trinaing my hounds for bear

[tj54982]

hi there,

looking for a few tips for training by hounds to hunt bear. i am fairly new to this, and had some success last year. i need more training advice.

i have 2 plotss, one is 2, and the other is 1.

i also have a blue tick who is 5.

they come from good stock, but need work. what can i do in the off season to help train them. i dont have a good start dog. my older plott has started tracking some, but needs work.
lots of coon here, but am scared to start running coon as there are lots of coon ob baits too. what about using a drag scent to get dog tracking, any ideas. let me know if anyone has some advice for me and thanksalot!!!!

munsch hunting group, tj54982

[graham]

HI
just started messing with my dog the other day with a bear drag and bear sent. My dogs have already been introduced to bear but it is good to still do this so they still have a understanding of what to do in my opinion it makes them better dogs to then when you get a chance to practice them on bear hopefully you see good results. happy hunting Graham.

[Emily]

bears stink. Dogs don't have much trouble trailing them--what they need is the ability to work out a track, the smarts to work together,the understanding that bears go up trees and jump off ledges, and most importantly, that bears are dangerous and hounds have to be careful around them. Probably won't hurt to hunt them on coon at night and bear during the day as long as you are consistent about that.
I live where bear come right in my yard if the hounds aren't home, so I take the dogs with me everywhere, leave the gate open, and let the bears leave trails in the yard, backing and turning over them in the driveway when I get back. The dogs get to practice within the fenced yard. Gotta check the perimeter fence though--the bears knock it down pretty often. It also gave me a chance to teach the dogs to pay more attention to the bear than the garbage/bait.
I'd mostly work on general obedience and getting them some exercise in the off season, then getting them out there as soon as season opens, preferably with some older dogs that will finish a long track. Do some scouting and know where the bears go to eat what and when--nothing like some scat to get a dog excited. The hardest part of training dogs for bear is the worry about the stupid things inexperienced dogs do. Anything you can do to improve your confidence and faith in your hounds before you put them close to a bear will help.

[tj54982]

hi there,

thanks so much for your reply. i too have bears in the yard. but not since i moved the hounds here. i really want to let my dogs run a coon just to get them excited, but sont want them chasing trash. i have just picked up a good start dog, havent run him myself, but been with him when prvious owner ran him. he did well. i just worry my young dogs will fall behind in training without working them more now. we start training season here in july. a long time away yet. do you have any advice on training forst year hounds. my youngest seems to be a bit shy. doesnt get too excited about a coon. doesnt go after it yet although only seen it twice. what do you suggest

[Emily]

The youngest may be shy, or his "hunting switch" may not have fully turned on yet, or he may strongly prefer big game to small. The fix for any of these things is siimilar--you don't want to push him on game he isn't ready for yet. Work on bonding with you, and making him eager to please you. Keep working him on "Come" "Stay" "Load up" etc., adding distractions.

Run the one that is interested in coon on coon, but keep the sessions to times and/or places he can distinguish from bear hunting--don't do it during the day unless its something like a field trial.
Show the shy young one a caged coon once a month or so--not too frequently--and wait until he's getting excited about it to turn him out on a coon trail.
Work them separately on coon, or with one of the trained dogs--not so much with each other.
If they happen to tree a bear while coon hunting at night, chances are no one will ever know or care except you when you have to go in and catch the dogs while under a bear at night. You will be so worried about the dogs that you'll hardly think to worry about yourself.

Dogs that are eager to please because they've been obedience trained will break off trash more easily. They will know what you think of them without you having to shock them on a high setting or shoot out everything they trail correctly. A big smile, and a pat on the head, and they will know they've pleased you.

Working them on an artificial scent trail won't hurt. I never used bear scent, but I did use hot dogs when mine were young pups, before they showed any interest in game.I just tied a sting to the hot dog, dragged it around a field, hung it from a tree, then took the dog out to the field to "trail," rewarding him with the hot dog.
I also took mine for walks in the woods and let them chase whatever varmint they felt like chasing at first. Mine will still tree a woodchuck or flush a grouse within the yard, but know better than to do that when we're hunting, and I didn't teach them that, they just sort of caught on. They know that when we get up before dawn and head to the woods, its different. They even know when we head out in the afternoon and they have on collars and I'm dressed for rough conditions--there's ritua they pick up onl, even though just wearing my boots on a rainy day will get them hopeful.

Although you never know for sure when and where you're going to find a bear trail, I do road mine for exercise out of season, and have rarely had an accidental bear chase. Just use some common sense and don't run the hounds by a berry patch out of season.
Its real hard to be patient and wait for season to begin when you're excited and your dogs are bored. It may be spring, but for the most part bears are still denned up around here.

[tj54982]

hi there,

thanks again for your advice. you seem to be very up on things. i have been told my others too that i should take it slow, and wait for the chance for them to run with the older dogs to a bear tree. i guess i just worry as the others were just more into it when they were young. some took more time than others. i will take more time and just see what develops. i guess i am getting excited. am gonna try a live coon in cage again next week. i just keep looking for sign that he is getting more into it. hopefully he will click soon. he does handle well, and likes to ride in the truck, loves to run with the other dogs, just hasnt tried to hunt much yet. his parents hunbted hard and were great bear dogs, hoping somewhere in side he is the same. i will just keep trying and hipefully something will click. thanks again and great talking to you

[Emily]

My best bear dog does not open on coon. He is always at the coon tree with the other dog, and I suspect he often gets there first. If I hunt him on coon alone, he will bark enough for me to find him, and only on the tree, not while trailing. But he is wide open on bear--even rigs from the truck. Just the way he's made. They're all individuals!

[tj54982]

its been a pleasure chatting with you. i guess i am going to give this oung guysome more time. i just put out a live trap, and am going top try a live coon again. i wouldnt even care if he started chasing coon. at least it would be a start. we dont start bear here until july, but i did see a young boar cross the road yesterday. been nice here, snow is almost gone and a few are out. i just keep trying to find some activity that i can use him on to keep him learning till season. many others have told me just wait til season and get him out alot. i will do that, but want to keep his learning curve going. will try the coon some more, and see how things go. cant wait for season though, seems like forever. have a great day, and thnaks again!!


get it treed, thats a all you need

[DunDealHoundHunters]

I run my dogs on bear and coyotes. 2 dogs only haven't needed more then 2 dogs to catch a near for the last 7 years. I also do not have any problems with them running coyotes in summer but I know its cuz they r smart enough and the bear scent definitely much stronger. I also will never ever let my bear dogs smell a raccoon nor look at one. If u can catch yourself a feral cat..best training tool there is just be careful. I also start doggy bootcsmp in may and road my dogs heavily toughening the feet back up getting off the weight n most important calming them down a bit n getting their brains to work again. Hope u have a good season!

[tj54982]

thanks for the reply. that is how i feel. just dont like the thought of running a coon. i just want to get my youing dog going somehow. thscat thing is a good idea. i am getting anxioius to do something. i guess iwill just have to wait. have you ever used a scent drag just to get them thinking?