Wild dog problem

[drssg]

I bought a dog trap, and it did the job nicely.

Be sure to check out their Godzilla trap!

 

[HCJtractor]

I appreciate the replies. Most of you have just confirmed what I suspected anyway. I know it may shock some but, I am not a hunter even though I live in the country. I have nothing against those who do either. I gave up golf when I bought my sailboat and just don't have time but one hobby. I don't really have a suitable gun for this. I have a 40 cal S&W semiautomatic pistol and my wife has a 25 cal. I don't really shoot enough to be proficient. I may have to borrow a rifle from a friend to get this deed done.

Thanks,

Bob

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]

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]

Time for a little lead poison

 

[dmccarty]

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

 

[Bird]

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.

 

[Eagleview]

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]

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 .

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]

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.

Proof that you don't want to use a .22 LR on anything bigger than a rabbit

Make sure you use a bigger gun.

SWMBO would never understand killing a dog that was not harming anyone

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]

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...

 

[Bird]

.22 is not the prefered tool of choice unless you are a VERY skilled and practiced marksman

Yep, but .22 rifles and 12 gauge shotguns were the only guns in the family when I was 12 years old. And my own single shot rifle and double barrel 12 gauge were never brought into the house loaded. However, my Dad's .22 bolt action rifle was kept with the magazine loaded in the closet in his and Mother's bedroom. We lived right at the top of a hill and I just happened to be in the house when I saw those two dogs go trotting by on the dirt road in front of the house. So by the time I could go grab Dad's rifle and get out in the road (vegetation blocked the view until I was completely out in the road), and get a shell into the chamber, it was quite a long shot for a .22 with two dogs trotting directly away from me. And of course, I really have no idea how severely that dog was wounded. When she was hit, she yelped and spun around in a circle a couple of times, and I was running down the road to get closer while putting another shell in the chamber, and the two dogs turned and ran into the woods. I found several drops of blood, but then lost the trail. Maybe she died, maybe she recovered, but I never saw her again after that.

At a range of maybe half that distance, I killed two smaller dogs that were dumped on us, and of course that was with a .22. The .22 caliber pistols and rifles are quite adequate at short range. My dad, and others, routinely used a .22 to kill hogs and calves to slaughter for meat. And of course, as a police officer, I've seen a number of people that were killed with .22 pistols.

 

[tallyho8]

I'm old, what's "SWMBO" mean?

She Who Must Be Obeyed

 

[jimmyj]

Do you have any friends who are good marksmen or hunters? Maybe they could help you out.

 

[SailorBob]

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 .

We do in most of the cities. However, I live in an unincorporated area of Mobile County. You are on your own here.


My wife had an encounter with one of the pups again yesterday. It was near the house eating some cat food. She had it in her sights with her 25 pistol and was close enough to get it. The dog turned and looked at her. She said she then did not have the heart to kill it and just chased it off. Too bad I was not there. I would definitely dispatched it.

 

[dmccarty]

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 .

Some counties/cities/towns do have animal control. Some don't.

Even if there is an animal control department there is no guarantee that they will attempt to get the problem animal. And even if they do attempt it does not mean they will catch the critter.

One of the cities near me just had a women attacked by a rabid fox. Another rabid fox climbed a fence and bit a child at a day care center. The fox that bit the kid was caught. Animal control refused to try to catch the other fox. They said the home owner needed to pay a private firm to catch the fox.

Later,
Dan

 

[Bird]

Dan, it's changed now, of course, but 40-45 years ago in Dallas, the Animal Control people wouldn't even come out until the police had an animal caught and confined somewhere, so we were, in effect, the animal control folks. Now it's the other way around. By state law, the sheriff is responsible for loose livestock, in town or otherwise, and the City of Dallas Animal Control officers respond to any other complaints, while the police don't even respond unless the Animal Control officer requests their presence for his/her own protection.

 

[Sigarms]

So by the time I could go grab Dad's rifle and get out in the road (vegetation blocked the view until I was completely out in the road), and get a shell into the chamber, it was quite a long shot for a .22 with two dogs trotting directly away from me

If you don't know for certain you can make the shot, don't take the shot becuase you don't know where the bullet may end up (my dad taught me that and I have the sore rump to remind me).

She had it in her sights with her 25 pistol

Most likely a semi auto? Not exactly the most accurate firearm for over 21 feet.

 

[Eagleview]

I was up at the house one day and my partner was down at the laundry beside the shed which is about 100 yards down the slope . I heard her nervous voice saying "get away , shoo" , I ran to the window and was shocked to see a Dingo cross feral dog 10' in front of her and about to launch . She had picked up our little Fox Terrier and was holding it away . The Dingo was after him mainly , but if it knocked her over and attacked i would be to far away to get there in time . I had no choice and i know it was dangerous , i grabbed my .22 Magnum , lent against the window frame and aimed for it's chest . It yelped and ran about 70 yards and then dropped . Ive always thought they would steer clear of humans but i was wrong . It must have been the feral dog portion that made it so bold . He got relocated to Heaven .

 

[Bird]

If you don't know for certain you can make the shot, don't take the shot becuase you don't know where the bullet may end up (my dad taught me that and I have the sore rump to remind me).

I agree. But in this case, I knew I could make the shot. I did hit the dog I was aiming at, but of course, her rear end was all I had to shoot at. In the second place, even had I missed (very slim chance), I knew where the bullet would be. I was at the crest of a pretty steep hill, shooting down the hill on a dirt road, so I could see a long ways down that road and would not have shot if there had been anyone or any vehicle in sight. My Dad was the best shot I've ever known with a .22 rifle. As a matter of fact, in later years, I never knew him to miss with a 30-30, a .273, and a 30-06 either when he hunted deer in Texas and moose and caribou in Alaska. I started following him around, hunting small game when I was 5 years old, and got my own rifle and shotgun before I was 11. So, yes, he taught me and we hunted together sometimes.

 

[Frosty2]

Bang! and three more ought do the trick.If you get the Mom first the pups will be easy.Anything that can harrass and harm you should be taken out before they hurt you or your loved ones.