Woods Walking

[Winter Hawk]

I often walk in the woods behind Chauncey, letting my dogs run free.  I have done this at least once a week without any problems, often more, since we came to Ohio.  Yesterday I was on a ridge where I met a younger man who was all camoed up carrying a crossbow, high tech pack with quiver on the side etc.  He saw the dogs and me and walked off.  Later I was on a trail heading home when I saw him up ahead 100 yards, and he saw me.  He then yelled that I had to keep my dogs leashed, that it is a requirement of the Forest Service unless you're hunting, and that he had spent $100 for something which I didn't catch. I replied that I had been doing this for 14 years and wasn't going to quit now at which point he walked on.

When I got home I thought this over and called the Wayne N.F.  They confirmed that they have the same rules that the Ohio Fish & Wildlife Dept. has.  I then called DNR and asked them about it.  The person I talked to said the rules were that dogs have to be on a leash except when they are being exercised, hunted with or trained.  I said I would be legal if I were carrying a firearm and he agreed that I would be hunting.  The caveat is that the dogs need to be leashed from May 1 to September 1 for the nesting season.

So, I will be wandering through the woods with the dogs as before (except for nesting season) but carrying the Hodgepodge rifle.  I may even take a couple of shots to let everyone know that I'm hunting!

Last year the Baileys Trails were constructed for mountain bikers and hikers, right where I have been taking my woods walks.  These trails are packed one on top of another so they can get as many miles in as they can within a couple of square miles of land.  I imagine the folks out there on their bikes will get quite a charge out of hearing someone shooting in the same area!   

~Kees~

[Sjfriend]

Don't know about there but a lot of states have laws saying people can't interfere with someone legally hunting. And someone could argue that if they are hunting an area and someone let's dogs (kids, whatever, lol) run free they are interfering with a hunt. The fight would be if they are "knowingly" interfering. That's a problem big problem with areas that have long seasons as someone could almost always be hunting??

[JB67]

Just because you've been doing it for 14 years doesn't make it legal, especially if you're on land where permission from the owner is required.

Claiming you're hunting is fine and dandy if you have a hunting license. If not, you face more problems than just getting caught by Fish & Wildlife in the woods with dogs and no guns.

[Winter Hawk]

I have 14 years worth of hunting licenses, turkey tags and deer tags for Ohio.  I make my annual donation to the State Fish & Wildlife but haven't been out hunting in earnest in ten years or so.  If I'm on the National Forest I'll carry a gun; otherwise I can be exercising the dogs.....

~Kees~

[Doc Nock]

This is another INTERESTING read for me being only 6 yrs here in NE Tn... I had an unnerving experience hobbling out to my small garden plot and turned to see 2 dogs between me and my back deck and access door... when I turned to return to the house, one started barking at me...

I proceeded to move toward it as it and the other dog moved toward my good closest neighbor and then I continued to move toward the animals till they were back on another neighbor's property where they lived...

I contacted my Fish and Wildlife friend who told me that ALL of TN has a Dog on Leash law UNLESS it's hunting season (bear hunters use dogs here)...

HE advised me to contact local animal control, who verified that there is a leash law and asked where the dogs were, I eschewed to report it hoping to resolve in locally without interference... Shortly I contacted the Good neighbor and he was home sitting out on his covered back deck and said a govt truck had stopped and gone to the house where the errant dogs live (but I did NOT rat them out) and raised hell as the woman was home, she came out after and the dogs havenr been loose without someone in attendance since...Suits me...

At my age, I do not wish to get dog bit!  I do not care about leashing dogs or not but I don't need them on MY Property being aggressive... the Possum Cop told me if I'm forced to shoot or feel threatened make sure they're DRT...

I love meeting friendly dogs when out anywhere but don't need aggressive ones on my small property barking and snarling at me... I don't know those 2 dogs... I do know the Good Neighbor's 2 li'l ones and we get along fine

[Winter Hawk]

I agree on not letting the dogs run loose without the owner being there and having them under control.  Mine are when I'm out with them; I don't let them get more than 50 yards away at most and when I see people I bring them to heel.  I fenced off the back yard so they can't run off.  If they start to bark I'm right on them to stop it so the neighbors aren't bothered (unlike the neighbors who let their dogs bark unceasingly).    And when I'm walking with them in town the dogs are at heel or on the leash.  I've received many compliments on how well behaved they are so figure I'm doing something right.

Anyway, i'm drifting off of the point I wanted to make, that I have a reason to carry a rifle or shotgun when I'm in the woods with the dogs. 

~Kees~