Legal Definitions - dog-draw

Dog-draw is a historical legal term originating from medieval English forest law. It described a specific offense related to illegal hunting within royal forests. An individual was considered to be committing "dog-draw" when they were apprehended while actively tracking a deer by its scent, with a hound on a leash in their hand. This act of "drawing" or leading the dog along a scent trail was considered clear evidence of an attempt to poach.

Here are some examples illustrating the concept of dog-draw:

• Imagine a game warden in a 14th-century royal forest. He observes a man deep within the woods, holding a leash attached to a lean hunting dog. The dog's nose is pressed to the ground, intently following a faint trail, clearly pulling the man along by the scent of a deer that recently passed. The warden apprehends the man on the spot. This scenario perfectly illustrates dog-draw, as the man was caught drawing (leading) his dog by scent after a deer, indicating an intent to poach.

• A local villager, desperate for food, ventures into the King's protected forest with his trained tracking dog. He keeps the dog on a short lead, encouraging it to pick up the trail of a stag. As they move quietly through the undergrowth, the dog suddenly tenses, its nose twitching, and begins to pull the villager in a specific direction, indicating it has found a fresh deer scent. At that moment, a passing forest official observes the villager actively guiding his dog along this scent trail. The official arrests the villager for dog-draw, as he was clearly engaged in tracking deer with his hound.

• During a routine patrol, a forest keeper discovers a man near a known deer crossing. The man is holding a leashed hound, which is intently sniffing the ground and pulling towards a thicket. Although no deer is immediately visible, the dog's behavior and the man's posture indicate he is actively allowing the dog to lead him by scent. This immediate apprehension, based on the clear act of tracking with a leashed dog, would constitute dog-draw under historical forest laws, demonstrating the intent and action of poaching.