Warnings given about dealing with feral canines

Sat, May 17 2008

— Last Thursday I went out to my deer lease just north of Deweyville to do some scouting and move one of my bow stands within shooting distance of a fresh deer trail I found about 100 yards behind it.
The pin oaks are starting to shed their acorns like crazy and the deer are responding by changing their feeding habits and travel routes. If there is one thing I have learned about early season bowhunting, it is that hunting natural food sources is the key.
When I came upon one of the gates on the lease, I got off my four-wheeler, dug out my keys and proceeded to push it open. All the while, I am hearing the sound of a dog barking out in the brush.
It did not surprise me because people are always dumping off dogs in this area and occasionally hog hunters will lose their dogs and they end up wandering the roads. However, these barks didn’t sound too friendly.
After locking the gate behind me, I slowly started down the road, when I heard intense barking and growling and then the site of a brown and white pit bull charging from the brush in front of me.
The animal was about 60 yards away but I could tell from its demeanor, the animal meant business with its ears peeled back and body language telling me something bad was about to happen.
Luckily, I had my permitted concealed handgun, a .45, on me, drew it and shouted at the dog to no avail. At this point, the dog had closed the gap to about 40 yards so I fired off a round in the dirt in front of it. I knew my gun was not accurate at that range so there was no point in trying to make a killing shot.
The dog stopped and then calmly walked back into the bushes where it came from.
I stood there for a second not quite believing what had just happened and then I realized that my gun had jammed. If I had needed to fire a second round to defend myself, I would have been in serious trouble.
I turned around, went back through the gate and used an alternate route to get where I was going after unjamming the gun.
The dog was thin and obviously hungry but I had no plans on becoming its next meal. There is no doubt someone dropped off that dog which had no collar and looked quite unhealthy despite its attempted attack on me.
The presence of feral dogs in the wild lands of America is becoming an increasingly large problem with numerous deaths attribute to them in recent years. Back in the 1970s, my father Chester Moore, Sr. and his friend Vick Blum, both of Orange were chased by a pack of wild dogs in the marsh near the Port of Orange.
“They were gaining on us and I picked up a stick and threw it at the lead dog. When I hit it, the dog stopped and they turned around and left us alone. I just think someone was watching out for us that day,” Moore, Sr. said.
Geooutdors.com has a great article on dealing with feral dogs that includes the following chilling information.
• Feral dogs differ markedly from domestic dogs in their behavior toward people and may actually attack without provocation. Further, these dogs have been known to eat their victims unlike domestic dogs.
• Feral dogs usually do not have a fear of humans, and many will display highly aggressive behavior during encounters with people.
• They often travel in packs and, like wolves, may have rendezvous sites and dens. Travel routes to and from these sites may be well defined and tempting for you to use as an access trail to a work area.
• They are usually adept predators since their very existence demands the ability to feed themselves.
Texas Fish & Game editor and American Man-Killers author Don Zaidle said that dogs are statistically speaking the most dangerous animals in the world.
“There are plenty of instances of people’s pets turning on them but feral dogs are particularly dangerous and people traveling in areas where they are common should take precautions. They are a truly dangerous animal to encounter,” Zaidle said.
Some people dump off dogs because they think they are doing them a favor instead of bringing them to the pound, but in most instances, the dogs die of starvation or heartworms in short order. The ones that survive make packs and pose a threat to not only man but also livestock and wildlife.
And with the sick sport of dog fighting more popular than ever, I have noticed more pit bulls and other aggressive breeds running stray. I assume those are likely dogs that didn’t make the cut and were turned loose instead of given the Michael Vick treatment or maybe some of them are just escaped pets.
When that animal gets into the wild and becomes feral it is a legitimate threat to the public and those owners proven to let these dogs loose should be held accountable for their actions.
There is no greater lover of dogs than me, but even I must admit they are not all man’s best friend.
(To contact Chester Moore, e-mail him at cmoore@fishgame.com. You can hear him on the radio Fridays from 6-7 p.m. on Newstalk AM 560 KLVI or online at www.klvi.com.)

Photos

Feral dogs whether they are pit bulls like the one encountered by the author or Labradors can become highly aggressive especially when they run in packs. Feral dogs differ markedly from domestic dogs in their behavior toward people and may actually attack without provocation. Further, these dogs have been known to eat their victims unlike domestic dogs. The Orange Leader