AR Deer Hunting w/Walker Beagles? Whatcha' think?

[Bleu]

I got to go a few times growing up in north Louisiana. The dogs were cool, the anticipation was pretty neat, but the trucks...Dude, that was the best part. Lots of cool old 4x's with dog boxes and Cobra CB's. I'm sure it's all side by sides and wheelers now, and the Cobras are Bluetooth compatible, but I bet it's still a blast.

[TexasArchery_27]

Thank you! Now everyone will get an opportunity to gain knowledge regarding this topic.

[dphillips62]

I never ran deer but we used to run cats all over Mission Valley with walkers it was a blast

[trash2]

I didn't read the replies but you should go. It's a dying form of hunting and is actually quite exciting. Sure beats staring at a corn pile (which is hard how?). I'm a still Hunter but for the dog clubs that are run correctly I feel bad for dog hunters. You'll never forget the sounds of the hounds! And be ready at all times, the big boys will generally slip out before the hunt really gets going. Enjoy it and go, if you don't like it you won't have to go again

[DirtyDave]

Do it! Dogs make everything better!

Sadly its a dying method for several reasons. Most of which are pressure from Anti-groups and division between hunters. As we've seen in this post, ignorance is the biggest problem that creates division between hunters. Narrow minds and misconceptions about hunting methods that YOU don't personally use or know anything about.
Smaller tracts of land do make it difficult to run dogs on any animal. This part of it will only get worse.

[Razorback01]

Hopefully waiting on Timberking to chime in.

[Preacher Man]

I still have my grand fathers old horn too. I'll get it out and every once in a while.

Haven't hunted like that since I was a very young lad. If I had the opportunity, I'd jump on it.

It's legal up there. Go have a good time!

[Lungbustr]

I think it's great. If yall have the access to enough land, can keep the dogs on the property, and legally can run dogs for a deer hunt, good for you. I hope yall have a great time.

I wouldn't pay any attention to folks that have a problem with it either. How can somebody feed deer, monitor them constantly with trail cams and sit there waiting to whack them when they come to the feed but have a problem with dog hunting?

[myway]

I was able to do it a few times as a 12 year old kid and thought it was cool as all get out. Definetly not a lay up when compared to sitting at one of my west TX feeders today. It was definetly thought out where they placed hunters and drivers. My memory is out of about 6-8 hunters there were 2 does killed. Was there much management to it? Not at all. But this would have been mid 80s so there wasn't any really especially on timberland in Arkansas. As a kid I probably didnt get the long tradition of it but looking back on it there was a ton of it at that camp. They used there grandfathers old horn as well. On a side note these were $1500 walkers and one came back well after dark with about a 4" deep gore to the throat. He lived but was out of commission for quite awhile and the owner made a 2-3 hour trip to the vet late that night. Looking back on it I was upset the dog got hurt not that I didn't get a deer. Is it my type of hunting? Not really. Would I go do it? Most definitely.

[DFWPI]

That's the way I grew up hunting. My first deer, I think I was 13, was a doe, I was posted on a 2 lane road (I was told to be careful shooting and to make sure no cars were coming), and to be sure not to miss because the dogs would keep running if I did. 12 gauge 00 put her down.

Miss some of that swamp hunting with dogs.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[AntlerCollector]

OP, I don't know how much freedom you will have while hunting this place, but the big bucks won't run long from those hounds. By freedom I mean, if you can sit back a while after the dogs hit a hot trail, mature bucks almost always circle back to the area they were flushed out of. The younger deer will keep running and the dogs will give chase. I remember setting up along a push road waiting with the shotgun for the deer to cross. My Pawpaw would trail behind the dogs and just sit under a tree and wait after they "got on a deer" ( you could tell by their bark if they were after a deer or not). Many times my Pawpaw sat still and shot good bucks sneaking back in behind the dogs who were half a mile away by then.


To answer the question of why it's illegal now...

1. It worked! The deer population in East Texas was extremely low in the 70's where we lived.
2. Lots of complaints from landowners who didn't want dogs trespassing on their land.



While I do miss hunting like that, the deer population has never been better in East Texas in my life than it is right now.

[Phillip Fields]

In Virginia and NC dog hunting is allowed in the eastern half of the state. We have and have always had our largest population in the eastern half of the 2 states.

It's been many years since I've been on a dog hunt, maybe I need to hunt up some of my old buddies.

[glen]

I'm jealous. Something I've never done. Sounds like fun to me.

[SaltwaterSlick]

OP: I'm sure the folks you will be hunting with will give you the information you need to have a successful hunt, but depending on the dogs, terrain, weather, size of tracts of woods, ... and about a million other things, there are some things you can do yourself to increase your odds in getting a deer.

The advice AntlerCollector gave you is VERY GOOD advice, and likely the hunter that has the closest relationship to the dog handler(s) may be the one who will hang back, and he's likely one of the more successful hunters in the group. I'd also recommend taking yourself a 12 gauge and 3" 00 buckshot if you'll be hunting in thick bottoms and other woods where long shots are not likely. When you're out hunting, especially if you're hunting with a bunch of folks you don't know well, be VERY careful... You have read the responses from those of us who have hunted this way, and from those posts you can clearly see that it can be very exciting... exciting to the point, inexperienced hunters may be careless in taking a shot at a fast moving target... Be very aware of your surroundings and where EVERYONE that may be around you is located... For YOUR safety and theirs. If long shots are likely, you might want to go with a heavy caliber rifle with either open iron sights or a quick pointing holographic sight or similar... Lots of deer have been killed running ahead of dogs with rifles too. If you've never taken a running shot at a deer, don't be surprised if you miss... it takes practice to take out a running deer with a good clean kill shot.... If the deer is running hard, I was always taught to put the gun on the deer's nose as best as you can. It's always worked for me pretty well. If it was an old time deer camp, you could tell the bad shots... They'd have shirts with the tails cut off... Often times when the dogs are "hot" they'll be sight running the deer and they'll be barkin' like crazy... that'll tell you the deer is close when the dogs are close so be ready. If the dogs are not "hot", they'll be barking intermittently. If you hear this and it sounds like they are coming toward you, be ready early. The deer is likely far out ahead of the dogs... maybe several hundred yards ahead of the dogs. Often, these are the easiest deer to kill if you stay hidden and still. They're concentrating on getting away from the dogs, and may not even be running hard, even walking/stopping and such. They will be concerned with the dogs and not pay you any attention making for an easy close shot. Man, it's exciting just thinking about you getting to do this. Good luck!

[WCB]

Unless someone is hunting naked and strangling deer with his bare hands, they can't say **** about any legal tool choice someone else uses.

And as far as I know, Leon and maybe Burnadell are the only ones on the TBH that can do that...
so .. Good luck and enjoy yourself.

Both them guys are sissy’s. I hunt with a loin cloth...


If you have an opening I have vacation saved!!. Do it, have fun and post as you can.