Dont shoot dogs, better solutions

[plugger]

I felt the need to post after reading a sad post about a member who had his dog shot by a kid who claimed it was running deer. Between having hunting property close to town and having been in the livestock bussiness my wife and I have learned to solve most problems. It is not leagal to shoot dogs just because they are on your property or because they are running deer. The dog in question was shot by a 15 yr old, if truth be known I sure his actions were a reflection of his dads attitude and claims. If a father says he would shoot any dog running deer and his kid sees a dog in the woods he assumes its running deer and shoots it, why? In the livestock bussiness we were forced to shoot a couple of dogs but it was no secret, we contacted animal control immediately and had livestock paid for out of dog liscense money. One problem is if you dont have a dead dog animal control always seems to think the damage was caused by coyotes. If the owner of the dog can be identified they pay the damages. This said two years ago my wife had a couple of ducks killed by an irish setter, I knew where the dog lived and went to contact the owner in a pissed off vindictive mood. What I found was a diabetic old man who had 1 thing left, an idiot red dog. I didnt let the old man pay for the ducks but ended upwith exclusive hunting rights to his property. Another guy hunts property around us and his hounds go everywhere. My daughter came up from bowhunting and told my wife, my wife has a great way with dogs and went back and caught both hounds. From the id on the collars she figured out where the dogs lived. She loaded the dogs up and took them home and put them in the kennel because no one was home and left a note, the owner called and gave her a hard time. She has caught his dogs twice more and has taken them to the county animal control. If you truely have a dog problem use the proper channels, deer chasing dogs call the dnr, other problems call animal control. Besides being illeagal, shooting pets puts hunters in a bad light. You also must remember all dogs take off ocassionaly, its the nature of the beast. Dog owners also must be responsible and carefull running dogs where they may compromise private property rights. I am not saying the member whose dog was shot was irresponsible, he was hunting on property he had permisson to hunt. In dealing with dog problems try using the telephone before you use the rifle. Dogs get shot around here alot and very few people even try the proper channels first.

[timbergsp]

I felt the need to post after reading a sad post about a member who had his dog shot by a kid who claimed it was running deer. Between having hunting property close to town and having been in the livestock bussiness my wife and I have learned to solve most problems. It is not leagal to shoot dogs just because they are on your property or because they are running deer. The dog in question was shot by a 15 yr old, if truth be known I sure his actions were a reflection of his dads attitude and claims. If a father says he would shoot any dog running deer and his kid sees a dog in the woods he assumes its running deer and shoots it, why? In the livestock bussiness we were forced to shoot a couple of dogs but it was no secret, we contacted animal control immediately and had livestock paid for out of dog liscense money. One problem is if you dont have a dead dog animal control always seems to think the damage was caused by coyotes. If the owner of the dog can be identified they pay the damages. This said two years ago my wife had a couple of ducks killed by an irish setter, I knew where the dog lived and went to contact the owner in a pissed off vindictive mood. What I found was a diabetic old man who had 1 thing left, an idiot red dog. I didnt let the old man pay for the ducks but ended upwith exclusive hunting rights to his property. Another guy hunts property around us and his hounds go everywhere. My daughter came up from bowhunting and told my wife, my wife has a great way with dogs and went back and caught both hounds. From the id on the collars she figured out where the dogs lived. She loaded the dogs up and took them home and put them in the kennel because no one was home and left a note, the owner called and gave her a hard time. She has caught his dogs twice more and has taken them to the county animal control. If you truely have a dog problem use the proper channels, deer chasing dogs call the dnr, other problems call animal control. Besides being illeagal, shooting pets puts hunters in a bad light. You also must remember all dogs take off ocassionaly, its the nature of the beast. Dog owners also must be responsible and carefull running dogs where they may compromise private property rights. I am not saying the member whose dog was shot was irresponsible, he was hunting on property he had permisson to hunt. In dealing with dog problems try using the telephone before you use the rifle. Dogs get shot around here alot and very few people even try the proper channels first.


very well said and thanks

I did have permission to hunt this land but I also know they deer hunt but I never would of thought of this I took my time catching the dog because I did have permisson to hunt this land

The part that I play over and over again is theses boys have been watching me unload my dogs and go hunting since they where 6 years old so they know I hunt beagles they also know I hunt both properties and the Dad he stood right there and said to my face he wold of done the same thing so he cant blame the boy HMMMM what are we teaching are kids

I am not sure if Spec will ever hunt again but I will say this look for him this time next year at the M-S rabbit outing because I will do every thing in my heart to get him running rabbits again

Scott

[plugger]

Scott dont try to second guess your self you were in the right and were a victim of the deer are god syndrome.

[estack]

very well said plugger. these peole who shoot the dogs have to think of it as if it where their pets. i dont know how many properties i have had dags walk under my stand. it has never crossed ym mind once to shoot them. they dont know your there, in their minds their not doing anything wrong. im really sorry to hear about ur dog timbergsp i hope he heals and everything is o.k......goodluck to him.

[phensway]

i agree with most of what you stated, besides the fact of calling the dnr... with recent encounters with the dnr in my area.. they could give two *****s about a dog running deer... and if you are dealing with an owner who doesnt care if there dog runs deer and the dnr who could care less also, there is a time to take it into your own hands.... maybe shooting the dog isnt correct, but maybe catching it and taking it a few miles up the road to fend for itself... i feel that the Law doesnt always have a suggestion for every problem, so there is a time and place to take it in your own hands.... I am not for the shooting of dogs that run deer!!

[plugger]

Why would you take a dog a few miles up the road to fend for its self? Wouldnt it make a whole lot more sense to take the dog to animal control or tie the dog up and call animal control and they will take the dog. Dont dump your problems on someone else. I have had decent resonse from the dnr on dogs running deer. You have to have some thing for them to work on though dont call them every time you see an unidentified dog.

[phensway]

how long of a process does it end up being when you have to report the dog, find it once again, some how catch it, tie it up, 3 hours later the "dog pound" shows up and then you have to give reports sign papers... blah blah blah... 6 hours later your sunday has went down the drain....

[timbergsp]

most dogs have name tags 99% of hunting dogs do I wouild catch it and call the owner and the DNR tell them whats going on let the DNR have the # most lost hunting dogs ends up in my dog box with a call to the owner

But at the same time you most know they are lost because the big hounds can travel miles and miles and the owner know where it is at all times with a radio Collar

[phensway]

i wasnt talking about hunting dogs like the beagle or other bird dogs.... im talking about mutts and other non-hunting dogs that run deer because there owners dont know better... of course if someone saw a beagle in the woods it would come to them, and the owner would probably be near by... im talking about dumb skittish dogs that know they are doing something wrong...

[Bwana]

i wasnt talking about hunting dogs like the beagle or other bird dogs.... im talking about mutts and other non-hunting dogs that run deer because there owners dont know better... of course if someone saw a beagle in the woods it would come to them, and the owner would probably be near by... im talking about dumb skittish dogs that know they are doing something wrong...
A dog that knows he/she is doing something wrong when chaseing another animal? Give me a break :bash: The dog is just having fun.

Anybody who shoots a dog for running deer is an idiot. Plain and simple. Besides, who cares if a dog chases a deer? There is more to life in the woods than deer.

[Bwana]

The part that I play over and over again is theses boys have been watching me unload my dogs and go hunting since they where 6 years old so they know I hunt beagles they also know I hunt both properties and the Dad he stood right there and said to my face he wold of done the same thing so he cant blame the boy HMMMM what are we teaching are kids
Ignorant and/or inbred parents is what causes this stuff.

Maybe your friend should have indicated how stupid an action it actually was and that the kid must apparently be just as stupid as the dad. At that point maybe the dad would have some stones and your friend could have got some satisfaction from kicking his *****. If it were my dog, I would definately cause that fella some problems; even if it meant causeing my self some.

[Pigpen69]

A dog that knows he/she is doing something wrong when chaseing another animal? Give me a break :bash: The dog is just having fun.

Anybody who shoots a dog for running deer is an idiot. Plain and simple. Besides, who cares if a dog chases a deer? There is more to life in the woods than deer.

An Idiot huh, heres a good example for ya. I have had dogs come under my stand hunting dozens of times, and I could never bring myself to shoot them, because I love dogs. dumb, maybe too some people yes. Two yrs ago I shot a doe on my family farm. I lowered my bow down and by the time I got to the ground I heard a huge ruckus coming from where my blood trail led. My cousin and I ran over to the noise and thewire was 5 of my immediate Neighbors dogs tearing the dog crap out of the deer, which was still not dead. Like a dumb***** I yelled at the dogs and two turned and started coming towards us with teeth bared. If I would have had a gun, 5 dead dogs would have laid there when I left, Period. And I love dogs. The same season I shot a buck and before I got back in the field with the truck, there was two of the neighbors dogs on the gut pile and one on the carcass. Dogs are faster than 4x4 blazers in the field, as a matter of fact. The local dog pound said they could do nothing if they didnt see it. BS is what I say. I have 8 dogs and they dont run on anyones property.

So tell me BWANA, when the dogs were advancing on you, would you be an idiot then, or do you run faster than me. :lol:

[timbergsp]

An Idiot huh, heres a good example for ya. I have had dogs come under my stand hunting dozens of times, and I could never bring myself to shoot them, because I love dogs. dumb, maybe too some people yes. Two yrs ago I shot a doe on my family farm. I lowered my bow down and by the time I got to the ground I heard a huge ruckus coming from where my blood trail led. My cousin and I ran over to the noise and thewire was 5 of my immediate Neighbors dogs tearing the dog crap out of the deer, which was still not dead. Like a dumb***** I yelled at the dogs and two turned and started coming towards us with teeth bared. If I would have had a gun, 5 dead dogs would have laid there when I left, Period. And I love dogs. The same season I shot a buck and before I got back in the field with the truck, there was two of the neighbors dogs on the gut pile and one on the carcass. Dogs are faster than 4x4 blazers in the field, as a matter of fact. The local dog pound said they could do nothing if they didnt see it. BS is what I say. I have 8 dogs and they dont run on anyones property.

So tell me BWANA, when the dogs were advancing on you, would you be an idiot then, or do you run faster than me. :lol:


This is not the point my dog was not hurting any one or thing just runnig rabbits


I would not call these jerks my friends a friend would shoot my dog the boy say he didnt realize it was my dog till after he pulled the trigger and heard me yelling for him

Scott

[brymoore]

An Idiot huh, heres a good example for ya. I have had dogs come under my stand hunting dozens of times, and I could never bring myself to shoot them, because I love dogs. dumb, maybe too some people yes. Two yrs ago I shot a doe on my family farm. I lowered my bow down and by the time I got to the ground I heard a huge ruckus coming from where my blood trail led. My cousin and I ran over to the noise and thewire was 5 of my immediate Neighbors dogs tearing the dog crap out of the deer, which was still not dead. Like a dumb***** I yelled at the dogs and two turned and started coming towards us with teeth bared. If I would have had a gun, 5 dead dogs would have laid there when I left, Period. And I love dogs. The same season I shot a buck and before I got back in the field with the truck, there was two of the neighbors dogs on the gut pile and one on the carcass. Dogs are faster than 4x4 blazers in the field, as a matter of fact. The local dog pound said they could do nothing if they didnt see it. BS is what I say. I have 8 dogs and they dont run on anyones property.

So tell me BWANA, when the dogs were advancing on you, would you be an idiot then, or do you run faster than me. :lol:

A. When did the dogs start trailing your doe? Certainly it must have been after your shot. This sounds like a pack of semi-wild dogs roaming - not trailing deer. You just happen to be lucky enough to have them as neighbors.

B. I have no problem with shooting dogs who show aggression as you describe. I might give them a warning shot to see if they scatter but certainly would not let them get close enough to bite.

So what it the big deal with dogs running deer? The old myth was that dogs could out last deer and finally bring them down. Has anyone seen this? I've seen plenty of dogs temporarily running deer but I've never seen a dog win the race.

[Bwana]

So tell me BWANA, when the dogs were advancing on you, would you be an idiot then, or do you run faster than me. :lol:
If you feel endangered than you have a duty to protect yourself from any animal or human by the most effective means possible at the time. But there is a difference between self defense and shooting a dog because he/she is chaseing a deer.

[Radar420]

Besides, who cares if a dog chases a deer? There is more to life in the woods than deer.
I care if dogs are chasing deer. My dad doesn't pay astronomical taxes for private hunting property only to have some redneck's unchained dogs running through the swamps chasing deer. And these aren't hunting dogs either - rottweiler and some other mutt. What's the point in owning private property if the neighbor's consistently leave their animals unchained and running through our property.

I personally don't have a lot of free time to scout deer because of school. So what little time I do get to scout I consider very valuable. I don't need that time wasted because of someone else's ignorance.

Let me give you an example. Before the neighbor's had dogs, I could hunt out of my blind and see 20+ deer in a weekend. Then last year, I saw 3 deer all season. Last weekend of the that season and couldn't figure out why I wasn't seeing any deer. I walk out of my blind to the field edge only to see the rottweiler walking down a deer run. I've seen 1 deer out of that blind since then.

I've personally never shot a deer, but I'd like to think i'd have a better opportunity without these dogs around

[Adam Waszak]

First of all we are talking about a beagle not a rottweiler running the woods so even if it was chasing deer I would most likely chucckle at those little legs running by even though I may be upset at the time a little. It is a dog and obviously a pet so let it go guys and anyone here that has a dog that has never taken off even as a puppy can criticise

AW

[halfcore]

A. When did the dogs start trailing your doe? Certainly it must have been after your shot. This sounds like a pack of semi-wild dogs roaming - not trailing deer. You just happen to be lucky enough to have them as neighbors.

B. I have no problem with shooting dogs who show aggression as you describe. I might give them a warning shot to see if they scatter but certainly would not let them get close enough to bite.

So what it the big deal with dogs running deer? The old myth was that dogs could out last deer and finally bring them down. Has anyone seen this? I've seen plenty of dogs temporarily running deer but I've never seen a dog win the race.

I actually saw it myself at my neighbors place last month. A poor doe could not go any further, tongue hanging out of her mouth in my neighbors backyard with a golden circling her. My neighbor fired a warning shot and the dog took off, the doe stayed there and my neighbor was able to walk within 10 feet of it. She eventually got her breath and wandered off.

No excuse for untethered dogs. If my dogs got loose and screwed up somebody's hunt it would be my responsibility solely for what happens to my dogs.

In agreement with an earlier post, too much money is spent in property taxes or leases to have dogs screwing up hunts. I my case I only have a 10 and a 20 to hunt...it doesnt take long to shut those pieces down hunting wise from dogs running through.

[timbergsp]

go look at this before you shoot anouther dog K

http://www.michigan-sportsman.com/forum/showthread.php?t=83223

[Pigpen69]

The deer didnt go 50 yrds from the shot to the spot the dogs were on her. I shot and she fell, ran 10 20 yards and slammed into a tree and then ran thru the fence out ofg site onto the neighbors property. Since she was hit good i only waited 5 minutes tops, because she was bleeding real well. I could see the blood from my stand. So overall time was 6-7 minutes before they either seen her or came across the blood. These were not hunting dogs, none of them were strays either. I did the right thing in the laws eyes by calling the dog pound and talking to the owner. Only problem is that nothing was done about it because I had dogs runnning around again this year. Only during bow season of course.

Radar, I agree 100 % that someone elses dogs shouldnt be there. My dogs dont run unless I am with them. PERIOD

Bwana, I didnt mean anything by that comment about running faster than me, Believe me If they would have came any closer, two would have had "MUZZY MOMENTS", Compliments of my cousin and I both.

[phensway]

MUZZY MOMENTS!!!!!! lmao...... gotta love stan potts

[MGV]

Just to add a tid bit. We have had the animal control over to my parents house before for dogs harassing the livestock. The officer gave us two choices. He would shoot the dogs chasing the cattle or we could let him attempt to catch them. We are dog lovers so we let him try to catch them. The only problem with this is we endangered the AC by letting him in with the cattle. Which were all ready very riled up from the dogs. To make a story short the dogs ran off and were not seen again. We didn't have the problem again but knowing the options it could get interesting. This was about 10-15 years back all ready.

[Pigpen69]

I have Livestock as well, and the dog pound has been called a half dozen times, before I called the police. They told me flat out if the dog was threatening our livestock, I could shoot him and the owner could do nothing. Keep in mind I also caought this same male mutt dog inside my caged up, very in heat registered yellow lab. You never seen a dog run so fast as that dog did. Luckily for me the people moved before the dog came back again. Luckily for him I mean. I dont shoot other peoples dogs but there has to be a line somewhere. As I have said before, My dogs dont run with out me, so keep your dogs off my land with out being invited.

[Robert W. McCoy Jr]

Do what you must but remember only shoot what you can afford.

[Bwana]

I care if dogs are chasing deer. My dad doesn't pay astronomical taxes for private hunting property only to have some redneck's unchained dogs running through the swamps chasing deer. And these aren't hunting dogs either - rottweiler and some other mutt. What's the point in owning private property if the neighbor's consistently leave their animals unchained and running through our property.
Call the neighbor. Call animal control.


I personally don't have a lot of free time to scout deer because of school. So what little time I do get to scout I consider very valuable. I don't need that time wasted because of someone else's ignorance.
Oh. Just kill an animal because it is an inconvenience to you. Imagine if we applied the same principle to people we didn't like.:)

And if someones dog got out they must be a redneck useing your logic. ok.

Very Sportsmen like.


Let me give you an example. Before the neighbor's had dogs, I could hunt out of my blind and see 20+ deer in a weekend. Then last year, I saw 3 deer all season. Last weekend of the that season and couldn't figure out why I wasn't seeing any deer. I walk out of my blind to the field edge only to see the rottweiler walking down a deer run. I've seen 1 deer out of that blind since then.
Because you didn't see any deer and you saw the neighbors dog it must be the dogs fault :rolleyes: .



I've personally never shot a deer, but I'd like to think i'd have a better opportunity without these dogs around
If you saw 20+ deer why did you not get one? But again, the dog inconvenienced you so you better blast it....because deer do not EVER change their travel routes.

[Dormin]

I checked with the Michigan Law Library, the only reference to shooting a dog is the section that specifies that a LAW ENFORCEMNT OFFICER may shoot a dog that is molesting wildlife. There is no mention of ordinary citizens being allowed to shoot a dog chasing a deer.
I sent an email to the Law Library asking them to research the question. If they respond with specific legal references I will post them on this site.
The Law Library offers a research service to ordinary citizens for this type of question. I have previously used them for other issues and been pleased with the results.
I always feel better in discussions when I have actual facts rather than just general opinion.

[Banditto]

My buddy has a livestock farm and boards 7 horses.

His neighbor down the road had a dog that routinely ran deer on his property and bother the livestock, killed chickens, ran the horses. Well he called the owner and let her know she needed to kennel the dog and she had excuses, etc.

So he let out his more aggresive and protective mare in the pen that seemed to be part of the dogs travel route. The next day the horse is standing on the edge like a statue and here comes this dog so she turns away and just as the dog was jumping at her rear she winds up with a kick that sent that dog flying back 30 feet.

The dog didn't die but had a black and blue hoof print and probably broken ribs and it never bothered the livestock again.

[SRT]

One thing I don't understand. What's stopping the person who shot the dog or anyone else who wants to shoot a dog on their property from just saying they were threatened by the dog and shooting it? If some dog had somehow upset me to the point of putting it down on my property I would look for tags. If it had tags, I'd call the cops about the problem. Wouldn't this relieve yourself of any legal responsibility, take care of the problem, and maybe get the owner harassed some? Keep in mind I'm just wondering, not trying to work on a dog hunting strategy.

[timbergsp]

One thing I don't understand. What's stopping the person who shot the dog or anyone else who wants to shoot a dog on their property from just saying they were threatened by the dog and shooting it? If some dog had somehow upset me to the point of putting it down on my property I would look for tags. If it had tags, I'd call the cops about the problem. Wouldn't this relieve yourself of any legal responsibility, take care of the problem, and maybe get the owner harassed some? Keep in mind I'm just wondering, not trying to work on a dog hunting strategy.


So you are going to LIE in court under oath. WELL yes that would work if they could live with God after that.

Scott

[SRT]

"So you are going to LIE in court under oath. WELL yes that would work if they could live with God after that. "

1st off everyone lies in court (no need for a bunch of responses of "I don'ts"). And if you get a call from a cop that he has your dead dog somewhere that was shot for attacking someone, why would you ever take them to court? There's no proof the dog didn't attack. Everyone's dog is friendly and harmless when they're talking about them. You would have to have the actual shooting on tape if they didn't confess. Thats my only point, how would you defend yourself against getting your dog shot?

[SRT]

If I'm in the woods with my dog and another dog attacks my dog, do I have the right to defend my dog? If I can, then if I'm on someone else's property do I lose the right to defend? As long as signs are posted that a dog is on someone's property, you are the guilty party if you shoot their attacking dog? If one dog leaves boston heading 30 miles an hour and my dog leaves chicago @ 40 miles an hour, which dog can shoot the other?

[Bwana]

1st off everyone lies in court (no need for a bunch of responses of "I don'ts").
Ahhh a true Sportsmen:rolleyes: . And some wonder why others do not like sportsmen.

[Whit1]

Yup!! Deer season is over. Now we go into threads such as this that end up discussing the shooting of dogs. We've been down this road before, FAR too many times.

[Radar420]

Call the neighbor. Call animal control.
We don't have a phone up north, and as far as I know the trailer that the neighbor lives out of doesn't have a phone either. See he only rents the little lot he's on. So I drive the 25 min to town to call animal control to come over and get this dog???? I don't know where you hunt but the town I'm in I would doubt that animal control is within 45 min of where our cabin is. By the time I make it to town make the call, wait for AC - if they even determine its worth coming out , drive them to my cabin, and expalin what happened - I just wasted a day of hunting. If you read my earlier post, you can see that I have very little time to hunt anyway because of school



Oh. Just kill an animal because it is an inconvenience to you. Imagine if we applied the same principle to people we didn't like.:)Well yes, I would kill the animal because it is an inconvenience. The property was bought for and taxes paid on it so we didn't have to deal with inconvenience. the property we own is strictly for hunting use. We use the property maybe 6 weekends a year - 2 for deer scouting, 2 for deer hunting, and 2 for small game. It's one thing if its a hunting dog that actually has some business being in the woods. As I said before these aren't hunting dogs which have NO business being in the woods - they should be chained especially during deer season.

The area I hunt, people put orange vests over their deer statues in their yards so that they're not mistakenly shot. So if that is the case why would you want your large brown dog roaming through the forest during the hunting season if you really cared for it.:confused:



And if someones dog got out they must be a redneck useing your logic. ok.

Very Sportsmen like.
Sorry I should have clarified. He's a redneck because his yards full of trash, beer cans, and broken down cars. And his dogs don't "get out." They don't get out because they were never in.:) These dogs have never seen a leash in their lives. Just this past deer season I almost got into a car accident because one of the dogs jumped in front of the car as we drove by at night. When we drive by during the day you can see the dogs resting under pine trees still unchained

Because you didn't see any deer and you saw the neighbors dog it must be the dogs fault :rolleyes: .

If you saw 20+ deer why did you not get one? But again, the dog inconvenienced you so you better blast it....because deer do not EVER change their travel routes.Judging by your screen name you sound as if you're a knowledgeable hunter. Being such, you should know that gauging deer travel patterns is fairly easy especially on private property with little hunting pressure and available food and cover nearby. If I see the same 7 does that come out into our field almost every night at 5 o'clock, every weekend I'm up north for 3 years straight, and I don't change anything I'm doing, then all of a sudden they aren't there anymore where did they go? The neighbor doesn't shoot does so that's out of the question. It's also funny how the farmer and forester who walk our property also notice the same deer patterns. Very coincidental that deer not coming into the field anymore coincides with dogs running the deer trails don't you think.

The reason I've never got one is I don't buy doe permits, I leave that for my dad. I've never been a 100% sure on any deer that I think might be a buck and the ones that I was 80% sure about only provided marginal shots so I've passsed up many shots, which I feel is VERY SPORTSMAN LIKE. Getting a deer isn't the end all be all for me, all I want is the opportunity to see something. And since the dog has inconvienced me on my OWN property then yes I should have the right to blast it.

Now, after that rant - I will let you know that I wouldn't shoot a dog being I own two - a beagle and a LARGE mutt. But these dogs don't come with me up north deer hunting because of the possibilities. I was just pointing out why it should be permissible, after all the dog is trespassing and infringing on my right to hunt

[SteveS]

I have read hundreds of these "what if" scenarios. I have never had an incident involving a dog while hunting, but was attacked by one when I was 10. Absent some type of threatening behavior, I would not shoot a trespassing dog, but would rather discuss this with the owner (if possible). I found this on the DNR website:

----------------------------------------------------------------------
If I am hunting on my own land and I have a problem with a dog chasing deer, can I legally shoot the dog?

Answer
At 12/18/2002 06:09 AM we wrote -

The Dog Law provides the following:

"A law enforcement officer may kill a dog determined to be molesting wildlife and not hunting as defined in this act."

Thus, no one other than a law enforcement officer is permitted by law to shoot a dog running deer.

If you have a problem with dogs running on your property, I would advise contacting local animal control as the owners may be allowing the dogs to run in violation of the Dog Law.

Also, you may want to be advised of the following provision of the Dog Law which you may want to discuss with local animal control officials:

"Any person including a law enforcement officer may kill any dog which he sees in the act of pursuing, worrying, or wounding any livestock or poultry or attacking persons, and there shall be no liability on such person in damages or otherwise, for such killing. Any dog that enters any field or enclosure which is owned by or leased by a person producing livestock or poultry, outside of a city, unaccompanied by his owner or his owner's agent, shall constitute a trespass, and the owner shall be liable in damages."

[Radar420]

So screw the law and ethics, it's an inconvenience? Wow, what a great attitude.


What about trespassers? Should you be able to shoot them for inconviencing you?

--
Aaron
Where's the ethics in letting your large dog run free through the woods on property that isn't yours.

We don't have problems with human trespassers, because all the land around us is private. Trespassing laws should be such that you should be able to confiscate any gear that the trespasser is carrying and then be able to keep it. I think a lot fewer people would trespass if they had the prospect of having their ATVS or rifles confiscated. Back tags should become mandatory again so trespassers could be identified without confrontation

At least law enforcement officials will come out for a trespassing charge (if your lucky) rather than a loose dog.

Again my point is if you're letting a non-hunting dog run through the woods during deer season, then people should be aware of the consequences

[Hunter333]

Bwanas quote from someone else about "everyone lies in court" made me chuckle because I have never been to court so I am unable to agree or disagree with that :) As for all of the other posts, I agree with Whit "we have been down that road before, FAR too many times."

[SRT]

So screw the law and ethics, it's an inconvenience? Wow, what a great attitude.


What about trespassers? Should you be able to shoot them for inconviencing you?

--
Aaron

Trespassers are people. Dogs are dogs. Apples and oranges. Whats with the bleeding hearts about the dogs? I have dogs and I wouldn't go shooting a dog unless I saw it as a threat to myself or kids, not for the sake of hunting, but if you lose your dog on someone elses property, deal with what happens to it and move on. Quit blaming someone who shot the dog and take responsibility for youre property. I'm not referencing any certain situation or trying make some bad feelings here. And I dont see why its OK to shoot this dog and that dog but not a hunting dog cause I've know some mean hunting dogs.

[Radar420]

[QUOTE=SRT]Trespassers are people. Dogs are dogs. Apples and oranges. Whats with the bleeding hearts about the dogs? I have dogs and I wouldn't go shooting a dog unless I saw it as a threat to myself or kids, not for the sake of hunting, but if you lose your dog on someone elses property, deal with what happens to it and move on. Quit blaming someone who shot the dog and take responsibility for youre property. [QUOTE]

Thanks SRT

Thats all I was trying to get across

[SRT]

Ahhh a true Sportsmen:rolleyes: . And some wonder why others do not like sportsmen.
I've never been in court for anything but a traffic ticket and I wasn't even singling out outdoors sports laws. I'm just stating a fact that most people are gonna say what will keep them out of fines or trouble, and just asked some questions. All I did was ask a question about what the laws says, so i dont need some holier than thou response about something I've never done and youve prolly never been faced with anyway

[Sib]

I love dogs, couldn't even bring myself to shoot a coyote, but if a hunter had a problem with the same dog, or same neighbor more than twice, I certainly can understand why someone would want to tip the dog over.

Of course, for us dog lovers the simplest way to keep our dogs from getting shot would be to actually control them, after all, it was failure of the owners that created the situation. I haven't read one post that claimed someone was going dog hunting.

[Moron]

I love dogs, couldn't even bring myself to shoot a coyote, but if a hunter had a problem with the same dog, or same neighbor more than twice, I certainly can understand why someone would want to tip the dog over.

Of course, for us dog lovers the simplest way to keep our dogs from getting shot would be to actually control them, after all, it was failure of the owners that created the situation. I haven't read one post that claimed someone was going dog hunting.

Exactly.

[Whit1]

There are laws here in the State of Michigan coverning the topic. Michigan-Sportsman.com will in no way condone the breaking of laws.

[Steve]

Thanks for closing this. This topic has come up here before and has never had good results.