dogs first fox, finally

PyroDon · #21 01/18/09, 08:35 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pops2

1st where i hunt is almost 70,000 acres of public land much of it designated wilderness. while much of this is coastal swamp some is also coastal savannah w/ longleaf pine overstory that USED to support large populations of quail & cottontails. there are THOUSANDS of FERAL (domestic living in a wild state w/o human assistance) cats originating w/ weak hearted &/or irresponsible people who abandoned or failed to control their ancestors. although they provide food for bobs, fox, coyote, raccoon, raptors and alligators, the cats have a severe & adverse impact on native wildlife including but not limited to endangered reptiles, amphibians and songbirds. i (and any hunter who asks) have therefore been greenlighted (by several layers of wildlife LEO) to kill any feral cat i see while hunting. this is something most hunters do anyway as a conservation measure, even if they don't ask first.

legality
few if any states regulate what contact a hunting dog may make w/ the prey animal. they generally only regulate what prey may be intentionally hunted. in the case of almost all southern states, dogs may be used to hunt deer in at least some portion of the state (this is the case here). in most states (not just southern ones) fox hunting w/ dogs is legal year round as long as the hunter DOES NOT posess a firearm, bow or crossbow. many states treat most nonnative wildlife/nuisance species the same way. for obvious political reasons, feral cats are usually left in legal limbo of not being legal game but also not being illegal game.

Think if you read the regulations running is allowed year round , running intails allowing dogs to chase and tree though not molest the prey. If the dog kills the prey while running in most cases you can be charged with hunting out of season. Taking possession of a killed animal as with the fox constitutes hunting . as far as I know wanton waste is illegal in all fifty states
Being that you state your doing this on public land some of which may be subject to federal regulation you may be opening yourself up for a world of hurt.
At the vary least cruelty to animal charges have been filed against many who have sicced their dogs on cats weather domestic or feral

Pops2 · #22 01/19/09, 01:19 AM

Don
that's why it's important to read the regs. here under fox it's broken down by season dates. the 1st & 2nd season dates specify 2 per day 10 per SEASON and specifies that those taken in the first described season may not be bought or sold. htose taken in the 2nd season may be sold after being properly tagged. it then explains tags must be possessed prior to harvesting and notes that local county laws may authorize additional seasons. finally it states "Year Round- Must be TAKEN with dogs only;no limits" (my emphasis). further we have a year round training season here. the LEOs have instructed me that if a dog kills the game during training and the season is closed the carcass must be left at the spot of the kill and no violation has occurred. which is why it's important to talk to the guys who would be arresting you if you break the law, so that you understand what they understand to be the law and don't violate that. the federal guys are actually under a legal obligation to eradicate the cats (not just ferals either) due to the presence of threatened & endangered wildlife which they might prey upon. (if the native predators posed a significant threat they'd be obligated to thin them out too.)
i don't exactly sic him on anything, he's free casted so he decides for himself what to run except at night when i can use a light to unsight him. it just so happens that the same open areas in which i call up fox for him also support most of the feral cats which also come running to the sound of a woodpecker or cottontail in distress. what really amazes me is when they show up to a fox in distress (my so far unsuccessful attempts to call in coyote) when clearly anything that is chowing on a fox could chow on them. the main thing i do is stockbreak him & try to locate opportunities for him to catch legal stuff.

Allen W · #23 01/19/09, 11:11 AM

United we stand Divided we fall. Any hunter, fisherman, trapper, or houndsman who don't support their fellow outdoorsmen in legal activities are playing right into the anti's hands.

cur huntin' kid · #24 01/19/09, 03:50 PM

Well said pops, I kill cats if my cur trees them. The guy I hunt with told me once that if the cats aren't around the buildings(barn, house, shed) they are fair game.

tyusclan · #25 01/19/09, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Allen W

United we stand Divided we fall. Any hunter, fisherman, trapper, or houndsman who don't support their fellow outdoorsmen in legal activities are playing right into the anti's hands.

Exactly right.

Any time the PETA (PITA?) types can get us arguing among ourselves, or get one group trying to stop the (legal) activities of another, they couldn't be happier.

If this particular type of hunting doesn't appeal to you, then don't participate. Simple as that.

Snowdancer · #26 01/19/09, 06:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tyusclan

Exactly right.

Any time the PETA (PITA?) types can get us arguing among ourselves, or get one group trying to stop the (legal) activities of another, they couldn't be happier.

If this particular type of hunting doesn't appeal to you, then don't participate. Simple as that.

Off topic but that is the same rationale that the Pro-Choice people use with the Anti-Abortion people regarding a legal procedure. Just sayin.....

tyusclan · #27 01/19/09, 08:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Snowdancer

Off topic but that is the same rationale that the Pro-Choice people use with the Anti-Abortion people regarding a legal procedure. Just sayin.....

I want to be sure I understand your point. Could you please explain exactly what you mean?

CSA again · #28 01/20/09, 08:18 AM

wow... I just thought ol' Sonic was a fast hound..
My mutley takes care of the ground hogs, a few rats , and keeps some coon and fox run off too.
Mutley also knows the diffrence between a chicken in the pasture ( which he thinks is invisible ) and one outside the pasture which he holds down, till one of us puts it back in the pasture.
But the stray or feral cats ,and foxes have got us running over.
http://www.thepetcenter.com/imtop/speaker3.html
The combined total of pets and free-ranging cats in the U.S. is probably more than 100 million.
You can't even see a native song bird around here anymore. Here in NC we have a leash law thats states your animal can not run free on someone else's property. And if it does shoot first and ask questions later this applys to Dogs too.
We have taken some 40 foxes and untold stray cats and many dogs over the years.
Ol' Mutley can't run um all down. so we trap ,snare, put a 22 bullet in the head ,and add to the compost pile.
I don't eat um though , I've skinned out too many stray cats ...them things smell like a mink.

Pops2 · #29 01/20/09, 04:47 PM

Allen
i absolutely agree. while i do not enjoy shooting deer (although i will to fill the freezer quickly) I would NEVER want to make the practice illegal. nor would i ban trapping or any other harvesting technique that is not in & of itself harmful to the environment (ie poisoning & dynamiting fish). just because i don't care for it doesn't make it right for me to oppose others' participation.

houndDogger · #30 01/20/09, 08:50 PM

Great job on the fox and a beautiful dog. I never had coursing dogs, just scent hounds but I always wanted to try running some yotes with greyhounds and wolfhounds. Real sad that some people live in a false world created by Disney. Nothing I hate worse than being 100 miles from the nearest house and catching a feral cat in my coyote or badger traps. Keep after it and keep those cats thinned out.

2ndmouse · #31 01/20/09, 09:39 PM

All wild game has parasites. That's why you cook it! Rabbit meat has parasites, squirrel, coon opossum and groundhogs all have parasites.

In china they eat donkeys. In the Philippines they eat dogs. In texas they eat bulls testicles.

It's all meat. Big deal.

CSA again · #32 01/21/09, 07:43 AM

I can't beleave thay would do that in TEXAS !
.

||Downhome|| · #33 01/22/09, 10:10 PM

thats what they mean when they say texans "have some big balls" sorry couldnt help myself , I will attempt to controll myself in the future.