Hunting dogs

Not defending the idiots who dump hounds after hunting season but in all fairness........  Hounds, pointers, hog dogs and many high prey drive dogs run off during the hunt or get themselves lost.  We lost two pointers in South Texas on a hunt.  These were young dogs and they got too far ahead of us.  They were belled but did not have the remote tracking collars on (yeah totally our fault).  We found one of them the next day and we talked to every rancher and farmer in the area to keep an eye out for the other dog.  We got the other dog back from a guy who picked him up near the highway about three miles from where we last saw him. I never thought we would find either dog and the fact that they had collars on may have prevented them from being shot.  Hunting with dogs is dangerous for the dogs in more than one way and it's always up to the owner/handler to keep the dogs safe, even from the fellow hunting with you who might shoot your dog in his excitement over the birds flushing. Yep, happens all the time unfortunately. I learned to be very particular about who I went bird hunting with since I didn't want to have to shoot the fool who might accidentally shoot my dog.

 Hunting dogs are usually highly prized by their owners and as cruel as it sounds to us if a dog won't hunt then they usually are dispatched with a bullet.  Hog dogs are the dogs I have seen treated most horribly.  When they are injured and this is a common occurence, they sometimes get some slight medical care (clean wound, stitches if the owner has the know how) but they often die of infection.  The mentality of certain people who hunt with dogs is that there are more where that came from so why waste time and money.  We don't have much hunting with hounds in our area that I know of but hog hunting with dogs is very common and the paper is always full of ads for hog dogs for sale. 

I do love the hounds of all types, I love their looks because I love a sleek, lean dog.

Hunting dogs...esp coon dogs...use PHENOMENAL amounts of energy and calories. During a hunting season it may actually be really challenging to keep ANY weight on them, no matter how much you feed. They run hot...all the time...it is how they are made. There ARE hunters that do not feed their dogs enough...just as there are pet owners who do not. But a truly emaciated, sickly starving dog is NOT going to have the stamina to tree coons all night long on the type of schedule they run. Just flat out wouldn't.

yup. Our local foxhound pack gets skinnier and skinnier as the season goes on. Plus most people are so used to seeing overweight dogs that a smooth-coated dog at a good weight looks like a pitiful starvation victim.

JackieG

Not defending the idiots who dump hounds after hunting season but in all fairness........  Hounds, pointers, hog dogs and many high prey drive dogs run off during the hunt or get themselves lost. 

I see it here all the time too.

As for the 'skinny' dogs - they run MILES a couple nights a week, they RUN, and RUN, and RUN, and then they stay under a tree and bark they're fool heads off.

JackieG

 Hunting dogs are usually highly prized by their owners and as cruel as it sounds to us if a dog won't hunt then they usually are dispatched with a bullet. 

Dang right, I know a man who have Plott Hounds for bear dogs, he bred and raised his prize hunter - he said he wouldn't sell him for less then $5,000. Thats how good this dog is(sadly, I was offered one of those dog's pup's for free! I couldn't take him, Dad said no).

JackieG

We don't have much hunting with hounds in our area that I know of but hog hunting with dogs is very common and the paper is always full of ads for hog dogs for sale. 

We always have deer dogs(beagle mixes) some pups, some started, some trained.

You have to be in reallly good with a bear hunter to get a good pup or dog from them.

JackieG

I do love the hounds of all types, I love their looks because I love a sleek, lean dog.

Amen!! I want a Redbone, a Bluetick, and a Plott. I looooove hounds!!

I was on a Bluetick site......

Ever wonder where coon dogs come from?

 

http://www.geocities.com/nhbludog/coon_dog.jpg

ROFL !!!!!

BEVOLASVEGAS

I know a lot of pitties who are hog hunters.  They are game enough to catch a hog, & hold it until the hunter can get there to kill it.  It is very impressive, & a bit scary to watch.

Bevolasvegas, I totally understand what you mean about the thrill of a REAL hunt. The dog is incredible, they work a foe, not game and are not waiting for instructions from you. But sadly This is where living in the South is rough on Me... In Southern Alabama you can still find about 20 Hawg Dawg Rodeos a year.. Picture if you will a Huge Corral with spectator seating..... into an ENOURMOUS feral boar will be released and then dog or dogs are dropped in.... The dog wears a Kevlar vest with a 4 inch wide 1/2 inch thick leather collar to "protect" their Vital spots.  They must aggress and back up the boar to a stand still.

If you have never seen a Feral Boar they are like an 200-500 pound aggressive drunk who decided to switch mid bender to PCP... they can throw and gut dogs like you would not believe and many tough dogs back down when they realize it is them and this Crazzzeee 4 legged murderous Mudder ( hey pigs do lay in Mud Right ? so that is a PC term ok?)    Pitties have left being dragged out while someone else engages the boar, hounds are routinely maimed and killed , aggressive herders and deer dogs brought in by overly optimistic owners  are ruined for life ...IF they survive. Why do Hawg Dawg Rodeos still exist?  I don't know???  Bull fighting I get( don't like but I do get it) , IT is a Human against the animal,  Sometimes the Human looses and Hey Bad Hobby for that idiot... This is pitting animal against animal in a way that makes *** fighting seem like a pinata party or dog fighting a ..yawn ... easy entertainment. BIG money is bet and lost and the winning dog makes a tidy sum for the owner... I doubt the vet is paid much for anything he may do ..IF the dog goes. They will retire a great fighter early then stud him to other idiots... and the game goes on and on. I have been approached so many times about crossing my Rhodies with various breeds for Hawg Dawgs where I was once offended and got in preachy screaming matches now I say " Yah sure , great idea!! " get all the names and addresses I can and turn them over to the authorities... Haven't had a call in two years.  When a Rhodesian shows up in the entry it upsets the other competitors. RRs were engineered to take a small boar out by them selves and two will take down the big Fighting boars.  So some how it is considered unfair that they are allowed to enter ????  I have never entered and NEVER will. I did not lovingly catch them and whisper our love into new born ears so they could face off some insane animal who only wants to survive and kill anything close to it.   My dogs may have dealt with Boars so the Farmers in Zimbabwe could survive.....  I can handle the Gulf Coast of Alabama by myself thank you!

Bonita of Bwana

I understand they are fit when in season but I am talking about skinny hunting dogs out of season packed in kennels doing nothing. I understand not every hunters treat their dogs the same but the few I have seen do not treat their dogs humanley.  

Bonita of Bwana

BEVOLASVEGAS

I know a lot of pitties who are hog hunters.  They are game enough to catch a hog, & hold it until the hunter can get there to kill it.  It is very impressive, & a bit scary to watch.

Bevolasvegas, I totally understand what you mean about the thrill of a REAL hunt. The dog is incredible, they work a foe, not game and are not waiting for instructions from you. But sadly This is where living in the South is rough on Me... In Southern Alabama you can still find about 20 Hawg Dawg Rodeos a year.. Picture if you will a Huge Corral with spectator seating..... into an ENOURMOUS feral boar will be released and then dog or dogs are dropped in.... The dog wears a Kevlar vest with a 4 inch wide 1/2 inch thick leather collar to "protect" their Vital spots.  They must aggress and back up the boar to a stand still.

If you have never seen a Feral Boar they are like an 200-500 pound aggressive drunk who decided to switch mid bender to PCP... they can throw and gut dogs like you would not believe and many tough dogs back down when they realize it is them and this Crazzzeee 4 legged murderous Mudder ( hey pigs do lay in Mud Right ? so that is a PC term ok?)    Pitties have left being dragged out while someone else engages the boar, hounds are routinely maimed and killed , aggressive herders and deer dogs brought in by overly optimistic owners  are ruined for life ...IF they survive. Why do Hawg Dawg Rodeos still exist?  I don't know???  Bull fighting I get( don't like but I do get it) , IT is a Human against the animal,  Sometimes the Human looses and Hey Bad Hobby for that idiot... This is pitting animal against animal in a way that makes *** fighting seem like a pinata party or dog fighting a ..yawn ... easy entertainment. BIG money is bet and lost and the winning dog makes a tidy sum for the owner... I doubt the vet is paid much for anything he may do ..IF the dog goes. They will retire a great fighter early then stud him to other idiots... and the game goes on and on. I have been approached so many times about crossing my Rhodies with various breeds for Hawg Dawgs where I was once offended and got in preachy screaming matches now I say " Yah sure , great idea!! " get all the names and addresses I can and turn them over to the authorities... Haven't had a call in two years.  When a Rhodesian shows up in the entry it upsets the other competitors. RRs were engineered to take a small boar out by them selves and two will take down the big Fighting boars.  So some how it is considered unfair that they are allowed to enter ????  I have never entered and NEVER will. I did not lovingly catch them and whisper our love into new born ears so they could face off some insane animal who only wants to survive and kill anything close to it.   My dogs may have dealt with Boars so the Farmers in Zimbabwe could survive.....  I can handle the Gulf Coast of Alabama by myself thank you!

Bonita of Bwana

That's pathetic! thanks for sharing though. My friend in NC tells me about the 'dog dump' when hunting season comes in. He sees a lot of dead dogs and some with trackers and most do not. He calls it a sad occurence every year. The thrill of the hunt I get. But to use dogs or other means to bait the prey or to have an advantage is even worse. Watching the "outdoors' channel makes me think how hunters are nowadays.... it looks so scripted. My ex-GF's brother and he tells me like it is. Hunting is not what it use to be and he agrees what I think about hunting. He is out right now since the season is in. I heard 5 shots yesterday but I haven't heard anyone bring anything in. Other hunters tell me about blood lusting where they just want to shoot to kill something and don't give a rat's ass to the carnage. Ahh, when fowl is in season, I hear lots of dogs getting shot because some hunter shots at something he 'hears'. If it makes a man need to hunt to make him feel like man, go for it. I don't need it.

We have Hog Dog Rodeos here as well.  Our hog hunters do it a little differently.  They go out & catch a sow with nursing piglets for the rodeo.  First, the turn the babies loose, & allow the dogs to kill them.  The screams of the babies enrages the sow, so when she is released, she is out for blood.  This "event" usually has around ten dogs entered.  They are usually pitties, although I have seen a RR go through as well.  It is not unusual for only one dog to leave the arena alive. 

I love the field bred sporting dogs. Not much into hound hunting or hog hunting, but watching a retriever or pointer work is amazing. I grew up with a field lab and he was the best dog... He was used to retrieve mainly (obviously). Fantastic worker and just a very good dog all around. I know many hunters with dogs though none have big packs. All of them take fabulous care of their animals. I pet sit sometimes for a guy that has two field bred english setters, I grew up around the field lab we had and my dad's field lab owning friends and english pointers have always been in the extended family. My father wants a GSP sometime to work with. (He wants a dog that can point and retrieve) I'm working on learning how to hunt myself so I can go out with everyone in the future. We don't have a hunting dog right now, but I'm sure we'll end up with another in the future. I think my dad will probably wait on the pointer until he's retired, though. There is nothing quite like seeing a dog do what it was bred to do.

Laurelin_429

There is nothing quite like seeing a dog do what it was bred to do.

That is so true.

As much as I hate to say it, watching a **good** pack of Plott's hunt a bear is so amazing. It's disturbing in **so many ways** but at the same time - seeing these beautiful dogs do just what they were **bred, conditioned, and love** to do, it's amazing. Honestly, as long as the owners that good care of the hounds I have no issue with hunting, during the season dogs tend to run thin thou. Fine, it happens. My PaPa's Beagle's run thin in deer season, he free feeds them. The dogs eat like crazy and look starved, it happens. Back to the beauty of a hunt thou - it's like fox hounds, horse back riders, and foxes - they love it, its beautiful, its fun. I want a Plott hound(or Bluetick or Redbone) if I do get one, I'm giving my Dad full permission to train him/her to hunt coon/deer(NO bear - I couldn't handle losing a dog that way). Hunting dogs are great dogs - they can be great members of the family, and if you go to any good breeds/hunters - those hounds are not only bread winners, but they might as well be eating at the table with the humans.

I hunt, not as much as I did when I had a Lab to retrieve any birds I might accidentally hit.  I just can't seem to embrace the idea of setting dogs loose on a deer or hog or and type of animal unless the hunter is going to kill it with a well placed shot.  The type of hog rodeo described by a few others is sickening. 

Uh oh, I think I am being a hypocrite, maybe not.  I have set my JRT on rats. He kills them very quickly with one quick shake and they are dead of a broken neck.

JackieG

I hunt, not as much as I did when I had a Lab to retrieve any birds I might accidentally hit.  I just can't seem to embrace the idea of setting dogs loose on a deer or hog or and type of animal unless the hunter is going to kill it with a well placed shot.  The type of hog rodeo described by a few others is sickening. 

Uh oh, I think I am being a hypocrite, maybe not.  I have set my JRT on rats. He kills them very quickly with one quick shake and they are dead of a broken neck.

Thats a bit different from a Hog Dog Rodeo - they let the dog(s) slowly kill the animals, your JRT kills them quickly, with no harm to the dog. And- good hunters do not allow they're dogs to kill a bear by itself - they normally put a slug thru the bears skull to make it quick(and before the hunters can get hurt).....just being blunt about it.

Hog rodeos sound horrible- why are they legal?- but most hound-hunts DO end with the hunter killing the animal with a well-placed shot. Or they let the prey go; many fox and coon hunters don't ever actually kill anything. We don't have many hound-pack hunts here, but watching the hunters run their pointers, spaniels, and rabbit-beagles is really fun. These people invest A LOT of time and effort into training and conditioning their dogs.

I have never heard of a hog rodeo, sounds horrible.  Around here(Kansas), we use dogs to hunt pheasants, quail, etc.  My favorite bird dog is the Vizsla, we have a great pair that will work out in front of us flushing, pointing, and retreiving-it is truely a sight to see a couple of dogs who know what they are doing.  It amazes me everytime to see the dogs work the line and go on point, especially when there are 2 or more dogs, all pointing at the same time, it's like live art. 

We hunt deer by getting in a stand or sitting at the base of a tree for a couple of hours in an area where deer are known to be, and waiting for one to pass close enough.  I think it would take the sport out of it to use dogs to run them right to you.  I've never heard of that.

We also have a lot of Cyote hunters here who use dogs.  The dogs track/chase down the cyotes and get hold of them so the hunter can make the kill quickly without injury to the dog(hopefully).