A Hound Greenhorn with questions....

[iminrut]

First off, I've always wanted to have a good hound....mainly as just a hobby...go out and harass some coons, etc...you know, for fun....

So what price ranges do you guys run into for a good dog ?? Or do you train your own ??

What is a good all around breed ?? I know a guy that may sell one of his Treeing Walkers.........and is one good enough for a starter, is it always better to have two.....especially since we now have a lion season in ND.....

Thanks for any info....Clay

 

[GatoMan]

Just for cat and coon, 1 dog is enough, if its the right one dog. Sometimes having a couple dogs helps pick up the loss's and jerks the slack out of a track quicker. You can get caught up into lotsa money and time. Depending on age and ability of dog kind of dictates the price alot. I am sure theres lots of good coonhuntin in ND and several coonhunters, you might try and get in good with one of them first to see if you like it or not. I would try and ride along with someone for a dozen trips to the woods before you start day dreaming of buying things, just to see if you like it or not, then they should be able to help you a bit. Sometimes old coondogs make good catdogs, I have used several of them in the past w/success out here. Try and find someone local first, thats what I would do......then once you catch the bug ask more questions....lol.

 

[iminrut]

Thanks for the tips G-man.....

 

[coonhunter]

If i was you living in nd. I would try to find a good bobcat dog that may be getting to old to consistly tree bobcats. It will catch the big cats just fine. I like to run two dogs on the big cats because they will push a track harder. As to the money it is hard to say. I like to train my own pups but i have older dogs to do that. Training a pup a pup out of the box, with no older dogs can be really tough, it can be done because i did it when i got started. Just remember if buying a mid aged dog most houndsmen are not getting rid of there good dogs(2 to 3 year old or younger) As far as cost I have spent $1200 on a dog that is not as good as one I spent $125 on. Good luck