Tell me how dog/ deer hunting works???
Virginia
Relocating to southern va. Im a bow hunter ONLY.. an legal animal i can hunt with a bow, i do,,,that being said...So can you local guys tell me how using dogs to hunt would most likely effect how i hunt? ,the farm ill work for leases to a dog hunting pack, but i have bow hunting rights..as well.. what should i expect? Thx for the input
well, dog hunters take a dim view of bowhunting over the hounds, their fear is of the hounds being cut by broadheads. as far as how merely hunting the same areas works, I have no real experience, since when I hunted dog clubs I wasn't allowed to use the bow.
Here is what to expect.. They will likely run their dogs before hunting season in preparation.. If they don't consider yourself lucky.. So, right in the middle of archery season.. This is what is considered tuning the dogs.. It is illegal, but... Once the general firearms season begins you will be overrun with hounds most any day of the week.. Deer will be nocturnal.. Whatever hunting you can get in before general firearms is your best bet and if you are out there hunting while the club is running their dogs you will be considered a nuisance.. What part of Southern Virginia?
OWK pretty much nailed it.
45 min south of Richmond,,,christ im thinking thinking this is going to be ridiculous...
"Southside", yep.... that ain't Virginia. You may wanta plan on travelling West a few miles to bowhunt. Plenty of Public land in Nelson, Page, Augusta County
Hmmmmmm… I am too (45 minutes south of Richmond).. Anything in the Northern Neck is as described.. I hunt in Richmond, Westmoreland, Essex County.. The Northern Neck equals Richmond County, Westmoreland County, Essex County, Lancaster County, Northumberland County, Middlesex maybe one or two more... I may actually know where you are hunting if you want to give me more info.. Lol.. Now, my other advice would be if you cant beat them join them.. Hunting with hounds can be fun if done properly.. I see you are currently in Maryland, so you are in for a real shock.. I would love to be able to hunt in Maryland.. I am only 15 minutes from the Nice Bridge that goes into Charles County..
I hunt in Surry County which should be pretty close to what you've described. Surry is right smack in the middle of hound country - - BUT, where I'm at they are by everything I can see, playing by the rules. Two hunt clubs have the leases surrounding my property and from the first Saturday of October until the start of general firearms season there are no dogs running. So, bow hunting is excellent until the start of black powder season. Then the increased pressure - # of hunters in the woods, seems to start to affect the deer. Of course it is also the increasing pressure of the coming rut. Once opening day occurs, the deer quickly go nocturnal. First the big bucks and all the rest pretty soon thereafter. It's so severe that by December the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before dark are the only signs of movement other than button bucks.
I hunt in Surry County which should be pretty close to what you've described. Surry is right smack in the middle of hound country - - BUT, where I'm at they are by everything I can see, playing by the rules. Two hunt clubs have the leases surrounding my property and from the first Saturday of October until the start of general firearms season there are no dogs running. So, bow hunting is excellent until the start of black powder season. Then the increased pressure - # of hunters in the woods, seems to start to affect the deer. Of course it is also the increasing pressure of the coming rut. Once opening day occurs, the deer quickly go nocturnal. First the big bucks and all the rest pretty soon thereafter. It's so severe that by December the first hour after sunrise and the last hour before dark are the only signs of movement other than button bucks.
Savage I too live about 15 minutes away from that bridge and can tell you that exclusive hunting rights in this area are hard to come by and I wouldn't expect too much. A lot of the folks that let me hunt their land let a lot of others hunt and you always end up with folks that hunted there 20 years ago showing up because they knew the owners cousin or some other distant relative. I wouldn't bet the farm on making this your only hunting spot, you might be disappointed when gun season starts but if this is your only spot I would advise you to get em early. Dog hunting is a lot of fun but is also very frustrating if you are used to still hunting exclusively.
Do not expect to see any deer moving during daylight unless they are being pushed. Deer go almost totally nocturnal once gun season starts. I hunt in Chesterfield and King and Queen counties.
Thx for everyones reply... i appreciate the input....
Was a member of a Northern NC hunting club for a year. The private properties were exclusive (our club had exclusive leased hunting rights) and gorgeous with great habitat and plenty of deer. Scouted out and caught glimpses of a few great bucks during early bow season and was looking forward to the rut. Everything was clearly posted, with hound hunting or training expressly prohibited.
Then it happened.
The hounds from hell were unleashed and chasing deer everywhere, especially on tracts of private property the dog-owners did not have permission to hunt. When gun season rolled around there were pickup trucks lined up on on the boundary roads of private property and folks trespassing 50-100 yards into the woods, clearly poaching. When confronting them I was introduced to the term, “hunting the right-of-way” = complete outlaw BS.
I quit that club after a year and will never again waste my time trying to bowhunt anywhere dog hunting is allowed. The dog hunters I’ve encountered couldn’t care less about the law, trespassing, negative impact on other hunters, and safety. The saddest part is they had their kids with them while doing all of this unethical and often illegal stuff.
Was a member of a Northern NC hunting club for a year. The private properties were exclusive (our club had exclusive leased hunting rights), gorgeous with great habitat and plenty of deer. Scouted out and caught glimpses of a few great bucks during early bow season and was looking forward to the rut. Everything was clearly posted, with hound hunting or training expressly prohibited.
Then it happened.
The hounds from hell were unleashed and chasing deer everywhere, especially on tracts of private property the dog-owners did not have permission to hunt. When gun season rolled around there were pickup trucks lined up on on the boundary roads of private property and folks trespassing 50-100 yards into the woods, clearly poaching. When confronting them I was introduced to the term, “hunting the right-of-way” = complete outlaw BS.
I quit that club after a year and will never again waste my time trying to bowhunt anywhere dog hunting is allowed. The dog hunters I’ve encountered couldn’t care less about the law, trespassing, negative impact on other hunters, and safety. The saddest part is they had their kids with them while doing all of this.
