hunting dog help please. - The Firearms Forum

remington1990 · 08-02-2012, 05:04 PM

i am looking for my first hunting dog and i have no clue where to start i have looked at a beagle for rabbits and a redbone for coon hunt. i have rabbit hunted along time ago and never coon hunted. i am kind of lost at what i want i just dont want to get a dog and never hunt with one. thanks

Zhurh · 08-02-2012, 05:43 PM

I had coon hounds for twenty some years; actually enjoyed coon huntin more than you can imagine, spending nights in the woods with friends and our dogs. Only hunted rabbits with beagles a few times. We still keep plotts as house dogs, luv them hounds so much.

Don't go buying some high priced coon hound, they are usually so driven, they will run off game if they say see deer in an apple orchard. Good pleasure hounds that are straight, never put a possum down a hole, and give ya years of fun are easily bought for 100-200 bucks. You can train a pup, but they all don't pan out as others do, and you'll be better served with an older well adjusted dog. Ya got to meet some of the local coon hunters to find one, and with prices so low, probably easy enough to pick up a decent dog. If ya buy a pup, when you go see the litter, take some hot dogs and throw pieces around in the tall grass, see which pup finds the most, always worked for me. Some pups are just natural born and others not as good.

When I was a kid, I'd get $35 apiece for coon, skinned or unskinned as long as they were normal size. On a good night, I'd get 8-10 coon and I made more money as a kid coon huntin than I did working at a gas station, when I was 16 that is.

I wanted to try bear hunting with dogs and maybe lynx too, but so rugged and no roads where we live. We got grizz & blk bear around the house; lynx & wolves too. Trouble is ya can't hunt dogs where we live, just feed the wolves. I had a buddy that shipped a couple bear hounds up to Alaska from Montana; ended up having both of them killed by wolves. So mine as house dogs and great at that; they keep everything goin along on the straight & narrow. Over the years, we had red bones, blk& tans, blueticks, now plotts. Plotts are the most sociable and like pets. All the rest, were outside dogs on chains. Just don't look for the best dog, look for the most straight that won't come back with a face full of quills, down their throat and all.

My dogs nowadays here in Alaska.

remington1990 · 08-05-2012, 11:45 PM

i dont know what type of dog i want. i would love a dog that i could hunt more then one animal with as far as coon and rabbits and other small game. i read about the black and tan hound and the german short hair pointer and the redbone.

Zhurh · 08-06-2012, 03:29 AM

I've never seen a hound that you could hunt coon & rabbits with; maybe just me, ha ha. Half of it with coon huntin was enjoying nature and the woods and arguing with your best buddies about how their hounds stunk and yours was so much more superior, ect. I never wanted my dogs going after anything but coon. I did have one huntin buddy who had this redbone that would put possum down old woodchuck holes pretty regular. Quite the harr, as I hear my dog treein, and I'd hear the muffled barkin of his redbone and I'd always say: Not another possum down the hole. Old Duane would lite right up ready to fight me in the woods and I couldn't wait to get to the hole, shove a broken stick down there and come out with Possum hair and we'd all fall out in the woods howlin at Duane and his dog. Then we'd have to stop ole Duane from shootin that old redbone right there in the woods, it was priceless and I really miss coon huntin, but luv livin out here in the sticks in Alaska more.

Now, I've been happily married 28 years. When I first met my wife, I'd make here go coon huntin with me when everybody else was busy. So one night it started raining and the dogs took off up this creekbed and went outta ear shot, but we finally heard them again and they were treein. So they had a coon up this big ole hemlock, about 100 foot high; couldn't see a thing in that evergreen. So I started up to find the coon and shake it out. I got up about 80 feet and tree was swayin back and forth and I couldn't find old Mister coon, then I saw him all balled up out on a branch, hidin. When I reached out to bat him down, he leaped and I told the wifey here he comes. She had 2 dogs on leashes right under the tree and mister coon landed on her shoulder, she screamed, dogs drug her about 10 foot until she let go and they treed coon up another tree. When I got down, I about crapped myself laughin, but she wasn't. Anyway, I luved coon huntin for years and surely wish there were coons here in Alaska.

Get a coonhound, and have some fun, no joke.

carver · 08-06-2012, 06:13 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by remington1990

i dont know what type of dog i want. i would love a dog that i could hunt more then one animal with as far as coon and rabbits and other small game. i read about the black and tan hound and the german short hair pointer and the redbone.

You don't want a dog that will hunt more than one animal! A squirrel dog should hunt only squirrels. A coon dog should hunt coon, and a rabbit dog should hunt rabbits. Get a dog in the woods, and let it chase a deer, you probably have just lost a dog. Try coon hunting with a dog that likes to chase deer, and you wind up with no coon, a night wasted looking for the dog that you might not find.

76Highboy · 08-06-2012, 07:13 PM

Labs. They are all around smart, easy to train, will hunt most anything, will work all day, can withstand fridged temperatures, and are very loyal. That is why I own one.

Oh ya, and they love to share your mid day snack with your,,, and then some.

ozo · 08-06-2012, 08:47 PM

Z them pups ain't got enough hair for north of Fairbanks........

A dog that runs deer is no longer worth anything else you want it for.....

Get a Chihuahua.....it will not only be loyal.....it will alert you to bad guys..

[and eat paper money-US cash]

Or get a REAL 'hunter'......like my Elvis......
he eats vampires and werewolves.....altho it may
take him a bite or two.......

Zhurh · 08-06-2012, 10:18 PM

Ozo, problem is everything around here eats cats; they don't last long.

Them plotts are just house dogs, but they can take the cold. The old male (brindled one) once took off, gone for two days and it never went above minus 35. I figured he was a goner with all the wolves we got around here but turned back up on porch 2 days later, tired but not frost bitten.

It's just too remote where we live to hunt dogs or I'd be a bear & lynx huntin fool. No roads to get in front of them, a young boar can go 10 miles up and down mnts before sayin I've had enough. I can't chase them on foot in this rugged country; not like coon huntin back east.

madbuck22 · 08-10-2012, 07:51 AM

i've had weimaraners and still to this day have one. and they are part of the hound family. I like the darker ones they call blue. My dogs are quail dogs but i've used them to track down lost game also (deer, Turkey) and they do. never had a problem. they have not run away. Good family dog to. good luck.

ozo · 08-10-2012, 08:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zhurh

Ozo, problem is everything around here eats cats; they don't last long.

Them plotts are just house dogs, but they can take the cold. The old male (brindled one) once took off, gone for two days and it never went above minus 35. I figured he was a goner with all the wolves we got around here but turned back up on porch 2 days later, tired but not frost bitten.

It's just too remote where we live to hunt dogs or I'd be a bear & lynx huntin fool. No roads to get in front of them, a young boar can go 10 miles up and down mnts before sayin I've had enough. I can't chase them on foot in this rugged country; not like coon huntin back east.

Yeah Z
He's gotta be smart too , to last that long out and about where you live.
The other one in the pic looks like a female....from her face....

CHW2021 · 08-10-2012, 09:37 AM

For intelligence you have 3 choices in no order) labs, german shorthair and doberman. For a field dog, the shorthair is incredible.

Zhurh · 08-10-2012, 08:43 PM

OZO, Ya that ole male wasn't just smarter than many people, he wanted to taste about everybody he didn't know very well. Wife and I taught in a couple Indian Villages over the years, and I really like the Indians but some have real alcohol problems, binge drinkers that won't stop until they run out of everything or get life flighted out half dead. So anyway, they'd be all drunked up 3 am, kicking my door in, lost, not knowing it wasn't their cabin. I'd toss them off the porch and run them off, but it was pretty regular, every couple nights at this one village. So after about 5-6 of these incidents, I told the village leaders nx time I was puttin the dog on whomever. Few nights later, several guys showed, and the dog couldn't wait to tear them up, chased them down road screaming their heads off. Nx day at school, none of the kids were talking, all mad at the no good White Boy teacher, ha ha. Then they said about how I should just shoot my man eater. I said: Now why in the world would I do that? That ole Plott is such a good judge of character. Left them kids speechless.

cycloneman · 08-10-2012, 10:27 PM

beagles for sniffing out anything very effective. i used to raise them.

I personally never hunted with them. But i did see them in action for rabbit. Incredible i tell ya. They are also good for putting all the neighbors pets in the trees.

I got one old girl left. Cant wait till she is dead so i can get me a real dog that might just listen to me. I cant stand stupid dogs or ones that dont listen. I just assume shoot them and start over.

Funny how you can get one good dog and then the next 10 will annoy the heck out of ya. Eat the wires off your trailers lights, bark at your tires, dig holes, just stupid.

stillfox · 08-18-2012, 03:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by carver

You don't want a dog that will hunt more than one animal! A squirrel dog should hunt only squirrels. A coon dog should hunt coon, and a rabbit dog should hunt rabbits. Get a dog in the woods, and let it chase a deer, you probably have just lost a dog. Try coon hunting with a dog that likes to chase deer, and you wind up with no coon, a night wasted looking for the dog that you might not find.

Carver,
You've obviously never hunted with a Mountain Cur.
I have two. One male 5yr old and one female 7.
Both are outstanding squirrel and coon dogs.
Sure you once in a while run into a daytime coon, but that's not a problem.
After taking the coon, they will go right back to squirrel hunting.
Take them out after dark and look out Mr. Ringtail.
Both are also outstanding family dogs.
Wouldn't give either of them up for any amount of money.
Do a little research on the OMCBA mountain curs.
They are also very good hog, cat and stock dogs.
Old Yellar was a mountain cur.
Not a Lab as many people think.
remington 1990,
Really well bred pups are available for $250-$300.
Give Castlehill Mountain Curs a look see.

jstgsn · 08-18-2012, 06:48 PM

Sorry for the late response. Here's my humble opinion.
A good hunting dog should also be a friend. Someone you enjoy being with, when hunting or when at home. For the past 16 years I had a yellow lab named Daisy. She was a companion, a trusted friend, a guardian, and a better hunter than I. Miss Daisy was obedient. If I said “sit” she sat. If I said “down” she laid down. If I said “stay” she stayed (until it became boring for her). For years if I sat out some cold beers on the ground and went into the next room and told her to “bring me a beer” she would bring me a can of beer. If I told her to come up beside me on the sofa, she would jump up and lay her head on my leg. She would get into the car on command, exit on command, and do whatever I told her to do. If a stranger came into the yard, she would let everyone know. She never bit anyone except one time she was eating a huge meaty bone and my son flopped down beside her, she wheeled and hit his nose with her tooth. It was his fault, but you could tell she was upset. She guarded my home, my vehicle, and my camp. But if a stranger came into the yard, she put up a great show, protecting our home.
When hunting she was magnificent. If you picked up a gun, or dressed in hunting clothes, she was at the door and ready to go. Her excitement was contagious. When goose hunting she had to have a view of the field, by either standing beside you in the blind, or having her nose stuck through the wall of the blind. When birds were in the air, she was watching. Often she would see doves or other birds before we did, and went on alert. She would fetch a duck hundreds of yards from the blind. She would bring back geese, ducks, doves, squirrels, crows, anything we shot, she brought back. She loved every second afield. Once when dove hunting in hot weather she fetched until she almost passed out from the heat. I had to take her to the car and rub ice on her stomach to revive her. Then she wanted to hunt some more.
She would scent out rabbits and squirrels. She wouldn’t point, but she would flush. Pheasants, quail, chucker, anything we hunted she would go after.
And at the end of the day she would be anchored to my side. She was great with family and friends. The most loving animal I’ve ever met. She was my shadow, always by my side, in the kitchen (especially in the kitchen), in the living room, in the office, in the bathroom, she was there, watching over me, looking for a pat on the head or a snuggle. The same with friends and family, she was a lover, a true friend.
If I had to run to the store, she went with me. If I went out to the garden, she went with me. When I went to bed, she was at the foot of the bed. And when I went hunting she was my partner.
We lost Daisy last August. It was one of the most painful moments in my life. I just now thinking of going it again with a puppy.
My choice is yellow lab.

CJ_56 · 08-19-2012, 11:41 AM

I was also a crazy coon hunter for decades. I only quit when my health gave out. Blueticks are the dogs to hunt coon. And I don't agree that a high priced dog is a waste of time. I've seen high priced blueticks that would tree a coon every single time you turned them out. In fact it might take 3 days before you could find one because it wouldn't come back at all. You would only find it under a tree with a coon in it or more than one coon in it.

The difference between a well bred (and generally expensive) coon hound is they won't chase other animals (like deer especially because a dog that chases deer will do almost nothing else - they will chase them for hours on end and never tree a coon). I've seen my brother turn down $10,000 for two different blueticks out of Diamond Jim. They were both Night Champions. The first one ended up being stolen from a tree. It was the dog that couldn't be found anywhere except under a tree. Some people got wind of what the dog was worth and they followed my brother around until they got their chance to get to the tree before my brother did and it was dog gone.

The truth of it was that both dogs could have been Grand Night Champions which would have made them worth about $100,000. Once you win a professional coon hunt (which is what you have to do to become a Grand Night Champion) people will bug you to death wanting to buy your dog in fact. Some people have lots and lots of money and they want the best.

But those dogs were such incredible animals it was obvious why they brought so much money. They cost about $600 as pups way back when. You could hear one bark for at least 5 miles. They were so loud the ground would shake under the tree when they barked and forget trying to talk to anyone with you. No way could they hear you. They were built for all night coon chases and for being able to deal with the toughest of coons. I've heard dogs chase coon for two hours straight going around the same circle over and over again where the coon would cross a river go upstream and cross it again and go back downstream and do the whole thing over. It slows a dog down to have to chase a coon across a river so the dogs had a hard time getting that coon up a tree but eventually they did it.

There just isn't anything like coon hunting. It's not an easy sport though. First off you have to be able to get to your dogs which means crossing several hills sometimes where I live. And you better have a good sense of direction because getting lost in the woods at night when you take off and move 3 miles across hills then a fog settles in you really want to know your way around the woods. Actually being in a big field when a fog settles in is the worst. You have no references for direction.

Well sorry for getting off subject here. I still love talking about coon hunting. It's about as good as it gets IMO.

carver · 08-19-2012, 12:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stillfox

Carver,
You've obviously never hunted with a Mountain Cur.
I have two. One male 5yr old and one female 7.
Both are outstanding squirrel and coon dogs.
Sure you once in a while run into a daytime coon, but that's not a problem.
After taking the coon, they will go right back to squirrel hunting.
Take them out after dark and look out Mr. Ringtail.
Both are also outstanding family dogs.
Wouldn't give either of them up for any amount of money.
Do a little research on the OMCBA mountain curs.
They are also very good hog, cat and stock dogs.
Old Yellar was a mountain cur.
Not a Lab as many people think.
remington 1990,
Really well bred pups are available for $250-$300.
Give Castlehill Mountain Curs a look see.

Nope, never hunted with a Castlehill Mountain Cur! I've hunted with a lot of dogs in my time, and there is no set breed that is all around best. Two of the best squirrel dogs I've ever hunted with was a Chihuahua, and a Samoyed. The Chihuahua belonged to a friend, and the Samoyed belonged to my dad. I've hunted deer with Beagles. I've hunted squirrels with anything that would tree them, and not wander off to far. I've hunted rabbits with Beagles, and Basset Hounds. I've hunted coon with several different breeds of dogs. I've hunted ducks, quail, and just about anything you can hunt with a dog! I have also spent my fare share of time out in the woods looking for dogs that liked to run deer, or anything else, that they could chase clean out of the Parish!

stillfox · 08-19-2012, 02:32 PM

Carver,
Castlehill is a breeder of mountain curs.
Good info on them can be found at the OMCBA. (original mountain cur breeders association) http://www.omcba.com/
Lots of mountain curs in Louisiana.
For what it's worth: Shock collars are for deer chasing dogs.
Deer have a very hot scent.
You need to be there and have a means of nipping it in the bud.
Most any dog that jumps a deer will chase it, until they have had some serious training.

CJ_56 · 08-19-2012, 03:21 PM

I've hunted with mountain cur many times. Owned a few too. It is true they can hunt coon or squirrel and if you can keep them from running deer they can be excellent at both. Right now I have a squirrel dog BTW. It's a mountain feist. So far it will tree but won't bark at the tree. That's a common failing of feists. They hunt by sight and by winding which is great for hunting tree rats. But another big problem is he's gun shy. He'll chase bears off like crazy but bring out a rifle and he runs. He's getting better but he needs to get over it.

My dog looks nearly identical to the one at this site except mine has tan on his front legs.

http://puppyer.com/img/terrier/ameri...eist_292_5.jpg

gun runner · 08-20-2012, 08:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozo

Z them pups ain't got enough hair for north of Fairbanks........

A dog that runs deer is no longer worth anything else you want it for.....

Get a Chihuahua.....it will not only be loyal.....it will alert you to bad guys..

[and eat paper money-US cash]

Or get a REAL 'hunter'......like my Elvis......
he eats vampires and werewolves.....altho it may
take him a bite or two.......

There ya go

. and for the one who made the thread Oh yeah one of my cats named tom runs to every dove I shoot and holds them down but sometimes runs off with them but stops when I call him to stop. Im not kidding either. If you want a dog then get a Lab.

WHSmithIV · 08-20-2012, 08:50 PM

OK - My wife has bred purebred dogs for decades and knows every breed of dog there is. So, I asked her to be on the safe side before I posted this (pretty much knowing the answer). There is no answer until you define the parameters you want the dog to meet.

First - what do you want to hunt with your dog? A dog for bird hunting isn't going to be very good at deer or bear hunting. Dog breeds were created over time for specific traits. If I want to hunt squirrels I wouldn't expect a retriever to help - it's not in their nature to go after squirrels. Terriers are better at that and most specifically Airedales.

The Airedale was created as mans all around general purpose breed and I'll guarantee you they will go after anything small. Badgers, raccoon's, squirrels - doesn't matter. So, for what you seem to be aiming for, get an Airedale.

Lastly, it is unlikely that you will find a dog 2 or 3 years old who already knows just what to do with you and what you want from him/her. You really should get one as a pup and train it. Then, when you go hunting your dog will always know what to expect and what to do for you. Airedales are also fantastic friends!

Zhurh · 08-21-2012, 11:44 AM

CJ, my experience was that high priced dogs were way more driven, often would tree coon within a minute or two; no fun for me to listen to them work the coon. Main thing to me was the higher priced dogs were 3-4 thousand, pups were $300-500 and them you had to train. They were harder to train as they were more apt to see deer in an orchard and take off after them; might as well just shoot them after that. LOwer priced pleasure dogs were straighter, run off game almost never as they were not as driven to get something, no joke, my experience.

I got my first dog, a blk & tan 6 year old bitch from a junk man who had bought an estate and dog came with deceased man's place. The junk man and I walked out in the woods behind his place and the dog didn't want to hunt, no coon in the air I do believe. So junk man sold me blk & tan and said I could pay him whenever 200 bucks or shoot the dog if it repeated again what it did that night. I went out the following night with the blk & tan and got 11 coon and needless to say paid the junk man off the nx day.

Get to know coon hunters in area, meet beagle hunting club members, then decide what ya want to hunt. Just in the end get a dog and start hunting, it's an awful bunch of enjoyment. I've never had a good dog that would hunt a bunch of different animals; they dogs got shot pretty quick, after they came back with a mouth full of quills.

08-02-2012, 05:04 PM	#1
remington1990 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 290	hunting dog help please. i am looking for my first hunting dog and i have no clue where to start i have looked at a beagle for rabbits and a redbone for coon hunt. i have rabbit hunted along time ago and never coon hunted. i am kind of lost at what i want i just dont want to get a dog and never hunt with one. thanks -->

08-02-2012, 05:43 PM	#2
Zhurh Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Upper Yukon, Alaska Posts: 1,820	Re: hunting dog help please. I had coon hounds for twenty some years; actually enjoyed coon huntin more than you can imagine, spending nights in the woods with friends and our dogs. Only hunted rabbits with beagles a few times. We still keep plotts as house dogs, luv them hounds so much. Don't go buying some high priced coon hound, they are usually so driven, they will run off game if they say see deer in an apple orchard. Good pleasure hounds that are straight, never put a possum down a hole, and give ya years of fun are easily bought for 100-200 bucks. You can train a pup, but they all don't pan out as others do, and you'll be better served with an older well adjusted dog. Ya got to meet some of the local coon hunters to find one, and with prices so low, probably easy enough to pick up a decent dog. If ya buy a pup, when you go see the litter, take some hot dogs and throw pieces around in the tall grass, see which pup finds the most, always worked for me. Some pups are just natural born and others not as good. When I was a kid, I'd get $35 apiece for coon, skinned or unskinned as long as they were normal size. On a good night, I'd get 8-10 coon and I made more money as a kid coon huntin than I did working at a gas station, when I was 16 that is. I wanted to try bear hunting with dogs and maybe lynx too, but so rugged and no roads where we live. We got grizz & blk bear around the house; lynx & wolves too. Trouble is ya can't hunt dogs where we live, just feed the wolves. I had a buddy that shipped a couple bear hounds up to Alaska from Montana; ended up having both of them killed by wolves. So mine as house dogs and great at that; they keep everything goin along on the straight & narrow. Over the years, we had red bones, blk& tans, blueticks, now plotts. Plotts are the most sociable and like pets. All the rest, were outside dogs on chains. Just don't look for the best dog, look for the most straight that won't come back with a face full of quills, down their throat and all. My dogs nowadays here in Alaska.

08-05-2012, 11:45 PM	#3
remington1990 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Oct 2010 Posts: 290	Re: hunting dog help please. i dont know what type of dog i want. i would love a dog that i could hunt more then one animal with as far as coon and rabbits and other small game. i read about the black and tan hound and the german short hair pointer and the redbone.

08-06-2012, 03:29 AM	#4
Zhurh Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Upper Yukon, Alaska Posts: 1,820	Re: hunting dog help please. I've never seen a hound that you could hunt coon & rabbits with; maybe just me, ha ha. Half of it with coon huntin was enjoying nature and the woods and arguing with your best buddies about how their hounds stunk and yours was so much more superior, ect. I never wanted my dogs going after anything but coon. I did have one huntin buddy who had this redbone that would put possum down old woodchuck holes pretty regular. Quite the harr, as I hear my dog treein, and I'd hear the muffled barkin of his redbone and I'd always say: Not another possum down the hole. Old Duane would lite right up ready to fight me in the woods and I couldn't wait to get to the hole, shove a broken stick down there and come out with Possum hair and we'd all fall out in the woods howlin at Duane and his dog. Then we'd have to stop ole Duane from shootin that old redbone right there in the woods, it was priceless and I really miss coon huntin, but luv livin out here in the sticks in Alaska more. Now, I've been happily married 28 years. When I first met my wife, I'd make here go coon huntin with me when everybody else was busy. So one night it started raining and the dogs took off up this creekbed and went outta ear shot, but we finally heard them again and they were treein. So they had a coon up this big ole hemlock, about 100 foot high; couldn't see a thing in that evergreen. So I started up to find the coon and shake it out. I got up about 80 feet and tree was swayin back and forth and I couldn't find old Mister coon, then I saw him all balled up out on a branch, hidin. When I reached out to bat him down, he leaped and I told the wifey here he comes. She had 2 dogs on leashes right under the tree and mister coon landed on her shoulder, she screamed, dogs drug her about 10 foot until she let go and they treed coon up another tree. When I got down, I about crapped myself laughin, but she wasn't. Anyway, I luved coon huntin for years and surely wish there were coons here in Alaska. Get a coonhound, and have some fun, no joke.

08-06-2012, 07:13 PM	#6
76Highboy Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Meridian, Idaho Contributor Posts: 6,968	Re: hunting dog help please. Labs. They are all around smart, easy to train, will hunt most anything, will work all day, can withstand fridged temperatures, and are very loyal. That is why I own one. Oh ya, and they love to share your mid day snack with your,,, and then some.

08-06-2012, 08:47 PM	#7
ozo Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: Nashville TN Posts: 2,770	Re: hunting dog help please. Z them pups ain't got enough hair for north of Fairbanks........ A dog that runs deer is no longer worth anything else you want it for..... Get a Chihuahua.....it will not only be loyal.....it will alert you to bad guys.. [and eat paper money-US cash] Or get a REAL 'hunter'......like my Elvis...... he eats vampires and werewolves.....altho it may take him a bite or two....... Attached Images __________________ http://www.nranews.com/#/nranews, "ozo. you're off your rocker sir." -johnlives4christ http://www.prisonplanet.com/ -America,Bless GOD-

08-06-2012, 10:18 PM	#8
Zhurh Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Upper Yukon, Alaska Posts: 1,820	Re: hunting dog help please. Ozo, problem is everything around here eats cats; they don't last long. Them plotts are just house dogs, but they can take the cold. The old male (brindled one) once took off, gone for two days and it never went above minus 35. I figured he was a goner with all the wolves we got around here but turned back up on porch 2 days later, tired but not frost bitten. It's just too remote where we live to hunt dogs or I'd be a bear & lynx huntin fool. No roads to get in front of them, a young boar can go 10 miles up and down mnts before sayin I've had enough. I can't chase them on foot in this rugged country; not like coon huntin back east.

08-10-2012, 07:51 AM	#9
madbuck22 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: san diego Posts: 64	Re: hunting dog help please. i've had weimaraners and still to this day have one. and they are part of the hound family. I like the darker ones they call blue. My dogs are quail dogs but i've used them to track down lost game also (deer, Turkey) and they do. never had a problem. they have not run away. Good family dog to. good luck.

08-10-2012, 09:37 AM	#11
CHW2021 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Louisiana Posts: 467	Re: hunting dog help please. For intelligence you have 3 choices in no order) labs, german shorthair and doberman. For a field dog, the shorthair is incredible.

08-10-2012, 08:43 PM	#12
Zhurh Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Upper Yukon, Alaska Posts: 1,820	Re: hunting dog help please. OZO, Ya that ole male wasn't just smarter than many people, he wanted to taste about everybody he didn't know very well. Wife and I taught in a couple Indian Villages over the years, and I really like the Indians but some have real alcohol problems, binge drinkers that won't stop until they run out of everything or get life flighted out half dead. So anyway, they'd be all drunked up 3 am, kicking my door in, lost, not knowing it wasn't their cabin. I'd toss them off the porch and run them off, but it was pretty regular, every couple nights at this one village. So after about 5-6 of these incidents, I told the village leaders nx time I was puttin the dog on whomever. Few nights later, several guys showed, and the dog couldn't wait to tear them up, chased them down road screaming their heads off. Nx day at school, none of the kids were talking, all mad at the no good White Boy teacher, ha ha. Then they said about how I should just shoot my man eater. I said: Now why in the world would I do that? That ole Plott is such a good judge of character. Left them kids speechless.

08-10-2012, 10:27 PM	#13
cycloneman Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: Louisiana Posts: 7,406	Re: hunting dog help please. beagles for sniffing out anything very effective. i used to raise them. I personally never hunted with them. But i did see them in action for rabbit. Incredible i tell ya. They are also good for putting all the neighbors pets in the trees. I got one old girl left. Cant wait till she is dead so i can get me a real dog that might just listen to me. I cant stand stupid dogs or ones that dont listen. I just assume shoot them and start over. Funny how you can get one good dog and then the next 10 will annoy the heck out of ya. Eat the wires off your trailers lights, bark at your tires, dig holes, just stupid. __________________ Who are you going to serve today?

08-18-2012, 06:48 PM	#15
jstgsn Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: Milford, Delaware Contributor Posts: 1,277	Re: hunting dog help please. Sorry for the late response. Here's my humble opinion. A good hunting dog should also be a friend. Someone you enjoy being with, when hunting or when at home. For the past 16 years I had a yellow lab named Daisy. She was a companion, a trusted friend, a guardian, and a better hunter than I. Miss Daisy was obedient. If I said “sit” she sat. If I said “down” she laid down. If I said “stay” she stayed (until it became boring for her). For years if I sat out some cold beers on the ground and went into the next room and told her to “bring me a beer” she would bring me a can of beer. If I told her to come up beside me on the sofa, she would jump up and lay her head on my leg. She would get into the car on command, exit on command, and do whatever I told her to do. If a stranger came into the yard, she would let everyone know. She never bit anyone except one time she was eating a huge meaty bone and my son flopped down beside her, she wheeled and hit his nose with her tooth. It was his fault, but you could tell she was upset. She guarded my home, my vehicle, and my camp. But if a stranger came into the yard, she put up a great show, protecting our home. When hunting she was magnificent. If you picked up a gun, or dressed in hunting clothes, she was at the door and ready to go. Her excitement was contagious. When goose hunting she had to have a view of the field, by either standing beside you in the blind, or having her nose stuck through the wall of the blind. When birds were in the air, she was watching. Often she would see doves or other birds before we did, and went on alert. She would fetch a duck hundreds of yards from the blind. She would bring back geese, ducks, doves, squirrels, crows, anything we shot, she brought back. She loved every second afield. Once when dove hunting in hot weather she fetched until she almost passed out from the heat. I had to take her to the car and rub ice on her stomach to revive her. Then she wanted to hunt some more. She would scent out rabbits and squirrels. She wouldn’t point, but she would flush. Pheasants, quail, chucker, anything we hunted she would go after. And at the end of the day she would be anchored to my side. She was great with family and friends. The most loving animal I’ve ever met. She was my shadow, always by my side, in the kitchen (especially in the kitchen), in the living room, in the office, in the bathroom, she was there, watching over me, looking for a pat on the head or a snuggle. The same with friends and family, she was a lover, a true friend. If I had to run to the store, she went with me. If I went out to the garden, she went with me. When I went to bed, she was at the foot of the bed. And when I went hunting she was my partner. We lost Daisy last August. It was one of the most painful moments in my life. I just now thinking of going it again with a puppy. My choice is yellow lab. __________________ Don’t pick a fight with an old man. If he is too old to fight, he will just kill you. Last edited by jstgsn; 04-21-2013 at 06:59 PM..

08-19-2012, 11:41 AM	#16
CJ_56 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: SE Ohio Posts: 391	Re: hunting dog help please. I was also a crazy coon hunter for decades. I only quit when my health gave out. Blueticks are the dogs to hunt coon. And I don't agree that a high priced dog is a waste of time. I've seen high priced blueticks that would tree a coon every single time you turned them out. In fact it might take 3 days before you could find one because it wouldn't come back at all. You would only find it under a tree with a coon in it or more than one coon in it. The difference between a well bred (and generally expensive) coon hound is they won't chase other animals (like deer especially because a dog that chases deer will do almost nothing else - they will chase them for hours on end and never tree a coon). I've seen my brother turn down $10,000 for two different blueticks out of Diamond Jim. They were both Night Champions. The first one ended up being stolen from a tree. It was the dog that couldn't be found anywhere except under a tree. Some people got wind of what the dog was worth and they followed my brother around until they got their chance to get to the tree before my brother did and it was dog gone. The truth of it was that both dogs could have been Grand Night Champions which would have made them worth about $100,000. Once you win a professional coon hunt (which is what you have to do to become a Grand Night Champion) people will bug you to death wanting to buy your dog in fact. Some people have lots and lots of money and they want the best. But those dogs were such incredible animals it was obvious why they brought so much money. They cost about $600 as pups way back when. You could hear one bark for at least 5 miles. They were so loud the ground would shake under the tree when they barked and forget trying to talk to anyone with you. No way could they hear you. They were built for all night coon chases and for being able to deal with the toughest of coons. I've heard dogs chase coon for two hours straight going around the same circle over and over again where the coon would cross a river go upstream and cross it again and go back downstream and do the whole thing over. It slows a dog down to have to chase a coon across a river so the dogs had a hard time getting that coon up a tree but eventually they did it. There just isn't anything like coon hunting. It's not an easy sport though. First off you have to be able to get to your dogs which means crossing several hills sometimes where I live. And you better have a good sense of direction because getting lost in the woods at night when you take off and move 3 miles across hills then a fog settles in you really want to know your way around the woods. Actually being in a big field when a fog settles in is the worst. You have no references for direction. Well sorry for getting off subject here. I still love talking about coon hunting. It's about as good as it gets IMO.

08-19-2012, 02:32 PM	#18
stillfox Member Join Date: Feb 2011 Posts: 16	Re: hunting dog help please. Carver, Castlehill is a breeder of mountain curs. Good info on them can be found at the OMCBA. (original mountain cur breeders association) http://www.omcba.com/ Lots of mountain curs in Louisiana. For what it's worth: Shock collars are for deer chasing dogs. Deer have a very hot scent. You need to be there and have a means of nipping it in the bud. Most any dog that jumps a deer will chase it, until they have had some serious training.

08-19-2012, 03:21 PM	#19
CJ_56 V.I.P. Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: SE Ohio Posts: 391	I've hunted with mountain cur many times. Owned a few too. It is true they can hunt coon or squirrel and if you can keep them from running deer they can be excellent at both. Right now I have a squirrel dog BTW. It's a mountain feist. So far it will tree but won't bark at the tree. That's a common failing of feists. They hunt by sight and by winding which is great for hunting tree rats. But another big problem is he's gun shy. He'll chase bears off like crazy but bring out a rifle and he runs. He's getting better but he needs to get over it. My dog looks nearly identical to the one at this site except mine has tan on his front legs. http://puppyer.com/img/terrier/ameri...eist_292_5.jpg Last edited by CJ_56; 08-19-2012 at 03:28 PM..

08-20-2012, 08:50 PM	#21
WHSmithIV Advanced Senior Member Join Date: May 2012 Location: Moore, Idaho contributor Posts: 2,636	Re: hunting dog help please. OK - My wife has bred purebred dogs for decades and knows every breed of dog there is. So, I asked her to be on the safe side before I posted this (pretty much knowing the answer). There is no answer until you define the parameters you want the dog to meet. First - what do you want to hunt with your dog? A dog for bird hunting isn't going to be very good at deer or bear hunting. Dog breeds were created over time for specific traits. If I want to hunt squirrels I wouldn't expect a retriever to help - it's not in their nature to go after squirrels. Terriers are better at that and most specifically Airedales. The Airedale was created as mans all around general purpose breed and I'll guarantee you they will go after anything small. Badgers, raccoon's, squirrels - doesn't matter. So, for what you seem to be aiming for, get an Airedale. Lastly, it is unlikely that you will find a dog 2 or 3 years old who already knows just what to do with you and what you want from him/her. You really should get one as a pup and train it. Then, when you go hunting your dog will always know what to expect and what to do for you. Airedales are also fantastic friends! Last edited by WHSmithIV; 08-20-2012 at 08:54 PM..

08-21-2012, 11:44 AM	#22
Zhurh Advanced Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2010 Location: Upper Yukon, Alaska Posts: 1,820	Re: hunting dog help please. CJ, my experience was that high priced dogs were way more driven, often would tree coon within a minute or two; no fun for me to listen to them work the coon. Main thing to me was the higher priced dogs were 3-4 thousand, pups were $300-500 and them you had to train. They were harder to train as they were more apt to see deer in an orchard and take off after them; might as well just shoot them after that. LOwer priced pleasure dogs were straighter, run off game almost never as they were not as driven to get something, no joke, my experience. I got my first dog, a blk & tan 6 year old bitch from a junk man who had bought an estate and dog came with deceased man's place. The junk man and I walked out in the woods behind his place and the dog didn't want to hunt, no coon in the air I do believe. So junk man sold me blk & tan and said I could pay him whenever 200 bucks or shoot the dog if it repeated again what it did that night. I went out the following night with the blk & tan and got 11 coon and needless to say paid the junk man off the nx day. Get to know coon hunters in area, meet beagle hunting club members, then decide what ya want to hunt. Just in the end get a dog and start hunting, it's an awful bunch of enjoyment. I've never had a good dog that would hunt a bunch of different animals; they dogs got shot pretty quick, after they came back with a mouth full of quills.