Cold nosed plotts?

[dhostetler]

The longest it took me to get to a bear tree was 51 hours after I turned loose back in the Wildlife 2000 days. I too have been on several Wild West shows with lions caught on the ground by hounds but never got nailed but came close several times. I was talking with a hound guy recently and we talked about in our country the longest to get to a tree is about 3 to 4 hours nowadays and we were wondering how that affects the stay longterm treeing power in dogs. I think the GPS helps hunters improve mediocre dogs that otherwise would've been culled. I sometimes I wonder if the GPS has caused a decline in the net value of hounds.

[dhostetler]

Terry Liebe got me started hound hunting. He was started hound hunting by Ray Jones. Terry also hunted with Glen Buchanen he claimed Glen was the best hound guy he ever met, claimed Glen killed well over 2,000 bear in his lifetime. Terry was with Glen when they killed 7 bears in one day. Ray Jones ran his own line of Plotts and Glen ran Brandenburger Plotts.

[Mike Leonard]

Trust me when I started this thread it was not to brag on white dogs it was just for honest observation and discussion. Remember you know where a track is or a thread is when you start it but from that point it can lead you just about anywhere. LOL

[justahunter]

I think gps has changes several things . it has made me cull harder and quicker for example those dogs that just run behind the pack that dont serve any purpose or or arent any help on bay. Those dogs in the past Would be ok because They made the race and treeing . many other things like seeing a dog leave the race and you quickly go see that they are running trash or started another bear. Tons of i dont knows have turned into knowing . and to me it dont matter if i have two day tree dogs i am happy that they stay until i get there and that they werent wolf munchies. Gps has also saved a lot of fuel and guessing.

[Mike Leonard]

I agree the Garmin has really changed the game and is an eye opener at times. Hunters of the night, and those that hunt dense rugged country where the dogs can be out of hearing quickly really benefit from them. Bare ground lion hunters much of the time are very close to their dogs and usually the get to observe more of the dog work until the jump. I normally do not allow my hounds to get much over 100 yards from my horse while they are free cast looking for a track. I can send a strike dog out further to check and area but I keep them in sight.
several reason for this but the main one is they do strike a track I want to be able to get to them quick and make sure the take it the right direction. As most know on bare hard ground lions tracks will be taken backwards about 50% of the time. Just the way they lay their scent trail and usually air scent is not present on anything but a running track.

I still love these Garmins and can't imagine how much time, fuel and grief they would have saved me over my early hunting years.

[dhostetler]

Yes I love my Garmins and wouldn't dream of turning a dog loose anymore without. They are worth there weight in gold but I still wonder if they don't affect in how we can manipulate dogs. Some dogs just always seem to be where they need to be at the right time. Before Garmin those were the dogs that were bred by honest hunters. Now we have the tools to quickly correct issues and may loose some of that natural ability of dogs that are always where they need to be.

[1bludawg]

I love the new gadgets too. Looking back i remember hunting for dogs for several days before finding them.Loosing sleep and burning lots of gas.
The downside is you can correct faults that would have gotten some dogs culled in the old days and then they get bred and round and round you go.Also there are some critters that wouldn't have been caught without them.
I believe the good outweighs the bad though .They save so much time and money and no telling how many of our dogs get to hunt another day because of them .

[dhostetler]

1bluedawg, I agree 100%

[pegleg]

Well they also keep me out of some areas I prefer not to be in. Telemetry and horseback hunting is more guess work. Its hard knowing how to get somewhere in front of you if you don't know exactly where that point is. And in most cases triangulation is a dream . it only works if you can travel freely to those different points. With garmin my dogs don't spend nearly the time treed . and if ones lost its much easier getting into it before it moves.

[al baldwin]

Don/t know anything about plotts, believe only hunted with two, first one ran deer while other dogs caught a bear. Second one got killed by the largest bear I ever saw here, bear weighted 428 lbs, not big by some standards in other states, few weight that here on the coast. However sure enjoyed reading this thread. Thanks Al

[Plotts]

There was mention of many of the cold nosed lines of the past, but if you were looking to find one today, who is still breeding true to any of the old lines mentioned?

[mike martell]

Don/t know anything about plotts, believe only hunted with two However sure enjoyed reading this thread. Thanks Al

Al

That makes you a very smart man...Lol!!!

Plotts

Steve Herd produced some nice hounds...Back in the early days a man named Jim Brewer here in Oregon owned several.. Those were from the lines of Butch-Becky and I think Drive and Bouncer? Those hounds were game getters, crude but game getters! I remember Bubba Gerald Fortin telling me Jim always credited one male hound while it was the other that caught the game (bears)in his opinion. We all hunted for the timber companies on permits prior to Oregon's first spring bear hunts starting in 1985.... Gerald drove for Carlton Meat company, I drove the Schlitz Malt Liquor truck while another plott hunter, Leo Raleigh, drove a meat truck as well...All of us hunted plotts, all us should have been fired for talking dogs when we should have been working...My boss had me pegged, I was salaried and had to work until midnight to make up for all the b.s. ...Garmin has since settled that discussion!

This has been as Al expressed a fun thread and a trip down memory lane!

Mike Leonard...Thanks for getting this one started!

Mike Martell

[Mike Leonard]

Thanks Mike it has been fun and also educational. Thanks all for your input, and if something else pops up add to this.

I am off to ask another question that has been nagging me....................

[tigger]

Mike thanks for the post but like most posts that get people excited it got a little of so can I ask about Cecil Ralston. The man I got my blood from ran with Cecil back in the 80's and they crossed a Bluetick Cecil had that he called Smoke with a female of Randal's. Was curious if Cecil had any dogs with blue eyes and if anyone knew how to get a hold of him. thanks

[Mike Leonard]

I don't know if Cecil is still hunting or not haven't talked to him in years. I bet he is still around Bernalillo, New Mexico.

Back in the 80's I hunted with him a little and I remember the Smoke dog.

Cecil had a big male plott he called Echo, and he was the first real rig dog I saw work, and that leggy old booming mouthed dog could flat catch a bear.