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Some beginner questions from a hunter looking to get into hounds
Posted: Sun Jun 02, 2019 11:19 pm
by BigMountainMike
Hi guys,
I posted in the intro forum already, glad to find this awesome site. I have some pretty basic questions that I'd like to throw out there with regards to my future hound(s).
1) I have a "pet" dog already (pitbull) we got at the humane society. Is there any harm letting him co-habitate with a finished hound and or maybe even let them run together? I ordered some "grawes" cat scent to start practicing with him- yes I know this is probably a waste of time, its more for me to practice than anything.
2) What is the smallest breed of hound? The dogs are going to be living inside the house with me and my wife, I'm just curious what breed is most compact and can still run cats?
3) should I be looking for a male or female for my first dog? ( I'm looking to buy a finished dog)
4) a buddy of mine says a good way to get a decent cat dog finished for a decent price is to buy a dog off a guide who wont run bears- essentially a "wash-out" for lack of better terms, any problem with that??
if any of this sounds really stupid I apologize for the ignorance.
Mike in BC.
Pics of recent bears ive taken since it tis the season!
Re: Some beginner questions from a hunter looking to get into hounds
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 2:17 am
by tman308
Welcome to the world of hound hunting, scour this site you will find lots of useful information. The smallest breed of hound is the beagle there may indeed be some good ones out there that can run cats but if that is your hope and desire I would stick with more like the Walker bluetick redbone type of breeds. Every little bit helps but the best advice I can give is to go with someone in your area to kind of learn the ropes. As far as buying a finished lion dog be prepared to spend a lot of money, don't waste your time on somebody else's problem. Male or female your choice.
Enjoy this adventure!
Re: Some beginner questions from a hunter looking to get into hounds
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 3:07 pm
by SASS
I am still fairly new to hunting with hounds, got my first hog dog about 7 years ago and my first tree dog about 4 years ago, and here is a little of what I have learned. When buying a finished dog especially if you are spending good money on it there is one thing above all else I would consider; I would want one from your local area if possible, this will mean it can get it done where you are hunting and you can go and buy it under the tree.
Next pitbulls, I have owned and raised gamedogs for almost 30 years and I love them but I would never ever run one on bear or lion. That is a train wreck waiting to happen. Also I would be very careful leaving any APBT with another dog unsupervised. I know lots of people do it, but it only takes one time to come home to a blood bath. They may not even be the dog that starts it, but once it starts up they will be the dog to finish it or die trying to. So I guess that would depend on your level of trust for that dog, but you might want to kennel them separately when they are not being supervised for at least a while if not permanently. I have an 80lb APBT catchdog right now that has no problems hunting with other dogs or even running loose with them, but I wouldn't trust him to be housed with any other dogs.
Good luck and welcome to the board. Keep us updated on your hound search.
Re: Some beginner questions from a hunter looking to get into hounds
Posted: Mon Jun 03, 2019 4:50 pm
by BigMountainMike
Thanks for the info guys.
My APBT is a suck with people, I'm not sure how much I trust him with other animals... I know he has a super strong game drive which is the only reason I was even contemplating it. 2 years ago he killed a bear when my wife and I were out hiking in the hills ( it was a disaster). I take him hunting with me now but he deosnt have any purpose outside of being a tag along/hunting buddy.
I'm definitely into the full sized hounds, out of curiosity though, is there any precedent or guys in the community running beagles?? never even thought about beagles.
Mike.
Re: Some beginner questions from a hunter looking to get into hounds
Posted: Wed Jun 12, 2019 1:51 am
by Bluedog88
I run a pit with 2 blueticks on cats. Has proven useful. Pit super protective of her pack.
Re: Some beginner questions from a hunter looking to get into hounds
Posted: Mon Jun 17, 2019 11:18 pm
by david
Hi guys,
1) I have a "pet" dog already (pitbull) we got at the humane society. Is there any harm letting him co-habitate with a finished hound and or maybe even let them run together? I ordered some "grawes" cat scent to start practicing with him- yes I know this is probably a waste of time, its more for me to practice than anything.
///Mike Leonard has an article on here about using grawes scent. Go to the home page and click on cat training.
2) What is the smallest breed of hound? The dogs are going to be living inside the house with me and my wife, I'm just curious what breed is most compact and can still run cats?
///Yes beagles are amazing dogs and have been used in some places for cat. They will be able to drive a cat to tree. They are not known for being able to locate up big trees or to stay at a tree barking. So they are not often used for tree game.
///Don Paige in Idaho had a huge reputation for his Stephens curs on bear. Some pretty tuff bear hunters give these little black dogs the nod. They are small and can tree cat also. 35-45 pounds. Smart. Good family dogs.
Some other lines of cur can be small, and especially the females; such as Kemmer Curs. Wonderful family dogs.
///There also are small lines of dogs in many of the coonhound breeds including plotts and walkers. The laney cat bred plotts of Maine are small. The Washburn Walkers of Portales New Mexico could be small. Good cat dogs in both cases. I have seen some blue ticks in the 45 lb range also. I don’t know how good they were. I have heard of hounds that made good pets. Never had one that could compare to a good Cur in that department.
3) should I be looking for a male or female for my first dog? ( I'm looking to buy a finished dog)
///Doesn’t matter unless you want to raise puppies. Then get a female, and old females are sometimes succesful at having small litters.
The smallest dogs in a line are usually females if small is your priority. But there are small males also.
///I have seen more cancer type problems in old males than old females. But my experience is limited. Males irritate me if they are constantly marking and doing other sex motivated behaviors. They better be more interested in hunting than in females to stay with me. I used to think the best cat dogs are all females. I was wrong. And in my life males actually seem capable of a deeper bond with me, which is enjoyable. A horse and cow dog breeder told me an uncut male gives 110% all the time. And a whole female gives 100% part of the time. I thought that was pretty profound and have been trying to prove him wrong ever since. Still trying. No luck.
4) a buddy of mine says a good way to get a decent cat dog finished for a decent price is to buy a dog off a guide who wont run bears- essentially a "wash-out" for lack of better terms, any problem with that??
///I never heard of getting a dog off a guide for a decent price, but I guess it could happen. And your freind is correct. Some amazing cat dogs were rejected from bear packs because they are too smart to make a bear hunter. You need that intelligence for cats; And you rarely if ever need the absence of it for cats.
if any of this sounds really stupid I apologize for the ignorance.
///All really good questions
Mike in BC.
Pics of recent bears ive taken since it tis the season![/quote]
Re: Some beginner questions from a hunter looking to get into hounds
Posted: Thu Jun 27, 2019 8:56 pm
by BigMountainMike