Getting Interested in Hog

[Moonshiner]

Whats a good way to get a pup/dog interested in Hog?
Also what are some key tips to remeber when hunting hog?

[12-GAUGE]

It is always good to let them actually get to put a mouth on one. That being said, remember, a wild hog can end it all real quick. If you are very attatched to your dog, you may want to reconsider. JMO

[three rivers catahoulas]

If you like your dogs, dont start hog huntin. I loved to hog hunt, then I got all my dogs killed. The thing about hog huntin is, every time you hear a dog bark, the rescue mission starts. Thats why I kinda went to bear,&cats you dont always have to kill your self to get to the bay. I still hog hunt every now and again but I'm not out every day gunnin for the biggest nastest hog anymore. JMO

[Moonshiner]

well could I get a regular hog and see if the dog shows interest, then take em out on a real feral hog hunt?

[broncobilly]

Whats a good way to get a pup/dog interested in Hog?

Best way is go hunting with someone who has hog dogs that hunt the way you wnat your dog to hunt. Then you and your dog can learn togather.

Second best way is build a bay pen, aquire a WILD hog to put in it, put your pup in their and see what happens.

Also what are some key tips to remeber when hunting hog?

Hogs are called "poor mans grizzly" for a reason. They can kill you!!!! If you make a mistake, if you are careless just for a second or 2 at the wrong time, it could cost you a dog or even your life. I think that this is the most important tip to remember.

On the other hand, I do not agree with the opinion that you should not get into hog hunting just because you like your dog. I have been hunting wild hogs with dogs since 1991 and during that time I have taken over 3000 hogs and have never had a dog killed by hogs.

However, the training methods and tricks needed to give your dog a good chance to survive when his career is finding and baying hogs would require a lot more typing than you will ever get from me, so I will just reiterate my previous advice. Load your dog up and take a trip to S. Tx, look up longshot and spend a few days hunting with him. You will learn more in a few days that way than you would in a year reading about it on the internet.

Bill

[pig snatcher]

"On the other hand, I do not agree with the opinion that you should not get into hog hunting just because you like your dog. I have been hunting wild hogs with dogs since 1991 and during that time I have taken over 3000 hogs and have never had a dog killed by hogs."

I will second what BroncoBilly said.

[Moonshiner]

Bronco do I have to gooo alll the way to S. Texas? lol, I want to learn but thats pretty far, lol. Well honestly i doubt this pup I got is hog hunting material, He's pretty set in his ways with chasin yotes and kitties, lol.
Eventually he might see some, but that'll be probably when he's 2 or so.

[three rivers catahoulas]

Maybe I should have worded that alittle differant, you can like your dog and still hunt hogs, I made a liveing out of it for many years, I hunted hogs for the state and guided hunts all over California, and I'm not trying to take anything away from you guys in Texas because Ive hunted there as well as many other states and there are some bad dudes there, but add the terain that we have here and you might not like hog huntin as much thats why I dont hog hunt as much any more, plus last year I had 11 dogs killed. And my hats off to ya if you have caught 3000 hogs and never had a dog get killed, go knock on some wood now LOL. I'll tell ya another thing, I have been charged by more hogs in Texas and OK then anywere eles, some of those hogs are bad ass mamagamas. To let everone know I wasen't trying to take anything away from huntin hogs though sorry about the way I worded it. But after last year it put a sour taste in my mouth, because like you I went for years without getting a dog killed. So good luck to ya and go get'em.

[broncobilly]

LOL at moonshiner. You probably don't have to go all the way to S. TX. I am sure that CA has plenty of good hog hunters with good dogs, I just don't know any to reccommend.

trc,
I have never hunted CA, so I can't comment on the conditions there from personal experience. The only states I have personally hunted are NM, TX, LA, and MS. However, my experience in those 4 states, as well as multiple conversations with others who have hunted other states, including CA, lead me to conclude that the opportunity for the results of a hunt to go south are pretty similar pretty much everwhere that there are hogs.

It is certainly not my intention to downplay the potential dangers of hog hunting, it is rather my contention that my "luck in never having a dog killed by hogs" is is because I NEVER forget or disregard the probability of danger from a hog, and in fact I work very hard to mitigate that potential danger. At the same time I recognize that the time may come when I will loose a dog anyway. Although I have not had a dog killed by hogs, I have lost dogs to other causes while hog hunting, cars, snakes, even clients, and as upsetting as those experiences were, the good experiences of hog hunting have outweighed the bad by a factor of many.

Bill

[three rivers catahoulas]

man if I had a client kill or wound a dog I think I would probly be in jail LOL or he would still be laying in the woods. I never had a dog die from being snake bit, but I've had a few bit. I had on Catahoula that I think went out just to find snakes. You have them bad rattlers down there in NM, you have those Mojave greens dont ya? I hear there real nasty critters. We should get to gether Bill do alittle huntin, I have been kickin it around for a while to go to your neck of the woods and run some saber toothed rats ( Javalina). Ya run those much? I've heard some stories about them little critters. I hunted MS a few years back and that place is full of snakes ( copper heads) it seemed like there was one every 20 feet, there were a bunch in AR and LA too. Any ways I still think we should get together and go chase some swine or ya can come up here and chase some bear.

[broncobilly]

TR Catahoulas,

It tested my self control, for sure.

The rattlers we have around here are the western diamond back, some years they are pretty bad, some years I don't see many. I found a den this spring before the snakes left it, and after I was done blasting it, I doubt that they will be to bad this year. I don't know how many were in the hole, but when I found it, there were 20 or so with in a few feet of the hole.

I have never messed with javalinas, either with or without dogs. It is an eight or nine hr drive from where I live to where they have javalinas. I have heard horror stories about what javalinas have done to packs of lion dogs, but I didn't know the owners of the dogs personally, so I don't know if the stories are true or not.

Cottonmouth snakes are one of the reasons that I have not been back to S TX or LA or MS for a few years. Like you said, they were everywhere. Gators are another reason I havn't been back to LA for a while.

If you do come down to NM, let me know and we will get togather and go chase something. I would love to come to CA and run a bear with you, but I doubt that I will be able to get away from here long enough to do so in the foreseeable future.

In rereading my last post, I realized that it came across as very arogant. Like I think that the whole reason that I have never lost a dog to hogs is because I am such a great hunter and trainer. That was not my intention. While I do work hard at it, I very readily admit that the main reason is because God watches out for me. My apologies to any that I offended with that post.

Bill

[three rivers catahoulas]

I never met one of those big ugly lizards and to be honest dont really want to, Thats another critter my FL buddies keep teelin me about. I thinh I'll stick with the bear, lion and hogs hear. Bill your welcome up any time just give me a jinggle.

[Arkansas Frog]

Moon shiner go to Texas Boars.com and there you will learn every thing you want to know on hog hunting.

[TomJr]

I have never messed with javalinas, either with or without dogs. It is an eight or nine hr drive from where I live to where they have javalinas. I have heard horror stories about what javalinas have done to packs of lion dogs, but I didn't know the owners of the dogs personally, so I don't know if the stories are true or not.

Humm Javalina are not that bad here, just can't hunt them with dogs though. We have a small orchard 10 acres all fenced and mostly Javalina proof. Anyhow once in a while a herd will dig under. My dogs have free run of the 10 acres. Last year the dogs got 6 out of a small herd that would not give up, just a few marks on the dogs nothing serious. This happens at night so by the time I get out there its usualy all over but the clean up... Few years back I had a big herd of 30 get in and 5 didn't make it back out, only one dog was marked that night just one on his shoulder.

When I am outside the fence hunting and we run into a herd of Javalina I always call the dogs back because I don't want to get into any trouble. Problem is there is always a few that come back after the dogs, just begging to get killed. Its a real struggle to call the dogs off when the animal keeps trying to attack!

Javalina are 45-50 lbs here, once in a while one will run up close to 60 though. I would think those hogs you all are hunting are much more deadly to dogs.

I don't hunt javalina anymore and feel abit gilty when my dogs kill one at night inside the orchard... since its not legal to hunt them with dogs here.

[longshot]

GOOD THREAD GENTLEMEN!!


Moonshiner,
I am originally from N.Texas and moved to the Hill Country 5 years ago becuase it was closer to S.Texas which is were all the hogs WERE!

NOW they are all over the state and I have buddies that are in N.Texas and Southern Oklahoma that have caught hords of hogs this year. So there are plenty of hogs moving your way and you wouldnt have to go all the way to South Texas to make a squeal.

Good Luck and keep firing the good questions
Longshot