Need Help New Lion Hunter

[bjanecke13]

I have gone on only a few hunts with dogs and loved it. I am wanting to get into it for myself but i am unsure if it is feasible. I have some questions and though they might be dumb i am going to ask them anyways bcs i really dont know the answers. I am thinking of buying possibly and older dog that is trained on lions as well as a young pup i would train myself or just possibly by two pups and train them myself. Money is the issue i cant afford to buy two started dogs. I am going to be hunting lions and bobcats and have lots of questions. First question is can a guy just hunt with one dog or is it better to have at least two. Also, as far as once these dogs are good and trained what does a guy have to do with them during the off season. Does a guy just keep them in shape or do you constantly have to train on them. Obviously i am just trying to inquire as how much time i will need to devote to the dogs year round or are they like a pheasant dog where you dont have to hunt them year round. If i offend anyone i apologize. I am just looking to hunt bobcats in my state and then lions in montana or wyoming. Any and all information is helpful. Thanks.

[houndnem]

my opinion, hounding is not a hobbie. it is a lifestyle if you want to have good dogs. I run my dogs year round on whatever game is leagal to chase at the time. buying a started dog will save you money in the long run. just do your homework before you buy. alot of guys are selling their culls for a nice chunk of change and it's easy to get burned! if you decide to get into the hounds it will change your life in many ways. it is expensive, hard on a relationship, time consuming, everything you own will be broken or on it's last leg, you will be sleep deprived, you will learn to be an ameture weather man, you will hike your legs off daily, but nothing in the world comes close to the satisfaction you will get from seeing your dogs do what you want them to do! I would love to know where I would be right now if I had never got my first pups. I'm sure I would have a happy marrage and alot of money and my trucks and horse trailers would still shine like they did when I bought them. oh and my back yard would smell a hell of a lot better! good luck to ya!

[Big Horn Posse]

I agree with houndnem. Hounds are like kids you have to devote 100% of your time to them. I don't make much money, but I make sure my dogs have dogs food before I have food. I dedicate 3 or 4 days a week when I'm not working to taking them out and hunting them. If this means I do without then I do without to keep that commitment to my dogs. The money you spend buying a dog will not compare to how much you have to put into them. I don't know how it effects a realtionship, cause I don't have one. That might be to blame for the dogs taking up so much of my time. I see it is if you are going to get into hounds you better be damn sure you are ready to have a commitment to them like you would having kids. I once sold all my hounds and was miserable. If it is in your blood then you are hooked for life. If you are not ready to make a commitment like that then I suggest you just go out with a buddy who has and enjoy the time spent hunting with him and his dogs. That way you get the enjoyment of doing it without the commitment and money spent.

Good luck

[kordog]

my advice is be patient save your money for awhile until you can do it right even if you have to pickup an odd job here and there for extra money .if you still feel the same way over this time jump in with both feet. tracking equipment is exspensive so is a shocker,dog food ,vet bills, gas to take them . if your going with pups go with the best you can find this does not necessarily mean the most exspensive either.if your going with older dog hunt with it before you buy.there is nothing worse than having hounds sit on a chain ,because your not able to afford the time and money it takes to do it right its not fair to you or your hounds.this is just some advice that will make things easier in my opinion ,and not set yourself up for failure and struggle in this tuff sport.i hope i did not discourage you ,but this is the reality of hounding. the lion or bobcat in the tree is just the end result if your doing it right.i would go with two dogs for various reasons unless your hunting with other peoples dogs all the time.if something happens to your one dog your out of buisness.good luck

[TomJr]

I am lucky in that my job allows me to spend pretty much 24/7 in the company of my dogs, in off season like now we are confinded to 10 acres of orchard... its abit chard atm due to a major fire. But the dogs seem to be taking everything in stride and sure want to get out there and run something... they do get to run stuff that sneaks into the orchard at night but 10 acres don't allow for long runs lol.

I don't spend a whole lot on hunting, the biggest expense is good food for the dogs and vet bills if they get torn up. You can do it cheaper if you live in a good area and can hunt from home that helps alot. No gas money and no dog box, or tracking collars ect for me. I did finaly invest in some trash breakers this year, after 25 years of hunting without, it sucks to be slowing down to where I can't run a dog down if its chasing deer anymore... The trash breaker helps there though. I still do very well and get out every day during season.

I also don't have a relationship atm... and when I do she has to be willing to either walk with me every morning or put up with me going every morning.

As for dogs I may have been lucky on some but it seems like putting in the time really makes the differance. My better dogs have not been pure breeds and some have just been strays with little if any hound in them. I did buy a two pups recently and one worked out super well but the other seems to be somewhat of a dud, still only under a year and a half old though so maybe there is hope. Sometimes he looks good, others not so much... maybe its because I expect more from him due to him being more expensive lol.

[Deff]

I prefer to run at least two dogs. I'm just uneasy at the thought of a big cat being able to focus all it's attention on just one hound. Buying and older trained dog and a pup would be the quickest way to get there. Problem is – they can be pricey, hard to find and the older dog might not fit your hunting or lifestyle. Another possibility is to buy a pup out of proven lion hunting stock, start it on coons and encourage it to run bobcats. When you think it's ready, try to find someone willing to let you turn out with their hounds on a lion. If you get that far --- adding the next hound and the next hound and the next......will get easier!

Your big ticket items for the hounds will be a substantial kennel to keep them safe and a warm place for them to sleep in the winter. Plan to invest in a good quality shocking collar and a Garmin Astro.
Hounds make a great excuse to buy 4X4 trucks, ATV's, snowmobiles, horses/mules, and guns etc!

If somewhat obedience trained, hounds make great family pets and are fun to take along on rides, hikes and many outdoor activities. If allowed in the house, they will own the sofa and they love picnics!

It isn't fair to the hounds to send them on a lion hunt without getting (them and you) in good physical condition but if you like hounds, you will find yourself taking any opportunity you can to go out with the dogs and when season rolls around, they will be ready.

[Redneck]

Well said Jared > me and a buddy own one dog a piece so we run two dogs at a time
IM new to this way of life my self i own one B&T female just one dog. im in to her $1,300 bucks between the dog shock collar and the gps tracking system . and im going to be adding another dog here soon . well this is a way of life not a hobby you will walk for miles and miles have disappointment at times you may loose a dog or two along the way . your feet are going to kill you during your walks lung will burn from lack of air. then your dog strikes a track then that all seems to slip away till the next morning after your hunt or chase .hunting with hounds is the most fun you can have wondering around in the dark or during the day light hours but this way of life is fun there is nothing more rewarding then to listen to your dog work a coon or a mt lion and get to the tree to see your hard work pay off when they have it treed .

[dwalton]

I started hunting 46 years ago with two pups and no one to hunt with, no shock or track collars. The first dog I ever owned was probably the best looking back. In a short time I was catching cat and coons with a few bears in the mix. There was no seasons or limits on coon cats and bears. You can train a dog from nothing but I think it is best to get a older person to learn from. You can hunt 3 or 4 months out of a year and make a dog. It just takes longer and they may not be the best. Get a dog that is not high energy and is willing to be a pet the rest of the time. It is best to have shock and tracking collars before you hunt them. If you have the will and stick to it you can do it and will make a great hunter from the school of hard knocks. It is faster and easier to start with a good old dog and a pup. Dewey

[travis]

I'm new to biggame last year so let me break it down for you.

1. Two 6 month old pups from Rocky Mountain Blueticks in Delta,CO - $800
2. 1 Month of training with full time Lion/Bear hunter. Dogs put on 6 or 7 lions - $1000.
3. Tritronics for 2 dogs $500
4. Used Marshall telemetry with 2 collars - $400
5. 2 seasoned dogs from another hunter in WY that was selling out due to wolves. 1 Black & Tan that had been on over 100 lions and 1 young Redtick/walker that has been on close to 50 lions but seems to enjoy an occasional deer race - $4000
6. Used Garmin with 4 collars (yet to pay) $750?

TOTAL $7450
**This doesn't include feed, fuel and wear & tear on equipment


I've seen one (1) lion in a tree and had a lose on a bobcat a few weeks ago (nice race that I watched from the top of a cliff). The cost doesn't concern me one bit - I wish I had an opportunity to get into this sport years ago vs. running rabbits with beagles which is still a bunch of fun. I actually ran my pups with the beagles to teach them to trail. I also used 2 dachshunds with a disturbing hatred for barn cats to teach them to tree and look up.

I've met 2 seasoned lion hunters (Scott Leaper & Scott Young) that I consider good friends/people and I've learned much from them but still know very little when it comes to this game.

Advice & words of wisdom........Start with 1 seasoned and proven dog. It will just make it easier in the long run. Not saying it can't be done with pups but its an awfully big piece to bite off and chew with 3 pups (2 young dogs and & human). Not impossible to swallow but tough.
There are a$$holes, deadbeats, wanna-be's, misinformed people, know-it-alls and loosers on all web forums - this one included. There are also just as many good people with great advice from which I've learned a bunch. The truth is most old timers with years of experience wont be found anywhere on the internet because they don't have a computer or don't know how to use one. Their time is spent in the mountains trying to figure out where in the hell their dogs are. Dean said it best - this isn't a hobby.

[Patrick]

Just like any activity these days, hounds can be a good excuse to buy a lot of crap and spend a lot of money on dogs. I have accumulated my share of stuff in the past several decades. But you sure don't need all that crap to catch game.
My first hound was a pup, and when I couldn't tag along with old timers and their dogs I would walk him from the house as I couldn't drive yet. By 8 months he treed two bobcats. Not too long thereafter we were catching anything that would climb a tree. And all I had was a pistol, a leash, and a leather collar with my contact info on it. When I started driving, that dog and others I began training would ride in the hatchback of the car.
So if you really want to hunt you can get it started just as dwalton talks about. If you want to spend a whole lot of money trying to take shortcuts like Travis mentions, that may work for you as well.
In the end, whether you start catching a lot of game will come down to whether you spend more days in the woods year around putting in the miles where the game is, than you do at other activities like chasing women and working.
The answer to whether you can lay your dog off most of the year and expect him to be of any account is NO. And keeping them in shape does not substitute for hunting.
Because of my current circumstances I lay my dogs off for about 5 months in the summer. It takes about a month of hard hunting to get all of them tuned back up again, the whole time I am cussing myself. And no they are not the quality of dogs I have had in the past, and yes that is because I spend more time working and with family these days.
Pat

[schnell]

Never underestimate the cost of a new addiction....

Once upon a time I remember a thread here by HoundDawg, where he estimated it takes a minimum of $70,000 to get started in hounds. The thread broke it down quite well. Can't keep up with em = horses, can't find em after they run over the hill = collars, got to haul the horse = trailer, can't drag the damn trailer = truck, and so on.

Not having as much cash as all that, I still walk them in the hills, and wonder what they're up to when they get outa sight for to long, but I love it. The dogs love it. What could be better?

I would recommend making friends with other houndsmen and bringing lots of beer. Look and learn and their experience will save you some common mistakes, and their direction will put you on the right path. The really experienced houndsmen are usually older gentlemen and you can't google up their experience, so go meet some old dudes. It will do you and them good to talk. Our society is currently cursed because we won't take advantage of the experiences of our elders - they already know the answers. Alot of these older folks are generous with their thoughts as well. Priceless.

[Yaak attack]

If you are in S.D. you gotta have coons. At least coon hunt them once or twice a week in the off season. You can keep them a little bit keen that way.