Pack of all females.

[wiscohound]

I need some help from more experienced guys here. I'm thinking of keeping my pack to all females. I would like some thoughts on pros and cons. I would be keeping them all kennelled together and having about 4 hounds. Thanks.

[Mike Leonard]

Spay em all, and just go hunting an you will not have much stress. I know a lot of old timers that ended up there and said later they wished they had done it years before.

I haven't done it but then again I am not all that bright?????

[bearsnva]

Don't be at all afraid to stay with all females. A lot of the guys that I bear hunt with have all females and don't have any trouble treeing bear. A good bear dog is a good bear dog regardless of gender. You won't be a bit sorry for working with females in the long run, as a matter of fact there is one person in our group that has a male that is causing some big problems right now that wouldn't be happening with a female. If you have the dogs spayed you eliminate the only fault that I personally see with female dogs. You might want to wait and see how their cycles run before you spay them, if they only come in once and that is in the summer when you are not hunting then that is not even a problem if you can keep them confined while in heat.

[1bludawg]

I've hunted an all female pack(3 dogs ) a couple of times over the years on bobcat. Never had any problems and i didn't spay any of them.When any one of them came in heat i just kept on hunting. When you need pups breed your best female to a good male and raise your own.

[Liz ODell]

I'm working my way towards all females, I used to like male dogs better but the years have passed and I'm tired of dogs that piss on things, real tired of it, there is no benefit to a male over a female, good dogs are good dogs.
I have had dogs of both sexes that I like bunches but all my males are cut now because I really think it does tone down the pissing.
I just hunt all my females together when they are in heat.
There are lot's of good stud dogs out there now I just have to pay to play either stud fee's or the vet to AI from my old males but in the long run I think I will be happier.

[Redwood Coonhounds]

I just hate dealing with mixed sexes. My main goal is to have everyone kenneled together and to never have to put a dog up because someone is in heat. I am down to two males, and they are more than enough. They are damn good for males. I don't deal with cocky, growly, pissy, humpy type dogs. But I tell myself they are THE last. I used to run all males, then somehow I had two females become my top dogs and I have built my pack around that, and have way more females now. I'm not getting rid of them, so to avoid the drama of males and females together, the males will all be phased out. I have also noticed its much easier to find a good stud, than to try to convince someone to breed a good bitch to your dog.

[super white hunter]

Just get your males snipped

[Deff]

We have two females that often run with two others. We hadn't spayed ours but when one had a false pregnancy, she started an alpha -female routine over food and space that resulted in a lot of fighting and drama among all the dogs. Now they are all spayed!

[bluedogs]

I like having a pack of all females much easyer that way I don't spay any of them and have not had a problem

[mulesNdawgs]

I have 4 females 3 walkers and 1 black and tan not spayed I used to keep then kenneled together but they seem to fight more if one is in heat so they are all kenneled separately now haven't had any problems with them fighting when out hunting , there is a reason they call them bitches

[southern fox]

this is my take on males versus females, and why I prefer a female ! I hunt running hounds only, and a male with what I have seen in running dogs, on the outside and not in a pen takes longer, to train and to make , with running dogs on the outside a male will usually make , quit being trashy, and stupid at 3 years old , most wont open on trail like a female will until then and all I have seen are the same, and he wont run in a thicket like a female will I believe its what he has hanging that keeps him from running like a female does, but when it aint so thick he will be heard, I usually hunt all females have 8 I hunt now , none spayed all ccomes in abt the same time , I don't worry abt all of them being in together because most wont , have enuf to keep hunting, I believe a female is smarter than a male, and don't piss on everything they see, I have had a lot of good females, and to this day have never had a male that was better than a female and ive been hunting and owned dogs for 42 years that's a lot of dogs , but it could be me cause I wont keep a male long .

[1bigbear]

35 years of bear an cat hunting and I just got my 1st male. He was a pain in the ass until I nuetered him.

[dhostetler]

If you hunt all females, you will never be able to raise your own pups and you will always have to outsource to someone's "awesome" dog. That is fine if you hunt a lot with other people and know the dogs they hunt.

[bchoundman]

I have two females and three males. When the females come into heat they get left home for a month. Then I allways take them out a little early and spend a day or two yelling at dogs because they are all acting like idiots. But if I need dogs I can get them. And I know what im getting when I get pups. And I wont buy a single pup that has been wiened at 2-3 months pups taken out of a litter take twice as long to mature. I belive if you wants your best success rate raise your pups as a pack train them and run them all together they will mature faster and u know what everything is or is going to be you can slowly cull 1 or 2. then your left with 1 or 2 for sure lead dogs and 1-2 maybe lead dogs. and then a few pack dogs if they don't get culled. its my belief that if you keep a your litter mates together they will compete a lot harder with each other thus in turn make them better. but there are lots of legends who only ran females. interesting debate

[david]

... but there are lots of legends who only ran females. interesting debate

When I was trying to learn to hunt bobcat, all the old time bobcat hunters in my area hunted female only. I kept wondering how they got any puppies, but they kept me at a distance so I could not really study their ways. But I knew that much, so I started hunting females only. Got very used to hunting that way, never ever worried about heat cycles, even though I had no electronic tracking equipment. they just hunted through their heat cycles. Never had an unintended pregnancy. Kept all dogs in the same pen. Never a problem.

...and to this day have never had a male that was better than a female and ive been hunting and owned dogs for 42 years that's a lot of dogs , but it could be me cause I wont keep a male long .

I have not hunted as long, but My conclusion has been the same as Southern Fox. But I have to wonder if it is just me. Males dont stay with me very long either and I am impatient with a male dog. If he gets the choice between an attractive female, and a bobcat track, he better choose the bobcat...