Yeti GOBOX Collection

Hound Questions for all of you.......

Big D

New member
Joined
Dec 14, 2000
Messages
28
Location
Peoria, Az.
Heya Guys!
I've been following this forum ever since I've gotten to know Thump and Bcat, and I've got some very serious questions for those of you with extensive hound knowledge. I am seriously considering moving back to my hometown of Flagstaff, Az., within the next couple of years. My questions are these; what is the best way for an inexperienced person to go when starting off with hounds for cats? What would be the best breed(s) to have in your pack? Also, is it possible to start off with all pups, or should there be an experienced hound to start with, in the pack, and do different breeds and gender get along alright, or do they need to be kept seperate, like in other breeds where either the male or female is the dominant figure? Also, how do you begin training, and at what age? Thanx in advance! Big D

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"Keepin' 'em in the black"
"Coalition, Strong, Proud, and Growing"
"If ya wanna save a tree, then eat a beaver"
 
Hey Big D,
Are you sure you want to get into this???
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Once you do youll be hooked for life, my grandpa always said, it gets in your blood.
As far as getting started, a trained older dog is probably by far the easiest way, but its a lot of fun to raise pups too. I think any of the breeds will work just fine. The main thing is that you get a pup,or dog from someone who hunts....a lot...the more the better! If I were starting all over, I would
try to find a good trained dog, and start from there, adding pups as needed, because good traoined dogs are expensive$$$$. Most good pups dont need a whole lot of training, but they do need to get hunted...a lot! The young pups will learn a bunch from an older dog.
Ok now Im done babbling, just make sure to get pups from parents that are good hunters,and hunt them as much as possible,they will do the rest.
 
I would try to find a local hunter to hook up with to show you a few ropes, I would start off with 1 older broke dog, and a couple pups, about every breed of hound has a certian strain of dogs out there that will work for what your doing, just remember to buy pups from guys that are using them on same game and same conditions you will be hunting in, as far as dogs being dominant or aggressive towards one another there should be none of that, most problems occur at the tree, being possesive of it, or around dead game, and if you can't put a stop to it quick, ya need to take them over the hill and let them take a dirt nap. Of course with females you just got to watch them when they are in heat and seperate them from the males. Its a great sport and lots of fun, just rember it will take all your time and money to do it though just like Josh says

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GatoMan
 
First of all,I would do like Gatoman said and go hunting with someone and see if you like it first.This is a very exspensive sport to just jump into.I coon hunt,so it aint quite as bad for me,as it is for bear and lion hunters.Because your gonna want to buy at least one good hound.Which is gonna be a grand or better,and $1000 would be on the cheap side.And that aint counting tracking equipment,dog boxes,shocking collars,feed,gas,ect...
English,and Walker pups are usually the easiest to start,but they dont usually have the nose required for cold trailing or rigging.Different breeds get along fine,if anything aint gonna get along it will be male dogs no matter the breed.I keep all my dogs in seperate pens.It is never to early to start training.I usually start them out with hotdogs.Drag a hot dog across the floor and hide it under the couch or something.I also like to scatter their feed around the yard and let them find it.I am getting ready to set myself up for some heat here but I am going to say it anyway.If you decide to buy a good finished dog,dont let breed hold you back.But when you are buying pups I would stay away from redbones and plotts. U.K.C have the breed percentages listed in the back of the bloodlines now.The top ten stud dogs of each breed are listed according to the percentage of nite and grand nite champions they have produced per number of pups.The best B&T 6.47%
Bluetick 8.20%
English 8.74%
Plott 4.17%
Redbone 3.30%
Walker 10.42%
I know these figures dont account for dogs not in the hunts,but its still interesting.

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Hunt hard and prosper.
 
Thanx guys, I really do appreciate your input. I've learned something from each one of your posts! Big D

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"Keepin' 'em in the black"
"Coalition, Strong, Proud, and Growing"
"If ya wanna save a tree, then eat a beaver"
 
Big D-When ya get serious let me know. I may have a deal for ya. I wouldnt pay too much attention to the percentages of Grand Nite Champions ETCETCETC>>> Competition dogs and hunting dogs are totally different in alot of ways. I know people with competition dogs that arent worth a darn hunting lions!!! they do fine on controlled hunts tho! bcat

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If you aint the lead dog the scenery never changes
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Nite hunts are not controlled hunts, anything can and will happen in 2 hrs of hunting, feild trials are more what you can call controlled hunt, drag is layed out right before running etc. I have a pup I am going to campaign in the hunts this next summer, hes not a coondog by anymeans cause I primarily hunt cat and bear as is with most the competitors out west but still is a good time, lots of good guys to be around, and if you think ya got what it takes for you western hunters, I believe first hunt this spring is in Worland WY, april 20-21....

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GatoMan
 
Gato man-I should have restated I guess. Theres nothing wrong with competition hunts controled or not controllled. I have never been to one, but I know folks who have, and my dogs smoke theirs in the field on an actual hunt. Not that they would be better or worse than anybodys dog, but IN MY OPINION buying a dog just because its daddy was a Nite Champion dont mean much!!! There are lots of good folks at the competition hunts, and it would be alot of fun for sure, but just never got into it I guess after seeing how competiton dogs work in the field. May not be they all are that way but some of them are. Ya pay alot more for the name than the quality of the dog! That was my point. bcat

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If you aint the lead dog the scenery never changes
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Logoboy.jpg
 
My buddy is into the competition hunt thing,we breed our dogs back and fourth.. All grand night champion means to me, is the dog will run and tree...thats it! You could make most dogs into night champions if you go to enough hunts......I have nothig against it, Its just not my thing.
My dogs are nothing more than hide dogs
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and I like it that way..Occasionally I hunt his dogs, like bcat said, I wouldent trade!!!
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sure if a dogs broke and will tree a coon you can make it a champ, just like the old saying even a blind hog will find a acorn now and then, but without being a slick handler and bendin all the rules, its purty tough, theres lots of really good dogs out there, Bcat I can care less about dogs that are feild trialed, now back east where nite hunting is real big and you find nothing but coonhunters the game is a little different but the UKC hunts out west, WY, UT, Montana, OR, Washington, alot of the guys are cat and bear hunters also, so your basically all huntin same types of dogs, back east, your competing against straight coondogs , hotter nosed, get treed competition type, but out west you competeting against plain old cat and bear hunters that catch few coons....of course I'm not going to beat a coondog at its own game and a coondog isn;t going to beat my catdog at its game, Bcat, if your dogs smoked them competion dogs at there own game you might have fun at these nite hunts out west and do really well.

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GatoMan
 
Bcat,I knew I was gonna take heat on that one but you took it wrong.I didnt say a dog had to have a degree to be all that and a bag of cheetos.All I was saying was if a novice houndsman was gonna take a crack at the sport,and he wanted to get a pup,that maybe he should get one from one of the easier starting breeds.I used to hunt redbones,and in my opinion they are slower starters than walkers or english.I have friends in West Virginia that I bear hunt with,so I understand your views on hounds.
 
Thanx again guys!
However, the dogs I am looking for are not the ones with fancy names and lineage. I want dogs that are ugly, mean, and hell on cats! Bcat, I will definitely be in touch with you in the near future for your input, suggestions, and advice! And I DO appreciate everyone's input! THANX!! Big D

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"Keepin' 'em in the black"

"If ya wanna save a tree, then eat a beaver"

www.huntandlodge.com "You may check out, but you can never leave"
 
A Hound is A Hound is A hound
I don't care if its a competition hound or a big game hound if there good there good.Some of the best bear and Bobcat hounds I have owned where competition hounds also.Now A good comp. dog will get out from under your feet go hunting find the game and tree it,And do it as fast as posable.Bcat isn't that what you want your hounds to do ????????????
And in comp.hunting theres cold nose,hot nose,Slow,Fast,Lazy,whatever!!!!!Just like any other hounds out there.
The only difference between any tipe of hound is the way they get promoted,bragged on,or dumped on.

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We having fun yet//Tobey
 
You are absolutely right Tobey!!!! All I was saying is just because they have a name or compete doent mean they are a good dog!bcat

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If you aint the lead dog the scenery never changes
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Logoboy.jpg
 
Amen Tobey, better said then me, I know you have nite hunted and cat, bear hunt so you been on both sides the fence to know what it takes.

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GatoMan
 

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