Close call in the woods today

[airgun hunter]

I took my two little brothers 8 and 10 out in the woods with me to help setup one of my friend's stands. When we were done I took them with for a squirrel, and rabbit hunt. After an unsuccessful hunt we were making our way back to our vehice which was parked in a field. I saw something coming up the trail, and it turned out to be two dogs. The first one stood in the road barking, and growling at me while the second one slinked off to the right. They both had on collars so I fired a warning shot right next to the first dog. The second came out of the weeds not 15 feet away from me growling, and ran off. There is no doubt in my mind they were going to attack us. So it looks like i'll be hunting hogs, dogs, and deer this season. Especially since I plan to take my little brothers out there again.

[Marty]

Time to pack a pistola.

[spectr17]

airgun, I'd review your states laws on shooting dogs before you end up in sling. Animal cruelty laws have gotten pretty stiff and there are only a few exceptions that allow one to shoot loose dogs.

[Repete]

Only if you tell or your little Brothers tell.

[slanttop357]

Only if you tell or your little Brothers tell.

You should buy a canster of Bear spray that will fix thear wagon just a thought. sorry Repete this was for Airgun.

[airgun hunter]

As long I'm fear of my life or the life of my brothers I can shoot anything. Plus in the parish I live when you call the sherrif about a stray dog they will tell you and i quote "Shoot the dog just dont tell us about it."

[airgun hunter]

Oh and I will be packing a pistola from now on

[bsandls]

FYI...do what you have to do to protect yourself, obviously your safety is #1, but pepper spray may not work. Unfortunately I have a little experience here. I tried pepper spray on a dog and it didnt work at all. I kept spraying and spraying and eventually put so much pepper spray in the air that it started to affect me.

I was later told that dogs don't have tear ducts the same way as people and the pepper spray does not really bother them. It may startle them and make them run off but is generally no more effective than a squirt gun.

I like the "pistola" idea myself, as long as you can justify it.

[Rick]

My brother tried to use pepper spray to break up his two dogs when they got into a fight in the house. It did no good, except to make the rest of us tear up and start coughing.

[thomtwo]

I had an stray dog experience in the woods as well a few years ago, only there were 5 dogs.

I was bowhunting following a blood trail of a doe I shot. From the top of a hillside a pack of dogs came running straight toward me. I nocked an arrow and started yelling...No effect. I arrowed one of the dogs. When it went down two of the other dogs jump on it biting and snarling. The other two started toward me. Luckily I had my Buck Axe on my belt. I pull it out and readied myself for an attack.

The two dogs stopped two feet from me, snarling. I decided to become the aggressor. I lunged at the dogs, hitting one in the head with the axe. When the dog yelped the other dogs took off.

I figured he must have been the leader of the pack. These dog must have been surviving in the wild for a long time.

I retrieved my bent and chewed arrow from the first dog I shot and made my way to the truck.

When I sat down in the truck I couldn't stop my knees to stop jumping.

In my state it's illegal to carry a firearm while bowhunting, but I now have my S&W strapped on now, even when I rifle hunt.

BTW: I recovered the doe after I quit shaking and went back with my rifle that was in the truck.

[inchr48]

On our way to work many years ago, my wife and I spotted 2 full grown dogs and what appeared to be their 5 offspring (3/4 grown). They were in our neighbor's pasture and in full stalk on his Angus herd of calves and their mothers.

When we got to work, we called him (before cell phones). He called the Sheriff, and between them they rifled the 7 we saw plus 6 more that had showed up.

The coyotes are bad enough, I can't imagine feral dogs that have little fear of their human "masters".

Lock and load airgun, safe hunting.

Cudos for taking the bro's out. Bet they have a story to tell now .............

[jackrabbit]

Yeah, I had a similar experience years ago in the high desert of SoCal. Was out with the shotgun hunting quail and rabbit and a two feral rotweiler type dogs running with three coyotes came up after my beagle who was hunting with my buddy at the time. As you know only three shells can be loaded in a shotgun while hunting. Well my buddy put one round of bird shot in the ground in front of the lead dogs but it did not scare them, they kept coming; so he put a second round in the ground, with the same effect, they kept snarling and coming. With the last round my buddy raised up and sprayed the lead dog with shot and they all took off.

Ever since then I carry a pistol when shotgun hunting.

Best I know, a person can shoot an animal which is in the act of attacking a person or livestock (pets?). I would rather not have to spend money to go to court if I could avoid it though.

[Farmerdoug]

Best I know, a person can shoot an animal which is in the act of attacking a person or livestock (pets?). I would rather not have to spend money to go to court if I could avoid it though.

Your absolutely right. For about 4 years, my neighbors big pit mix had been jumping my fence and killing my chickens and ducks. Hell, this same dog even came at me once in my front yard. I called animal control many times and eventually they slapped a vicious dog tag on his residence. Verdict was, his dog must be kennelled or tethered at all times. To make a long story short; Easter morning, right at sun-up, I go to the fridge to get a drink (still in my tighty whities). I look out the window and I see this dog in the in my chicken coop about 200ft from my back window. I run back to my room and grab the Marlin .22 and load up a couple of CCI Stingers. I barely crack the back door and rest my gun on my work book (still in my tighty whities). BOOM! Dog down! I call the Riverside Sheriff Dept. and report myself. Four sheriffs cars (8 guys) come to my house guns drawn. They detain me in my front yard (right after a good ole thorough frisking). Yall' should of seen the faces on my Chicano neighbors who were headed for Easter morning worship services. Thirty minutes later the deputies are taking pictures with my gun in front of all my deer mounts and giving me a hard time because I used a scope instead of iron sights. There are two lessons to be learned here. "Good fences make good neighbors" and "As long as you're in fear for your life, or the lives of your livestock; You are within the law to protect with deadly force". P.S. My next door neighbor and I still aren't on speaking terms. Go figure.. Maybe eventually he'll figure out that the 27 chickens and five ducks = 1 dog

[sancho]

rule #1...good point.

[chap_dog48]

I haven't seen anyone mention the #1 rule yet.........SSS

[STEVE IN SOCAL]

We used to have feral dogs take down livestock on the farm in Ky. Once when I was out checking fences (without a gun....stupid) I heard a pack coming towards me...long story short, I was treed for about two hours...now I know how a raccoon feels.
One time we had about 20 dogs feeding on a pony they had killed. We drove up fully armed with shotguns and rifles. They wouldn't leave the kill, just growling and showing teeth. We crawled out the windows of the old hard top jeep and got on top. On the count of three, the three of us opened up. I think we dropped about 5 in the first volley. I made the most incredible shot of my life later, when I dropped one at about 200+ yards offhand with a sporterized 8mm Mauser.
But this is the one that haunts me to this day...
I was helping a neighbor look for some of his cows that had gotten on our place, when I came across a mud covered Doberman with a smaller mud covered dog chasing the guys cows. I dropped the bigger dog with a Marlin .44 lever action, and then noticed that the smaller dog was a pup. I called the pup, and it came to me, so I kept it. Later that day I saw signs posted for two missing Dobies, a mom and pup. A guy had a flat tire, and went for help, cracking the windows(apparently too much) to keep the dogs cool. Not wanting to admit I had killed his dog, I gave the pup to a friend in Indiana. These dogs weren't feral, just got loose and doing what dogs do (chasing cows)I still get sad when I think of what I did. I never killed another feral dog...but I would if cornered.



A note to Farmer Doug...
My crazy aunt used to raise Mastiffs. Five of them went over to the neighbors (about 4 miles away) and began to slaughter their feeder pigs. The neighbors killed all five dogs, but not before they killed 30-40 pigs.
This crazy aunt also killed my rabbit dog because it killed one chicken. Best dog I ever had, dead over a $1 chicken...never forgave her for that.

[fossilman]

I would have dropped both dogs on the spot!!!