Using unlimited packs of dogs to hunt wildlife doesn’t just impact the animals being pursued, it disrupts entire ecosystems and threatens the delicate balance of nature. Packs of hounds, often released deep into public forests, don’t discriminate in their chase.

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The Ripple Effect: How Deer Dog Hunting Damages Florida’s Ecosystem

Using dogs to hunt deer isn’t just a “tradition", it’s an invasive disruption to Florida’s delicate ecosystem. When packs of hunting dogs are released into the woods, the consequences extend far beyond their intended target.
 

1. Training Season = Cruelty Season

What most Floridians don’t realize is that deer dog hunting doesn’t just happen during hunting season. Hunters “train” their dogs year-round by releasing them on deer, often during the fawning season when pregnant does are most vulnerable.
 

• Chasing Expectant Mothers: Pregnant does, already stressed from carrying fawns, are run to exhaustion. This can cause miscarriages or weaken them to the point they can’t properly care for their young.

• Newborn Fawns in Danger: Fawns are born without scent and rely on their mothers for protection. When hounds chase a doe, her newborns are left behind — easy prey for coyotes or simply abandoned.

• Endless Stress: Training is not “once and done.” Dogs may be run daily, sometimes multiple times a day, meaning constant harassment of wildlife during the most critical months for population survival.

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2. Dogs Don’t Respect Species Boundaries

Hunting dogs can’t read hunting regulations. Once released, they chase whatever moves, including:
 

• Endangered species such as gopher tortoises or sandhill cranes.

• Non-target wildlife like wild turkeys, foxes, bobcats, and even bear cubs.

• Pregnant does or fawns that hunters are legally prohibited from killing.
   

Even if the dogs are eventually called off, the damage is done, animals are injured, exhausted, or separated from their young.

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3. Stress and Displacement

A single pack of hounds can:
 

• Drive deer and other wildlife miles away from their feeding and bedding areas.

• Force animals to cross roads and private property, causing accidents and conflicts.

• Increase mortality by pushing wildlife into unfamiliar or unsafe territories.
   

Stress from repeated chases can reduce reproductive success, weaken immune systems, and impact overall population health.
 

4. Habitat Chaos

When hounds barrel through wetlands, nesting grounds, or protected habitats:
 

• Ground-nesting bird eggs can be crushed.

• Native plant growth is disturbed.

• Sensitive areas are damaged.
   

This isn’t “management”, it’s chaos in our woods.
 

5. Collateral Damage to Other Conservation Efforts

Florida spends millions protecting threatened and endangered species. Allowing uncontrolled packs of dogs in these same habitats undermines:
 

• Bear conservation efforts.

• Recovery programs for threatened birds.

• Habitat restoration projects.

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The Bottom Line

Deer dog hunting is not just a threat to deer, it’s a direct assault on Florida’s biodiversity. Wildlife is a public trust, meant to be protected for all Floridians, not sacrificed to an outdated and reckless hunting practice.