new hunters

[coastrangecathunting]

do you ever ask yourself why do you run hounds. i grew up in a dog box. road in the back of a extra cab freezing to death. preying my dad would role up the window, but to afraid to ask. over the years walked thousands of miles for a BOBCAT , BEAR , COON,COUGAR . when its 3 in the morning raining your soak and wet half way to the tree up hill what makes it worth it . to me the dogs ... i know it is a cleeshea but i will be there for my dog . i have been chasing hounds for as long as i can rermember and if they are out there so am i . for you new hunters there is nothing worse than leaveing your dog in the woods , that is to me b.s. . i dont ever drink and go hunting to me my dogs are as important as my family .. be commeted to your dog and they will hunt there ass off for you.

jc

[perk]

Nice Post, I hope most hunters feel the same way about their hounds.

Barring a physical injury that keeps you from getting your hound becuase you have to go to the emergency room for yourself or someone else hunting with you got hurt, I see NO reason to ever leave a dog in the woods when the hunt is over.

I dont have a problem with people who drink. But I have always felt that there are 3 places alcohol has NO Place. They are when the your going to be around GUNS, DOGS, OR Driving. Not much can make me loose respect for a houndsman as quick as seeing them drink while hunting their hounds. If your done hunting and have a few I dont have a problem, but while your hounds are on the ground I feel you should have enough respect for them to not drink. JMO

Perk

[Daniel Tremblay]

This is an awesome post! I completely agree 100%. Even though I have only been in the hound game for a few years now. Having and caring for dogs has been a part of my life since i was old enough to have one. I started out with labs duck hunting and when my father in-law introduced me to hounds I was hooked for life. The most enjoyable part of duck hunting for me was watching the dog work and display everything I had taught him. Which to be honest with duck hunting there isnt much that goes on with the dogs compared to hounds. I don't think there is anything that could ever compare to raising and training and caring for a hound since they were a weaned pup. Well perhaps raising a child but i'm not at that stage in life yet so I wouldnt know. Once again great post and if your one of those people that do the things that were talked about early in the post. Think long and hard about what your really doing before something bad happens.

[pegleg]

leaving dogs out there may be instances where you loose a hound, due to terrain etc. but most lost hounds come from road hunting hounds that have NO REASON to find the hunter when they get done. develop some sort of rapport with your hounds and you wont be loosing hounds except once in a great while. finding its pack is a natural response to any lost canine. I have left one hound out overnight in a unpopulated area with a tracking collar on. it was a male i bought that would not come in when it was time to quit. it worked for him in the morning he was right there under the trailer with the rest and that night he came right in with us no b.s. it might not work in all cases and I did work with this dog for a few weeks until i was plain irritated. on this note we had a three year old girl lost in Tucson last night that wasn't found until this morning with her dog sittin right there with her. That dog could have easily gone home and got warm ate supper and went to bed like some people would have. however since it stayed it without a doubt saved that little girl from getting hypothermia or worse. Drinking and hunting of any form have no business mixing thats common sense and hopefully more people will develop a little. Drinking causes more stupid shit to happen in all sports /activities then anything. I go to enjoy myself not try to get a hung over partner out of bed or call it quits early to go get a beer or worry about someones attitude because of it. From a SAR perspective most of the calls have alcohol involved which should make you stop and think about it.

[Melanie Hampton]

These are good posts..

I know lots of people who have gone out with someone, seen something be treed and say "Oh yeah I want to hunt hounds!" They haven't had the days of chasing trash running dogs... or hunting your butt off for days at a time without catching something... or carried your best dog out of the woods dead... or put all the hard work into training a dog and hoping it turns out..

People come into it thinking it is just an easy fun sport.. Buy dogs catch game..

I'm pretty sure the past 9 years have stressed me out and worried me more then anything else in life would.. And yeah I love it..

I've lived off Mac and Cheese or Hot Pockets so the dogs have their "Good" dog food.. I have gone without stuff for me so that I have all my tracking equipment in order.. I have been late for birthday parties, holiday dinners family stuff etc etc etc because I have dogs out.. Because yep, I didn't have to be anywhere until later, so why not hunt that day...

My dogs are a part of my family and I may be a girl, but you don't want to mess with one of my dogs.. I spend as much time with them as possible.. I worry making sure they are warm enough in the winter and that they are still getting out and running around and getting "people" time when they are not hunting.. I worry about who buys a pup off of me.. Are they going to hunt it enough? Are thay going to take care of it.. I am a bit of a worrier, but they hunt for me and I have to hold up my end even around the house..

I always send them out with a quick pat on the head and a prayer that they make it back to me safe..

To me drinking has NO part in hunting dogs.. I don't know if I'm that way so much because I have seen it very abused in hound hunting or if I just have enough comman sense to think it doesn't play a part in it.. Hound hunting should be serious.. Fun, but serious.. Screwing around gets dogs and people hurt..

So yep, I am one of those in this wonderful sport where I know more then one person who shouldn't own the dogs that they do.. It's a lifestyle for me and I make sure I hold up my end since the dogs hold up theirs.. It is a huge commitment and I wsh more people would research it more and spend more time around it before they think they need to go buy a dog..

[Bowhead65]

Amen,
I'm new to hound hunting, but not new to dogs. I have had labs and beagles all my life. Now I have 2 labs and 2 redticks. We choose there life and they will give theres for us and myself I will give mine for them as many of you would. The dogs we hunt are out to please us, and we as there leader owe them the best that they deserve. My dogs are part of my family, they sleep with me at night and spend alot of time with me during the day. Some say its wrong for a hound but if they are going to be out all night so am I. Great post, good hunting.

[Justaguy]

Great Post,

I agree that drinking has no part in hunting and when I have lost one of my dogs I worry about them like I had lost one of my kids. They are a part of my family and I would do most anything for them.

[robbyson99]

This is a great post. I have lost a dog while cat hunting in coburn gore here in maine. I put him and a female on a nice cat track and they went out nicely. Coburn gore is just how it sounds. Hilly. Cliffs. Holes. You name it. I followed there tracks till dark and never heard him again. I was on top of the mountain at dark and couldn't get a beep. We marked the spot and headed to the truck very sick to my stomach at that point. Slept in the truck and headed to the last spot at day break. Still no beep. We followed there tracks all that day and never saw the dogs. Never got a beep. Both my collars had to of died. The feeling was awful but we headed back to the truck. I was single and he was my first hound. Spent every day with him. He went everywhere I did besides going to work. I stayed in coburn gore for a week looking for the dogs. Gave our cell numbers to all the loggers we ran into. 5 days after we turned the 2 out a logger called with 1 dog. My buddies female was in rough shape but my male was no where to be found. I called in sick for a week after that and never found my male. Some may say that I gave up but I was there for 2 weeks straight with no luck. I lost my first hound. I was sick to my stomach over the whole deal. I will never forget. I've sense purchased other hounds but it took me a long time to get past that. I've had some very rough times hunting hounds. Between running a moose and a dog that wouldn't come to me I've still managed to hang in there. I encourage all hunters getting into hound hunting for the first time to hang in there. Great things will eventually happen and great bonds will be formed with you and your hounds. Corey