It’s become a barrel full of bad apples with one good apple in there somewhere, unfortunately.
It’s become a barrel full of bad apples with one good apple in there somewhere, unfortunately.
The problem is that the legislature has to decide what that is going to be in words. As soon as any restrictions get talked about, whether it's GPS collars, different or fewer dogs, acreage limits, training, etc., there's going to be push back.
I suspect many of the "good" clubs have a series of attributes that contribute to this that may be hard to reduce to words. Location is likely the hardest to describe. Having the luck of being in a club in a very rural area with few neighbors, or only neighbors that share similar views is going to be hard to put into law. Another is not having the types of hunters that disrespect other landowners on the regular. Careful curating of good members can help individual clubs, but DNR or the legislature cannot reduce that to text in laws or regulations.
What the legislature is going to have to do is continue to kick the can down the road or come up with some likely compromises. This has been simmering for a long time and is only going to get worse with the amount of development and breakups of large land holdings. Self-regulating isn't going to work now, nor is the dogs can't read signs thing gonna work. Most timber companies have prohibited dog hunting for deer as they are an easy well-heeled target, and more importantly, can usually quickly replace a hunt club with another. What's left is either going to have to decide to come to the table with something as refusing to do anything is likely to make it worse whenever the hammer eventually drops, and it will.
The constant influx of people ain't making this go away - just watch what you ask for with continued lower and lower taxes demands as well-off retirees that are tired of cold weather are seeking cheap (from their perspective) properties and they have the money to buy them up. They didn't grow up with the dog hunting tradition and likely don't care how they always did it round here... The public will decide what the answer is, right or wrong. May happen next year or in ten years, but it will happen eventually.
Either take the lead or get led.
I agree you or anyone else shouldnt have to deal with a hunt club allowing their dogs to be on land they don't have permission to be on. My pups aren't doing me a damn bit of good being off the property and I will do everything I can to make sure they aren't.
Obviously you and many others will have more impact on the decision that is made which is why I made the post earlier about pushing dnr to get out in the field and find the clubs that aren't the problem and see what it takes to fix the issues.
Dnr will break their neck to get deep in the creeks and swamps to catch someone shooting a duck so driving their truck to these clubs and participating and asking questions shouldn't be a problem.
Yes dog hunting land is getting harder and harder to come by. Another reason clubs should work harder to control dogs and have respect for adjacent land owners.
I will say this again acreage limits is NOT the fix.
Just requiring GPS collars won't fix it all either but using the GPS collars to train your dogs and being adamant you want your dogs on right property is the only fix.
Very few haven't went to GPS collars but that doesn't mean they have collar broke dogs.
I am all for having fines in place to keep dog men in place and technology with GPS collars aren't fail proof 100% but 99.9% dependable so is that .1% going to cause someone to have dogs out of hunt area at some point in time absolutely. I am speaking from experience here. Had a dog stolen due to this .1%. You can't keep a dog on the property if you have no tracking on it. (I am not making excuses for anyone to justify their dogs being off property just trying to educate ones that may not know.)
My experience goes back 14 years with collar broke deer dogs with using garmin tools to accomplish.
Still hunters and land owners that are having issues with dog clubs i hope you will take info provided from those of us that want it done right to preserve dog hunting and speak up as your voices will be heard louder than any dog hunter on the planet.
I keep thinking about last year. I had been waiting weeks for the weather, to get into a funnel that had a monster on camera for several days. The wind was finally right and all the cards were lined up. I drive to the farm and park on the paved road to walk in... as I am getting out, three walkers from 1/2 mile away cross the road and enter my property. I was waaaayy beyond mad. Then some yahoo drives up looking for his dogs.
On the drive back after not being able to hunt, I felt bad about how I verbally assaulted that guy... he seemed genuinely sorry but it ruined my hunt/day. This is just ONE instance that happens to ME 4-5 times a year. I'm sick of it.
"If there are no dogs in Heaven, then when I die, I want to go where they went."
Will Rogers
Porkchop13, the days of asking DNR to do a ride along are over, hard core dog hunters have had decades to step up and suggest sensible legislation to help preserve what they enjoy. Decades. They have not, dog hunting has changed and the rogues use today's technology so they can get in and get out of properties they have no right to be on. I see it damn near every saturday and randomly through out the week. SCDNR has done an incredible job for us and we have charged dozens of individuals over the past 10 years but the fines get split by the club in alot of instances and its always guests that get put on the fringe and tote the charges anyways. Its time for a real change with stiff, clear penalties. I also support penalties for people that make false reports. I dog hunted until i was in my 30’s but as the older generation started leaving the club things changed and it was easy to walk away.
Last edited by Whackumstackum; 07-18-2026 at 08:49 AM.
Killed my first deer in Holly Hill dog drives back in the 80's. Hunted up into the 90's down there killing a pile of deer. I'm afraid the old school dog drives are over. I saw it coming in the late 90's when all the "still hunters" were leasing up all the land. It's only gotten worse in the 2000's.
Not defending the dog hunters at all. If I was leasing or owned land and the dogs were running amuck my property, I'd be livid. With that being said I have deep roots and love for the dog hunting, but right is right and wrong is wrong. Keep you animals on your property!
Do deer dogs ruin a hunt more than coyotes, pigs, or hunting an ass backwards wind or nah??
I completely understand that folks don’t want dogs on their property, which I agree with.. I never want other peoples dogs on me, mainly because they don’t belong there.
But lord, they aren’t eating the women and children..
Again, I would much rather a dog club pressure deer on a neighboring property, occasionally getting on me, versus someone hunting 10 acres, 8 days a week, killing 8-10 bucks a year.
I would much rather have a dog club beside me, than a farmer paying people to help him shoot his depredation tags(and more) from March to August..
Trespassing dogs ain’t ever cool, but yall don’t clutch your pearls too tight, it ain’t healthy.
Natural Born Killer Prostaff - Killing Tomorrow's Trophies Today...
TFC -"Be tough or get tough"
Conservation Permit Holder #5213
These meetings mean nothing and are a waste of time.
The SCDNR will not make a recomendation.
The legislature makes the laws and are scared to rock the boat.
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Natural Born Killer Prostaff - Killing Tomorrow's Trophies Today...
TFC -"Be tough or get tough"
Conservation Permit Holder #5213
Natural Born Killer Prostaff - Killing Tomorrow's Trophies Today...
TFC -"Be tough or get tough"
Conservation Permit Holder #5213
Did anyone go to the first meeting? How did it go?
I wish I could breathe life back in him, if I could I'd hunt him again tomorrow. - Ben Rodgers Lee
www.springallurecustomcalls.com
https://www.facebook.com/springallure.customcalls/
I wish I could breathe life back in him, if I could I'd hunt him again tomorrow. - Ben Rodgers Lee
www.springallurecustomcalls.com
https://www.facebook.com/springallure.customcalls/
I guess nobody went. Should have had it in January while temperatures were still hot.
i think they should ban still hunting on the weekends and let the hounds run free from coast to the mountains Friday-Sunday. Let the still hunters have Mon-Thur...
except the week of thanksgiving and last two weeks of the season....no holding back the hounds
#nofences #nocollars #nofucksgiven #OObuckshot
A Nation of Sheep Breeds a Government of Wolves!
same song different verse. I wondered why i haven't heard complaints in nc but there are many it seems. Anywhere in this article you could change NC and SC and it would be the same story.
https://www.carolinajournal.com/tens...ers-over-dogs/
Last edited by centurian; 07-20-2026 at 01:56 PM.
I have two opinions on this.
1) for every ethical "good" dog club there are 3 sets of yahoos that will drop the tailgate on any piece of property they think there's a good deer on. I have a relative who's in a dog club and he even says sometimes we have to bend the rules to get dogs back or fetch up a wounded deer.
2) is there too much growth nowadays for this to even be a feasible hunting style?
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