Yes, some of the methods used to break dogs from trashing were harsh before the E collars. Recall asking person I bought Belle from as a five month old, if he had any advice on trash breaking. He said he had loaded shot gun shells with rice, get someone on a stand in deer crossing and blast the dog ...

Yes Lawndog, things have changed. It was a cold rainy day had worked long shifts that week. Was not going to let rain stop me. Belle had proven she could tree coon bear and bobcat, threw her a couple younger females in the Nash, drove about 4 miles up river. Not knowing any better on foot started wa...

Lawdog, thanks for the kind words. We arrived in Coos Bay August 59, move to Powers just before Christmas 59. Folks found an old place think 40 a month rent. Roof did not leak, warmed by wood, mom was a very clean house keeper, expert at making place look good as possible. Remember the water & s...

Don/t remember Mom ever canning any meat. From the big gardens lots of things were canned. Remember as a small fry looking down those rows of corn, brothers & I hoed, thinking will I ever reach the end. The way that land claim system worked, The large coal owned the land, but they permitted folk...

The only hogs I ever seen butchered were domestic. In SW Va. dad would usually kill two in late fall, early winter. at that time lived in the woods in a small house, no electric, no indoor plumbing. The pork was salted and hung from ceiling joist in what they called the smoke, but I never seen any s...

Wow, 25 hogs in one day, that is a bunch. One good thing I see in hog hunting, one can eat the meat. The first bobcat I seen was treed by what I now call yard dogs, I was about 12 years old and we & those dogs were in a patch of large oak trees, red hot track and immediately treed in a large oak...

Thank you Beebout, it has given something to think about, in some very worrisome times. Was not sure if wife would make it for a few days, but thank God she is doing great. This gall surgery has me weak as a cat, but, walked a little last couple days. Not going to hunt ant hounds anytime soon, do st...

i arrived at Tom/s early AM for a Sunday hunt, Tom stated George had called, he had been trying to kill a bear that was killing not only his neighbors sheep, but also George/s sheep. George/s dogs were pretty beat up and ask if Tom would come help him kill that bear. I had never met George, but thru...

That is an interesting read on what you like in your hog dogs. The part about how you want your dogs to apply pressure, but do so with sense, fits the description Tom Barnett wanted in his bear dogs. Some may have not liked or been able to kill a bay bear with his type dog, but, Tom said anyone who ...

Hard for me to understand this catch dog business, but I know hog hunting would not have been for me. Good luck to you. Seems to me that knife killing would be very dangerous. Al

You are one tough man, never in my wildest dream would I attempt that with two good arms. You hog hunters are a special breed. Guess it must just be you like living dangerous. Take that 30-30 away from me and I would never got anywhere near a bay up bear. Here is another true story. Robin Sell &...

I don/t understand hog hunting, but it sounds dangerous to me. Clarence had a good reason for not wanting to turn those dogs for the second and third time. Days prior to that bear hunt he & Tom had gone thru several days of losing a couple dogs, then Tom would take a few dogs to hunt as they sea...

I did not mean for it to sound impressive. Those bay bear in this large rugged terrain were a lot of hard work and one needed to young, rested & in good condition. Seems I was young & in good health but, often not rested. But if you ran bear that just ran & treed & you had enough roa...

Yes Tom knew that terrain, but you would have to have been there to realize how far those dogs were from us when tom made the decision that bear was on the elk trail, and to realize what large track of area we are talking about. This next hunt took place one day when the dogs had been baying a mean ...

Interesting read. Gone are the good days in Oregon when bear were considered predators, no tag needed, no harvest limit, I was lucky to get in on the last few years of that. Now it is illegal to run bear with a dog unless you are federal wildlife specialist or government agent. Yet last I read there...