Dogs for wounded Big Game

[DaveT]

Anybody have a good reason why we can't use dogs to recover wounded deer in this state? I understand we don't want people running healthy deer through multiple properties during hunting season, but a leashed dog under the control of it's owner would help a lot of people recover animals that might never be found without a dog. It seems like such a no brainer to allow this, I wonder if a little debate on this topic might help our DNR see the light.

[Scoot]

Excuse my ignorance, but is this currently illegal?

[DonBo]

I believe it is illegal. I think the thought process is that you may be willing to take a poor shot if you know a dog could help you follow it up.

[Mark Christianson]

Can someone point to the language in the rule book that says you cannot use a dog to recover a deer?

This is all I can find:

• A person may not use a dog or horse to take big game.

[Cooter]

I'll be training my lab for tracking wounded deer this summer - legal in WI as long as they are on a leash.

[Brownie77]

So this means if you can not use a dog to track big game, than you could not use a horse to haul it out track or anything either. Just sorry mr CO I was just walking my dog on this leash when we happened to find the deer I shot. This wold be great for bear hunting.

[96trigger]

3 years ago I would have paid a pretty penny for a dog to help me find my deer.... I knew it was dead, but I couldn't find a drop of blood in the alfalfa field. Had there been snow or any indication of where he went, he would be on my wall.

[kr8r.tom]

a bowkill that a friend had shot, left pindrops for a blood trail. the shooter and 2 other guys were looking for 1-1/2hrs, he knocks on my door asking for help and i bring ted and gus along its 10:00 at night, ted finds that deer within 10 minutes. i can't believe recovering an animal with use of dogs would be illegal, unless they were used during shooting hours, during firearms for instance.

[sticknstring]

Had my lab help us track a doe a buddy gut shot a few years back. May have lost that deer if not for the dog. I see no reason not to have it legal for using them. Chasing deer with dogs is one thing, tracking shot deer on a leash with them is entirely different.

[DaveT]

• A person may not use a dog or horse to take big game.

According to the DNR, recovering is part of "taking". It is illegal as far as I know. I hope I'm wrong, but I don't think I am.

[Jameson]

I would be for allowing it during non shooting hours. Hopefully a few folks would train a their dogs exceptionally well, and then be able to be hired for service.

The way it is now it seems I see people often going rabbit hunting with their house dogs the day after injuring a deer bow hunting.

[Bear55]

I'm all for it too. Either tracking after shooting hours or maybe tracking without a bow or gun sounds a lot better than no dogs at all.

[propster]

My dad's 2 different poodles, who both happened to be death on grouse, found deer for me many years ago that I was having difficulty with due to lack of obvious blood trails. They were both bloodthirsty I think. I would be for it, as long as controlled either on leash or elec collar to keep them from running onto other's property.

[splakeshaker]

3 years ago I would have paid a pretty penny for a dog to help me find my deer.... I knew it was dead, but I couldn't find a drop of blood in the alfalfa field. Had there been snow or any indication of where he went, he would be on my wall.

I know the feeling.

[HuntFishDude]

I used to live in Vermont where it is legal for trained, leashed dog trackers. It is amazing how well they can find deer, even during rain. The trainer and dogs take a course with the DNR to get licensed.

[rcook72]

That would be a cool job. lots of exercise for you and training for the dog. Plus you would probably get to know a lot of people/landowners.

[croixflats]

Why do I picture a dear in a tree with dogs circling.

[snoozebutton]

Here's a link to a web site that has a lot of info on finding deer with a dog.

http://www.deersearch.org/

[dspohn]

My buddie shot a nice buck 2 yrs ago, it was early season and pretty hot out and we couldn't find it. He went back the next day and found it, ofcourse bloated and nasty, didn't get any meat off it. I know if we woulda had my dogs out there that deer meat woulda been saved for sure.

[splakeshaker]

http://www.deersearch.org/

Neat site.

[snoozebutton]

If you check with United Blood Trackers, they have info on how to get the law changed in your state:

Quote:

One of the goals of the UBT is to assist individuals within non-tracking states to change the laws and regulations in their state to allow for the use of Blood Tracking Dogs. The use of Blood Tracking Dogs has always been legal in most of the Southern States but in the late 1800's, most of the Northern States outlawed dogs in any way associated with deer hunting which included Blood Tracking. In the past 25 years 15 Northern States have legalized the use of LTD for the recovering of big game. New York State got it all started 25 years ago and 9 states have gone legal in just the past 4 years. Check our state regulations page if you would like to check if Blood Tracking is legal in your state. If you are looking for help in getting blood tracking legalized in your state, contact us and we will be of as much assistance as possible.

It seems like there's enough support for this in MN just from the responses here. Get 'er done.

[GottaGo]

I would be all for using dogs for finding wounded deer, but my question is this: what happens if your dog was to lead you to your wounded deer and it was still alive?

[kr8r.tom]

if you killed it that would constitute taking game with aid of a dog.

[Jameson]

...what happens if your dog was to lead you to your wounded deer and it was still alive?

hypothetically speaking possibly in the future.....

Well, if an unarmed, no guns or bows, tracking team was lead to a severely injured deer that did not run from them I suppose they could either try to cut the deers throat with a knife, or back out and wait. Wait, either for the deer to die on its own or wait till shooting hours the next day. Now would this be hunting with the aid of dogs? I would hope not.

Could someone "say" they were looking for a deer and run off all the deer from your property in the middle of the night? Sure, but they could do it now, maybe not as easily with the dogs, but they could. Maybe restrict the tracking dogs hours from one hour after sunset to 2:00 am.

[Joe15]

I agree I mean I think this would make hunting even more ethical as you would probably drastically cut the number of unfound deer