Sorry Axeman I went a little 'rogue' there.
Like so many other things we deal with, some one always seems to want to muddy the waters with what ifs.
What if we allow a dog to accompany a big game hunter and the dog goes 'rogue' and randomly and wantonly starts running game animals and happens to run a deer into a skeg and the deer and it's whole family perishes from hypothermia? What if?
Sorry I'm doing it again, because it is so wrong headed. As I've said I've trained dogs and been around dogs my whole life. If I was hunting and my dog went rogue, he wouldn't get very far before he lied up from a severe lead infection.
If you have a dog that randomly chases or attacks things are you keeping the dog? It's just stupid.
When I hunt birds, my dog is under control. When I play with him in my yard he's under control. When my grandkids throw a ball for him, he'ss under control. Is my dog the only one 'under control' Of course not.
If you've ever hunted with a poorly trained or untrained bird dog you know what a PITA it can be. Are you going to take that meatball on a big game hunt?
We allow people to drive the freeway even though there is a chance they may break the law.
If we restrict our actions because allowing something may result in someone abusing it, then we better sit at home.
And yet again I ask for one incident where a dog accompanying a hunter ran wild and suddenly started chasing bears and bighorns, or killed a herd of deer for fun.
It doesn't happen, but we should prevent all hunters from having a dog go along on a hunt just in case. It makes no sense.
I see no reason for the dog to be leashed. I have dogs here that are in their teens who haven't had a leash on since they were puppies. If you want to have your dog on a leash while you are on a horse, then have at it. Try to get video.
I don't care one way or the other if dogs run game. We allow hounds to hunt cougar now. No leash. Sometimes many Km from the handler and yet we seldom see pics or hear reports of herds of bid game animals destroyed by roaming packs of cougar hounds. If it's leagl to chase game, fine with me. Been there had the hounds. it was a ton of fun. I'm not young and limber as I once was, so I wouldn't do it today.
I see no reason to put restrictions on the number of dogs. There is none now for cougar hounds, or beagles on rabbits.
If you don't want a pack of dogs chasing deer, then make it illegal and deal with those who may try to do it.
The person would have to be really stupid to have a pack of deer hounds if it was illegal to use them to chase deer. A lot of money tied up in decent dogs.