EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

Hey! Im new to the board and figure that this question has been brought up many times, but here it comes again.  :)  I am going to try and get a few dogs to start huntin with and was hoping to get some opinions.  I would like to know what is yalls opinion on the best catch dog, bay dog, and strike dog (or if yall even use a catch dog much)?  I would apreciate any and all info.

Thank ya,
Jonathan

Welcome to the board, Jonathan.

If there was a perfect specific breed of dog for the tasks you describe, that's what we all would own.

Ask anyone what the best breed of dog is, and they will reply with whats sitting outside in their respective kennels.  What's more important than specific breed (or specific cross), is specific bloodline.  There is good, bad, horrible and excellent within each breed or cross.

If I were just starting out, I would do one of two things.

1)  If you know someone who has dogs and you like the dogs style of hunting, try and get some pups from them and mimic their training and handling methods as much as possible.

2)  If you don't know anyone that hunts and don't have access to see dogs in action, then pick a breed then start your research.  Ask around and find out who has dogs of that particular breed that hunt like you desire.  When you find them, see if they ever have any pups for sale.

The best piece of advice is to ask lots of questions, and keep an open mind about what you want and like until you have seen different means and methods first hand.

Welcome! I am going to offer you some valuable advice. Do what Bryant said and you will save a lot of money, time and trouble. Good luck!

You writing or printing this out? That's the meal ticket right there bud X2
Even though we all know Catahoulas are the best I KID! I KID ;D ;D ;D ;D

I bet if you ask real nice there are a bunch of guys on here that will GIVE you dogs to start you out. There is at least a million $50 puppies on the dog trade thread, how about it guys anybody out there to help a young man get started?????

How old are you? where do you live? we'll get you a couple of dogs to start you out

I just turned 20. Kinda startin a little late i guess you could say.  I live in Southwest Arkansas, but I am goin to school in Mt. Pleasant, Tx.  I aint really done a whole lot of hog huntin but the times I went been pretty successful and loved it!  Wouldn't mind findin some guys that could teach me a thing or two either.  ;)

You are welcome to come to Greenville, TX and hunt with us Saturday, I know its a long way but we are going to hunt all day. and we will catch some hogs!!!!!!!

well i have a good litter of cat/bmc pups i will give you two just call and come and get we too will hunt all day sat if you wanta go along im near tyler tx 903-833-5491

I have been hog hunting with dogs over 20 yrs.......and this is pretty close to what I would have said.......GOOD ADVICE!!!

See Jonathan I told you there were some nice guys on here!

 The best dogs I have found are the ones owned by everyone else.

    I am still new but have learned from the mistakes I have made. If I had to do it all over again, the first dog I bought would of been an almost finshed dog that huntted the way I liked.  Us ethat dog to help with the younger dogs. The cost of said dog is high, but add up the cost of 2-4 not so great pups bought at 100-200 a pop and you come out the same. Decide if you want a kennel full of help dogs  or a kennel full of hog dogs. It wont happen over night. Get with smeone close to you that you can trust and go for it.

100% sound advice.   


Only thing I can add is believe what you see, not what you hear. Especially when it comes to hog dogs. 

Circle C hit the nail on the head here!! thats a great way to put it!

There's good and bad in every breed... there isn't a specific "best" breed out there.

If you buy a good strike dog... go hunt with it and make sure it's what you like and want. I wouldn't take one on a short trial period, because a lot of times it takes a new dog a while to settle in with you and your pack... you may thinks its junk for the first several hunts.

And like Chris said, be very leery of what you read on the internet... don't believe anything until you see it in person. ;D

The best kind of dog is the dog that works for you.  I guarantee  you it won't make any difference what breed he are she  is as long as he are she  is working for you  and finding you hogs .  You could start out with Bmc's and end up with Walker Hounds,  again which ever one works for you is the one you are going to like the best.  Best place to get good dogs is raise them yourself.

The best advice I could give is not to get a dog right now. You are living in Texas now, and will probley go back home when finished here. Dogs live a long time and might not always fit your live style in the future. I would suggest going on lots of  guided hunts with different guides and catch a few big boars in different parts of the state and ask lots of questions about how much there dogs cost to take care of, what are there vet bills like, how much did it cost them at the vet the last time they had to take a dog in that was hurt bad. The most important thing you will learn from the guided hunts is if you have what it takes to be a hog dogger. Everyone loves hunting hogs with dogs until the first time a big boar wrecks a few dogs. I can count ten people that started dog hunting and quite for every one person that is still hunting. Not trying to discurage anyone from hunting with dogs I just think that people jump in to fast and dont think of the long term costs of dog hunting. Also if you have ever been afraid of things that go bump in the woods this might not be the sport for you.

Well I'll just say welcome to the board, cause everyone else covered your question very well.

welcome
 ;D they have basically give you all great advice you will need but i hunt yellow black mouth curs and i prefer full blooded pits over american bulldogs and dogos but that is just me but any ways i wish you luck i am sure that everyone one here will agree with me we will try and help you out if we come across something there is good people on here

Thank all you for your comments, advice, and help.  This is a great community here and everyone seems super nice and anxious to help.  Thank ya!

Hey there Arkansan good to see someone else from arkansas I live about and hour sothwest of hotsprings if you find you some dogs and want to try them if you dont have acess to a bay pen or hogs let me know i got both

hey if u just givin them away me and the guy i hunt with are prob interested!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Bryant's advice is spot on.....as is the comment Circle C added.

Take Skinner and Raider54 up on their offer if possible and delete L3's post.

Good luck!

Guides make money by charging people to go hunting.

Having your own pack = not paying a guide = business they lose.

Now, HONESTLY how many guides are that interested in helping people get started on their own?

(...and besides BEING A GUIDE DOES NOT MEAN SOMEONE KNOWS WHAT THEIR DOING!  I spent WAY too much time fishing in Rockport, Texas to buy into that theory!)

1st thing to understand in this sport is that I have the best dogs ;) ;D. Welcome to texas. Listen and go hunting and u will determine if it is for u.

An what kinda dogs would that be?  ;)

he started off good and ended way off in left field.   don't go paying any guides to take you huntin.  there are plenty of good guys AND gals here that have great dogs that'll take you huntin for free or just with a little help in gas.  NOT some hefty guide fee.   

i was in this same position not long ago.  go with as many different people as you can and see which way of huntin you like and what's feesible for YOU.  you may not want to walk all the time or you may not want to ride a fourwheeler.   it'll also put you in front of a lot of different breeds and crossbreeds of dogs.  i'd definitely say buy one real good finished strike dog first off.  then get ya a good trash broke help dog and a young started dog to run with em.  once that young started dog gets trash broke and starts finding it's own hog, you could get another young dog if ya needed or wanted.  and i'd definitely recommend 2 catch dogs unless you have a couple of guys you go hunting with all the time that have catch dogs as well.

I completly agree with you. I always said that I wouldnt pay to go hunting with a guide, but didnt know if there was anyone around here that would let me go and since I have joined this site I have found that their are some extremely nice guys on here that have offered me the opportunity to go.  Now all I gotta do is find the time to go.  The guys I go huntin with now have a really awesome catch dog an one that is just startin to catch, but they lack in the bay/strike dog category.  I would like to eventually have some of all three my self that way I don't have to depend on theirs.  I love the fact that everyone has responded and given me advice it helps out alot!  I want to learn everything I possibly can about this sport.  Thank you guys!

well best of luck to you and your buddies and i hope to see some pics from ya soon.

Will post em on here just as soon as we do get some!

elliscountyhog HAD the best dogs, but he sold them to me, lol.  one is mostly bmc with a little plott and the other is mostly plott with a little bmc.  you'll find there's a lot of trashtalking on here, but 99 percent of it is in good humor.