Many hunters frown on hunting deer with dogs, yet this YouTube video shows a true depiction about what it’s like. Years ago, I was invited to participate in a dog hunt for deer and it was truly an experience I’ll never forget.
It’s About the Habitat
Hunting with dogs is akin to hunting from towers in Texas. In both locations, the terrain and habitat are nearly unsafe for humans to tread. Expect to find plenty of snakes, ticks, and other critters that few humans want to face. Since most hunters won’t or can’t slide through nasty dense swamps where deer hide out, they send dogs to do the driving.
Akin to NASCAR
After my first deer hunt, I had a new understanding of a “deer truck.” Once the dogs begin to bay, an indication they had jumped deer, the race is on to get in front of them. Sometimes deer travel trails where hunters wait from tree stands, yet like big bucks everywhere, mature bucks don’t follow a pattern and hunters scramble to get a shot.
Shotguns Reign
Because dog hunts often involve dense swamps where visibility is low and deer are often taken on the run, shotguns and buckshot are the gear of choice. Hunters often choose to watch small clearings and open patches where they can shoot out to 50 yards. Check it out:
