Wild dog problem
- Thread starter SailorBob
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HCJtractor
Veteran Member
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- upstate South Carolina, Greenville
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- Kubota M6800, Massey Ferguson 240
Bob, since this seems to be an isolated incident involving specific dogs, trapping is certainly an option. However, it is a "hit or miss" effort, and a trap this size is fairly expensive, unless the urban animal control could lend you one. Then, even if you trap one dog, you may educate the others and make them trap shy. And you still have a dog to dispose of, but alive. If you have eliminated to possibilty they belong to neighbors, I would still advise shooting them. Your handgun is not the weapon of choice as you have discovered. Borrow a rifle from a friend, preferably one with a telescopic sight, in a caliber large enough to do it humanely. Something such as a .223 up to a 30/06. Make sure you are safe with it, depending on where the nearest neighbors are. Shooting from an elevated location, such as an upstairs window, is safer and gives visibility and a good rest. A semiauto would be nice, because when you take the first shot, the others will run, but you may get enough confusion to take other shots. Practice enough from a solid rest to be proficient, which should be fairly easy with a good sight. Then either wait or if need be use some bait. Use you tractor for a proper Christian burial! Good luck.
CrownHawg
Silver Member
Bob, you may not possess the hardware to dispatch these animals but I'd bet if you ask around, maybe a friend or possibly even a neighbor may be equipped. Of course you wouldn't want to "advertise" such a favor, but a discreet inquiry among a friend who is a hunter may work. Just a notion.
LBrown59
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dmccarty
Super Star Member
I know back in the late 70's or early 80's there were people killed by "wild dogs" in KY. I am sure I have read news stories since then. A forester I know was treed by wild dogs when he was cruising some woods. They kept him in the tree for hours before they left.
I was talking to an old farmer years ago. He was selling the house he was born in and the land. The house was built in 1905 or 1895 by his Pa. The Farmall they bought midc entury was still on the place and worked.
The farmer raised chickens. He and his truck was REEKED of chicken poo. Interesting man to talk to if you were up wind of him and not in his truck.
He said back in the day the area farmers would have to get together and go wild dog hunting. The number of wild dogs would get to a point that they were starting to take down too much lifestock and become a danger to people.
I have seen dogs and coyotes on my land. They have to leave if they see me. My Place. My Rules. If they don't leave I have to Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up. I have young kids so there is no choice. So far, the dogs and the one coyote I have seen have left as asked.
What the OP describes is very dangerous. The dogs needed to be killed. No if, ands, or buts. Either find someone you know and trust with a firearm to help you out or go buy a good centerfire rifle in .223 or larger. Practice with it. Since you know why the dogs are on you land I would start baiting them further away from the house. Maybe in couple of places.
Pace off the distance to where you are baiting. Make the distance the same to all you bait stations. Practice shooting at that range somewhere else on your land or on a range. Setting up the bait stations moves them a bit away from your house and gives you a bit of time to practice. Just be sure you have a good backstop. Center fire and even .22 LR rounds can travel a good distance.
Most critters dont look up since that is not where threats for them go from so see if you can set up a blind up high. If you have a two story house that could work. Just dont have the muzzle in the house if you fire. I have a roof I can easily and safely climb. That was going to be my blind if the coyote kept appearing. He moved off or someone else killed him. Put the blind in a spot so that you can get to the blind unseen/unheard from the bait station.
Later,
Dan
I was talking to an old farmer years ago. He was selling the house he was born in and the land. The house was built in 1905 or 1895 by his Pa. The Farmall they bought midc entury was still on the place and worked.
The farmer raised chickens. He and his truck was REEKED of chicken poo. Interesting man to talk to if you were up wind of him and not in his truck. He said back in the day the area farmers would have to get together and go wild dog hunting. The number of wild dogs would get to a point that they were starting to take down too much lifestock and become a danger to people.
I have seen dogs and coyotes on my land. They have to leave if they see me.
My Place. My Rules. If they don't leave I have to Shoot, Shovel, and Shut Up. I have young kids so there is no choice. So far, the dogs and the one coyote I have seen have left as asked.What the OP describes is very dangerous. The dogs needed to be killed. No if, ands, or buts. Either find someone you know and trust with a firearm to help you out or go buy a good centerfire rifle in .223 or larger. Practice with it. Since you know why the dogs are on you land I would start baiting them further away from the house. Maybe in couple of places.
Pace off the distance to where you are baiting. Make the distance the same to all you bait stations. Practice shooting at that range somewhere else on your land or on a range. Setting up the bait stations moves them a bit away from your house and gives you a bit of time to practice. Just be sure you have a good backstop. Center fire and even .22 LR rounds can travel a good distance.
Most critters dont look up since that is not where threats for them go from so see if you can set up a blind up high. If you have a two story house that could work. Just dont have the muzzle in the house if you fire.
I have a roof I can easily and safely climb. That was going to be my blind if the coyote kept appearing. He moved off or someone else killed him. Put the blind in a spot so that you can get to the blind unseen/unheard from the bait station.Later,
Dan
Bird
Rest in Peace
In the early '50s at Healdton, OK, there was a male black & tan hound and a female red mixed breed dog, but appeared to have some collie in her ancestry, that ran together. One Sunday morning, we heard a commotion south the house, but didn't know what it was. But when we started to church, across the road and down the hill from our place, those two dogs had a horse down and had literally torn one ear out of its head. We scared the dogs off, but we didn't know who owned the horse and there was no house on that property. Dad called the sheriff and a deputy came out, but was afraid to shoot the horse without knowing who it belonged to. That poor horse laid there for 3 days before it died. The same two dogs attacked our milk cow right at the barn, but fortunately Dad was home and ran out, yelling at Mother to bring his gun. They only shredded one of the cow's ears and ran off before she got there with the gun. And then one day I found my own horse dead, and from all appearances, there's no doubt that those dogs did it. The deputy said all the officers were on the lookout for those two dogs because they had killed other livestock. I hunted them myself and even shot the female once from a long distance with a .22, but she got away, only leaving a few drops of blood and I lost the trail pretty quickly in woods, but never saw those two again.
Now I don't want to kill anything, and when living in Navarro County, I was lucky enough to able to catch all the dogs that were dumped on us and took them to the animal pound in town. I don't even remember how many I took to them.
Now I don't want to kill anything, and when living in Navarro County, I was lucky enough to able to catch all the dogs that were dumped on us and took them to the animal pound in town. I don't even remember how many I took to them.
Eagleview
Veteran Member
I thought you guys had dog catchers over there , I thought it was their job to catch dogs and impound them or put them down . It may be worth a phone call to ask .
Bird
Rest in Peace
In many towns, probalby most towns except the very smallest ones, there is an "animal control" officer or department. But outside city limits, we usually do not have such.
Sigarms
Super Member
Proof that you don't want to use a .22 LR on anything bigger than a rabbit
Make sure you use a bigger gun.
I'm old, what's "SWMBO" mean?
Agreed, a dog is not called mans best friend for nothing.
People who dump dogs rank somewhere between politicians and child molesters for her and somewhere between genetic mutants and wife beaters for me
I'd be willing to bet that statistics may prove you right.
RonMar
Elite Member
Yep, .22 is not the prefered tool of choice unless you are a VERY skilled and practiced marksman. Your margine for error increases drastically with the smaller lower inertia caliberes. There is just not enough shock, and you have to actually punch a hole thru something vital. .223 or.308 would be my preference for this, but you will still need practice.
When I was small we lost our collie to two black labs that belonged to one of our neighbors. These dogs were allowed to run and had been seen with Coyotes before. I knew something was amiss when I was met at the bus stop by our neighbor and driven over the normal mile and a half walk home from the bus. The neighbor had found Duke and called my mother. She asked if he could pick me up since it was about time for the bus to arrive. Duke was in the ditch halfway along the road, still alive, but with his throat ripped out. My mom could shoot, but she couldn't bring herself to put him down, and the neighbor was kind enough to help us end his suffering. The coyotes and labs were another mile across a meadow waching the activity after their handiwork.
That dog had been with us since I was an infant. My mom used to put me down for naps on the couch and that dog would lay down in front of me and couldn't be moved with dynamite till I was up and about after the nap. Duke was often outside, but never left the yard(usually met me at the driveway). That was a topic of some discussion, as no one could figure why he was so far from home. One theory suggested was he knew they were out there, and he knew I was comming home soon. He probably saved my life, cause it could have very easilly been me in that ditch...
When I was small we lost our collie to two black labs that belonged to one of our neighbors. These dogs were allowed to run and had been seen with Coyotes before. I knew something was amiss when I was met at the bus stop by our neighbor and driven over the normal mile and a half walk home from the bus. The neighbor had found Duke and called my mother. She asked if he could pick me up since it was about time for the bus to arrive. Duke was in the ditch halfway along the road, still alive, but with his throat ripped out. My mom could shoot, but she couldn't bring herself to put him down, and the neighbor was kind enough to help us end his suffering. The coyotes and labs were another mile across a meadow waching the activity after their handiwork.
That dog had been with us since I was an infant. My mom used to put me down for naps on the couch and that dog would lay down in front of me and couldn't be moved with dynamite till I was up and about after the nap. Duke was often outside, but never left the yard(usually met me at the driveway). That was a topic of some discussion, as no one could figure why he was so far from home. One theory suggested was he knew they were out there, and he knew I was comming home soon. He probably saved my life, cause it could have very easilly been me in that ditch...