'We've been publicly threatened': Tensions rising between NC landowners and deer hunters with dogs

Content warning: Some viewers may find some of the footage in the above video disturbing.

The use of dogs to hunt deer dates back centuries, but urban sprawl and shrinking hunting lands increase pressure on the tradition.

The issue: Conflict over landowner rights. Just north of Raleigh, that conflict is rising.

Frustrated Franklin County landowners like Tony Stallings argue some deer dog hunters, not all, take away enjoyment of private property.

"We like to get out in the woods and just enjoy peace and quiet and nature. And that’s just not happening when you have dogs howling and barking going through the woods," he told WRAL Investigates.

According to the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, North Carolina counties are split on dogs hunting for deer. From the west into Wake and Johnston counties, it’s banned. Most other eastern North Carolina counties still allow it.

Hunting clubs can release packs of hounds to chase deer onto land where hunting is allowed. The problem is the hounds often run onto nearby land where they aren’t welcome. According to North Carolina, people can trespass, but dogs can’t.

That doesn’t sit well with hunters like Connie Jo Hutchinson, who doesn’t rely on dogs.

"Even though I’m on someone’s private land where I have permission to sit, it doesn’t matter because the dogs are going to come in and ruin that hunt, because they’re on private property they’re not supposed to be on and don’t have permission to be there," Hutchinson told us.

Cell phone video posted on social media shows dogs closing in on an exhausted deer. In other videos, hunters wait on the side of the road for dogs to push deer to them. Stallings said that's a public safety concern.

"They can shoot down a public road at a deer," he said. "I mean, that’s just insane."

Felix Allen owns more than 1,000 acres. Allen said he has signs posted everywhere to keep his land private, but it’s not enough. He looks to local leaders to fix the problem.

"The county commissioners have got a responsibility to protect the citizens from nuisances and danger and they need to step up and do it," Allen said.

WRAL Investigates tried for weeks to get the perspective of deer dog hunters. We reached out to clubs, associations, their social media, even their lobbyists. Everyone declined to go on camera and only pointed us to their code of ethics which sets guidelines to respect property rights and a state Constitutional amendment that preserves their hunting heritage.

Much like those signs warning people of private property, Stallings feels a code of ethics won’t stop the problem.

"There are some great people in those clubs who really try, but like the saying goes 'it only takes a few bad apples to ruin the bunch,'" Stallings said.

Potential solutions include requiring larger tracts of land for deer dog hunting, mandatory GPS tracking collars or restrictions on hunting beside the road. State and local leaders have considered many of the options over the years, but there’s still nothing on paper to keep the hounds in check.

There have been confrontations, so several landowners would only talk to us anonymously. One person describes the reaction from hunters that got personal.

"We’ve been publicly threatened," the person said. "My kids' pictures have been posted. My businesses have been attacked."

And we’re not talking just verbal confrontations or issues. One Warren County case is still pending in court after a property owner shot some dogs after they attacked and killed his sheep.

A hunter is now charged with assaulting the landowner, which is just another sign this conflict between human, dog and nature isn’t going away.

Just nine states, including North Carolina, Virginia, and South Carolina, still allow deer dog hunting.

Landowner groups keep pushing lawmakers for more restrictions while deer dog hunters work to preserve their tradition.