Hounds in Old Mexico

[Brent Sinclair]

Anyone ever get a chance to hunt with hounds in Old Mexico???
These hounds were used for lion on a ranch we hunted in Sonora.
Lion were killing a calf or two every couple days and the vaquaros got a permit to kill ever lion they found...I had a sheep client so could only get in on the last few chases before a new hunt started....
They caught acouple jaguar one day but were not allowed to do anything but catch the hounds even if the jaguar were doing the killing...
I am not sure what breeding this grey looking hound was but I'd have taken him home if I could have convinced the boys to sell him to me....
He was hell on bobcat and rigtail cats as well.

[pegleg]

been down there some, not much lately. have some friends that ranch there. hunting is best done with their arms and a permit it is a bit stressful for me. I don't suppose hunting farther in would be as bad. have friends with a decent spread in chihuahua and have only gone down once to look at it and visit shot some geese and watched a few horse races. the hounds are different as they are really not particular on breeding sometimes and who knows whats in the wood pile. had one hound that got sick after it came back it would get shaky and waste down real bad come back up good and do it again about every three months. the vet didn't know exactly what it was, but always gave a antibiotic. never really got over it. died about two years later never had any others act that way either. my experience is the "seasons" aren't adhered to real well on the ranches but can't complain.

[Dads dogboy]

Brent,

In the 80's I used to Deer Hunt on a ranch in Mexico in the State of Coahila (sp). Their Cowboys had dogs similar to the ones Pictured.

These were Cowdogs, Liondogs, Bobcatdogs, Havalidogs....you name it and they could sick em on it and they would run the Varmint to catch it!

However the truly GOOD Cat Hunters that we know of in Eastern Mexico use Running Walker type Hounds on Jags, Lion, and Bobs. These fellows are contracted to remove problem Cats from an area and are not opportunity Hunters like the Cowboys on the Ranch where I Deer Hunted.

As far as I can tell Mr. Luis Chapa from the Monterey area is the Dean of the Eastern Mexico Cat Hunters although we have heard about two or three others who’s Hounds are as good!

CJC

[pegleg]

very true they ask about buying a hound and then act like your mental when you sa it wont run half of what they want. hounds make some of the roughest cowdogs i've seen.

[Brent Sinclair]

I've seen some interesting looking hounds the cowboys down there take along with them when ever they go on horse back to check cows or water ...
Some I swore would not last to see the end of the day they were so poor, but in the mornin they would be sittin by the fire waiting for a scrap of bacon or tortilla....and like you said ,they ran about everything with them they could.
They were tough as nails and the thorns and cactus didn't hardly bother them...I spent as much time diggin out thorns as I did huntin..
In the early 80's before it was closed I was able to hunt jaguar in the Yucitan, we had some hounds in camp but the jungle was so thick it was impossiable to run and keep up with the chase so the outfitter was forced to use bait...
These hounds were of every size color and breed you could imagine, and the heat was so hard on them they may have lost interest in runnng a cat after a few miles anyway. They were not anywhere close to the type of hounds the Lee Brothers ran in Old Mexico or South America, but the guy did catch jaguar, ocelote and lion with them!!!!