Wolves, GPS & Silent Trailers

Talk about Big Game Hunting with Dogs
Nufo
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Wolves, GPS & Silent Trailers

Postby Nufo » Sun Oct 10, 2021 3:26 pm

I don't live in wolf country yet but they seem to be spreading my way more and more. I also plan to move to ID or MT at some point. Anyway being from California and cutting my teeth with silent close range pattedales on small properties, I see a benefit from hunting that style of dog (silent not patterdales) for big game which is my eventual goal when we do finally pull the plug and move out of Ca.

I just want to start a conversation about the pro's and cons of hunting silent dogs for biggame. Is anyone out there currently hunting this way?
lawdawgharris
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Re: Wolves, GPS & Silent Trailers

Postby lawdawgharris » Sun Oct 10, 2021 10:28 pm

I’m from Texas and I hog hunt. There are good dogs that are mouthy on track and there are good silent ones. My preference and what I hunt is silent dogs. The hogs are hunted hard here and very dog savvy. A loud dog in area has put them on alert and if he isn’t really close when opens, the race is on before he ever sees the hog(s). I had a female that would bark on track. One morning we cast her and another dog and she opened about 300 yards to the North west of us in an open pasture. She wasn’t 100 yards in the woods yet and we looked Southwest and the hogs came out about 400 yards down there in a all day trot. We caught one out of the group a little over a mile away. The next trip to the same place I took silent dogs. We caught 4 or 5 on that place before they ever got the courage to leave that set of woods. Myself, I’ve seen this similar scenario several times and I think it’s because the threat of a dog coming in a the distance says we have time to escape if we leave now. But, when the threat is kicking in the front door before they ever knew they were there then that changes their strategy. They don’t want to cross open country and possibly be exposed so they do what they can to hide and brush dogs off in the woods they are in. I also think the fastest track pushing dogs I’ve seen have all been silent, some full hound, some crosses, some cur types but silent. A hog can run fast but he can’t run fast for long distances. I have seen them get out ahead of louder trailing dogs and stop. As soon as the dog starts getting close they leave again. This just keeps repeating itself. The hog gets ahead far enough that he gets his wind back by the time the dog starts catching up. If the dig is silent and pushes the track hard, the hog doesn’t get that luxury. They can get in a little trot and go forever unless the dog pushes them harder. It’s pretty gratifying to see a running hog get stiff as aboard in a matter of just a minute or so after you stick it because of the lactic acid build up from being pushed so hard. We had a boar leave out on us the other day. He went a mile south on the creek and tapped every briar thicket he passed on the way. Then he turned and came straight back the same route. About 400 yards from us my gyp located him again in a ridiculous thicket. He went out the back door and then was going to cut across open ground where the creek made a sharp bend. His mouth was open and he was stepping on his tongue. We cut him off and caught him in the open with my bulldog but he was just running on fumes. Those dogs we’re doing a heck of a job of not letting him have time to catch his wind. I think louder tracking dogs could’ve caught him but I think the race would’ve been a lot longer. Of course these are just my opinion and what I like.


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Beebout-it
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Re: Wolves, GPS & Silent Trailers

Postby Beebout-it » Mon Oct 11, 2021 12:06 am

My best dog runs a track silent till the jump then only let's out these high pitch squalls . When she actually barks I start walking because there's something in the tree. I think it definitely helps shorten a bobcat race! I use to only use her on a bobcat but that doesn't help any other dogs get the experience they need. I always loved it but you really miss out on hearing that beautiful mountain music of a pack singing through the hills. It definitely gives you a bit of piece of mind while their running through wolf County...which is everywhere I hunt. But even at that once they tree they are going to bark , I don't think a lion would stay treed long without some treeing dogs on the ground. So if wolves are close they will eventually hear them. You just have to try and be as persistent as possible to patrol the area and try and know whats around. Also running silent dogs is very risky if they cold trail right on top of a lion or bear and get to close and get killed by a surprised predator. Just my 2cents for what its worth.
SASS
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Re: Wolves, GPS & Silent Trailers

Postby SASS » Mon Oct 11, 2021 2:17 pm

I have run both silent and open dogs. I think your answer will depend a lot on what you want out of your hunt, what game you are hunting, and where you are hunting it at. I can only tell you my direct experience with both.

If you are hunting hogs or coons silent or open doesn't matter as much to catch the game, in most cases one good dog can do it on their own. Also how much country do you have to hunt might make a difference. Lawdog makes a good point on giving the game warning...... but that is only true for the first hog or coon, unless your dogs bay silent or trees silent lol after the first one everything in that area has been warned. Also if you are hunting snow a lot of times with certain game you can use just one dog and get away with it where it would be very hard to do on dry ground.

Now let me give you a different situation, if you are hunting bears on dry ground. Bears can and will run long and hard for hours and hours. Running silent dogs on bears can be pretty tough on you and your dogs, hell running open dogs on bear can be pretty rough as well but both your dogs and you stand a much better chance. Open or at least semi open dogs will allow your dogs to work as a team running that bear, and will allow you or your hunting partners to pack in other dogs as well.

Cold trailing lion on dry ground can be made a lot easier with team work as well, with dogs opening when they find and trail a track and shutting up on losses till they make the pick up and open again. Not saying there aren't other ways to do it but that is how some of the greatest have done it.

I bobcat hunt in the south and if you think you can catch cats with one or two silent dogs CONSISTENLY especially in the south east PM me so I can give you my number because I would love to see it. Down here I run them with a pack that performs as a team and each dog has their role, some are tighter mouthed then others as I have one that trails pretty silent but once jumped fully opens, then I have more vocal trailers but no babble mouths because a dog that barks out of place is worse then a silent dog IMO. Also I wouldn't even be interested in running bobcats with silent dogs, man that would suck! I love listening to the race, nothing like hearing a pack of dogs from the time they start cold trailing and are barely barking, to when they start warming it up, and then to hear them roar in full cry when jumped and trying to put teeth on it. Nothing even compares IMO.

Lastly I would say after you have located the area you will mainly be hunting, find the hunters that are the most successful in that area on that particular game and see if they have silent dogs or an open pack. Lots of people have open packs with a silent one or two mixed in, see what they are doing and that will give you an idea of the most optimal way to do it in that area on that game.

Good luck!
Nufo
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Re: Wolves, GPS & Silent Trailers

Postby Nufo » Wed Oct 13, 2021 12:45 am

Thank you all for your responses. I like hearing your perspectives. In slowly learning my way as a hound hunter and enjoying the process
scrubrunner
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Re: Wolves, GPS & Silent Trailers

Postby scrubrunner » Fri Nov 12, 2021 3:26 am

I’m with sass, I want to hear the strike, the trailing, the jump and the roar.
I believe if I had to hunt with silent dogs I’d just take up fishing.

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