I have not read all this post. Was the dog actually trained to track wounded deer? Or was it just some out of shape lap dog he had for a pet?

Trained. Old hand at it, both the dog and the man.

Yep. Things have changed as city folks have moved to the country, good or bad.
Adios,
Gary

200%

I'm a landowner, and I don't understand the ultra-aggressive "get off my land" mentality some folks have. Neighbors routinely walk around my pasture for exercise, and it doesn't bother me a bit.

Let's be real: An old man with a deer tracking dog is completely different from a gang of hoodlums entering your land with ill intent. Thankfully, good judgment and common sense on the part of Creekrunner prevailed here. Sounds like Creekrunner might have made a new friend and got a good dog-tracking contact if he ever needs it. Win-win.

NC is one of those states. It only allows for one dog to be used in tracking a wounded deer and it must be on a leash, (No set requirement on how long the leash may be.) Plus, anyone in the act of hunting (I guess tracking a wounded deer could be considered as "hunting." ) must have written permission from the landowner to be on private property. Think about it for a few minutes, the leash requirement is for the safety of the dog! I don't know anyone that is going to shoot a dog on a leash. But a lot of hunters will shoot a dog chasing a deer. More than once I have seen a feral dog going for a deer and even had one that found my deer before I did and he didn't want t back off. Besides falling out of tree stands or flipping a ATV, feral dogs are the greatest danger to hunters in NC.
Good, bad or indifferent, that is the law.
Now just to mix things up. Hunting deer with a dog or dogs is illegal in Western NC, but you can use a dog to retrieve a wounded deer. Dog hunting is legal in Eastern NC and is even considered a tradition. It is legal to use a dog/dogs to hunt bear in Western NC. This year is going to be fun because it is the first year that deer and bear will have overlapping seasons.

It may just be me, but I think if your dog is smart enough to learn how to track a wounded deer, it should be smart enough to learn how to work with a long leash. OK. the dog found the deer. I found the dog and the handler is 500 to 1,000 yards behind. Will the dog bite me if I approach the deer?

As far as liability, it only takes one lawyer to think he can make a few bucks off a landowner to find yourself in court. Yes, you may win but you may not, either way it is going to cost you. Even if the case gets thrown out. There is a reason why landowners normally carry a liability insurance policy. I have two ponds and even a gold mine on my property, any shady lawyer will claim I didn't do enough to warn a trespasser about the dangers they may face.

>>>Texas Agritourism Act We do it better in Texas.

There were some mighty pissed off ol' boys when Texas finally stopped (legal) running deer with dogs. (Deep East Texas - big surprise. ) Yes, it's a tradition...several centuries old, from the old world.

I used to comment back and forth on another forum with a guy that hunts in Slovenia. His dog goes on every hunt and just sits with him in the hide (blind). Dog tracks the deer after the shot. No leash.

Edit: I just remembered - 'speaking of lawyers, John Edwards is from North Carolina. 'Isn't nary a mention of his little extramarital dalliance on his Wiki page.

Just read this thread, good on you Creek for the way you handled the situation.

Every situation is different for sure.