Obedence

[1bludawg]

Scrubrunner ,
When i was younger i hunted with lots of different people and sometimes 2 or 3 of us would get together and combine our dogs .We heard some hard charging ,fast paced ,roaring races .
Back about 1973-74 i went on a bear hunt that our club "The Umpqua Houndsmen " put on .I remember one bear we treed we had 22 hounds on it . Talk about a ROARING race !!!
I could keep about any number of dogs i wanted but that's not a challenge to me . I want that one great hound that can tree cat alone ,consistently .I've been blessed to own a couple and fortunate enough to hunt with a few others .That's what keeps me awake at night ,trying to come up with another one .

[perk]

1bludawg, this is off topic, but seems this whole post has gotten off topic, but do you hunt because you enjoy the dog work, the sound of the chase, or is the final result what constitutes a 'good hunt'. I just ask because you say hunting 22 isn't a challenge, and you want 1 dog that can do it alone. I hunt my pack of hounds because I want to enjoy a roaring race. If 2 dogs sound good 10 sound better. I don't need to catch/kill game. I often pray my grey foxes go into a hole not get caught, I spend money feeding them in some of my local spots and work hard talking to people trying to make sure no one is trapping or shooting them bc dead game doesn't give me a race on another day. I hunt for the sound, I like to look don't get me wrong, I like an end to the race, don't want to be outdone by the game, but I can enjoy a 90 minute race even if the Fox/cat escapes. And if you think keeping a pack of 10-15+ hounds that work together, pack right together, and are all broken to handle and off game as no challenge, then I'd challenge you to try, because a lot of people in the south east who try or have tried would disagree.. guess it's all about the area you hunt, but I often wonder when you guys talk about 1 dog races how much enjoyment comes from the sou d of the race, I listen to dogs run solo and enjoy it, and am impressed by a dog that can do it all, but I. The end the purpose of hunting for me is spending time with family and enjoying the excitement of a race. If the last 15 minutes of a grey Fox or cat race where the game us doubling squatting ducking and staying in less than 5 acres, dogs screaming, voices straining voices changing dogs driving, well if a pack of 10+ hounds doing that don't make a man's hair Stan up, heart race, and blood boil, then he ain't I. The game for the same reasons as the boys I know. Probably one the reasons I hardly ever post, feel like the distance between where we hunt and what we want is so far apart it's nothing but an argument
Perk

[ridgerunners]

A man preach on brother Perk!!

[macedonia mule man]

If I'm hunting coon or squirrell two dogs is one too many. I like to listen to 7-10 running dogs. As far as what part i like, it's in this order strike a track, work a cold track up to a running track, locate twice and set down and tree with a steady ball chop. On running dogs I like to put ever how many I'm hauling in front of the truck and watch. I like to read dog body language and watch dogs read other dogs body language. I like to see a dogs flag, pick his head and move ahead if he can't bark right then. Usuall all the other dogs have noticed the Same thing I'm seeing and are showing interest. I like a mouthy dog and usually something is going to start squeeking pretty quick. That's when the fun starts. I like for then to spread out on both road shoulders and and hunt for the turn out spot. When the turn out spot is found I'll usually get a bark and the trailing is on. I like to hear a lot of noise on a cold track. When they jump I want them to bunch up together and give me a steady loud race. Don't get thar every time but if I go a lot, I get a few.

[macedonia mule man]

Perk, iv hunted a good bit in New Mexico ( don't know a thing about the far north west) but the hunting between N.M. And louisians is like living in a different world. From what I see the dogs out there would have no trouble catching coon after they adapted to the sea level and terrain. I'm not sure how they would do on southern bob cat. Iv coon hunted a good bit and never treed but 2 cat. Most southern coon hunter I know says about the same thing. Now the running dog mix might be a different story. I sure would like to see a pack of organ coast dogs hunt down here. I might would mortgage the farm and keep them here.

[1bludawg]

Perk,
Seems like i have to say this a lot but the way i do things is not aimed at anyone or a reflection on how others do things .
I hunt because i love to and i love dogs .I've treed hundreds of cats over the years and left many in the tree even when they were worth big money .I've put together small packs that treed cat and then sold them all because there wasn't a cat dog in the bunch.
The challenge and the difficulty of doing it with one dog is what turns me on.I love hearing a chop mouth hound build a fire under ole stubtail and making him climb !
There's absolutely nothing wrong with running a big pack its just not for me.
I may never own another great cat dog but i'll keep on trying !
GOOD HUNTING !

[perk]

1Bludawg, no need to explain yourself, just liked to know the reason people hunt. Having a dog that can do it all makes for one special dog, but looking for that and training a single dog couldn't keep my interest...kinda like sitting still in a tree to shoot a deer, I could care less to do that. nice to know how everyone views .

Macedonia mule man, I've seen a lot if tree dog and running x tree dog crosses ran on deer here in va, some were better than others, but none made me think that was the way I wanted to go in my breeding, I get some running dogs that can tree up a tree time to time and always some that can locate a hole. One of my trashy males trees a lay up coon last Saturday morning 50 ft up an oak tree, shocked his ass for it, but seen too many running dogs tree over the years to think that's what I needed to know where my race ended, and speed or track wise don't think the tree stock stuff is really necessary. That being said most my foxes in hole and cats caught on ground so not a big need for tree dogs like out west. Everyone to their own

[mark]

Perk,we have had 3 straight running dogs out here that came from the SE and still have one. They were ran with our running x dogs and the only difference we have seen is that they wont tree out here. I had one of them that would locate the tree but would never sit down and rattle em off. All have stayed at the tree but wouldnt bark treed. Have no idea what the difference would be back there but out here there wasnt any. Next time you get one that wants to tree and you dont want it send it this way if you want.

[pegleg]

I think tree is overdone most places. For bobcat here they either are caught on the ground or aren't much higher then most dogs can climb. Highest I remember treeing in az was about 70 ft and probably one of few trees that height down low. Now knowing where the cat is that's important . tree bred or coon dogs I've hunted fall treed if they get confused or come up to a loss to easy. The older type hounds are to willing to slow down on a track sometimes. But a nice forward moving dog that knows where the cat is makes a difference. But it takes nose and smarts. I've only seen one hound that stood a decent chance of catching a bobcat here alone. She was pure hell to keep up with in the brush I can't say she was physically faster then most hounds but she didn't come back or hesitate driving forward. And somehow she connected the dots most times. But four or so hounds talking sure is better listening to me

[perk]

Mark, it's a trait that shows up in some of the breeding I normally hunt, would t cull it for the world. I want a dog to tell me where the race ended by treeing or baying at a hole. I think about it when I make certain crosses, just isn't a top 5 reason I breed a dog is all

[1bludawg]

Perk,
I've always heard that some breeds of running dogs would tree with age and then their owner would sell them .Anyway was wondering what breed or strain you hunt ?
All my experience has been with running dog~tree dog crosses .

[perk]

1bludawg most of what I run are just local bred grade dogs mostly. I could tell you dogs name and owners in their back ground but it wouldn't mean anything people not from my area. Not a lot of fancy Fox pen or field trial stock. Basically fox dogs that are bred with the intent to trail, run, and catch game . At least that's the intent

[scrubrunner]

I run mostly chase registered walker fox hounds, bred to run outside, I don't want any pen dogs, the only times mine have ever treed I know they saw the game climb and we're breathing the same air when it did. The old timer cat hunters around here always had one tree bred hound in the pack.
It's interesting the differences in different areas, even in the S. E. In Perk's area I think I understand they run mostly in the daylight, here it's always been mostly at night, they like a dog to bark at the hole, in the culture here a dog that barked or dug at the hole was disciplined severely if that didn't stop it, it was done away with.

[david]

...the only times mine have ever treed I know they saw the game climb and we're breathing the same air when it did...

"Breathing the same air." Lol. "Climb, fly, or die".

I like hunting with you guys just to listen to your words. The hound music is a bonus.

Sometimes it hits me how lucky, how blessed I am to be able to sit here and read things written from all over this great land by men of the caliber we are blessed with. Wow.

It would be wonderful to fully experience all these different hunting/training styles and different dogs. It would take a lot more years than I have left though. But I sure do appreciate everybody who shares about their lives and what they have learned along the way.

Thank you all.

[david]

We have guys on this thread from the Northwest, Southwest, Mid west, the great North woods, the far South, the Southeast, including the birth places and origins of the hounds/curs and hound cultures of North America.

Far North to Far South to Extreme East, to Extreme West to Extreme Middle. Haha. Amazing.

If anyone ever asks you if you are rich, tell them yes.