Who catches every time

[marty]

thats where the game changes......Lynx are the exception. You can turn out 7 times and tree 7 and think you and your dogs have it figured. The next 7 times you can come up empty....snow conditions are always a factor as well. It seems when a lynx wants to tree he will but if he doesnt your done......No other animal we chase Grizzly, blackbear, cougar or bobcat can do this.

[chilcotin hillbilly]

thats where the game changes......Lynx are the exception. You can turn out 7 times and tree 7 and think you and your dogs have it figured. The next 7 times you can come up empty....snow conditions are always a factor as well. It seems when a lynx wants to tree he will but if he doesnt your done......No other animal we chase Grizzly, blackbear, cougar or bobcat can do this.

That is the truth right there Marty!!! Snow conditions are a killer.

[Yaak attack]

Marty, I always read you to be a standup guy. Talking to you on the phone and a the trials made me think you were a bit too honest to be a really successful outfitter. I know it sounds sad, but the honesty and humility that helps you sleep at night also costs you hunters. To me this is a good thing.
Back to the lynx. having a "niche" in the world is a good thing as well. Finding a place where there is not much competition is rare. Lets face it,there are bear hunters from north to south, coast to coast. When a guy can go sit over a can of cookies and poke one with a sharp stick for two grand, it makes the pie pieces thinner. Cougars are not much different, it is easy money if you have snow and tracks. Finding enough toms to make it worth while and leaving enough young cats so you don't ruin your trophy potential is a slippery slope. Lynx, on the other hand are an area where few have been able to specialize. Sure, every guy with slobberin' dog will take your money, but just a few consistantly produce lynx. I know you get dumped on and it is futile, but Schnieders do it. Even though the economy sucks, there are a lot of Europeans that are spending money on hunts. I am doing more austrailian and european work than ever. If you can catch seven lynx in a row, (and I don't doubt you) you could find a niche that very few could fill. I know, it's risky but you guys are among many that have outstanding dogs. How are you going to use them in a way that brings you the most? Just a thought...

[BlacktailStalker]

I copied this from another post but i am pretty sure that this post stemmed from what was wrote below. I did not write what was below i just moved it over here, and i am going to try and stay out of it.


I usually cruise this site and get a good chuckle, but because my name was thrown in i thought i should respond. In Eric Muff's defense i will explain a little further what he was getting at.....I am an outfitter in British Columbia and get to hunt the dogs alot which makes it easier to get a good pack of dogs. 3 months in the spring with the bears and 3months in the winter running cougar, lynx and bobcat. the same dogs are out every time. With the help of the GPS system, when we start the track early in the day, we catch the bear or cat....no excuses .I run with Joe Conroy and Eric Muff and we have the same line of hound and when we run we expect the dogs to produce with or without a client. over the years we have run and bred this line and they do catch everytime. I know alot of readers will say BS about catchin everytime and heck before this line 15yrs ago i said the same thing and was happy catching 50%....

I'm gonna call it as I see it, the country they are running in has a lot to do with the percentage of success that the dogs are getting some of this credit for.
Hunt the rocks, ravines, deep cut roaring rivers with undercut banks and deadly cliffs and/or watch your dogs trail into 100% no access country and that tune will change, fast.
Would-be catches turn into recovery missions pretty damn quick.

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Andy your right about the country, that island country is rugged with lots of under growth , and bad rivers during the spring bear season. But there is know doubt these boys are getting it done. I took me 5 years to find dogs that can catch lynx with regularity and all you need is a good snow fall to make things really tough on you and your dogs., I can't hunt grizzly here but but have a lot of experiance with them and it takes some good dogs to hold em long enough to get in to em. Completely different then a black bear thats foresure.

[marty]

u are bang on yaak atttack....got to hit the european market harder for dog stuff. They enjoy the hound work

[Eric Muff]

Wow........what a step back into the past to read this thread and know what has happened since 2009!
We were all flying high back then getting the job done and literally catching everything we started, it was a great time for all of us. Being the best you could be was right there within easy reach.The days blew by and pretty quickly our superstars started to get old or worse, die and the story started to change.
We had several failed breeding attempts, moved a few weaker dogs to make room for the new pups(that never materialized), lost a few to old age, tried to shore up our packs with outside additions and suddenly 100% did seem like an impossible goal. I wondered how anyone could ever even make a claim like that.
I realized that many houndsmen had no idea of what a truly great hound could be because they had never seen one. Experience told me exactly what one looked like.
I missed the first 5 lions I started last winter. What a dose of reality that was, it made me really think things over and dig deeper. On the day I missed that 5th lion I made a promise to myself that it was not going to happen again and I caught every one from then on despite the worst conditions we had had in this region since I started hunting it.
The day I made that decision made me a far better hunter and houndsman.The old pack was gone and my new pups needed time to kick in and bigger than that needed to show me that our breeding program was working, I was nervous.
A full compliment of spring bear hunters followed and again we needed to dig deep and do everything we could to help the new team build it's self into the pack we needed it to be.
I look back at those 2 years and shake my head, what a pile of work, dedication, energy, strategy, heartache,and good fortune it took to get back in good form. How quickly you can fall from grace and if you don't have your plan in good order you may never again reach the heights you so happily took for granted.
The next batch of pups is about to start their first lion season and the latest litter is just a few weeks old. We are all rebuilding and excited to be.
Who knows maybe we'll be better than we've ever been.............I love this game.

Happy days,

Eric

[Big N' Blue]

What a great post Eric! Everyone can go from hero to zero in one heartbeat,, Hope you the best!!

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Eric,
I wish I new you boys are in the rebuilding mode, I had some pups you should have got your hands one. Only time will tell foresure but at this point look like world beaters. I alway like getting them into hard hunters kennels.
The sire and dame are smoking the lynx with 28 treed in 26 days last season. We only missed on 3 all season. Both hang tough on the black bears but i have managed to break them of the long claws. I will be in a pickle if they end up giving me a grizz season.
I sold two pups past year to Ted Faiers, I should check in and see how he made out with them. I didn't keep any of that litter as it was an accidental cross. I did touch base with him at about 5 months old and he was pretty pumped up for the pair.

[Eric Muff]

Thanks Doug I do appreciate the offer.
Quite a run on the lynx congratulations that's great dog work anywhere.
I've always liked that Chilcotin country and will hunt it some day.
Teddy was very much instrumental in getting me started into hounds many years ago and though we don't get together much anymore I do see him from time to time and will ask about your pups.
Giving credit where credit is due Ted was largely responsible for putting the "hound" into bear hunting back in the day and was for many years tops in the game in these parts as a hunter and breeder. Those were fun times.



Eric

[JTG]

Try it in West Texas and see how many days in a row you tree a lion.

[Big N' Blue]

Try it in West Texas and see how many days in a row you tree a lion.

It really would be a great learning experience to bring a truly great pack from the north country to West Texas or southern NM or southern Arizona, and then take a truly great pack from that country to the north country.
if we could remove all petty jealousy, human emotIons and the natural tendencies of humans for one upmanship. It would be a real eye opener for all.

[JTG]

Big N Blue,

I have taken my hounds and hunted with others hounds around the Yellowstone area and it's easy compared to West Texas. I have also gone to BC. I am none of those things you mention below but when I hear of someone treeing or catching every time out I know that it's not possible in all area's. To say most of us do not know a good hound is an equally off statement.
JTG

Try it in West Texas and see how many days in a row you tree a lion.

It really would be a great learning experience to bring a truly great pack from the north country to West Texas or southern NM or southern Arizona, and then take a truly great pack from that country to the north country.
if we could remove all petty jealousy, human emotIons and the natural tendencies of humans for one upmanship. It would be a real eye opener for all.

[Big N' Blue]

JTG I don't think I said that. Sorry you took it that way. I was agreeing with you.

[JTG]

Please forgive me, I was wrong.

JTG I don't think I said that. Sorry you took it that way. I was agreeing with you.