SUMTER, S.C. — Deer hunting is a popular sport here in South Carolina, with the most recent South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) report showing almost 180,000 deer were harvested in 2022.
Some hunters have hunting dogs to help them, and there’s laws to protect these specially-trained animals. After a hunting dog was shot and killed in Sumter County late last week, social media posts have been circulating.
“I just don't understand how you just kill a dog that way,” the dog’s owner, Burt Causey, tears up. “Sorry about that. I just lose my cool. I get so mad. I don’t know how a landowner could take it upon himself to shoot a dog.”
Causey has been hunting deer for more than 50 years, starting at age seven. For the first time in his hunting career, Causey tells me his dog, Annabelle, was shot and killed.
“It hit me pretty hard you know,” Causey cries. “It's been a lot of stress on me and my family. The dog had my name and phone number on the collar, so all you had to do was call me.”
SCDNR confirms a hunter “admitted to shooting a hunting dog while deer hunting on his property.” It was determined that the dog was killed about six miles from where it had been released.
“We hunt a large tract of lines and sometimes the dogs will get across property lines. But I've got three other landowners that I dealt with that day. They called me,” Causey explains, acknowledging that his dogs were on the man’s property. “The nicest people here in Sumter, the Sumter area and I've dealt with multiple ones over the years. They're always glad to help in anyway they can.”
These dogs are not only an emotional investment, Causey says, but also a financial one.
“Myself and other hunters across the state have got an unbelievable investment in. I mean, this is 2023. Dog food’s not $10 for a 50lb bag,” Causey details. “It's anywhere from $70-90 if you’re buying the best food out there which we do.
On top of the food cost, Causey says the dogs are often expensive to purchase and take dedicated time to train.
Lewis Warr is an attorney planning to represent Causey in a civil suit against the shooter.
“Generally in historical senses, this isn’t the first time this has ever happened to a hunting dog around,” Warr explains.
According to Warr, there are two laws that protect dogs from instances like this.
One law prohibits the killing of animals in general. In another law, hunting dogs specifically are protected when it says, “a dog that has entered upon the land of another without permission given to the person in control of the dog shall not be killed, maimed, or otherwise harmed simply because the dog has entered upon the land.”
The maximum punishment is a $500 fine and 30 days in jail. In this case, Warr says the shooter received a $125 fine.
SCDNR does say the shooter was charged under was charged under 50-11-770 (D) for killing the hunting dog and has a court case pending for the misdemeanor. Ultimately, SCDNR tells News 19 that the final penalty will be left up to the judge, who can keep the fine as is or choose to adjust it.
“It’s an ongoing sport and I would like to see it continue on for our kids, grandkids, everybody else to enjoy,” Causey explains about why he wants to share his story. “But I really don't want to see any other dog men have to go through this.”
In a statement, SCDNR says it “supports legal deer hunting in South Carolina and the long-standing tradition of dog hunting.”
More information on rules and regulations can be found at dnr.sc.gov.