I shot a pitbull yesterday morning with my bow. Story is the first answer. Make sure you read it before posting anything under

[007]

This usually turns into a lose/lose proposition. Granted, you have to protect yourself, but you might have to contend with a vengeful neighbor later that either doesn't belief that his beloved Rover was threatening you or else doesn't care what you say and like Wam said, intends to take it out of your hide. Too, I doubt you'd be able to prove intent on the part of the dog if it came to legal action. Just ugly all the way around.

[lovetohunt]

WAM,

Again, I didnt shoot the dog for chasing deer. I shot the dog because it was coming at me in attack mode, gowling,snarling,hair standing up on his back, the whole 9 yards. At that point I don't care about the law, I got to protect myself.

I feel I have every right in the world to shot a dog that is about to attack me. And I don't see how anyone could not shot the dog in my situation.

[OutdoorEnvy]

I would have done the same thing. I don't have sympathy for people who let their dogs run wild and do whatever they want. Where their dog is and what it's doing is their responsibility...and so are the consequences of the dogs fate.

[Sarge01]

In WV only the Natural Resource Police can kill a dog for chasing deer. A person has a right to protect himself from vicious dogs. If the owner comes calling he has the right to protect himself there too.

[WA Mtnhunter]

I don't think it is your responsibility to shoot any dog that chases deer. Livestock is another matter entirely.

You might be lucky if your neighbor doen't come down and rip one of your arms off and beat you to death with it for shooting his dog.

If it was coming at you in attack mode, you have every right to defend yourself. As a matter of fact, I carry a handgun while running my dogs at the reserve to protect them against pit bulls and the like belonging to gang bangers and other irresponsible types. I would caution all you sportsmen against taking the law into your own hands when it come to another man's dawg. Folks have been kilt for lots less.

[fish hunt kid]

I'm guessing that I had to be there to feel the emotion of it all and considering all the answers, you did the right thing. It's hard to do stuff other peoples or your pets (if at all was a pet) and not think about it everyday. I could never kill a coyote because they look so much like dogs. I had to make a really hard decision to put down my cat or not. The reason was because he had butt cancer (go ahead and laugh ) and he couldn't go to the bathroom.

[davycrockettfv]

Not a good situation at all. I don't envy your position, but from what you've said I think you did the right thing, especially by not shooting until you felt threatened. The fact that it was running deer helps establish a pattern of behavior and paints a picture of a dog obviously not making the woods a safer place.

[ishawooa]

Absolutely right. Any dog that chases my horses will get shot if I can hit them. Any dog that chases deer will either be killed by a responsible citizen or most certainly by a Wyoming Game Warden. Some things cannot be tolerated even in today's liberal America. In my dad's youth no one would have even given this a second thought. The fact is the irresponsible owner is the problem rather than the dog but he will most likely suffer very little.

[tom donohue]

Well done! I would like to shake your hand.

[country road]

My opinion is that you absolutely did the right thing.

[lovetohunt]

Clarification:

I did NOT shoot the dog because it was running deer. Thats what some dogs like to dog, they can't help it. That is no reason to shoot a dog.


I shot that dog because I felt threatend, and I was pretty positive the dog was about to attack me real good because the deer it was chasing went the opposite way of me.

[Jim in Mo]

Coop is correct. But you need to, or should have reported the neighbors and their dog to your county agent. What will happen if the dog survives and goes home? You'll look bad, or criminal, and liable. Contact Cons. Dept. next time. You really have no right to take the law into your hands as bass bomber insinuated.
I do understand your feelings however.

[pbshooter1217]

Better keep this to yourself, I learned from experience. Where do you think pbshooter came from?

If there's isn't a leash law or something like that you can still get in trouble for doing the right thing.

[lovetohunt]

scrawford, the owner has been contatced.

And Clay,

I thought about keeping this to myself. But I figure if this helps even one person who is in a remotely similar situation down the road (whether they be hunting like I was or just say going for a walk through the woods), it was worth the post.

[Clay Cooper]

I would of kept this story to myself.

Food for thought