Dogs during bow season

[Crickschop04]

I have a topic that I think will get some discussion. My question is on public land what is the "ettiquete" (sp?)if I want to hunt rabbits with my dogs? I just don't want to [PoorWordUsage] anyone off who may be bow hunting in the same area. Sometimes those dogs will roam a long way and could potentially interfere with someone else's bow hunt. Also, if I have permission to hunt a piece of land (family owned)and I know that there is probably going to be bow hunters back there should I still be able to go back and hunt???

[LABS4ME]

Had this discussion with a deer hunter once... He threatened to shoot my dogs as we were "interupting" HIS hunt (my dogs were never more than 30 yards from me). I begged to differ, as it was public land and what made his deer hunt more important than my pheasant hunt. We found a nice white oak Savannah and the roosters were in there feeding on acorns so we were actually hunting in the "woods". I told him the deer were probably plenty used to guys stomping around on this WMA and it would only be a short time before things got back to normal. We did end up leaving the woods and going out and hunting the grass (we would've done this anyways without his beligerent ramblings), anyways about a half hour later we flush up a couple deer, they ran into the "woods"... don't know if he got a shot or not, but sometimes we actully can be a benefit to deer hunters by moving bedded deer out of the grass.

I guess I'd go about your hunt and hunt with the best intentions of not screwing up anothers hunt, but if you see someone in there, steer clear of them if possible. As far as the private land deal, if it's your family's land, ask them to talk to who ever is bowhunting on the land and let them know that you will be rabbit hunting on a particular day. They are still welcome to hunt if they wish, but just a friendly warning that you'll also be sharing the woods on that day.

Good Luck!

Ken

[mnz71hunt]

Being aware of others is probably all you can do on public land. Public land is what it is, open to the public. All hunters must be aware that they are sharing access to the land with everyone. Just because someone arrives early, doesn't give that person any more right to the spot than you.

As for private land - ask the land owner who else he/she has given permission to and what the other hunters might be hunting. If you see the others hunting the area and you have options - then it might be considerate to use those other options.

Time of day is also something to consider. I don't hunt rabbits - so I'm not sure what the best time of day to hunt is, but mose deer hunters preferr the morning or evening as the best time to hunt.

Only a few bow hunters actually sit all day. If you see someone sitting, the best option might be to simply acknowledge the person and continue on your way, preferrably down wind of the bowhunter.

Take Care - Good Luck Hunting

[J Rookie K]

I have a buddy who only deer hunts. He loves it when rooster season opens.

[nolte]

Lots of people get all bent out of shape over this type of situation. We hunt for birds, bear, and cats with dogs when there might be deerhunters out. Usually in the first part of bow season, we try to just hunt with the dogs in the mornings and then let the bowhunters have all afternoon. Come about mid-October till after Rifle season, we try to give the deer hunters all the room they need and do something else. Course we are probably hunting deer or ducks then too. After deer rifle season, again go back to mornings. Everybody has the right to use the land, but if you explain how you are trying to not mess somebody up a little bit they will be much more receptive to you being out there.

One thing people don't realize is that deer are used to having dogs around them. They won't abandon an area because a dog ran through it, cause they are used to coyotes, foxes, and wolves. In fact many times it will move deer and bring them closer to a hunter when they wouldn't have otherwise. Deer may abandon an area if humans continually walk through it, ie bedding area.

I try to support anybody that hunts and limit how much I might impact their hunt and enjoyment. Everybody has a different preference to what they like and the right to be out there. We need to remember that we're all on the same side being hunters.