CAMERONS?

[007pennpal]

Chuck,
I'll be going to hunt with Jim Harrel and get a pup in a couple weeks, so if you call him and see if he has anything left I might be able to pack one back for you. I'd call Del too and see if he has anything ready. You never know. As a matter of fact, I am going to hunt with Steve soon too. So, PM me and I'll keep you posted.

As to some of these other guys...
humans don't breed - hounds do. The humans only pics the pair, hunts and culls. When you say Cameron it is the name of the hounds that originated from past Cameron breedings. Both men and hounds and lines of hounds have names. So if you want blood from proven hounds then follow that blood line. The name Cameron or anything else is only a label. Look back into the lines to see which hounds and how much of each was put into the current litter. Also, the human doing the picking should be culling and hunting to test traits. I prefer to hunt as many of the hounds producing my pups as possible.

Cameron is a top western bluetick bloodline, but make sure you buy from a breeder that both picks pairings and culls properly. The popularity of Del's book has spread blood from his hounds widely. One hound can change the line, for good or bad, so do your homework and take an educated gamble. Look into the guarantee and how the breeder stands by it.

Sean

[Geno]

The coment that Dell hunts hus dogs or has someone hunt them hard before he breeds them is not true!!!! I talked to him last year and he said he had a 5 year old male that he wanted to sell he bought him when he was 2 bred him for 3 years and he said the guy he got him from put him on one lion. So if that is considered hunting hard dont know what to say. I dont know about the rest of his dogs or what he used to do just what he told me directly!!!

[007pennpal]

Geno,
I don't know what the deal was with that stud you are talking about, but Del's dogs are tested. He makes deals to trade pups back for a proven hunter to breed. I have seen this happen. There was likely a reason for what Del did. He is well respected.
Sean

[Powder River Walker]

This is a great thread, because it falls into one of my questions. What exactly is a "cameron" dog. I know there are alot of blue dogs for sale and I am getting two of these dogs. but the more I think about it with out the Cameron what are the line's he uses. I am just getting started in blood lines and seems like you find more Human Names tied to a dog then what they actually are. I know in the horse world you very seldom find a blood line tied to a human name it is straight what the animal derived from.
I don't know Del but seeing how he has a reputaion I think he could take alot of the people out hunting with a dog that is just an ok dog and sell him because he said he was good or could show him in a way to make the dog look better then he really is. NOT SAYING HE IS THAT WAY, but someone that has been around something thier whole life can make it seem better then what it really is. So my question is taking the "cameron" out what blood lines did his dogs originate from.
PRW

[catdogs]

Not sure on the lines, all I can say is if Del hadn't wrote a book, you wouldn't hear much about his dogs. As for the "he is well respected" comment...I beg to differ. IMO there is a ton of hype with his dogs. Geez... for the price of a Cameron pup, I could buy 2-3 pups from Ken Duncan, who has been breeding for 50 years and STILL hunting the dogs that he breeds, and still charging a more than fair price for pups ($250). There is a guy I respect.

[powderhorn]

The coment that Dell hunts hus dogs or has someone hunt them hard before he breeds them is not true!!!! I talked to him last year and he said he had a 5 year old male that he wanted to sell he bought him when he was 2 bred him for 3 years and he said the guy he got him from put him on one lion. So if that is considered hunting hard dont know what to say. I dont know about the rest of his dogs or what he used to do just what he told me directly!!!

I can tell this issue is something you have a strong opinion about.. I'm not here to call anyone a liar, in fact I would honor your story without knowing you personally until Del told me different. I'm more of a "from the horse’s mouth" kind of guy. But I know that Del has his own methods for breeding, such as using dogs who he believes will recreate the traits in its Grandsire’s grandsire, etc.. and as much as there are people on both sides of the fence about Del & his hounds, I can’t really argue with results I have seen.

When I say that Del doesn't breed a dog unless it has been proven, I'm repeating something I've seen and talked with Del about face-to-face. I consider him a friend who has not only offered me insight about hunting hounds that no one else has, but has also shown me respect and hospitality that is very rare in today's world. So I'll admit when I see bold statements about his name and dogs, I will offer my defenses even though it won't go far for people who already have their opinions. And that's what makes the world go round… (In no way am I claiming to be best buddies with Del.) Del is not an infallible breeder or hunter. No one is. The point of my original post is this: Don’t take everyone’s word for it here, including mine. If you think you want a Cameron hound, why not make Del Cameron the first number you call? Ask him about his dogs and what you’re looking for and he’ll give his opinion. I believe he’ll shoot straight with you.

*Something I felt I should add: I have hunted with dogs directly from Del, but I do not own a dog directly from him. I have owned a few blueticks with Del's breeding in the background and I have been impressed with them. If you can't afford a puppy from him, he will offer his opinion on who may have a litter of pups that would be worth looking at.

[powderhorn]

So my question is taking the "cameron" out what blood lines did his dogs originate from.

In short.. Any current dogs with the Cameron name originated from mostly Clearwater & Vaughn Dogs. (With a few exceptions.) We could get to specific dog names, but after his first few generations he centered around his best dogs and bred tight for the traits he wanted.. You'll find a lot more southern competition hunters center around a specific dog, much like horse pedigrees (ie* Hancock bred horses) rather than a person or kennel name like a lot of our biggame bred hounds. I guess in short it can make sense either way, because you'll find in a Cameron pedigree that it is usually going back to 4-8 original dogs.. Breeding for an overall package of traits rather than a throwback to an origin animal.. I beleive (whether for horses or dogs) this concept makes sense to create consistancy, but it is also a very long and grueling process to cull and test to find what works... ending up with a unique animal.. suited to some and not to others.

[cobalt]

They are Vaughn and Sebastian. Clearwater is a name you see on the papers a lot, but only play a 1 or 2 generational part of the blood. The reason they appear a lot is one of Del's foundation dogs was Cameron's Blue Sam, a brother/sister littermate cross(Clearwater Trapper and Brandy), both out of Clearwater Boone and Fannie. There are a couple other dogs with the Clearwater name, also. I guess you could say they are fountation to the line, but they weren't out of the Clearwater breeding program. They bought their dogs from back east and so did Del to an extent.
The Hammer line of Dave Deans is similarly Vaughn/Sebastian, but bred his dogs a different way.
These "Cameron" dogs are what they are. Some are excetional, some are not, no matter where you get them from and depending on where you get them from. There are some genetically physical and tempramental issues with them, also. A good breeder will back their dogs up and will keep the gene pool as clean as possible as far as reproduction goes by refunding with money or another pup (weather you pay $5 or 5 million) for pups with mental or physical deformities, which is what is lacking in most breeding programs. You can't please everybody all of the time, but that should be the goal for the benefit of the bloodline. Humility is often the genetic flaw in the breeder.

[Powder River Walker]

Thanks for the info. Seems to me if you line breed to much wouldn't there get to be issues with mental and phyisical deformaties with out adding new or different blood lines?

*NOT TRYING TO CAUSE PROBLEMS JUST A QUESTION!!
PRW

[powderhorn]

Got back home and thought I'd post the pedigree info on Del's origin breeding stock.. I believe (and someone correct me if I'm wrong) but, you can take just about any modern Cameron dog back to these 6 Dogs belonging to Del.. (I don't have more than a 3 generation ped on Savage Sam handy..) Nell is a bit redundant since she was out of Little Blue & Fly.. But you get the idea..

[007pennpal]

This is a great thread. And as for "Mr. I don't like Del Cameron" ha ha, its ok. Well respected doesn't have to mean everybody. Hell yeah hunt your $250 puppies. Hunt the hair off of them. The animals in the tree can't read the price tag on the dogs anyway. Peace.
Sean

[Powder River Walker]

Is the Vaughn breeding a name of a blood line or is Vaughn an old time hunter that put his name on the papers like Cameron?

[MT Hounder]

Is the Vaughn breeding a name of a blood line or is Vaughn an old time hunter that put his name on the papers like Cameron?

I think it was put on the papers like del's name. I maybe wrong but I think the breeder was Albert Vaughn

[George Streepy]

Looking to get a cameron pup. Does del have the best or should i go somewhere else?

What do you plan to hunt and where? If you plan on hunting bobcat on the west side of the Cascades, I hope your buying the Cameron as a pet. I am sure they work well for lions and bears but I would talk to hunters in your area that consistantly catch the game you plan to run. Dels book is a good read and when I first started I wanted a Cameron real bad. The problem was I couldn't find a guy west of the Cascades that hunted Camerons and actually caught more than one or two cats a year. I would look into it and make sure a Cameron is even what you really want. I have talked to Del a few times years ago and it is obvious he knows a thing or two about dogs, I am not trying to put him down. JMO

[powderhorn]

Is the Vaughn breeding a name of a blood line or is Vaughn an old time hunter that put his name on the papers like Cameron?

Well it's both.. but Elbert Vaughn is the man. Whether we call a bloodline by someone's last name, the name of a dog, or whatever else we choose it still originated from a breeder / kennel whether the name is something they made up or had handy at the end of their name. What's your take PRW? I've never thought of it as anything other than men putting their name on their dogs.. I've noticed no real rhyme or reason to kennel names for dogs, ranch & family names for horses, etc.. but in the bluetick lines, some of the more well-known strains like Vaughn, Utchman, Cameron had kennel names after the breeder. Let's talk other breeds? I'm no expert, but I'm far more familiar with the blue lines.. I knowof Duncan Black&Tans, obviously named after him.. And Plott Hounds, the whole breed named after Henry Plott & his family..