shooting over dogs

[Bar M]

WHAT IS YOUR OPINION. LIKES, DISLIKES,  AND PROBLEMS YOU HAVE HAD WITH IT.

[matt_aggie04]

I like it but the main reason I went to a catch dog is because I was losing hogs when they would bay in a thicket and I could not walk in close enough to shoot. I am talking about places where you are ten feet from the hog and can't see it.  I can send a bulldog in and from that distance and let them hold while I fight the last few feet to get into them. I also like catch and release and guns aren't real good for that. 

[BIG BEN]

 I dont like the idea at all, If I was hunting with fellas that did shoot over dogs my dogs would not be on that hunt. I tend to want my dogs gun shy, I dont train them to be but if they hear a gun shot I want them to head for the hills. Reason for this is if my dogs get on a pissed off farmers place that doesnt want any dogs on his place and he starts shooting I dont want them to stick around and lose my whole pack.

[BarrNinja]

I personally don’t have an issue with it. I shot hogs regularly for 10-12 years. With the right dog, weapon, and place, a single hunter can put a serious dent in the hog population. I will not hesitate to do it again when I have too.
The key to safety is simple.
Never get in a hurry, be 100% sure of your shot, and only “1” designated shooter. Multiple shooters are an accident waiting to happen in my opinion. An adequate weapon is also a must.  
I had and still have one dog trained to back away on command and I was always sure where my dog was at the time of the shot so I never really shot over my dogs.
The only accidents I know of in regards to shooting hogs was not being 100% sure of your shot and rushing it, inadequate ammo and weapons, multiple shooters and too many dogs.
What I like about it?.
Its perfect for solo hunting. Its also a proven way to really knock a dent in the hog population when I have to. Lastly, I don’t recall ever getting a dog cute when I was shooting due to the way I hunted them and never using more than two dogs during an outing. They can still get cute but I think it happens a lot less.
Dislikes?
I hate having to kill hogs in the hot weather by any means but that is the only way you will get one home when shooting.  
As social as I am, I don’t like anyone else but me shooting hog over my dogs other than a very few people that I trust. I have done it but it is very rare.
In other words, I get very anti social when I gun hunt. Hunting buddies will end up as spectators and hog draggers if they want to go with me..
I forgot to add that, for me, gun hunting at night with dogs is completely out of the question.

[TexasHogDogs]

Been doing it for years and  years never had a problem but I got to know you pretty dang good if you gonna shoot over my dogs.  Not just anybody is gonna do it with mine.  I dont mind using a catch dog here and there but my first love is let the dogs work lettem do there jobs watch a great bay for a while  and then sqeeze the trigger .  I do know what you mean when you get in a tight spot and cant see thats when the man comes out in ya !

[jsh]

I hunt only two baydogs and shoot over them quite often, especially in a bay with more than one hog. I started shooting over them last year and it has enabled me to kill twice the hogs.

[tanner handley]

i dont like it at all but some do and thats cool! but iv only shot one hog over my dogs and thats because we didnt have a cd and hog went over 4 but i no when we shot we found my dogs about 2 hours later clear across the country, and i like to catch and release so that dont work when ur shootin lol

[dub]

I am a very good shot but I will only shoot over a dog in an extreme situation. If I would shoot over a person I will shoot over a dog. If you have ever been shot over you know you are at the loud end of business. Personally I am with buckhunter1983 and want my dogs to run like a bat out of hell if there is shooting. I even try not to shoot over bird dogs but I only want bird dogs not to be gun shy.

[hogdoggerdude14]

That's how I do it but we don't shoot over dogs we wait till the dogs r clear of the hog then we shoot and a gun comes in handyfor a broke bay hog that crossed the road

[firemedic]

I shoot over my and my buddy's dogs as does he.....BUT, you have to be really handy with your weapon or you're going to get a dog hurt or killed. You must be able to shoot very quickly. I use an M-1 carbine...30 cal. for this, in my opinion this is the perfect firearm and cartridge for this since it won't shoot through a hog sideways if it's over about 80 lbs. I have a synthetic stock on the rifle so it's short and quite light and I can shoot it with one hand if need be. It will kill any hog that you run up on with one shot if placed correctly. We are required by the landowners to kill every hog we can, but we usually knife them if the dogs have 'em caught when we get there. I agree with the other guys that you must be very careful about the people that you allow to shoot over your dogs....this is imperative, but if your dogs are used to it, I see no problem with it......as with most things, a little common sense goes a loooong way.

[Eric]

I hunt both ways depending on the landscape. There are pros and cons to both styles. The term shooting over your dogs isn't real accurate in my opinion. I have yet to... nor will I... probably ever literally shoot over a dog. If the dogs are good and the hog is bayed they should be giving it a little room which is more than enough to shoot. Plus you are trying to ease your way up to the bay. You should have pleanty of time to stop, think, look, ect.


Oh ya.. no one but me shoots with my dogs.

[Bryant]

I did it for many years and killed countless hogs with a single dog and rifle.  Pro's and con's both ways.  I started hunting with a catch dog when I started tieing hogs and hunting at night...neither possible when shooting.

I had a rule that me and only me carried a gun.  Adrenaline gets high, things get tense and the last thing you need is shots flying all over.  Had a guy shoot the tail off a dog one time.

I will say that there are some things that everyone should learn that can only be learned through this method.  Easing in on a bay...taking your time...getting a shot...busting a bay to let the dogs stop the hog in a more desirable location.  I can always tell those people who have never hunted this way...they hear a bark and they grab catchdogs and go running through the woods like a maniac.

When I hunted this way, I shot 95% of the hogs I killed within 50 yards of where the dog first struck. 

[Cutter Bay Kennels]

I personally don’t have an issue with it. I shot hogs regularly for 10-12 years. With the right dog, weapon, and place, a single hunter can put a serious dent in the hog population. I will not hesitate to do it again when I have too.
The key to safety is simple.
Never get in a hurry, be 100% sure of your shot, and only “1” designated shooter. Multiple shooters are an accident waiting to happen in my opinion. An adequate weapon is also a must.  
I had and still have one dog trained to back away on command and I was always sure where my dog was at the time of the shot so I never really shot over my dogs.
The only accidents I know of in regards to shooting hogs was not being 100% sure of your shot and rushing it, inadequate ammo and weapons, multiple shooters and too many dogs.
What I like about it?.
Its perfect for solo hunting. Its also a proven way to really knock a dent in the hog population when I have to. Lastly, I don’t recall ever getting a dog cute when I was shooting due to the way I hunted them and never using more than two dogs during an outing. They can still get cute but I think it happens a lot less.
Dislikes?
I hate having to kill hogs in the hot weather by any means but that is the only way you will get one home when shooting.  
As social as I am, I don’t like anyone else but me shooting hog over my dogs other than a very few people that I trust. I have done it but it is very rare.
In other words, I get very anti social when I gun hunt. Hunting buddies will end up as spectators and hog draggers if they want to go with me..
I forgot to add that, for me, gun hunting at night with dogs is completely out of the question.

 I agree 100% with everything !

[Bar M]

how many people have ruined dogs by shooting over them. if anybody has, did the dog ever come around again?

[Eric]

How would you ruin them? You should be breaking them in slowly just like bird dogs or what ever else.

[BarrNinja]

I've never ruined one myself and am not sure how you could either.
I do know of some dogs that just never get over being gun shy but peronally have never ran across one.
I have had a few that got the habbit of running and trying to catch after the shot but that is the only thing I ever had a problem with.

Montana,
I had planned on tracking you and Katie down for a hunt this Spring but I ended up working right through it. If you guys hunt through the Summer and dont mind hunting with a trashy dog or two just let me know. I have some catching up to do.

[bulldogger]

The times I have done it we only used one dog at a time, with a backup dog in truck.  Dog had great handle and would stop runners and back up when told to bay.  Big rule was never to put finger on trigger until dog completely backed up.  This was in Florida and was more open.  I agree with someone above about it not being the best option in the thickets.  That Florida Cur my buddy had really impressed me.  It was nice because you really got to see how one dog could bay up good on different types of hogs.  It seems the way I have hunted in Texas the last 8 years we turn catchdogs loose from far out and rarely see a bay but is nice when we sneak up every now.

[coach]

I have had a few that got the habbit of running and trying to catch after the shot but that is the only thing I ever had a problem with.

This was the fun part walking in and seeing a hog that they should be able to catch. Sometimes would just put the gun into the dirt and fire off a round and watch them catch the hog. Those old dogs trusted the sound of a gun and caught immidiately after they heard the crack of a barrel.

[BarrNinja]

I have had a few that got the habbit of running and trying to catch after the shot but that is the only thing I ever had a problem with.

This was the fun part walking in and seeing a hog that they should be able to catch. Sometimes would just put the gun into the dirt and fire off a round and watch them catch the hog. Those old dogs trusted the sound of a gun and caught immidiately after they heard the crack of a barrel.

Well coach, a problem for some is just plain fun for others I guess. lol.

It wasnt really a problem other than just aggravating me for the most part.  If a dog is going to get cute in this situation its probably going to be after the shot on a big hog. It sure kept me on my toes with making the 1st shot count!
I have fired a shot or two in the ground for the very same reason on small hogs so I sure aint knocking it. I would just rather my dog not do it at all. I aint shot a hog in about 3 years so its not really a issue with me now a days anyway.

[cward]

I'm to lazy to skin a hog so I keep it alive until I get it to the kill plant!! They only charge $10 I figure it will cost me that in soap to get the dried blood off my hands!! LOL I also release alot of hogs so I figure if there dead then no good to me!! Have several friends who has hunting game ranchs give them the ones that we are not allowed to turn loose!!