Too much versatility?
Too much versatility?
Most fellas seem to run their hounds on 1,2, maybe three different types of game on average. It also seems that dogs tend to do best on one or two, and are ok or even mediocre on anything else. What is everyone's opinion on hunting hounds on more than a couple types of tree game and how it works out in the long run? For instance, would trying to hunt your dogs on coon, fox, bobcat, lion, and bear and expecting them to catch each consistently just be too much to ask of them? Too much of an attempt toward versatility in a dog rather than sticking to only 1,2, or even three types of game that they could focus and excel on? Does certain pairing of game species (lion/bear, bobcat/fox, etc...) that dogs are hunted on seem to work better than others? I can imagine how it may be challenging in the field if a dog would chase up to five different critters that may or may not inhabit the same areas.
Re: Too much versatility?
That should be an easy decision to make in 13 days.
I don't think versatility hinders a dogs ability at all.
I never hunted critters based on what my hounds preferred. If the dogs are any good I expect them to consistently (even if they arent' the best) catch tree game. I hunt based on what I want to catch. When I used to want to catch anything that could climb a tree, sometimes it was hard to hunt varmints coming off of bear season with dogs that were bear crazy.
Dogs are dogs, and if they are to fulfill their potential it needs to be by as much exposure as possible. Be that many trees with different game or many trees with the same game.
I did have a period of time where my pack of dogs just didn't care to run fox, correspondingly I didn't have coyote problems. Same dogs wouldn't run a bear. They weren't as good of cat dogs compared to dogs I have had that would catch everything, but they sure could put a lot more cats in the tree because we weren't spending time running fox or baying bears.
Pat
I don't think versatility hinders a dogs ability at all.
I never hunted critters based on what my hounds preferred. If the dogs are any good I expect them to consistently (even if they arent' the best) catch tree game. I hunt based on what I want to catch. When I used to want to catch anything that could climb a tree, sometimes it was hard to hunt varmints coming off of bear season with dogs that were bear crazy.
Dogs are dogs, and if they are to fulfill their potential it needs to be by as much exposure as possible. Be that many trees with different game or many trees with the same game.
I did have a period of time where my pack of dogs just didn't care to run fox, correspondingly I didn't have coyote problems. Same dogs wouldn't run a bear. They weren't as good of cat dogs compared to dogs I have had that would catch everything, but they sure could put a lot more cats in the tree because we weren't spending time running fox or baying bears.
Pat