A Question For The Dog Hunters

aya28ga

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Last Spring we had 40 acres of 15 year old growth commercially cut; the crew just came in one day and cut about 80% of the trees and left them lying on the ground, trees in size of about 1-4'' in diameter.

The result is a jackstraw maze of trees lying on the ground, ranging in height from knee to waist high. There's some bare spots but they're few and far between, and a human can't easily walk through it (I've tried). There is one foot path about 2-3 yards wide running through the middle of it that we intentional kept open so that we could get to the creek.

My question is: will the hounds that the local area hunting club run willingly go into that mess? I know the deer are going into it, so I guess a dog could follow too. Just wondering how often this season a dog is going to get stuck in it and can't get out.
 

wildcat3

Twelve Pointer
Contributor
Wont happen. Some of the place they can get in and out of will surprise you, not just in the woods but in the dog lot too ! I've had dogs get out before and look at the hole in the wire or under the fence and wonder how in the world a full size male hound fit through that hole. Said the same thing in some nasty cut overs on the Pee Dee River. Bodies of water will hang a dog up many more times than thick brush will. We used to have dogs swim the river after deer a couple of times a season. When they were excited and running the deer they had no problem jumping in and swimming the river but after they were tired and there was no exceitment in swimming back across they'd lay down or wonder around until we came around to pick them up. Seen them do the same thing in big swamps, get hung up on a little dry spot and have to walk in and get them after dark but in all my years of hunting with dogs I've never seen one get hung up in a cu tover or thicket.
 

jug

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
All 3 replies are right as rain. I would add that a pack of 'strong dogs' will run a deer thru that mess in a skinny minute. ;)
as those old timers would say!
 

aya28ga

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Fair enough!

Guess I know where I'll be sitting with a shotgun on Saturday........
 

shotgunner

Ten Pointer
If deer will go there.....so will good dogs. Actually sounds like a great place to be. Especially if you could find a spot to get a little elevated. Always shot my biggest deer in thicker areas, dog hunting and still hunting.
 

gregor187

Six Pointer
It has been my experience that the deer dont really like to run in it either with the dogs
behind them . However if the deer goes in the dogs will follow.
If you have thick cover nearby I would not be suprised to hear they will take the dogs there first.
 

Southside

Ten Pointer
Two passes with dozer down that 3 yard wide path and that would be the place to watch when dogs are running (or probably any other time)
More to the point of your question though I could possibly see the dogs and deer running in that stuff for long periods of time.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk
 

aya28ga

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Two passes with dozer down that 3 yard wide path and that would be the place to watch when dogs are running (or probably any other time)
More to the point of your question though I could possibly see the dogs and deer running in that stuff for long periods of time.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

Eventually that's the plan, to widen that path down the middle. We already have a bulldozer trail running along the the North & East side edges of it.
 

bshobbs

Old Mossy Horns
Watch for the first day when the deer enter and exit the woods. Then adjust your stand site for the next time.
 
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