Wild Dogs Attack Hunter

Scott had 298 puncture wounds and lacerations and was sewn up in seven places after three dogs attacked him in Jackson County.

Editor’s Note: The below story about wild dogs attacking a man took place on Sunday, Jan. 15. The event was extremely traumatic for the victim’s family, and he asks that only his first name be used. However, he wanted to share his story with GON readers so that no one has to experience what happened to him.

Every deer hunter faces some degree of danger, but caution and common sense place the odds overwhelmingly in favor of the hunter.

Being mistaken for a deer by another hunter is one such fear, but the wearing of hunter’s orange virtually eliminates that chance. Falling from a tree stand is another possibility, but wearing a safety harness can turn a tree stand fall into an embarrassing story instead of a broken leg or even a fatality.

Being in any danger was the furthest thing from Scott’s mind Sunday, Jan. 15 when he got up early and decided to spend a little time in the Jackson County woods. That routine morning turned into a frightening life and death struggle.

“Once the gun season closed, I wanted to move a few of my stands to tweak everything for next season,” the 61-year-old said. “I rode my 4-wheeler in, and I took a ladder stand down. It was light, so I decided to just drag it by hand about 150 yards to where I was going to put it up.”

“Suddenly, three large dogs appeared, and they apparently had been attracted to the noise I was making in the woods.”

All three dogs were mixed—two of them with pit bull and the third one with German shepherd.

“One of them attacked me, and when it did, it triggered the other two, and they joined in,” he said. “They were attacking me from all sides. I was trying to keep them away from the inside of my legs where the femoral arteries are and away from my neck.

“I had nothing with me to fend them off. I was desperately grabbing sticks to hit them, but the sticks were decayed and kept falling apart.

“They kept attacking me for what seemed like 15 minutes. I was physically and mentally exhausted. I was trying to figure out what to do. I considered falling on the ground and rolling up in a ball and playing dead like you are supposed to do with bears. I considered screaming for help, but I knew no one would hear me. My 4-wheeler and my cell phone were 150 yards away, and I knew I would never make it there.

“I finally remembered that there was a tree stand nearby on an adjoining property. I found a good stick and was able to keep the dogs at a distance until I could get to that stand and climb up in it.”

In the stand, Scott was able to catch his breath, get his heart rate down and take the first good look at his wounds. He was in bad shape. He had punctures and lacerations on both arms and both hands, and from his waist down to his ankles. He needed medical attention immediately.

“I sat in the stand for about 30 minutes after the dogs left,” he said. “When I got down, they heard the rustling of the leaves under my boots. They came running back in.”

Scott rushed back up into the tree stand and waited another 30 minutes after the dogs left. This time, he purposely made a lot of noise to see if the dogs would return. They did not. He decided to head in the opposite direction away from his 4-wheeler and where the dogs had come from.

“I found a good stick, and I quietly tip-toed to a fence line that was about 60 yards away,” he said. “I climbed over the fence and then hiked about a half-mile through a cow pasture out to the highway.

“I stood in the middle of the road waving my arms and people were driving around me,” he said. “I knew I looked like hell, but dang, a couple of guys all alone in pickup trucks drove around me. You’d think they could have stopped at a distance, rolled down the window and asked if I needed help. It was obvious I needed medical attention.

“Finally, I decided somebody was going to have to stop, or run over me. A family on their way to church finally stopped. I told them what happened and told them I needed to go to an emergency room.”

Scott got in the car with them, and they took him to a nearby friend’s home, and they took him to the emergency room in Braselton.

“I got to the hospital, and they worked on me,” he said. “I had 298 puncture wounds and lacerations. I have no idea how many stitches they put in me, but I was sewn up in seven places.”

Scott was released from the hospital at about 4 p.m., and he went straight to the Jackson County Sheriff’s office. Deputies took his statement and called in animal control. Animal control learned where the owner of the dogs lived and went to the house to capture them for a 10-day quarantine period.

The quarantine ended on Jan. 25, and it was determined that the dogs were not rabid. The dogs’ owners asked animal control what should be done with the dogs. Animal control said the dogs should be euthanized. The owners agreed, and the dogs were put down, Scott said.

Meanwhile, Scott still faces a long road to recovery. A tendon in his hand was torn in half, and he will be undergoing hand therapy for some time. More than 50% of the puncture wounds and lacerations were in his legs. His legs are still so badly swollen that three weeks after the attack he is still wearing compression sleeves to help reduce the swelling. He believes he will eventually undergo physical therapy in his legs.

While the wounds should eventually heal, he said the mental scars may not.

“I am not sure how I will do when I try to go back in the woods the first time. I plan to wait until I am properly healed. I plan to go with someone the first few trips and plan to carry a pistol again, maybe even a shotgun with buckshot. I also plan to carry a collapsible, extendable baton and pepper spray. Seems like overkill, but I need to do whatever makes me feel comfortable again.

“I love being in the woods, and this attack has certainly had an impact on me psychologically/mentally. I just hope I can go out in the woods again and enjoy myself. Hunting and being in the woods is my No. 1 hobby.”

Scott said he did learn some lessons in the life-changing event that he’d like to pass along to GON readers.

“One thing I have learned is the top of a dog’s head (their skull) is very thick, and hitting them there has little impact. There is some good information on how to defend yourself in a dog attack at https://positively.com/animal-advocacy/dog-bite-prevention/what-to-do-when-a-dog-attacks.”

Scott will have to find a way to move forward with his hunting hobby, although he’s not sure how that’s going to play out just yet.

“If you have ever been put in a life-or-death situation, that doesn’t go away,” he said.