TrackingDogs Message Board: Tracking in VA -- Conversation with a Game Warden

Tracking in VA -- Conversation with a Game Warden

Posted by broadhead on January 1, 2008, 5:16 pm

Just before Christmas, I posted a question regarding why it was illegal to use a tracking dog in VA. My original post is copied at the end of this message.

I took the advice received and contacted one of the game warden's responsible for my county. In his view it is legal to use a leashed tracking dog to recover a deer. In his view this is not hunting. The prohibition associated with using a dog (where applicable) relates to hunting deer and not recovering deer. The game warden did indicate that hunting is not defined specifically in the regulations and indicated that some could take a different view (but those where I hunt are all on the same page). I have his name in case I ever run into trouble. His key points were: 1) Make sure you are following all of the other game laws (e.g. permission to recover if the deer is not on your land), not carrying a weapon where it is not legal to hunt with dogs.

Hope this helps. As always, I try to do the right thing and would be interested in any comments that would refute this statement as I have heard on numerous occasions that it is not legal. However, I have never found anything in the regulations to prevent and my conversation with the game warden confirmed my reading of the regs.

I have heard that using a tracking dog in VA is illegal. Could someone please explain why to me. It is legal to run deer with dogs in VA during the gun season (at least parts). The only thing I see in the regulations is that it is illegal to use a dog to pursue deer during archery season. Why does this make it illegal to track a wounded deer without a bow or weapon? Or why would it be illegal to track during gun season when you can run deer with dogs. I am sure I am missing something here so it would be great if you could point me in the correct direction.