BigGameHoundsmen.com

I took a guy out last night and he made some comments to me about the way my dogs hunted. We were walking down an old logging road and my dogs were doing like they normally do. They would run down the road and be gone 10 min max and come back, check in and be off again. Sometimes they would be off down in the timber and we would walk past them and they would come running past. And sometimes they walked beside us a bit and then would leave out hunting again. They never really just leave and go find a track 5 miles down the mountain. When they hit a track they leave. He looked at me and said "I would kill everyone of those dogs". I said why? and he started saying that they hunted more like cur dogs than plotts. I said "well when it's time to leave we can load em up and leave we don't have to go 20 miles down the road looking for them...looking for a track to run". He said that they might "come out of it" and start hunting like "real" plott dogs with age and you'll tree three times as many bear. We came across a pile of crap in the trail and the dogs worked it real hard trying to get it lined out but they just couldn't. He says, that the crap wasn't that old cause it's still damp inside and that my "plott" dogs are to hot nosed. By the end of the night I was tired of his constant shit talk about my dogs and was ready to fight about it but, instead just went to the truck loaded up my dogs and left because I do have some respect for the guy. This guy has had some DAMN FINE plott dogs over the years but, doesn't own any now....... cause he got tired of trying to find them. My question is, are these normal characteristics of a plott dog? I'm just getting into the plott dogs and these are the only ones that I've ever owned. I personally am satisfied with the way they hunt. The oldest is only 2. I may not tree as many bear with my short range dogs but, I believe I can tree the ones I find in short order. The reason he wanted to go was because I had shown him all the pictures of the one's I had treed with these very same dogs.

I don't run plotts but I hunt the same way as you if my dogs don't get a good strike off the box. Freecast them around as they work a smaller area trying to freshen up a track they are never to far off, and I can pull them off anytime if the going is to slow. I would say your buddy doesn't catch anymore then my dogs do, in fact he sounds like a bit of a jealous know it all and would not take his advice to seriously. Have fun and hunt them the way that makes you happy, time in the woods is supposed to be fun not a time to listen to critizism.

whats the breeding of your dogs?

That is exactly how my dogs hunt, which are all plotts, but when they hit a track you will not find them till the tree or bay. So i think this is normal it makes it nice to get the dogs back too.

The way your dogs hunt is the preferance I have, let them venture out check it out and check in if they have no luck. My Plotts do that and so does the one blue I have. When you talked about the pile you found, was it a dry day, was there humidity, things like these environmental conditions can extend the moisture in it. I guess you lost a hunting partner but it is probably for the best.

Sounds like how my Plotts hunt, mine may be a little closer to me than yours are. I like to see them every couple minutes. Sounds like they are doing good to me. Have fun and don't worry about how some one else thinks your dogs should hunt. They hunt that way because you have trained them to humt the way you like them to. They sound good to me.

Just sounds like some dogs that are hunting the way they should. At least the way I like for them to anyway.
I don't want one that's going to leave the country to find a track. I can just as easily take them out of the present country and expose them to another area to hunt.

Remember 1 thing, YOU'RE FEEDING THEM! They don't have to impress anyone else at all!
I know that respect you have for this guy would be going away real fast if it were me, with him constantly putting my dogs down all the time.

There's a reason he's hunting with you!! You're catching game!

Keep up the good work Hunter!
Irv Corbin

I agree with the guys above,though most of my dogs are go yonder type dogs i've been leaning to the closer hunting check in style dogs for awhile now.Like you said if you don't find a track you can gather up the dogs in a reasonable amount of time.My dogs do find quite a few tracks covering miles and miles but there is times when you want to head in and your hunting dogs instead of game.

Thanks guys. I am satisified with the dogs I have. They aren't finished, top notch straight bear dogs but, I don't grown when I go pay 22$ for a bag of dog food to feed these like I have others before. I went a night or two after I posted this with another guy and we treed. Maybe it was just this guys bad karma or my dogs just didn't like him.

I love dogs that hunt that way, my dogs do it just like yours and there all plott's. If ya ask me it's because they have a big brain between there ears LOL.

In this day and age of the wolf, who wants a dog that heads into never-never land to find a track? or finds one out of hearing? I would be happy with how your dogs hunt, the other guy must like to drop his off in the morning and come back and find them after he's done with golf in the afternoon! LMAO!!!!

Good thing he doesn't hunt near the wilderness in Idaho, he would have lost his dogs forever without the aid of a helicopter.

Hunter....there is more truth to the statement that you made about your dogs not liking this jelous fellow than most folks realize!!!!!!!! I guarantee you this very well could have been the issue!!! If those dogs felt this guy meant you any harm rather physically or mentally, they very well felt disturbed and was watching your back!!!!! Love has no boundries, and never underestimate instinct!!!!!!!!

You handled this issue better than I would have!!!!!! Sometimes we look up to someone that has showed interest in us and put expectations on folks that is not accurate! In other words, you respect him.........but for 1 minute......if he respected you, he would not have said what he said!!!!!!!!!! I would have loaded my dogs and took him home immediatelly!!! I would have told him not to say another word to me ever!!!!!! Thats just me!!!!!!!

I like most folks on here likes to see and at least here the strike! I know what it is like to "Hunt" dogs all night........with and with out tracking systems and I hate it!!!!!!! Yes......we caught game consistantly........but it really was not pleasureable!!!!!!!!!!!

Have you ever heard the old saying? I a "friend" borrows money and you never see him again.....you are better off????

Paul

Well put Bigdog, your one of just a few men that belive me with that therory. Well around me any way.

I don't run Plott's either, in fact I'm in this forum to learn more about them. I hunt boar to rare bulldogs. One thing is common regardless of breed or quarry; there will always be differences of opinion. Experiences are important and those experiences are the basis for our expectations. You said you are satisfied. That's all that matters. Your ideas will change through experience and so will your expectations. I hope you always find satisfaction and when you don't, you will look to change things.
Dogs experiences, terrain and your relationship to the dogs in the field will pretty much determine how the dogs run out. Personally, I don't want to spend even an hour waiting or looking for one of my dogs. I like the fact that my dogs are never more than half a mile away, usually much less; I don't need tracking equipment. Some guys like their dogs to be out further, hours even days before they catch up with them. If they are satisfied then that's fine too.
Enjoy hunting WITH your dogs. For me that's 90% the enjoyment.......In difficult hunting conditions, that's what it takes to keep the smile on your face and the pride in your heart.

I hunt plotts and mine hunt the same way! Be proud that you have the dogs you do not everyone can say they have dogs like that! If your buddy knew alot bout the plotts he would remember john plott prefered a cur type hound! For he same reasons we do to spend more time catching game and less time hunting dogs! Goodluck to ya ol buddy and always hunt for fun and fellowship with your buddies!