I couldn't agree anymore, but what about our dogs not knowing the difference??? If the dogs are out on a hog.... what then? The only thing I know to do is try to find the landowner, or call the GW to come help... if you can't do either of those, I get my dogs, and get off the property ASAP. It is also not legal to shoot a collared dog that isn't messing with livestock or anything else... As I understand it, that is a felony. There needs to be a law or something that states the rights of dog hunters. If you are not chasing game, and do not have any lethal wepons on you I don't think it should be against the law. This is too vague for me, and makes all dog hunters uneasy. I'm going to look into this a little further... We might just need to start a new bill.
I've read a bunch of the threads cantexduck is talking about. "My dog don't know what a fence is, or my dog can't read etc.." that is the number one thing they bash dog hunters about using that excuse to tresspass. Just because your dog can't read doesn't mean you can go get him. If you see your dog heading towards a fence where you don't have permission call them back or cut them off. And your right it isn't legal to shoot a dog unless it's harassing you or livestock, BUT it's going to be your word against theirs. That don't make it right, but thats going to be the way it is.
A friend of mine even caught some hog doggers tresspassing on their land, found their lost dog and everything one weekend. The following Monday they posted up a story about it on here with all the names of the guys who were there and pics of the hog they killed. Why would you knowingly take a hog illegally and post it on a public forum? I've also noticed where people tell a story about "we were headed out to hunt and saw some hogs in the bar ditch and dumped the whole box on them, 500 yards later we caught a good one" now this could be your land on both sides of the road, but if it is at least say that in the story so people who lurk on here because they don't like us won't have anything against us.
I'm not saying I'm perfect, there has been times where it's 1 in the morning and a dog is across a fence, but most times we try to call them back til we are blue in the face. And if we do have to cross a fence it's always been a situation where the landowner I am hunting for knows his neighbor really well and will let him know we got the dog, or I know who owns the land and they didn't have a problem with it after I told them about it. That didn't make it right at the time, but I have the permission now.
The mentality of I go where my dogs go, or I am doing you a favor by removing hogs, doesn't cut it with people who are against us.
Like I said I'm not perfect, but I HATE getting lumped into the same category of the outlaws when we try to do the right thing.
"If you are not chasing game, and do not have any lethal wepons on you I don't think it should be against the law."
This would never happen in Texas, do you know how many people would be using this excuse to tresspass? A bunch.
