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What do you guys think is the all around best hunting dog. I think a black and tan coonhound. I also think the American Indian Dog is up there too. What do you guys think?

the best dog is one that will track and tree in any conditions and throw pups that will do the same it doesnt matter what color it is or what blood it has.

I don't have much opinion on the black and tan hounds I only raised them for about 10 years.
But now the American Indian dogs is one of the most spectacular hunting dogs I personally have ever seen. We raise some really good ones in this area and I know some folks think I am kidding but I have seen them trail a jack rabbit thru hard packed dry ground on a hot day and push him till he is jumped, and then relay him around on the jump and have another dog hide and ambush the rabbit and the deal is over. It is amazing how smart they can get. Of course many of our hounds today would probably get a little more ambitious if they had to catch a rabbit or go without eating.

I feed plotts, wouldn't feed any breed that I didn't think was the best.

chancemarquette wrote:the best dog is one that will track and tree in any conditions and throw pups that will do the same it doesnt matter what color it is or what blood it has.

Like it or not this is the best answer you will get. Great answer Chancemarquette my hat is off to you. Jeff.

i agree with chance! i would like to get me some of those dogs . would you let me know where i can find em? i also think that it has alot to do with the style of dogs that you like. i have hunted with alot of dogs that get it done, but it was always a rat race. kinda liked to pull my hair out and wasnt pretty at all. but maybe thats just me. i like to hear the race and enjoy it

For Myself and My hunting style I prefer plotts. I have seen different packs of dogs and the best I have seen where plotts. They worked for that guy and they work for ME. Not saying there isn't great dogs in all breeds plotts just please me more and make it more enjoyable for my hunting.

The best dog is one that suits the fellow that feeeds it and makes him or her happey

Alright i mean if you could choose any breed of dog on earth to hunt and to have as a companion which breed would you pick. Yeh if you get the real American Indian Dog or the ( dingo, keltie, coyote Mix one) they hunt really well. Other ones claiming they are Indian Dogs are sometimes just random mixes that look like rez dogs kind of.

Most of the wild res. dogs here after a few generations end up looking more like a keltie mix with a shorter muzzle. Sort of a dull red is the predominant color about like a summer lion coat and very good camoflauge. Many differemt breeds are mixed into these dogs with herding predominantly the basic stock. Many of the sheperd dogs say used by the Navajos have become traitors in the past and fornicated with coyotes. Some say it is the theory if you can't beat em join em. LOL! Anyway these dogs have a nose on them and can trail at high speeds. They all but wiped the pronhorn antelope out of most areas by destroying the fawns. I have set and watched them take a toll on winter coyotes while their full blooded cousin coyotes sat on a nearby hill as if smoking cigars and waiting to clean up on the left overs. I have seen them take down big healthy beef calves working much like the African wild dogs. They can be domesticated but you must get them very young if they are born in the wild. they never become fully trusing of all people. The McNab shepherds of the coastal ares which are superior wild cattle dogs are presumed to be part coyote. I don't know but they have many of the traits of these res. dogs but don't seem to be as hardy or strong.

While working depredation some years back I had the task of cleaning out a pack of these that had become hard on young livestock. They become terap shy very quick. The young ones come to predator calls readily but once burned that is over. I slipped up on them trying to take a calf while the old cow was fighting them as best she could.I started in with a Browning A-5 with number #4 buck and ended up with my 243 as the last of them went over the hill several hundred yards distant. I got seven and there were nine total. I felt I had wounded one of those that escaped so I took up the chase and finally got her as she bolted from some tall grass and ran down a sand wash. The last dog was a large black dog resembling a german police dog a bit. It took several weeks to get another crack at him and by that time he had some new followers ranging in size from a great dane cross looking dog down a spaniel cross of some kind. I guess he would just go on a recruitmant tour to the local hogans and such. After he was eliminated the livestock killing pretty much stopped for a good while.

It would be interesting to see how a couple of these would work in a big game pack if caught and run with good hounds or curs early on.

It seems every rez has large packs of wild dogs,and they can hunt as good as any hound thats for sure.We trapped 16 dogs on the rez next to the county i'm in,alot of em were tri colored with red heads like walkers but with cur type noses and ears.It was an interesting experience thats for sure.

it would be impossible for me to pick one breed of dog...there is good dogs in every hunting breed.

Yeah we got a big problem on our rez all the time, damn good pack dogs though, have to watch your dogs sometimes they will hunt down other peoples little mutts and kill them. I dont live close to where the packs are and dont have to worry aboutit but never seen any houndy looking ones.

We had a pack of dogs out here about 5-6- yrs ago that were killing machines. They reminded me so much of wolves it was not funny, they would kill everthing they came across it did not matter what it was. I knew of a gentlemen that transplatted 30 exotic sheep and these dogs found the sheep in matter of 5 days and killed 25 of them in 1 night and 3 the next night and we still have no idea where they ate the other 2. When they killed the 25 it looked like it was a battle ground with all 25 sheep killed within a 100 yrd radius like they were herding them into the ambush. These dogs were very large dogs anywhere from 80 to 150 lbs and the smartest animal I have ever seen. You could call the young ones in only once if you did not make it happen you didn't get a second chance. I could not trap them. (wasn't smart enough) These dogs would kill sheep, elk, deer, javelina, antelope, cattle, dogs anything they came across. Over about a 6 month period we took care of about 5 dogs and there were aprox 7 more mature adults. We got the dumb ones!!!!!!!!! Then a friend of mine came across a old man that used to be a trapper in northern Idaho, that said he could trap these dogs, so we said be my guest, and he set a trap that got the job done and he trapped 6 of those Bastards!!!!!! In about 2 weeks , (I told u I wasn't very smart). He proceeded to tell us he trapped wolves this way in Canada. He never got off the 4 wheeler to set the trap and he used a wooden spoon to move the dirt with never anything else that could leave a trace of scent on top of the ground. I was so impressed with the noses and brains of these dogs and their drive to survive.

years ago i went to get a bluetick pup from a old dog trader it's dam sure looked good big tight built decent earage sure enough hound dog. and it would run cats good too. he even had references to her ability. the problem was he was dirty liar and forgot to mention that while the stud dog was a "top working blue dog" that it was a blue heeler cow dog. when this pup was four month's old i started to suspect something as her ears quit growing but she didn't and at about six and a half month's they started to stand up a bit. i worked her just like a hound and fortunately the things that didn't come natural to her she learned quick enough. and she turned into one of the better cat dogs i have seen or hunted with. however i wouldn't recommend anyone try to repeat that cross as i believe the good lord took a hand in lining up that genetic mess to make it work out in her. the thing that intrigued me was that while the hounds would bay in a cat or bears face she did work the rear and caused more then a few bay ups to break and run this way.