to hunt thier neighbors land after being told no. If he starts trapping and puts leg traps all over his land, whose fault is it when you dog gets caught in them??

100% the dog owners promble, but who was talking about hunting land without permission :huh:
 

gabulldawg

Member
I would not support the law...However,I would allow folks to retrieve if they spoke to me before the season starts.If you know you are gonna hunt on a specific night call me leave me a message that you will be in the area and may need to cross to retrieve,no issues then.I don't want folks just coming up and asking at 2 am,have some courtesy and ask before you start running,then I get a good nights sleep and you have peace of mind I won't come out of the house with an attitude....

X's 2 .Make friends with all land owners around the land your hunting before it comes to something bad happening!! Best for you, your dog, and the land owner!!
 

1222DANO

Senior Member
Its not just coondogs its all dogs. I know exactly what folks around cummings and places are goin thru. I know a guy that had permission to hunt 250 acres in cumming went hunting down there and about 9 thirty people came walking thru with their dogs then after they left a guy come jogging thru. He finally stop them and had them quit. Its all of us deer hunters,coon,squirrell, the deer hunters don't think much of it cause deer hunting is one of the easiest sports to do. I'm a deer hunter too but its alot like fishing. Every other type of hunting takes alot more land. I don't support a free pass on someones land. You should still have your land rights. We don't need a right to retreive if the land owner don't want you there then a g.w. Or law should be there to protect both of your interest. If it becomes a habit then i'd try and push for trespass charges. I haven't heard of no one on here having people do it all the time. There was one and it was just all a big understanding.
FACT IS I THINK WE'RE PRETTY RESPONSIABLE CAUSE I COONHUNT TWO THREE TIMES A WEEK AND VERY RARELY GET INTO TROUBLE. MOST FOLKS ARE STILL GOOD IF YOU'LL TELL THEM WHAT HAPPENED AND ITS NOT GOIN TO HAPPEN OR IT MIGHT HAPPEN AGAIN AND THEY'LL SAY WELL JUST COME GET ME OR JUST GO AHEAD AND GET THEM. THEY GUY WITH THE HORSES I HUNT AROUND HORSE'S ALL THE TIME. THERES THREE LARGE HORSE'S AND ABOUT TEN MINATURE'S. THEY DON'T GET UPSET AND TRY TO RUN THROUGH THE FENCE. THEY MIGHT RUN TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PASTURE. IF YOURS WILL TRY AND RUN THRU A FENCE THEN MAYBE YOU NEED MORE LAND ALSO SO THEN YOUR RIGHT IN THE SAME BOAT WITH THE REST OF US. I'M SURE YOU WOULD LIKE TO GO GET THAT COLT IF IT GOT OUT. I'D BE FOR AN ASSISTED RETRIEVAL OF AN ANIMAL. THAT WOULD BE FOR ANYONES ANIMAL HORSE,COW,DOG,PIG,CAT AND SO ON.
 

Throwback

Chief Big Taw
Ive saw on this message board. In the speed goat hunting forum. Aint a thing can be done to anybody on your property if its not posted. What yall think about that?

I don't have to "think" anything. I know that is not correct.

now on to another topic:

as a reformed coon hunting addict....

The biggest problems aren't the "once in a few years" times a dog crosses a property line. It's when the dogs are constantly going onto someone else's land because the hunter has permission to hunt 25 acres right beside a big piece of land and the dogs "accidentally" get on the other land every time they get turned loose.

Or they are turned loose 50 yards from the property line and then "accidentally" get on the other land.

Or just flat out trespass and turn the dogs loose then when they get caught they are "just getting the dogs"

Because of this I would probably not personally support a "you have to let me get my dog off of your property" law. Too many ways to "accidentally" hunt my land on purpose even more than now.





THAT is what causes the problems and ruins it for the ethical dog man that through no fault of his own, has his dogs cross the line.

we have never told anyone "no" to the question "can I get my dogs" but the time is a coming.......

T
 

germag

Gone But Not Forgotten
I would never refuse permission to anyone for comin` on my land to get their dogs, or a deer that they shot and it ran over on my place and died. And if I couldn`t be found, they could still go on it with no repercussions.

With that said, I would fight tooth and nail, against any such right to retrieve law.

I'm right with you, Nic. (as usual) I'll work with anybody, and would probably even get out and help the owner find his dogs. That being said, my property is my property and I'll be danged if I'll ever agree with the State having the right or authority to give anyone else permission to trespass on my property.
 

MudDucker

Moderator
Staff member
The right to grant or refuse is and should forever be the land owners.

Amen!

Don't come knocking and wake me up in the middle of the night. It will not be a pretty conversation. Don't come on my land to retrieve your dog without permission either.

Now, if it is a respectable time of day and you need to retrieve a dog or a kill, depending on the circumstances, I will probably let you do so. However, if you hunt near my line or have been having trouble keeping your dogs off of my land, you will not find me to be so accomdating.
 

dawg2

AWOL ADMINISTRATOR
I don't need anymore laws dictating my land usage nor access. If someone shoots a deer or game and it makes it over my fence, they can get it. I don't want random people on my property unless they want to pay my taxes and repair my fences. Nothing is free.
 

GA DAWG

Senior Member
Yeah, Yall better be worried about turkey hunters more than dog hunters.Just go check that poll out! Somebody should make a poll on the deer forum..See how many of those would step across a property line after a deer.. Seems us dog hunters aint alone and may be at the bottom of the list BUT we are the ones that get the crap talked about them..
 

Unicoidawg

Moderator
Staff member
Seems us dog hunters aint alone and may be at the bottom of the list BUT we are the ones that get the crap talked about them..

Look around Dawg......there is plenty of that being flung, no matter who you are..:rofl:
 

hunter_58

Senior Member
I don't need anymore laws dictating my land usage nor access. If someone shoots a deer or game and it makes it over my fence, they can get it. I don't want random people on my property unless they want to pay my taxes and repair my fences. Nothing is free.

Yep and they better ask before retrieving anything !
 
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