My name is Clay Pope owner of Pope Brothers Guide Service & Outfitting http://www.pbgso.com/index.php I've been guiding and outfitting in Texas for 10 years now and I'm about to be 32 years old. When I'm not guiding you might be able to find me in a boat somewhere, predator calling, chasing a pack of dogs, or spending time with my family. I make a living hunting we offer hunts year round in Texas (Texas is a great state). I got into Hounds about 3 years ago so I'm fairly new to this. I consider myself a predator hunter (calling) I put in over 100 days per year either guiding predator hunters or hunting myself for predator control. The reason I got into dogs was I had several hunters miss lions that were called in and I figured I could fix that with some dogs. It has been a learning experience to say the least. Here is one I called in to 50 yards and my client took back in April its a good female. I'm the one holding the lion.
I've been around and done a little reading posting in the past, but figured I would introduce myself and make some new friends. I'm always looking for good dogs, and guides.
Clay Pope
Clay
I live in Menard, not far west of you. I have a few blue hounds and have been known to try to call a critter myself. Give me a holler sometime and I will tell you a story.
I've stopped in the store a few times if this is the same Gary Roberson of BB game calls. I will be through your area headed out west later this month to run the dogs. I stop in the store about 5-6 times per year to stock up on mouth calls etc... I need some mini blasters I seem to loose quite a few. I also like to have a few in packages to give to my clients if they are big callers to take home and try. What do you use your blue dogs for?
Clay Pope
I hunt my blues on coon and bobcat around here. I have been having trouble getting on a cat lately. I was out last night and my old bitch started on an old bobcat track and trailed it for about a half a mile. I could not get either of my two young dogs to open with her or give her any help. I was imbarassed, good thing I was by myself. They are just about broke to coon and nothing else. I need to put them on a hot cat track and get them going in that direction. I would love to be able to break them off coon and hunt nothing but cat...if I did that, I would not get a bark on most hunts. What kind of dogs are you hunting?
My blues are not typical as you will see. They are extremely athletic and are much better track dogs than tree dogs. I road hunt them on these ranches out here and the average ranch that I hunt is 5,000 ac. They have to have really good feet and legs. I am planning to haul them to NM when I go up there this winter. I generally stay up there for a couple of weeks at a time. I have tried to hunt the Trans-Pecos and have had a dog pear problem in most of the country that I have been in. I have been breeding this line of hounds for about 15 years.
There is a guy from Sonora who has really had good luck with his Compucaller II down below Sanderson. He called up and killed 3 lions in about a month last winter. One male weighed 160 lbs.
I have 2 walkers, 2 red tick, 4 black and tans. I have 20+ pups on the ground that I'm getting ready to sell. I am working towards straight cat dogs. I lost a good red bone I paid a lot for out of Arizona straight lion dog a few months ago heart breaker, and had 2 red ticks (finished dogs) stolen 2 years ago lost a few other dogs along the way that have set me back a little. So I have a pretty young group of dogs that I'm still working. My goal is straight cat bobcat or lion. I like a smaller dog they seem to handle that country out west better that dog pear is tough stuff to say the least. That country around Sanderson is where I called that cat in and it is good country 2 weeks later I had a friend miss a lion at 80 yards or so he hung up on us and didn't get closer. The country I have with lots of dog pear I'll call it, and the higher elevations country I run the dogs in that. Dog hunters here in Texas are pretty tight lipped and don't sell to many of their dogs unless your in the group. I don't know that many people that even have dogs in Texas that run cats except government trappers. I'm looking for a good finished dog to buy, and if i don't find what I'm looking for I should be back in business shortly. I usually go out there and stay for a week or so as often as I can. I'll run my dogs down south also and that is some harsh country as well, but lots of bobcat not hard to find a fresh track. I've been thinking about hiring someone to stay out west with my dogs and working them all the time. The problem is finding someone to stay out there. Hauling them can be a pain.
Clay Pope
Hey welcome to the forum Clay! Do you ever come over to NM and do any hunting?
Robb
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I have thought about it. New Mexico has quite a bit of public land, but I am not up to date on their rules and regulations for out of state hunting with hounds. I had asked one of my guides last year to look into the laws for NM and nothing ever got done. I would be interested and it really isn't that much further than I travel already. I have a bunch of country in west Texas that is private property that I pretty much have exclusive rights to hunt and its good country. I have never hunted public property so I don't know what to expect either. Another thing is I don't like to step on other outfitters toes even if its public hunting. No snow either my dogs have never seen snow 1 has I have a walker out of Idaho but has been in Texas for quite a while now. Southern NM appeals to me and even private property that I could lease for Mule Deer etc... I have a friend that has a big lease in NM for muleys, but he told me not very many cats in that country. I think the lease is around Corona.
Clay
Clay
I have hunted hounds since I was in the 6th grade. Lots of bobcats in South Texas. One year, when I was in high school, caught 80 bobcats while hunting with an old man around Devine. We would put our hounds together and generally had around 10 dogs on the ground. My buddy, Robbie Hurt at Dilley has the best bobcat hounds anywhere. He catches 150-170 cats a year and last year caught 3 lions for deer hunters. He hunts primarily running walker type hounds as does everyone else in that country.
As you know, the secret to good dogs is to keep them in the woods. That is why I hunt coon in this country. It is best to keep the dogs sharp trailing something than just lying in a pen. Since most good lion country has no coon in it, this does not generally create a problem.
I will agree with you about the smaller dogs, I am not a fan of large hounds. I do have a male that just turned 3 years old that is making me rethink the size question. He weighs approx. 70 lbs and is lanky. He can stand flat footed and jump a five foot fence, has a ton of stamina and can fly on a good track. He would have a tough time in S. Texas as the short brush would eat him up but well suited in West Texas and NM.
Adios,
Gary
