Hypothetical Bear Questions????

[AZHUNTER05]

I think it would almost be impossible to not know if a bear was being chased by hounds. If you were to shoot the bear, you're guaranteed to have a confrontation with an angry houndsman. At the tree, the dogs are tied up for their safety, an injured bear presents a big problem. If you wound the bear while the dogs aren't tied up, it can lead to disaster. Trust me, you don't want to face a houndsman if he feels you're responsible for the death of his dogs

 

If you go the other way and show some courtesy (and you have a tag in your pocket), you never know, they might let you take the bear.

 

You make it sound like the houndsman owns the bear?

[War7664]

Nope, that's not what I meant....semantics...how about "if you show some courtesy, the houndsman wouldn't object and would probably help you with the bear."

 

All I'm saying is, if you shoot a bear that's being chased by hounds, expect problems....go back to the story about the guy getting locked in his dog box. Those hound guys are pretty passionate people.

[Snapshot]

If I knew that someone was running a bear, I would back off and not shoot. They did the hard work to find and trail it. I wouldn't want someone to do that to me.

[Flatlander]

Ok so here is the inverse question: If a houndsmen comes to run his dogs in a location where bears are known to water, and there is an archery hunter sitting water, should he refrain from running the dogs? Here is another: If a houndsmen is hunting a unit where an early rifle bull hunt (or any hunt) is taking place and when he gets to the locale where he would like to start his dogs, there is the truck of someone hunting elk, is it ethical to release a bunch of barking dogs in a spot where it may ruin another's opportunity? I am not against hounds or houndsmen I just thought it would be fun to talk about the opposite situation. Please don't lock me in a dog box.

[ThomC]

Are houndsmen so stupid that they would risk going to jail for assult or kidnapping for a bear?

[AverageJoe]

Houndsmen are just like any other group of hunters IMO. There are good ethical ones and bad ones. Plenty of deer and elk hunters are stupid enough to risk jail time over a deer or elk.

[HD Trophy Hunts]

This is a valid question and a situation that comes up more often than people think. As a hound hunter, the safety of my dogs is my #1 priority. We raise, train and breed our dogs and while I know some guys think of them as tools, to a lot of us they are part of the family. If one of my dogs was shot, I would be out for blood. Personally, I spend more time in the woods with my hounds than most people spend with their children. A pack of hounds is a lot like a team of basketball or football players, you've got your superstars, your role players your promising youngsters, losing any part of that team can really set a guy back.

 

If a guy is looking at a bear and hears dogs coming and when the bear takes off decides to shoot, I have no problem with that situation as long as it does not put my dogs in harms way.

 

If my dogs have run a bear to someone and the first time they lay eyes on it it's on the run, lead better not fly. Pursuing is considered "taking" to game and fish. It's no different than an elk hunt, you're sitting there glassing and you see a couple guys trying to sneak in on a bull one guy shoots and the bull runs away from him 200 yds across the hill you're looking at, do you shoot?

 

I know there are some ignorant dog owners out there that don't care about others but not all of us are that way.

 

As for flatlanders question, yes, last year I was bear hunting while an archery elk hunt was going on. We had been after a big bear, he had been hitting water regularly drove to one of the tanks he had been hitting and the dogs exploded got out found his track sure enough it was him. Only there was an elk hunter sitting in ground blind on the other side of the tank. I didn't see him because his quad was hidden. We got in the truck and drove away. He was there first. I know this is not always what happens but my opinion is we have enough problems to deal with out there as hound hunters, every do-gooder and tree hugger out there thinks our dogs are too skinny, malnourished and poorly treated we don't need to create problems with other hunters. What it comes down to is respect. I respect you and your way of hunting, I hope that you will respect mine and I will treat you as I wish to be treated.

 

Mike

[Snapshot]

This is a valid question and a situation that comes up more often than people think. As a hound hunter, the safety of my dogs is my #1 priority. We raise, train and breed our dogs and while I know some guys think of them as tools, to a lot of us they are part of the family. If one of my dogs was shot, I would be out for blood. Personally, I spend more time in the woods with my hounds than most people spend with their children. A pack of hounds is a lot like a team of basketball or football players, you've got your superstars, your role players your promising youngsters, losing any part of that team can really set a guy back.

 

If a guy is looking at a bear and hears dogs coming and when the bear takes off decides to shoot, I have no problem with that situation as long as it does not put my dogs in harms way.

 

If my dogs have run a bear to someone and the first time they lay eyes on it it's on the run, lead better not fly. Pursuing is considered "taking" to game and fish. It's no different than an elk hunt, you're sitting there glassing and you see a couple guys trying to sneak in on a bull one guy shoots and the bull runs away from him 200 yds across the hill you're looking at, do you shoot?

 

I know there are some ignorant dog owners out there that don't care about others but not all of us are that way.

 

As for flatlanders question, yes, last year I was bear hunting while an archery elk hunt was going on. We had been after a big bear, he had been hitting water regularly drove to one of the tanks he had been hitting and the dogs exploded got out found his track sure enough it was him. Only there was an elk hunter sitting in ground blind on the other side of the tank. I didn't see him because his quad was hidden. We got in the truck and drove away. He was there first. I know this is not always what happens but my opinion is we have enough problems to deal with out there as hound hunters, every do-gooder and tree hugger out there thinks our dogs are too skinny, malnourished and poorly treated we don't need to create problems with other hunters. What it comes down to is respect. I respect you and your way of hunting, I hope that you will respect mine and I will treat you as I wish to be treated.

 

Mike

 

Well said Mike. You hit the nail on the head. It's all about respect.

 

Too many people come up with, too many, "What if " scenarios.

 

I for one don't want to put myself in any situation that would create a serious conflict with a houndsman, or another hunter. There is not a man alive that is going to make me get into a "dogbox", and humiliate me in that manner. It would end up in bloodshed, for one, or both, of us. And I sure in the heck ain't going to jail over it. Somebody has some serious psychological issues to do something like that in the first place. Bear, or dogs, are not worth it.

[COUESAZ]

Well said Mike. Nice Video you posted up today of the guy hunting with a handgun and looked like maybe his son had a Rifle to fill his Tag. Nice Bear for sure. Love the part that you got of you guys helping your dogs keep the bear up the tree. Atleast when he bailed he treed right up again.

[COUESAZ]

Oh I see you posted it on here also. I watched it on Facebook.