EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

So since I came to this board the other day I have seen some pretty controversial subject and have had the opportunity to weigh in on a few. So which do you guys prefer and why? I am a hound man myself. So lets get this topic rolling and do not hold back on my account.

Cur for me.  They tend to be quieter in the yard.  I "click" better with them.  In my experience they are more versatile.  Endless bottom, better track speed, plenty of nose when bred for it.  In reality I've just not been impressed with any hounds. 
  That is my opinion. 

I'll stick with cur dogs. I guess i've never hunted with a good hound and i've hunted with quite a few. They were all nose down and barking every step of the way... all ended in long races and no pork at the end. One race was over 12 hours long. :o

I hear about good hounds all the time and would like to hunt behind one some day.

I've got one Plott and the rest are curs.  The Plott is a closed mouth little gyp, and the curs are too.  They seem to work well together.  I'm happy with the results.

I prefer my crosses because they are super dogs

curs because if you have good ones you dont need a hound.

Buck when I smell the night air I can still envision the sound of a hound yodeling and do miss it. But for hog hunting I would hands down choose a curr for their speed and utility. In my case a Catahoula curr.     John

I think I have pretty good curs.  But I like the Plott!

I like curs, but I dont have too much experience hog hunting with hounds.

Well the little i do it is a LONG hunt, and a pain unless you own 5k acres.

I have no preference.  The first hound I hunted with was an idiot.  Bark and bark and come back to you with nothing to show for it.  THen I had the privilege of huntnig with a "hog hunting" hound.  He was open on track but when he opened he was making a bee line for a hog.  I have since hunted with several open hounds and will say I enjoy it far better than a cur.  I think people confuse a open mouth hound with an open mouth HOG HUNTING hound.  Big difference and I have hunted with both. Just my 02

I keep reading the same thing. People think a cur is a short hunt dog and a hound is a long hunt dog. (meaning how long the hunt takes)  Is this because a lot of curs stay with one for a shorter time but eventually give it up and come back where as a good hound has more bottom end than most curs making for a longer hunt?? 

I agree with you agteach, there is a BIG difference in a hog hunting hound than one that barks every breath on a cold track.

I've hunted with and behind both, both do well and both have faults. But my preference I'll stick with my curs for hogs, and hounds for coons.

Ahhh... one of my favorite subjects ;D

Actually, I'd love to have a set of hounds some day... that is, IF I had enough property to get to them...

I've hunted behind some unreal hounds, most of which came from blood out west.  Big game bred, tall, lanky... all built the same whether it be walker, plott, redbone, or bluetick.  Almost a sure thing if you've got a good track, and it sure is nice to get the particular hog you're after sometimes...  then again, I've been on some miserable hunts with these same dogs where we literally spent days trying to get them caught back up... that's just no fun.

l try to look at all dogs objectively, regardless of breed... Any dog that is built the way I like, hunts the way I like, and is good natured is welcomee in my yard and my breeding program.... Call it a cur, call it a mongrel, I call it a hog dog ;D

To answer the specific question though.. I'll go with a cur, they're just more pleasant to be around to me.

I aint gettin in this wasps nest again.Its already turning into B.S.

i am a cur man myself because they get the job done the way i like it.  in response to agteah11. i dont know about "most curs" because there is alot of crap out there and i wont keep it around. but i do know about good cur dogs. they  will hang in the race as long as a hound. now one reason hunts with curs will take a shorter amount of time is there abilty to work a track quicker. also alot of curs will work a track and in the proceses come across alot fresher track and will make the switch and get to a hog  before a hound would. why because alot of hounds stay with the orginal track and run across alot of the much hotter ones along the way. now what i am saying is we could drop a hound in a 1000 acre block of land and it might take an hour for him to find the hog. but it has been my experince that a good cur could probaly do it in half the time. if the hog was moving he could have it stooped a 1/4 or further before the hound found the hog. i have seen a preety good hounds run a track the rong way for 15 20 minutes and we see them go buy us win we have a bay going. me perssonaly the last to hunts i have been on the 3rd n 4 hog we got to were a mile plus away. thanksgiving mourning we started at 7:30am we didnt leave the woods untill 1:30pm. we would of been there longer but we snuk in and caught the dog while he was baying. i was 2 hours late to  thanksgiving lunch. whenever we go to a bay anymore there is 2 peoples responsible for catching 1 of the 2 dogs. if they dont we wait untill the next bay or couple of hours if were lucky.

i run hounds,curs,crosses i like my hounds but hoter nosed with grit and speed i prefer plotts but not all plotts they just have to work  like i want.i enjoy runnin running plotts and curs together works good for me.

Im a cur guy myself.  But i got my last 2 plotts and started them young with curs and it worked out well.
Ben

I prefer cur dogs but I will hunt anything that produces hogs.. I've never owned a good hound but I've hunted with one that was..

there is a lot of validity to what many of you are a saying. i think that what we like and dislike is based on what we have been exposed to. i started with a closed mouth bluetick. sye could run with any cur and could line out a track as well as any cur(i know this because he has had on a garmin and was at the front of a pack of really fast dogs). as he got older he became more and more open. i loved the sound of his voice but when you catch that first hog you wouldn't catch anymore that night cause every other hog in the county are gone...lol. i've hunted with some curs that take forever to line out a track because their nose isn't strong enough to get the job done. if the track was over 5min they couldn't find a hog.

i also believe that people choose to go curs is because curs start up much faster and finish out much faster. you can start working a hound early but you won't be happy with what you get. now if you keep hunting them but have the patience to wait til they are about 3yrs before you make your final decision..well you will probally be have a you a heck of hound. curs you can find out by about a 1yr to 1.5yrs what you are working with.

with all that said, i'm a cur man at this point. i miss my hound because he was  just a great dog all around. he found us hogs and he was a great pet. i like a cur and a cur with some catchdog in it.

I prefer curs but this subject cracks me up because it is kinda like asking which is better gas or diesel, buiscits or cornbread, apples or oranges, summer or winter...how many licks to the center of a tootsie roll pop?  LMAO There are no answers only oppinions and everyone has their own. No need to get upset. 8)

Very well played djhogdogger, you are so right, but its fun to read :D

It depends on the dog. The very first hunt I ever went on was with a guy that had a great Plott hound. He could find hogs galore and seemed to be able to find the bigger boars. I bought a pup out of that dog and it was worthless.

I ran bird dogs for a number of years and I always liked to get real good females for breeding. Seemed like you could breed them to anything and get some kind of dog.

I really like cur dogs and have hunted several that were great. Also I have had good luck with cur pit crosses. I always wanted a saddle back dog but just never ran across one.

Right now I have a Plott hound that is my best dog. He came up to work and they were going to send him to the pound. I called the number on his collar and looked up another number using his address. Both numbers disconnected. I took him hunting and he did pretty good considering I did not know if he had ever been on a hog in his life.

Each time I took him he got better by a wide margin. He can find lots of hogs but will range out a little more than I like. The thing I like is he is great finding his way back no matter where you are. Now his is getting a little more gritty the more I hunt him.

I guess I need to breed him to a real good cur female or Plott female and get some of his blood.

How did I miss this thread?!!!

I just read every post and no one even got pissy with one another. :o

Sometimes you people really disappoint me on this board. lol.

O well since Im here.

When I was young I didn think you were hunting with a dog unless it was a hound. I love hounds and always will but when I started hunting hogs in Texas back in 87 I just naturally gravitated to the cur dogs. It didnt take long before I was trying to put a hound in the mix but only one out of all I tried ever worked out and he was only average in my opinion. I loved being able to put that dog on a big track and catch the hog that left it even if it was 12 hours later! But for everything else I used my curs and eventually was all I used.

After a year of keeping up with post and comments from this boards members I have finally started to realise something.

I have never hunted hogs behind truly good big game hounds...........ever.

I dont know. Maybe if I had when I was younger the dogs at my house today would have a little more ear to them.  ;)

i'd have to say curs but my dream is to be able to hunt behind some hounds, just prefer to have a mountain lion at the end of the track. :)

I prefer a good cross. Not real particular on the cross. Heck theres some guys on here that say they catch hogs with catahoulas so I guess about anything is possible.  :laugh:

Hahaha I like that one.....

Now thats funny!

 :-[

hog dog mike , thats MY DOG YOU FOUND , NOW BRING HIM BACK AND I WONT PRESS CHARGES !!!!  popo  O0 O0 ; >:D >:D ;D ;D ;D :angel:

Curs all the way,I sure do miss hearing those hounds smoking some deer though.

wouldnt be near as funny if you ran catahoulas you would think someone was bashing you ;D but it was pretty dam funny because i cant stand catahoulas O0

Put me down as a catahoula basher as well.  ;)

 :'( :'( :'(... y'all are killing me. The greatest hog dogs that's ever graced the face of this planet had spots on them.

 ;D I forgot the smiley face I wasnt trying to hurt no ones feelings ;D

dalmations mike? ;D

Now thats funny!

Bwaaahahaha.

Tell Lilly we are only joking Alan.

Ha, whats better hounds or curs?          The world may never know

as the hounds and curs turn these are the days of our lifes ;D

I see what you do when you aint on here! :laugh:

Yall two must be sleep deprived.....talking about dog soap operas......What will come next :D

I knew that was coming! :laugh:

Now that sheet was funny. I don't care who you are. LOL

Without a doubt curs are better.  Hounds just eat. >:D

CBK, that is the first step to recovery....admitting to yourself the truth  ;) ;D  Next you will have pics of spotted,yella and brindle dogs....ha ha  ;D

I'm going to give all my wanna be hog hunting hounds away.  I'm looking for a poodle so that I can teach it to do tricks.  It will be just as productive.   :o

Scratch that.  I'll keep these show dogs I currently have. :angel:

Awww man I am just pickin.....I have a soft spot for a ticked up ole hound just don't have one on the place now....but sure won't feed a dang ole holestien  ;D

i really like curs, but with that being said my favorite is a bmc/plott cross.

never had any true experience w/ a full blood hound.

Agteach........Hunts with Curs are shorter because they find the hogs faster and are capable of actualy baying a hog and doing it right so It don't take long to take care of business. ;D  Now as for hounds well I wont go there, because there involves to much trail barking and long races.  haha

Mike.....we all know that the best hog dogs were common curs, work a day dogs with no label and who knows what color :D

Let me say this.  When my dad started hunting hogs close to 30 years ago, he had some hounds for coon hunting and Cur dogs for working cattle.  He started to use them both on hogs and lets just say he does'nt have any hounds anymore and it did'nt take 25 years to figure it out either.  He did have a few good hounds over the years.

Waylon

Cutter Bay correct me if Im wrong but those are not called spots they call those ticks dont they!

I believe you may be on to something there.  ;)

Truth of the matter is, we all feed what we feed.  No changing that.

Your right. And even if someone said they would pay my feed but I had to use their style of dogs I would have to say no thanks. Its all preference and I dont look at it as hounds vs curs but more as hounds/ curs.

Worded perfectly in my opinion.

WOW!! :o This is like bringing a knife to a gun fight, a hound man on a cur dog board.  ;D i aint skeered. LOL!! ;D ;)
Well, i dont just hog hunt, i bear, and coon hunt too, but only cause we aint got many hogs. If this was a bear hunting board ande you fellers were talking about hunting bear with curs  :D it would be the same thing only in reverse.  ;) I hunt full hounds on bear, wouldnt even consider trying it with a cur, now on the other hand, i have cought ALOT of hogs with a full hound, an old red bone female i had named "Jill" (R.I.P.)  no 8 hr races there, when she struck it wasnt long before she was bayed, she was fast, and gritty, and a real track dog. I think this is where alot of people are getting down on these hounds, just cause it will bark at a hog in a pen dont make it a hog dog.
            Same thing up here, i have talked to several people up here that have tried cur dogs from down south on hogs up here "not gonna mention breed"  ;D and they all have said that they wouldnt give you a plugged nickel for everyone in the country, why? because they wont hunt, or get out from under your feet. now, does that mean that all curs are this way? of course not.  Thats kinda like saying that all pit bulls will turn on you and your kids. rolleyes.
     As for me, so far from what i have seen i like the hound cur crosses, less mouth, but still a little, less range, and less nose, there i said it. but i still like my hounds, cause i aint affraid to get out of the road to get to a bay. lol :D I still like the whole "hunting" aspect of it, not just driving down a dirt rd and throwin hogs in the truck.  lol :D : >:D :D ;D

Hunts with curs are shorter because they can only catch the easy ones and they usually quit the hard ones and come back. You show me a cur with the heart to stay with a hound on the tough ones and I will buy him becasue somewhere in his pedigree lies a hound.

  :o ;)

Buck
Hey there are lots of Curs out there that will do that.  Just not gonna find them from people who breed for a pretty spotted coat or black mask.  But they are'nt for sale very often and you gotta get in with the right crowd and show you understand and appreciate what a good cur dog can do.  Then after that you will get a pup out of that kinda stock and get a start in some good dogs.  Its just part of the culture around here :angel:


Ofcourse they will do that if need be, but more often than not the Curs take a hog that some hounds made look like a tough one and make him bay and look like the plain hog that he really is.  Just face it Live stock is for stock dogs not track straddlers.  As for catching the week hogs....well i believe in baying groups of hogs take a whole buch of hogs.... strong or weak it don't matter...... and bay them all together.  I also dont beleive in shoat catching and any shoat catching cur dog is a cull in my eyes.  If there are shaots around they should be bayed up right next to thier momma and daddy not streatched out while momma and daddy run off.  Besides I don't catch hogs any way I bay them up and shoot them.  Not saying my dogs are the best or better than anybody else because I know they are not just being an advocate for cur dogs.  Show me a hound that will bay right and  get the job done on hogs day in and day out and I will show you a Cur dog in his lineage  ;D

TNhillbilly........I don't just hog hunt either I would tree the poop out of a bear there just are'nt any bears around here anymore.

Not hard feelings
Waylon

I like this thread better than the other one, yall got any popcorn?

hey Waylon i got some with a little ear on them  i will show that catch hogs every day and bay as pretty as it gets

Now this is more like it folks!   ;D

Stinking ninja instigator. O0

In my opinim people judge hounds and curs on different standards.  For example if a hound runs a 3 hr race it is average and if a cur runs a 3 hr race it is very good.  A dog is a dog and anyone making excuses for them is lying to themselves. I want the best dog I can have be it hound cur or whatever.  With that said you have to rate the qualities or characteristics that you desire in your dogs and find the breed or strain that posses the highest number of the top qualities you are looking for.  I have been hog hunting for many years and when I started our hog population in my hunting area was very low. (It has since increased but still not the numbers of Florida or TX)  I place alot of importance on nose and bottom.  When I find a hog track I want to be able to catch that hog be it under the next bush or the next county.  For me hounds are the only way to go.  Are they for everybody, NO.  Several people have posted accounts of going all night and listening to a dog boo hoo and never stopping a hog.  I can alos give accounts of people putting curs on hog sighn and letting them hunt for 30+ minutes.  Catching them up and putting my plotts out, them cold trailing, (sometimes for hours and miles) and baying hogs.  Or even then sometimes hunting them together and getting on a bad running hog and the curs burn out after 2 or 3 hours and my plotts bay the hog around the 5hr mark.  It has allways been funny to me how people will brag on a cur for running a hog silent for 3 or 4 hours and talk about the bottom they have and then cuss a hound for running 5 hours saying that if it wasn't for all the barking they would have stopped the hog by now.  There is no secret recipe...If there is I will re-mortgage the house to buy it.  I have seen really good dogs in all kinds.  One thing I do know is that I like good dogs way to much to be proud.  Come hunt with me for a while, and if your dogs out do mine consistantly....heck I'll try to but them.  I want to switch brands tommarrow because that means that Ifeel like I have found something better than what I got. Until then I guess I will just keep hunting these barking, booing muts and hope somebodies cur dogs have chewed one up and left it for us to bay.   I'll leave you with some insight.  Good dogs are where you find them.  If you have one enjoy it because they don't last forever.  If you have a good solid dog be satisfied, those once in a lifetime dogs are just that...once in a lifetime...they are not mass produced or "bred for"....if you ever hunt with one you will know what I am talking about

i know what you are talking about and glad to see somebody knows what they are talkin about when it comes to hounds ;)

Lionboar.....the best dog that I have ever owned was out of an old line running walker bitch that was a cat dog.  She was not like the pen bred dogs today.  She could cold trail a bobcat through a cutover with no vegitation in the panhandle of Florida (sugar sand and scrub oaks).  I bred her to a 1/2 plott 1/2 leapord.  1 puppy lived and he was lemon and white with blue cracked eyes.  I have seen him cold trail bear and hogs with his head up at 2-3 p.m when potlickers were standing on their head.  When he got the game up he could flat pump the wind out of him.  We bred him several times and never had a good get out of him.  I have tried several running dogs and crosses since then.  I can't find one that will stay bayed when a bad hog gets rough with them.

A catahula I did not spell that right is like a opausla horse you get a good one u have something I have not seen many good ones other than djhogdogers rodwy and southeastexasplot sojo cut sojo is half cat lmao I love the cur hond cross

This is the best post on this topic yet by far!!

now this looks like something fun  :D........



from my experience the best curr dog just so happen to have plott breed into it
    1.) it needed a bottom end
    2.) it needed gritt to stay at the bay
    3.) u just have to put hound in a curr if u wanna make a curr dog that will have some hunt  ;D O0

and as for the catahoula thing i have a catdo and will put money on where he catches a hog gotta love the dogo to

For all you that use Hounds & Curs.  To cut out all the bull @#$%!  we use Jack Russells.  Check out the pic. 2 hogs one weighing 340lb bar and 280 lb bar. Our non-barking jack russell male "Cowboy" is in the pic excited about his catch that night!!  We run 2 collars a garmin DC-30 and marshall collars.

Thats the best post I've ever seen on any website.

When you gonna invite me to come see that?
Aint nothing wrong with a little ear as long as it did'nt come from a hound. hehe  Don't most of your dogs have atleast half Cur in them.  There has got to be a reason for that.



I tell yall what.....my bigest gripe with a hound does'nt have anything to do with silent or open.  It is the way they hunt.  You take a hound he might leave the country looking for sign and go the complete opposite direction that I wanted to go.  A hound hunts for him self and has no concern for your direction of travel.  A cur dog hunts for you and will hunt in your direction of travel.  I will take my cur dog and find some hogs while you wait for that hound to come back to planet earth.  Just my preference.

Waylon

anytime your ready my friend but you got to bring some of them good cur dogs so we can catch one ;D

i'm going to agree with mike . in south tx i have yet to see a hog stop. not because the dogs are bad it the hogs will not hold . reason is hounds are to open on track.

i hunt south tx all the time and dont have any problem stopping a hog and i run open dogs :o

LOL. It would appear that way huh? :angel: This thread is even pissing the Jack Russel guys off now! lol

Actually, I just didnt see the debate I was expecting when I first stumbled across this thread. You guys more than made up for it though. Thanks!!!
I can honestly see the points on both sides of this fence. A few of you guys did an exceptional job of driving them home trust me. lol. I agree with some on both sides also.

I've been to places a few times and can remember thinking "man I wish we had a good hound or two with us today".
I know a few houndsman that have said the same about good curs! They may or may not admit it on this board! lol

                     " heat"............I sure like the way you've summed it up!  

A good hog dog is a good hog dog no matter what the breed. I think some just shine a little more than others depending on how and were you have to hunt them.

So how about those cur/hound crosses? lol............................never mind!!!!! :angel:

lionanboar im not trying to put hounds down i'v just not hunted with the right one.

i have a hound r 2 that can show anybody wondering about silence if they bark they r looking

Hah ninja I can think of some of those times when we said that exact thing about having a good hound ;). But we gotta be careful me being a lacy and cat guy and you being a yella dog with the occasional brindle thrown in ;D.
I love em' all, nothing like the bawl of a hound or the chop of a bayin cur.....now I'm confused, don't know which way to lean towards ???

setexasplott that's my style.

HAHA!
Thats right! You are a witness! lol.
I think you should sell all your curs to me and order a half dozen Blue tick pups from Cutter Bay Kennels so I dont have to drive all the way to Florida to see those bad a$$ hounds of his hunt! lol

Don't you temp me now!! ;D

No hard feeling steal trap just tired of all the poor old hounds getting the blame for makin all the hogs hard to catch and nobody could catch them because they hav been hunted with hounds i personally went to a place that has been run with nothin but silent dogs for about two years and they couldnt catch a hog on the place after a few months running silent dogs. And they called me to bring some of my hound crosses to see if we could catch some hogs and we caught three in just a few hours. i do not have any problems with silent dogs because i own a a few of them and love them i believe if a hog is goin to run he is goin to run and not bay until he gets ready wheather it be a open dog or a silent dog

Thats how Im feeling. Im not ready to start shucking my cur dogs by a long shot but all the hounds I have tryed in the past were coon hound bread. Not big game bred. They houndsmen claim there is a little bit of a difference. :D

theres a huge different between potlickers and good bred hounds

All the hounds I had were coon dogs, but I have two dogs, a lacy(lacie loo) and a cat(lilly) that occasionally bark on trail,  (ninja can vouch for that) I got the best of both worlds ;D And by golly we catch a few hogs with them.

yea i have been with a few guys that bad mouth dogs that bark and say they run nothin but silent dogs so i just leave mine in the box and lowin tobe hold there dogs strick a hog and they have a few yip on track and they say ol man they never hav done that before. and i just dump mine out and say mine will fit right in with yours haha ;D

 :D Hah I love it, thats good stuff right there. I bet you had to hold back from rolling on the ground and laughing.
Personally I'll hunt behind any, open, closed don't matter, as long as they are good at what they do they get it done, I could care less how they do it or what happens in between, heck we all expect the same outcome. And I don't mind a lil singing or "I'm over here" while they do it. ;)

I know it and thats part of the problem here. The same can be said about cur dogs thats for dang sure.
But unlike curs, I have never hunted behind a good bred big game hound.
It could be that some houndsmen have never hunted behind a good hog dog bred cur just the same. You think? ;)

i never said i dont have a hound that wont yep after a hog breaks but i do have 1 r 2 u can put ur money on 2 b lookin if u hear them and i can say i have seen quite a few open curr dogs  :o(and they had no hound in them)and if u look up that breed it will tell about that as well so all u curr fanatics better take a chill pill and relize brindle is better O0 O0 ;D

Ok I got the solution... a totally opened mouth brindle cat with a remote on/off bark. ;D ;D

yes sir that is exactly right i hav had some jam up cur dogs that could run with my hounds but they are a few and far between the reason i like the hound cosses is because i hunt almost everyday not every weekend and the curr dogs just cant take it day in and day out i am not talking a few miles every day i am talking 20 30 miles a day i not saying there are not cur dogs that can do this because i have some that can they are just few and far between

lion and boar said it i will have to 110% agree a curr just cant keep up with a hound i have a curr in my yard and she makes excilent pups from a hound but out of 20 dogs she is lucky she thinks she is brindle ;D ;D O0

Well I have no ground to stand on to argue this because I dont hunt my curs day in and day out and dont know anyone that does. But just to clarify, are you saying that hounds in general hold up better than curs hunted day in and day out?

Ok guys you've got my interest, since I've only delt with coonhounds and not the big game hounds I think one of yall should give me a pup and let me try it and give a personal hands on cur dog hog hunters review ;D


Ninja-what was the time on that last hunt, though not day in and out but usually are long and hard ;) you outta start training our dogs some of that ninja stuff :D

I am on the 1/2 Catahoula 1/2Plott  band wagon. Mine are silent but will bark on a breaking hog. I think that track speed and bottom is what bays hogs, has little to do with being open or silent. The hound crosses do have more bottom then my straight cats thats for sure. I love them and have 4 more 8 month old pups ready to start, can't wait.

LOL. Good luck with that!

Yeah after 11 hours of straight hunting them cur dog sure acted like they were just getting started!
I hunt mine 2 and 3 days straight like that sometimes and they do well but I dont think they could handle that pace day in and day out, every day. I sure wouldnt mind letting them try it though! Just got to win that lottery first!

I go to bed and miss all the good conversation. Boar Ninja you just can not beat a good hound cur cross. You can have the best of both worlds. And when a conversation like this comes up you can laugh and chuckle from both sides. I personally have never had the kind of dog I LIKE with a straight cur. I know there are some good ones. Just not my style. If I hunt with one and I like it well then get ready because I might try to buy him! ;D

The thing that I have found is that breeding dogs is not like mixing paint.  White and balck don't allways make grey.  When you mix hounds and curs their is usually not an even mix.  You will get some crosses that are real houndy and then some that are real curry.  If you could just get the long range, nose, and bottom of a hound and them be silent.......everybody would have them.  In my experiences most of them bark.  I just sold a male plott that I had on here because he didn't bark enough to suit me.  He was a Hog Dog and I don't use that term lightly.  In my opinion stopping hogs is alot more about the hogs than the dogs.  We ran one Tuesday for 7 hrs and saw him 3 times, bayed him 5-6 times and never got close enough to send the bulldog.  Took the same dogs Wednesday and caught 5. 
As far as hound just getting gone and not hunting with you....dogs are alot like kids...they are gonna do exactly what you let them.  You can put a handle on a duck if you handle it enough and tri-tronics will fit around its neck.  If i keep a hound over about 2or 3 years may not be able to run out from under a falling tree or smell a gorilla fart but you can bet 2 things it will know its name and better than that, know my voice and respect it.  I have had several hounds that could be called off a running or bayed hog, never need a leash, and handle like a 12 year old boy is suppose to. 
Please don't take this last bit to be offensive....I do not know any of you and am making a blank statement in general........

The problem is that there are very few people that really know dogs.  All they are interested in is putting their hands on a hog.  That is great because it is what we are all after.  I can have a good hunt and never touch a hog.  If I have a young dog progressing good and showing it is making a hand...I have had a good day.  I like listening and watching the dogs, learning about how they work and what they are doing.  If you can understand a dog and let it teach you and you teach it you will both progress alot in the same direction

I think that is a very overlooked part of this whole deal, catching is fun but sometimes you learn more when you just catch one or even none...

;)

100% agreed, I get just as excited seeing a young dog finally go as I would if I had caught something. I enjoy watching a hard working dog, no matter what breed.

Heat....Let me say I agree 100% with the last paragraph.  Its about seing the dogs work and them doing it the way you want.  And I agree that crossing dogs is not like mixing paint.  Which is why I beleive that if a man wants to increase the range or bottom of his curs he should find a rangy cur to cross with, not a hound.  That may not be as easy as finding any old hound that will hunt but it works out better.  Also, in my opinion silent mouth is low on the list of things a cur dog would conribute to a cross with a hound.  Things like handle, working ability, and finesse  are more important to me because if they dont work a hog right I am not happy with them anyway and silent or open is not an issue because they are a cull for me anyway.  Ive never seen a hound that had the hog working traits and finesse at a level that I am looking for in a hog dog.  #1. Most people expect to bay single hogs and dont think twice if they strike a group but only bay one hog.  If there is a group I expect to bay the whole group and anything less, even baying the single biggest boar out of that group, is a failure in my opinion because the did not get the group bayed.  #2. Things like finesse where a single dog can be hard on running hogs but have the instinct and finnesse to bay soft on gentle hogs that will stand is what very important to me.  As well as on a single hog a dog needs to start eating hide when he runs but have finesse to back up and bay when the hog decided to turn and stand.  That is rather than eating hide and having the hog make the dog back up and bay which is ok and will get some hogs bayed but the first example is much better in my opinion.  In my opinion there is more to baying a hog that just barking or even biting at a hog like some may think.  The barking is a result of the hog being bayed where as the hog being bayed is not a result of the barking.  A dog can bay a hog an never bark.  The only problem there is, you wouldnt be able to find them without a GPS collar on them.  But more importantly baying is not about forcing the hog to bay it is about convincing the hog to stand if it does not want to... or if the hog allready has a notion to stand at bay its about encouraging that notion and controling them as they do it.  In MY opinion hounds just don't have those instincts to bay groups and use finnesse.  Sure they might bay some groups by accident but they don't have those istincts or the drive to actively do it because they are not a stock dog.

Waylon

I will put in my 2 cents !! ;D for what it worth!
i have always had big headed yella cur's and  catahulas !! i have stuck with the catahulas in the last ten years or so and it seems that some dont like em ??
 Also i have always had at least one hound in the pen !! the one i have now absoluty loves a hog !! she gets after it !! I mainly use her for the glades in the deep water !!
throw her off the buggy/airboat first let her run the hog a bit then when she gets hot turn the catahulas down to finish up !! But thats a different kinda hunting !! 9 days soild  of catching hogs !! so ya gotta save yer dogs as much as you can !!
With that said i can admit she does not leave the yard as much as the others cause i agree she has her purpose !! she will find a hog but like it was mentioned she will take a cold track and not stop till the job is done !! sometimes she bays close by and sometimes im picking her up a county over !LOL !!

but i would have to say they all have their purpose !! and i catch my fair share !!
Oh yeah if ya dont think a catahula catches hogs plan a trip and we show ya !!  :)
(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee143/cetchdawg/img1265379955820.jpg)
(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee143/cetchdawg/img1265379951375.jpg)
(http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee143/cetchdawg/img1265379854942.jpg)

Thats a whole nother subject right their and one I am definitely interested in seeing discussed on this board!

"Hound vs Cur" has been a big debated as long as I can remember when it comes to hog hunting. One that will probably go on forever and that is fine with me because I will never get tired of listening to it.
I just dont see both sides ever completely meeting in the middle were the hound/cur cross guys are already and laughing at the rest of us.

With the doubts I have on both sides of this argument their is one thing that I still remain convinced of.
Their are cur dogs out their that will change any hard core houndsman's poor opinion of them if they could only see them hunt!

I have a pretty good feeling there are good hounds out their that will do the same for the cur dog guys.
They both have their place in hog hunting and I will never argue that.

Wm-  just like I said...you have a list of traits that are very important to you and the dogs that you have found that get you there are cur dogs.  I on the other hand don't place finess and style on the top of my list.  I have literally hunted 3 big boars on 8,000 acers for several months.  (Off and on of course).  If these finess dogs could not trail a track off of a corn feeder several hours old they would just look really stylish riding around in the back of the truck.   
On the other hand I have a cousin that lives in South Fl.  He had a really nice gyp a while back.  She bayed over 200 head a year from the time she started at about 14 months until she was well over 9 years.  She would not find a hog that had been gone over 30 minutes nor would she run one over 15 minutes.  She was flat sure a hog dog.  I have taken my dogs down there hunting and them get on a runner right to start with and be gone for several hours before they bayed it.  This ol gyp would be back in front of the Buggy in just a few minutes and we would catch 5 or 6 while chasing my dogs around.  Which dog was better??
He came up here and we put on some hogs just off of peanut field.  The dogs only trailed for @ 5 or 6 minutes and maybe 300 yards.  This same gyp was standing at my feet when my dogs came bayed with the hogs in the bed.  She took off to them but it was evident she would not have bayed them on her own??
I guess they need a dial right up under theri tail where you can adjust them to what you need at the time.

Well said boarninja well said my friend

"heat"

I sure like the way you put things!

You know, after reading through this thread and considering arguments on both sides, some may even conclude that, the more fertile the hunting grounds with high numbers of hogs, the more the cur dogs shine. The same for hounds when the country is big and the hogs are few and far between. rolleyes  ???

Nah. More than likely the hound guys will be thinking of the super hounds that can do it all and cur dog guys will be doing the same is my guess.  ;)

Anybody out there hunting a Dogo/Jack Russel cross?  O0 ;D

I have a buddy with two 1/2 pit 1/2 airedale's.  They are only @ 7 months old but I can already tell they are gonns be fun while they last ;)

Heat.....First I'm gonna say I have enjoyed this post and the back and forth conversation.  I can definately aprreciate a good hound beacause when I was a kid dad had hounds and Curs.... Like I said before.  One in particular was a walker hound named Doc.  He was a reject coon dog that trashed on hogs.  So dad took him from the man and put him to work on hogs.  He was a GREAT hog dog and in the list for the best hog dogs I have hunted with over 18 years.  Ultimately his bottom was his demise in the days before tracking systems were common, he took a hog across the Brazos river and we never found him.  But the same can be said for many Cur dogs before tracking collar days.  BUT....he is the only hound on that list, the rest are all Cur dogs.  There are lots of Cur dogs that have bottom and many of them will stick with a hog longer than most people prefer.  Now as for me I don't think a dog can have too much bottom.  Bottom is very important to me.  I think this is something we can agree on.  I don't care if a dog stay on a hog all day and all night.  Infact I really hate for a hog to get away and want them to stay with any hog as long as it takes.  Now I know what you mean about 15 minute cur dogs because I have seen them and hunted with them.  However, I don't consider them good cur dogs and It is not the standard for cur dogs.  No for this part I am going to leave myself and my dogs out of this, because I know what I have and thats all that matters.  But there lots of Cur dogs out there that are long range, lots of hunt, and can easily take a track that is many-several hours old.  And lots of Cur dogs out there that will stay with hogs for hours and miles.  You don't have to beleive that but it is the truth.

Waylon

WM- I agree with everything you say and have seen cur dogs that had great noses, plenty of bottom and could get it done....The only thing I disagree with is when you say there are "alots" of them.  There aren't alots of any kind of dogs that do that and even fewer curs.

Well "a lot" is a general term and we will have to dissagree on that point because I am confident that I could make some phone calls If everyone whose dogs I know was available and willing to bring thier dogs I could have a 32 foot gooseneck load of dogs that fit that bill, put together before sun rise.

Waylon

Wm I got the spot bring them curs lets see how good they are! Can you be here by sunday? ;)

well just got in from a hunt im goin to get my popcorn ready after i get all the blood off my hands looks like is goin to get good agin!!!!!  :o ;D

YeeeeHaw....I'm so glad I'm neutral ;D

y'all keep it clean. Next person that wants to break out the meausing stick will be doing it on a different forum. This is a place for discussions, not pissing matches.

Quit riding the fence jump in with both feet. LOL ;D

Oh its all clean fun... ;) I just wont to see that 32ft trailer full of Great cur dogs :D Because i have only been around 4 in my life time that suited me :o
Thats all No harm  ;D  Ill hunt and style dogs, hell I got a weeiner dog that will run and bay the snot out of a Hog O0 :D

Hounds vs Curs
cold nose vs hot nose
Open vs Silent
Long range vs short
Handle vs No handle

Many think of hounds as open ,long range dogs with great nose with less handle than curs.

And see curs as silent, short range dogs with hot nose that handle like a dream.

The fact is you can get any combination of hounds or curs.  Because of the number of hounds, you can get all the variety you need.

Finding some type of curs might be a tad bit harder, BUT are there.

The best trailing dog IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII  have ever seen was cur dog named """""""Tazz."   I have never seen a hound take a track he could not take. 
 
The above debate will never end.

Last thing, I don't believe you need great dogs to consistently catch hogs in all areas. 


Debate on.

Where can i find one, What are some of the bloodlines of this caliber of cur, send me a PM if you want. don't matter to me what breed. I have only hunted with a hand full of silent curs, and the ones i hunted with couldnt smell their own butt, seen a hog right in front of them that they didnt see, they didnt have a clue it was their. but now if they could see or hear it, now , they were good bay dogs. Now, with that being said, do i think all cur dogs are like that?, of course NOT, but I have heard this same thing from hundreds of people. I have also heard that there are some that have been more selectivly bred and hunted that are more rangey, and have better noses, bottom, and brains. Where can i git one,
 
 
 

tnhillbilly,

its the same argument on both sides. I suspect most of us cur dog guys aint seen the caliber of hounds ya'll are talking about either. I have a feeling I would have a better chance of seeing one before Bigfoot but their sightings around these parts are definatly comparable! There has been a few but non confirmed! lol Unlike bigfoot I dont doubt they are out there. Just not many around my part of the country I suspect.

The problem I see with getting a cur dog this caliber is most folks that breed them rarely get rid of them. They dont advertise them and if you ask, they will tell you their dogs are nothing but potlickers. All that I know breed their own dogs and have been for years and generations. Maybe not all of them but just the ones I know.
Sound familiar houndsman?
Most of these guys are humble or they just dont want others to know about their dogs. I suspect a few are on this board just from comments made but I aint saying. I know for a fact several others that breed curs this caliber are on this board but have chose not to put any skin in this battle. Go figure.

Im starting to think this may be the deal with any good bread hunting dog. Cur or hound.
If you guys are keeping up with this thread dont PM me! I aint telling. he he.

The reason I stay in this debate is simple. Im enjoying it. I hunt curs but have a love for hounds.
I have personally seen curs that can do everything a hound can do and do it better. I cant say the same for hounds.
But hey, I dont doubt that they are out their!

Hound Man

Another reason I like hounds!!! lol.

just wonderin, I am a hound man because thats all we have up here, and is mostly what i have been around, but defenitly NOT against owning a cur if i could find the right one. to me dogs are tools, and if any body has ever done any mechanic work at all then you well know it is a whole lot easier to get the job done if you have the right tools. ;D that being hounds or curs. say you have 10 hounds and 10 curs just because you have 10 of each dont mean that any of them are gonna be the right tool for the job. sure some of them might work, but might strip some threads in the process. ;D ;) :D

LOL.
Cant argue with that statement! 

Words of wisdom tnhillbilly!!! Well said.

 :D For now still haven't found one I'm confident enough to own....but if I found a bluetick, walker, or black and tan that would hog hunt believe me I would... Those are what I owned but were from coon dog stock. So for now water is still too cold, just stickin in a toe or two ;D

curs r just like ford truck they will quit u n a bind when u really need them.i hunt both but if all i had was curs i just as soon stay home. but they do hav :De there place and its under your feet till the hound strikes.

Been huntin behind the wrong curs I can see :)

My best imitation of "WestTexasCurs"


                  :-X

Well I made some phone calls and I found a 32 foot gooseneck load of top cur dogs but everyone told me they are not into the internet hog hunting thing and prefer to stick to hunting with other Cur men.  As for me well my dogs are out of service right now, my dog had his nuts cut last week and my gyp is in heat don't want to risk her being around any Hounds at this point if she got bred accidentally I would have to get rid of her cause she would be tainted. ;D  Besides my dogs aren't the dogs I am talking about.  I learned a long time ago not to brag on my own dogs.

tnhillbilly......I just can't tell you where to get dogs like that.  If I did I'd probly be shot before the day was out. ^-^

This is my last post on this thread don't want to faciliate the psing match anymore

Waylon

Waylon being you are out I am going to jump inn!!!  I have hunted behind several good dogs!! There will never be a HOUND on my chains !! NOW I have never hunted behind any of yalls hounds so if your are any different let me know!!!!
Here's my example of what I have seen and even owned in some hounds!!
Bark all the time on chains never shut up!!
Bark on track!!
Run track for track!!!!
Might run 8 to 10 hours and never stop the hog!!
So cold nose takes half a day to find one hog!!
MOST are one hog dogs they do not roll out after catching one hog!!
Have to be leashed after every catch!!
Educate running hogs!! Not atheltic enough no sure put a stopin on a runner!!
Now I do not run the same country that some of you do so that means alot!!

Now hear is an example of the cur dogs I use !!!
Short to medium range with alot of bottom!!
Take a cold track!!
silent!!!
Don't hardly ever run a hog over 2 hours because they have him stopped and bayed!!
Lots of speed !!
Lots of handle use them on cows and hogs!! Which is why it shorten the range on my dogs!!
Role out so fast you are going to tie some pork!!
Now this is JMO and how I have seen it maybe I need to see different!!
I tried hounds along time ago and just did not fit my program!!!

Cward and Waylon This is no pissing match at all Im no internet hunter either! I just like to hunt with good people with good dogs. Where we hunt theres not as many hogs as texas So you have to have a cold nosed hard drivin long range dog. We might ride around to 9 or 10 oclock before we find a track to suit us ;) I do not like catchin shoults :o
In my eyes there are 2 types of hounds, hounds that run all day behind a hog blithering away and hounds that you put on a track that trail them up, run him down, put some teeth marks in him and shut him down, and the hounds not handlin is bullcrap My hounds handle has good if not better than most curs! How many curs can you put on a  6 to 10hr old track and catch a hog consitantaly, or your tracking collar goes dead and when you find them 3 days later they are bayed on a big nasty boar. I like cur dogs ive owened them my whole life my grandpa been hunting them for 50 years. Im just saying theres hounds out there that can roll the dice too!!!!!! :o Hell the best dog i ever seen my Grandpa owened she was 1/2 treeing walker 1/2 Blackmouth named Lacey and next to that was a 1/2 plott 1/2 cat named Poblo.
Heck Im coming all the way to the big state of Texas to buy two dogs this weekend and one of them is a parker cur. ;)

Cward And Waylon when yaw wont to come hunt just let me know and if yaw know where to buy one of them supped up cur dogs let me know :)

I'll make a deal with ya TieEmUpOrLeaveEm.

If I find any of these souped up cur dogs for sale I'll be sure to let you know if you can do the same for me on one of those souped up hound dogs;) ;D I want a pup myself.

PM me if you find one. Until then Ill be hunting hogs with my curs and keeping an eye out for Big Foot. ;D

I have not hunted behind any is all I say they may be out there!!I also said you hunt different country than we hunt!! We do have alot more hogs than yall have thats why we don't need a dog to trail a 10 hr track!! MOST not all fullblood hounds that I have hunted behind down here can't do what a cur can do!!! I too like catchin big hogs but when you are removing off a ranch then you better have a dog that can move out fast and bring your numbers up!! My curs would not fit your program and your hound would not fit mine!!Thats all I am saying!!   This is the pissing contest that made me post!!  I tried to stay out of this but when a man runs a cur down then I am going to defend when I tie alot of  hogs with my cur!!

My number is 601-508-6588. I wont this supped up cur to bay hogs where i hunt not texas or florida. ;) Ive got 2 hounds that money cant buy! They might not be what pleases you but they produce hogs for me. ;) And I dont wont a puppy I am raising 6 pups out of my english gyp and I have 5 Kemmer cur young dogs im trying also. See Im not predjudice Ill hunt any thing that produces hogs :laugh: O0 ;D

I got a dog that will trail bigfoot if you got a dog to bay him :laugh: lmao...
                                rolleyes :o rolleyes

well talking about being neutral , i live in west tn -about 7 hrs from east tn and about 7 hrs from east tx .

i have hunted both places . for one thing the terrain is about as different as it gets . for another the hogs are 2 different animals . them hogs over there in them mountains are about as russian as they come . in east tx they are turning domestic hogs out with them continually .

  good hounds , more especially big game hounds originated in the hills of tn ga va and the carolinas .

  good cur dogs originated in east tx .

  i dont know what kind of hounds yall have out there but i know that unless somebody has travelled and bought some good cur stock and bred right and kept'em good ... i dont want no curs from around here , the rest of'em are just the dregs .

i figure that it may be the same in tx with the hounds .

them old old boys over east of me aint too crazy about letting their families bloodline  that they been perfectin and protectin for 200 years get too far away. sound familiar ?

   this is my opinion i like hounds on something to tree and curs on something to bay .

O man you have Bigfoot in your country?!?! :o Lucky!!!

We hunted them all out with curs years ago around here! :D lol

Seriously. I would love to have a good big game hound at my house that can do what my curs can do and if it could do it better then fine by me. Like I have said before, I suspect they are out there. I just cant find one!
It may be like "jdt" says. THEY JUST DONT MAKE MANY IN MY COUNTRY THAT I KNOW OF.

I've aleady found 2 dozen curs the caliber you are looking for but dangit they aint for sale. Ill keep looken if you will.  ;)