Depth

[Spot]

I never received permission to get back on here but screw it, here goes.

How much depth do you guys try to maintain in your dogs if you run more than one? Do you try to start a pup or two every year or do you skip a year or two in between? Do you hunt dogs till they start to slow down then worry about replacing them? Tell me how you do it and why you do it that way. Just curious how other guys do it around the world.

[Dan Edwards]

For me and what we do we pretty much have to have 1 or 2 young dogs going every year to stay in business.

[david]

One of the things that struck me when hunting with the Clays was how organized they were in this area. This is not exactly correct, but in principle they were close to having two dogs of every year from two of this years model all the way back for about seven years. I have never been comfortable with that many dogs for a number of reasons, finances being the most demanding of them. But I sure took notes for "maybe someday"

[dwalton]

You hit on one of the most important of being a successful hunter in the long run. Depth, have 2 to 4 dogs coming up at all times will keep you in good dogs. Always looking for a better dog,being something you bred or bought. 3 to 5 year old dogs put the drive into a pack. Older than that puts the experience into a pack. The problem is how many young dogs each person can handle. To many none get the proper training, to few not often enough you end up with old dogs with no drive. Each of us needs to figure out how many we can handle. I like a couple each year but I have the time to hunt more than most. Dewey

[coastrangecathunting]

I sold 5 dogs from 6 to 8yrs old this past year and I have 16 dogs right now. I have 6 that are 2 TO 3 YRS OLD THAT ALL CAN TREE THERE OWN CAT. I have a 18 month old that is doing as good as the 3 yr olds . A 9 month old that is a once every 10 years type pup. these will be staying around for a long time.

2 more 9 month olds and 3 just turned 12 months. and 2 running dogs from back east. this group of dogs is yet to be determend rather im keeping or culling.

A 4 yr old that is used for damage control.

It is expensive have this many dogs but it is relaxing knowing I could lose a few and still be able to catch a cat. With the style of catdog I like a cat race dosnt get blown up with to much barking. The fastest way to get culled around me is to bark in the wrong place. When running a cat with a dozen dogs sometimes, they better shut up unless they are in the front group. Most of the time I can cover 8 dogs with a blanket when they cross the road. This front group of dogs can bark as much as they want as long as they are moving forward.

jc

[JTG]

I have never been able to maintain and improve a family of hounds without owning many related, older and younger hounds at the same time. My sires are selected on the basis of results, first and everything else next. The game must be in the tree or caught much more often than not. Only the very best sires are allowed an opportunity be considered to have a chance at breeding. I have seen many once in a lifetime hounds that were not able to pass those traits on to their offspring, so my males are also based on the performance of his offspring. If the sire reaches this milestone, there hunting career is over and he will be used just for breeding.
Selection of my females, is based primarily upon her performance and that of her male relatives, especially her male siblings or half male siblings. If her littermates or her relatives do not improve the family, one generation to the next, she or any of her offspring are not considered a candidate for breeding.


JTG

[DunDealHoundHunters]

Great question. After you lose ur best dogs and are stuck with nothing or a few old ones you wonder what do i do now or dam i should have had some pups coming up. Thos happened to my dad and i and itll never happen again. Ever since that day we have been bringing up pups whicj we raise ourselves for sure every 2-3 years. My oldest dog is 7...2 at 2 years old... 1 at 1.5 years old..3 at 8 months old...and another 3 weeks old!I am set for quite a few years and will have.pups learning from the best of the best and fresh dogs each day i hun.

[Clyde Lawson]

Looked at your post & thought "wow"--this may really be a help? I just knew that you all would have answer for why I have to keep so many hounds either "in training", as "trainers", or just because I just "like what they do" in attempting to run/catch/tree Mr. Bobcat!

Interesting numbers of hounds we seem to have to keep, I have 14 older hounds and 7 pups---way to many hounds.

But I made a decision late last summer to shorten my numbers down and liquidated 7 hounds in the late summer and fall. I really paid for that mistake and my cat caught numbers were a direct reflection of what help those hounds made in my attempt to catch a cat. Even my wife about 60 days ago, after my complaining that I could not seem to get a bobcat treed, stated to me: maybe you should not have sold some of those hounds and can you buy some of them back?

Likely most know that when you remove some from your pack, the pack takes a while to "step up and fill in the holes" left from where a pack mate performed. I found some holes that has taken a while to fill!

Another problem that happened to me while hunting in Southeast Texas was two of my main hounds got themselves severly snake bit by large rattlesnake---very lucky that we saved them. We were long ways from vet, had only antibotics and asprin, plus kerosene to use for trying to save them. But they made it through with loosing lots of flesh and knocked them from doing any more hunting for 8-10 weeks. Just now getting them where they are healed up and ready to hunt.

Taking what I sold, and then those main hounds from my pack severly limited my success in catching cats.

Hounds healed now, pack rested up, and I will be back in couple of weeks doing some serious training. Have 3 young hounds with a handle and ready to hunt that are from 1 year to 18 months--all full blood registered Triggs from Mr. Cecil Boggs line of hounds that will be attempting to pour them on lots of cat this late Spring and Summer. Then by Fall I will have a litter of 1/2 Trigg & 1/2 Treeing Walker pups to get started. Really anxious to see what they are going to do? At 10 weeks they are already wanting to chase & tree my barn cats, so maybe?

Back to your post---I cannot seem to get by with a minimum of 12-15 hounds! Some staying, some going, some not sure, and some that needs to do something else but be a bobcat hounds!

Enjoyed your post,

Clyde

PS: Maybe the Oklahoma Bobcat Gathering will have someone that can direct me in better direction?

Come if you can?

[al baldwin]

Back in the day most trained hounds I ever kept was seven, a fine line between too many & not enough trained hounds. But to keep seven trained hounds one must have time & cats to keep a trained pack. Probably, more harm done trying to keep a large pack for the average hunter than say 3 or so hounds. Just my thoughts. Al

[Clyde Lawson]

Back in the day most trained hounds I ever kept was seven, a fine line between too many & not enough trained hounds. But to keep seven trained hounds one must have time & cats to keep a trained pack. Probably, more harm done trying to keep a large pack for the average hunter than say 3 or so hounds. Just my thoughts. Al

That is about the number that seems to work for me. Always must have those young hounds coming along.

Takes a lot of time, like you stated, to keep them hunted and conditioned. Not counting the expense!

Population explosion in my home area with the explosion of housing developments taking away from my hunting country sure has made me take a second look at the sport that I have always loved and appreciated. I have to drive about 100+ miles to go hunting, then camp out for 2-3 days hunting, then rest my hounds at home for a few days and go again!

Really get a kick out of seeing those younger hounds advance to taking over or lending a great deal to a good race. Makes it all worth the time, effort, and cost!

Have a good one,

Clyde