Coyote/bear cross training.

[ethan9392]

Thoughts on training dogs to run bear and coyote. I have heard mixed answers. Would like to know who does this, and if anyone also throws bob’s in the mix. Interested in cons vs pros. How often will a dog leave a cold trail bear for a coyote? Any input would be appreciated. Also how do coyotes run compared to bear?


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[brodieross]

I have started doing this and I know a few guys from my area that do it also and have good luck. I don't have the most experience with it yet myself being as its my first year doing it and I haven't gotten my dogs back on bear after getting them to run coyotes. But I will say my dogs have gotten hell of a lot better than they were in the fall when I quit bear hunting. Hunting in the snow has made it easier to train them to take older tracks and overall coyotes pull a lot more tricks than bears seem to when they're running making the dogs better at figuring out a loss. To me it seemed like a no brainer. Even if the dogs do get on the odd coyote chase during bear season, they will be working all year long instead of sitting idle half the year, which was important to me. From most guys I've talked to they don't have problems with dogs switching tracks, they all say the dogs just seem to like bear scent better and after getting them on a few bears in the spring they figure out what they're supposed to be hunting. The only con I can see with doing it so far is if you want to make an honest rig dog. I'll try to remember to post another reply about this after the spring season and let you know how they made out.

[david]

Thoughts on training dogs to run bear and coyote...Would like to know who does this, and if anyone also throws bob’s in the mix... How often will a dog leave a cold trail bear for a coyote? Any input would be appreciated. Also how do coyotes run compared to bear?

Coyotes sometimes run exactly like bears, and according to reports bears will shape shift into coyotes just before crossing roads where hunters are waiting for the bear to come out.
Young coyotes will also run like a cat sometimes; or shape shift from a cat into a coyote if they know they are about to be seen. Cats and bears can shift their feet into coyote feet if they have to cross something that will hold tracks.

Personally, I have witnessed some HARDCORE denial among some bear hunters who cannot fathom that their dogs are running a coyote.

I think it is denial also to think that bears are the only ones leaving hot tracks from bear baits.

They need to start posting signs at the baits that say “bears only”.

I know that time stamped game cameras at bait sites have cut down on trash races in the past few years.

It may be true that combination dogs prefer bear over coyote. I can’t say, because I don’t hunt bear or date women that do. But If combo dogs prefer bear over coyote, then there are bear caught that started out as coyote tracks before the dogs crossed a hot bear.

...just another good reason to run coyotes.

Bear finders.

I do really like Brodieross’ answer though. Because I hate laying up dogs for months also. I hunted coon when I could not hunt cat. And in some areas coon are the worst kind of trash for bear and cat hunting. And maybe I would have been better laying up the dogs instead of hunting on “trash”. But I think it is hard on hunting dogs and hard on hunters to lay around getting soft for much of the year, and then trying to jump back into hunting full force. Some states only allow a month or two to run cats. About the time the dogs start firing on all cylinders, the season is over. And it can be very hard to get to hunting a pup at the right time in his development.

It is impossible to build or find a dogs full potential hunting him only a few weeks per year.

Wisconsin and Michigan have Many hunters who run their bear dogs all winter on coyote. And if they come on a cat track during cat season, they will run it also. Minnesota has long had coyote doggers who could catch cats with the same dogs.

Brodieross was right again about the rigging issue. I had to quit hunting with bear hunters because I wanted my dogs broke off coyotes.

Cat hunting becomes a lonely sport.

I guess as long as you don’t see it or find tracks, “the dogs had a hard running bear race today. Finally had to gather up dogs and go home.” There is always a chance you are not lying. And it seems better than laying around watching TV all winter to cut down on coyote races during bear season.

[ethan9392]

Thanks for the responses guys. Good info


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[Bear hounder]

Hi guys it's a bit late but I thought I'd put in my 2 cents in I have struggled with the idea of running dogs on yotes in the winter as well I have always wanted to but I'm a logger and that takes up most of the winter so that makes it hard to.time wise but the other resin I don't is because I met 2 different guys now that hunt yotes with there bear dogs and they both have had dogs killed at the tree or at home in there own yard so that being said I also have heard of guys who run yotes with their bear dogs so it's with no dogs eating dogs so maybe it's the line if dogs I guess but decided to not teach my dogs to hunt yotes because it seems to me you are teaching your dog's to hunt k9 witch is were the dog eating proper may come from I just figured it was not worth the risk for me but I have been hunting four of my bear dogs on moose and have zero moose runs while hunting bears and that could all change this year you never know but I don't have many moose hitting my baits like can happen with yotes so that reduces the chances right there and moose can leave a track just about anywhere so I know I'm not lying to my self . Plus the hounds can normally bay a moose either the first 7 km or so but honestly I think you can run 2 different types of game and not have any problems and if I did happen to run a moose I would not lie to myself or anyone else no blaming the digs for being trashy I'd just pull them of the moose and say good boys because I know it's my fault for being trashy and asking my bear hounds to hunt moose that being said I tree more bears after starting a good moose track like a moose track that you just saw a moose standing in they will leave that moose and tree a bear every time they get a chance kinda makes a man proud when they trash in style like that I think any good houndsman would rather see his hounds running somthing trash or not when they are young to refine there hunting talents you just got to be man enough to not blame the the hounds when you don't get what your looking for . So my hat is off to anyone who can do it keep looking up gentlemen

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[bowieknife50]

I'm a bit new to it but all the guys I bear hunt with run their young dogs on coyote to get as much work as possible. Once they start showing promise as a bear cold trailer they take them off coyotes but will still run them on cat. Just what I've seen...


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