EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

Have seen alot of recent posts with the age old questions of what's better...what's preferred ...what makes the real deal.

So let's play a little What's the best!
For discussion sake let's put both on even playing fields.  Speaking of hunting with no limits on acreage.

A short range dog that typically finds plenty of hogs but falls out of a race fairly quickly and goes to finding another local in the same area.

Or

Long range with endless bottom that closes a single hog no matter the distance or timeframe.


Let's say on the hog for hog total. The short range dog produces more hogs caught but less % hogs found and finished.
And long range less hogs caught overall but higher % found and finished. 

Well boyz.  Now what's the best?

Enjoy

I would the short range with some bottom. I dont like when they chase small hogs for hours if its a good hog i want them too. Also something u didnt mention is one that will roll off on another hog affer its caught. I have a gyp that will do this while i have one caught she will go after another one

A dog with endless bottom... regardless of range. Quitters don't stay around here too long.

x2

 I wont the long range dog with the bottom

But it doesn't hurt to have a couple shorter ranged dogs
In the mix it sucks sometimes when u got to different  long ranged
Dogs different directions that's why that is a weekend hunt

I don't care if I had 500 acres or 100000 acres to hunt short to med. ruff dogs are the way to go for me. Bottom is for the birds I want him caught not ran across the county. I enjoy watching loose dogs bay when its right but in my experience more often than not it ends up in a big race witch I personally do not care for.

I like med-long range with lots of bottom. If it will not stick with a runner then I don't need it.

  you didn't leave a selection for my dogs short range find hogs  and finish . you're not suggesting that all short range dogs are quitters are you  lol . i'll give any dog a shot long or short but it better not quit till i'm ready .

Guess I could have put up a hundred combos of slightly different abilities.
But to keep it simple for discussion sake..I just picked the two abilities that seem to always be compared.

Getting a little further into the technical angles of the question.....

Do yall feel that either of the two...could be the preference of experienced vs newer to the game?

Or

The actual purpose for participation in the sport...meaning for the thrill of the catch......vs.....thrill of watching the dogs work.

Still waiting to hear from the guys that always post they would rather have a short med range that comes off fairly quickly but loops and goes to finding more...resulting in these higher amount of hogs caught per hunt. 

Nobody can just answer a question!   >:D Gotta put in your own stipulations  ;D

Straight up answer given the options...I would prefer the 2nd option. Short range, will quit a race after a while. Still catches hogs on a regular basis. Fine by me.

Actually think I miss spoke...short range dog was 1st option.

Still get to see the dogs work...actually...probably get to SEE them work MORE (caught hog percentage). Nothing against the 2nd option...my Jasper pup will probably end up like that...just sayin...

Depends on how many hogs you have in area, in my opinion.  I have a lot of hogs, so why do I want to chase a dog for 4 hours and be passing hogs while I'm trying to get to the dog?  Been there, done that, sold 'em all.  For me, if they haven't gotten it stopped after a 2 mile race, I'll do my best to pick them up and go find another hog.  And I catch more hogs now than I did running those 'bottomless' dogs.
A fella in Alabama asked me once, "Hey, if you get another dog that will run a hog for 5 hours, PLEASE call me and I'll buy it from you!"  My response, "If I don't shoot the dog once I finally catch up to it, you can have him for free!!"  

But where he lives, there are not many hogs, so he needs a dog that will run a race all day.  

  well since you put it that way when i started i had plenty of hogs and i wanted short to medium ranged dogs that would catch all they could quick and let the runners go after a bit , now i am all about medium range dogs that check up in no hogs and wont quit till i callem off . mostly du to i still walk hunt and no tracking system  [ yet ]  i still don't want long range go yonder dogs in no hogs  .   as far as what's the  [ best ] can't answer to many differant variables .

I don't thank anyone on this site wonts a long race
We all won't it quick an simple  right I just won't  a dog
That will  take the track further then the average dog
An put pork at the end

x3

If that's my only two options I'll take the long range and bottom every time.

My dogs hunt short to medium, but have a lot of bottom.   I prefer a good fast hunt, if a race starts I want to finish it at all cost.   If a hog won't bay and runs 20 miles before he will stay put the dog needs to stay hooked up.   If a hog runs like this if & when I catch him it is a dead hog.  He-she will not live another day to reproduce more runners.   I hate chasing hogs, but I hate one getting away even worse!

Like the long dogs that hunt for themselves. Short range dogs that I have to walk or drive them to the pigs don't stay on my yard. I rarely have a 2, 3 or 4 hour chase some of you are refering to. I have had some long walks that seem/felt like they take that long but I wouldn't trade for a dog I have to hunt for. JMO

I like catching hogs, not chasing them.  Just sayin  ;)

The terrain I hunt plays a huge roll in determining what kind of dogs I prefer. We mostly hunt marsh . The dogs struggle at times, we struggle often, it just aint easy but it is what it is. I would rather not have to walk clean across a floating marsh with hip boots sinking to my waist trying to follow dogs. The dogs were using now is just about right. Short to med. range and they are beginning to shut down runners. They are just turning on and so far they fit our terrain we hunt.

                                                   BUT

 I hunted in Mississippi with some long range dogs and enjoyed following after the dogs. The terrain was much easier on the dogs,
and a  hell of a lot easier on my 50 yr old butt. I seen a totally different style of hunting . So I guess my answer to what your asking
is, I would rather long range dogs with bottom ONLY if the terrain that's being hunted allowed me to get around with out to much difficulty.

Are you saying that short range dogs don't hunt for themselves? I know a lot of dogs that don't regularly hunt further than 2 or 300 yards but stay busy beating brush, in the woods and will leave out further in sine or on track. I prefer these dogs because I like em ruff. I don't want them caught on ol big a mile away same as I don't want to finally catch up to find a 80 pounder ripped to shreds.

After being on this web sight for a few years and seeing all the different styles of hunting I really can appreciate all of them. But I think one fella got it figured out pretty good. I could sure get use to riding in the cab of that truck with Monty and watching them dogs bail off
the hood and shutting em down quick. I'd like to try it at least once.lol

I like my dogs short to short/med range which I call 100 to 900 yds with good bottom .  Once my dogs strike a hog normally within 400-500 yds and a lot of times closer I want them to most the time finish the race if they can.  I don't hold all the races they don't finish against them sometimes its just damn near impossible with the land we have to hunt .  There has been a lot of times I must admit am glad they did not stay on the hog and finish it because either they would be in a hell of a bunch of trouble and me too.

By the same token, are you saying that the "long range" or even "loose" dogs can't find the hogs that are in close too? The funny thing about a dog that hunts from feet out and jeeps going till you catchup with them, is that they'll find the hogs for you, before you could have walked or drove the 1-300 yard type dogs up to that area. I know where your coming from mr blackwell and if it means anything to you, I respect dogs like your talking about too. I've seen some real good ones.

This can't really be broke down like ford vs chevy or coke vs meth lol it's all hinged on what each man in the debate has actually laid his eyes on.

And there are hog dogs and dogs that get taken on hog hunts. They both come in all shapes sizes and styles.


I do need to defend "loose" dogs a wee but though, if the loose dog is a real hog dog, it will get any hog to stop and bay that any rough dogs will get to stop and fight. The other thing is people who put loads of faith in rough catching dogs, seem to not be aware that If that dog can't get close enough to bite, he ain't gonna "shut em down" meaning either the hog decided to stop and test the dogs, or the dog was fast enough to pass the hog and grab ear.

Donald,
I'm not saying these dogs don't hunt but like you said 2 or 300 yards. If that fresh track was another 100, 200 or even 500 yards past that I want them to go find it without me having to walk or drive them that way.

Like stated before its all a matter of preference.

Tbob,
I agree with the loose baying dogs. My main dog always seems to be able to get them stopped quick enough and hold em there til I get there with a catch dog. She won't even catch with the catch dog  :-\

In our area, if we had short range dogs that came off track after seeing a hog we wouldn't catch very much pork, which we still don't get as much as some, and we'd do a lot of walking; more than we already do. Most of the hogs in our area are runners. If we had those short range dogs then they would come off track fast and get left in the dust. Sure, there would be some rough dogs that will latch on and get em stopped... But I don't want to be stapling up dogs left and right either. So to each his/her own I guess, but it's just not for me. I want my dogs to hunt for the sign, and to not stop once they see a hog or find a hot track. They may find the sign 100 yards away and stop it right there, or they may find the sign 1000+ yards away and have to chase that hog a mile or two till it stops and bays; but they are going to stay with it as long as they can and finish it unless they get outran. Which is possible with any type of dogs out there. JMO

Ok, Ryan, you just touched on what I was just meaning. People often act like rough dogs stop em where they strike em and they don't have many runners.

Or... They get em stopped sure, but I don't wanna be stitching dogs all the time...

These are the attitudes I hear alot from either young folks, or people here on the net.


When it comes to the belief some folks have "we have rough dogs and we don't have many runners!" maybe, your rough dogs just;
A. Struck a group of hogs and cuaght whichever was the closest/ the one who didn't run quickly
B. Dont have enough bottom to even make you realize they are getting on runners and just letting them run off without putting in any effort.
C. You hunt spots with large populations of hogs and the ol "blind squirrel finds a nut" theory applies.

There's a group of hunters Ive gotten to go with recently who have fairly gritty-rough dogs in my opinion BUT their dogs are the real freaking deal and they can hang for miles upon miles with running hogs! What I'm getting at is dogs like those can do everything that some folks say they want in short ranged rough dogs, PLUS they can Hual ass, stick to runners, go super deep to find sign and basically everything you'd want.

TShelly describes various dogs as peewee, little league, high school, college, minors and major leaguers and I think that's the most accurate way it can be described.

When you get to hunt with minor an major league hog dogs, it becomes clear that rough loose, open silent, long range, close hunting don't make a freaking difference in the world, a bad ass is a recognizable bad ass and will make everything else around look silly no matter what his lil traits.

different strokes for different folks....I guess. The type of dogs I choose to feed have allways work good for me and many others in my area. We hunt places from 400 acres to 4000 acres w the same dogs and catch hogs. Now I will admit that these dogs do get outrun sometimes, but around here ether there here or there not so make another lap and find another one dog! So what I'm getting at is short dogs have always worked for me so if it ain't broke I ain't trying to fix it. If I have to ride another 500 yards to for my dogs to find a track then so be it! But at the end of the day when the long folks are still following there bottomless dogs ill be eating supper at home. I have hunted behind dogs of all sorts but none suit me like these. If it ever comes a time when this type dog doesn't work in the country I hunt then I may look at changing things up but I doubt that day will ever come.

Well i enjoyed watching ole Hank work that hog the other night with i don't know how many bays and 4 turn ins of the catch dogs with him busting every time. I think he run the hog for 6hrs and 6 1/2 miles until YBM had to go head him off of some private land. But with that said i'm gonna stick with my short range sharks and just brag on the bottom of Myles' dogs  ;D

What I used to feed is a pack of dogs that will strike in fresh sign and if there is a hog in the woods it will be found... a dog that has good winding and trailing ability...plenty of grit to shut a hog down in open country...but in thick brush they would be bay busters more often than not because the hog would break and run sometimes before enough dogs got there to catch...open woods and more than likely it was a caught hog...but thick brush and palmettos and it would turn into a big race...sometimes hours...sometimes the hog would hide in the middle of a big briar patch...some dogs will give it up at the big briar patch but I like my curs to get in there and bay the hog...I am realistic as to when the dogs should quit...hot weather with high humidity and the dogs being out of shape... and they quit the track is ok with me...but the dogs better be tired and about overheated for me to excuse them...

I like gritty to rough dogs but I want them to hold the hog in a smart way that does not get them injured...works most the time but sometimes they throw caution to the wind depending on the circumstance...

I like a dog to honor the bay or strike and like them to pack up...a dog that is a top strike dog that is too ndependent or one that doesn't pack up well might not get culled right away but this dog won't get to breed anything in my yard...

I don't like a dog that is hot or cold about hunting...but I like a dog that makes loops 2-4 hundred yards in all directions and is hunting with me and checks in often as it passes by in a lope...but once he takes a track to go all the way...

there are lots of dogs that stay busy that are considered short range and some that are considered long range that rate low in my book when it comes to finding a hog...they look busy but don't find many hogs...

too rough of a pack gets dogs killed or crippled...there is a fine line between the right amount of grit and too much grit...

long range....i thought we had a hog problem here and having a dog that goes 3 miles away kinda sucks sometimes.right??

Sent from my SPH-D710 using Tapatalk 2

Well I also believe in the combo packs of dogs to tailor to your ultimate surroundings. But guess I need to throw my own 2cents in since I started this hail storm. Lol

I usually understand topics of conversation better through analogys.

Was just watching UFC and an analogy just came to me that I can relate to my small closed minded ADD ridden brain.  :laugh:

The way I look at a bay dog .....is like having five octogaon rings with awaiting fighters in each.
Two fighters both each pick a ring and begin tying it on with their opponent. 

The first gives it a bit and decides his opponent is getting the better of him so he moves on to the next ring in search of an easier opponent.

The second fighter is also getting his rear handed to him but stays in the fight for five full rounds and wages total war on his opponent with a hard earned victory.

The first fighter finally picks off a couple of easy opponents after walking away from three tougher ones.

The result. Is two to one victories ........But who is the true Champion???

Perty sure I know who's hand would be raised at the end.
Well there is my cheap version of a lazy eyed analogy. 

Got another I came up with that analyzes the biometrics of homosexual squirrels.  But I will save that one for later! ;)

See I am stupid when they close i want them gone when tthey gone I want them close so I am never happy!!! Really as long as they catch hogs I will take either.

Truthfully that was another angle being pondered by hair roots.

My interests have always been the dog not necessarily the art of hog hunting.
Don't get me wrong.....love a good successful hunt always. But if one or all of your dogs perform exceedingly well..............tons more gratification at the end of the hunt no matter the quarry. 

A very enlightening test that I believe sets the lines between good dogs and great dogs is simply ........
What are they doing in absolutely NO SIGN.

A pissed off pack of ball grabbing poodles with cement in their nostrils can put pork on the ground if walked right into the middle of a hog hotel. But what if its one single boar that drifted through a thousand acre plot an hour ago ...and is currently a mile and a half from you still ranging and feeding. 

The short range dogs with limited bottom ensures you will only catch one dimension of hog.
Longer range endless bottom......perty much covers em all.  BUT YES I AGREE.....THEY GET FRUSTRATING .......But exceptionally more gratifying in the end.   Jmo of course ;D

I agree...the dog that picks and chooses and gives up most of the hogs because he is looking for the easy ones are culls to me...but there are hog doggers out there that if the dogs don't catches or bays with 1/4 mile or 1/2 a mile for the dogs to come back and look for another...

I want the hog caught in the first quarter mile too but if the dogs are not able to do so then I want them to stick with the track...I want to catch hogs but what I want first is to see the dog finish what he has started or at the least give it one heck of a try...

I like a dog to make at least a 600 to 900 yard loop and if he don't find anything come back and we move and try again. But if he gets on a track I want him to finish it. Knowing that sometimes they get out run and lose the track or we have to cut them off before they cross lease line witch really sucks but comes with the territory. That's why I don't even hunt my lease in Brady because in Texas you can't go on someone else lease and get your dogs and we only have 1200 acres so you cant keep one on that small of a lease.

Not a big fan of long range dogs, I like to spend my time finding and catching hogs, not chasing dogs all day/night.  Short range that goes when it gets on one...

To me, there is a difference between range, and what I call "stick".  I like dogs that make 300 yard circles while hunting, then "push" when they get on a track, or in hog sign that they can smell.  When they jump a hog they better "stick" for five or six hours or I don't want them.  We bay a lot of hogs within 15 minutes, but around here a 125 pound boar is usually going to show you some country.  If we get after him I want him caught. (We do get outrun sometimes, not too proud to admit it. LOL)

X2

For any of you guys that like them short stroke dogs i got a deal for you.ill trade yall some goat bells for your dc collars.deal good through this month only.

I dont know were people get short range dogs will quit a hog in short order ????????  Just because a dog has a short hunting range does not mean he aint got big bottom to finish I have seen many a dogs like this .  Hell we have struck bad hogs 100 yds out and ran the thing for miles before we ever got him . 

I like!

  just the misconception of our youth   lol 

Well where we hunt we dnt get to ride around in pastures and clubs that nobody else gets to hunt in.im surely not going to wet nurse a dog and take him to a feeder are walk behind him until he finds a hog.most people in my opinion dnt even need a tracking systems becuse there dogs dnt have any bottom.then again most people have good places to go where hogs aint been mauled to death by counterfiet dogs.its the dog that time and time again puts the pork on the table thats really a hog dog.

Well I can agree on counterfit dogs educating hogs and making track stars out of them  no doubt . But  There is a big big difference in a short range real hunting brush busting machine I'll takem all day long vs having to wet nurse a dog are take him to a feeder are walk behind him untill he finds a hog now thats a cull atleast to me it is  .  I myself wish we could ride around clubs and pastures that nobody else gets to hunt thats a pipe dream around here it aint happening I dont know about others .  I do agree its the dog that puts pork on the table time and time again consistenly but there is a mistake in your thinking that just long range big bottom dogs are the only ones that do it time and time again .  I have to disagree with that with respect .

"Anything yours can do...mine can do better...mine can do anything....better than yours!"  >:D

Popcorn is in microwave!   Haven't had any lately....

If you boys will start running them catch dogs on the ground with your other dogs you would quit chasin hogs all  over the country and catch em!! Lol :'(

Or just raise some better Cur dogs  ;)

  Pressure and hog population play a critical role along with dog owners ego make this a hard question to answer.

If I was leaving the woods empty handed after a hog lost my dogs more then a time or two I would question my choice of dogs.sometimes the hogs aren't there.


Race seems to be the term of the month. If the dog never bays how do you know they were running a hog ?

I can tell u why i like the long range type over the leg warmers and its this.i hate to turn a dog loose and think if that dog would of just covered more ground we proably would of got on something.i used to own dogs that hunted 2 to 3 hundred yards out and yes they had serious bottom on a hog once they got on one.but i started hunting with a guy that had go yonder type find dogs and his dogs would out find mine all day long.they would be bayed way over yonder somwhere and mine would still be hunting close to me.when i was younger i would of headed to them with my dogs but unless ive got a young dog with me i dnt do that anymore.diffrent strokes fer diffrent folks.i want to pull up cast and let the dog do all the work.my job is simple go to the bay mark em and release em or bring em to the house to eat.

I agree 110%. 

If I am having to do all the work....kinda defeats the purpose of having a Hunting Dog. Lol

But also I recognize and respect other views on here mainly due to terrain differences I believe. 
I am not what you call a traveling hog hunter to speak of. The majority of my hog hunting experiences have all been knee deep in these piney wood thickets. I have dabbled a bit in more open county such as Oklahoma and a lil west of here.  The main difference I noticed in the dogs was a dramatic INCREASE in range on the more open country. Which make since theoretically. But also I feel that this would probably hold true in the reversed aspect. And some of the known long range dogs that have been categorized as such in open county.....would possibly be classified as med to close range in rougher country. 

This is just a thought looking out of a closed glass bottle. Others that have covered vast more hunting areas might be able to shed a more enlightened personal experience. 

I guess....there's one thing I don't understand. I'm probably just missing something. Now...I'm more referring to the woods and creek bottoms...as opposed to open ground.....I'm also referring to walk hunting.

To me.....if your walking the bottoms...what's the difference in long range or short range? All things being equal (nose wise) the short to medium range dog will eventually hit the same track the long range dog does and Unless your long range dog strikes and drives the hog back to you....your still gonna cover the same amount of ground walking. So.......?

This topic will never be crystal clear, who is to say that my dogs can smell what your dogs are smelling, or vice versa.  Too many variables in the dog world: nose, bottom, speed, experience, and just plain old "heart".  Speaking for me and my crew, we never leave the truck unless we are walking to the bay.

I used to walk hunt until I went with some guys that had some dogs that would go, and I wasn't satisfied until I had some of my own.  We are lucky because we have some big areas to hunt and have good relations with a bunch of the land owners.  We pretty much have free run of these old woods.

I agree... I've seen some good short range dogs hunt Jimmy. It's just not my kind of dog, nor what I am looking for. I don't think that all of em will leave a hog or track at there limit, but I don't want a short range dog that does leave a hog or track at 1000+ yards though. I want whatever dog it is that is on the ground hunting to stay with anything they see until it sits or outruns them. JMO though.

Not trying to be argumentative...but what's the difference between a dog quiting a track at 1000 yards or getting outrun? When a hog leaves the dogs in his dust he's still leaving a track...scent. Quiting is quiting. No matter the circumstances.

Who said short range means they quit a track.   Range is hunting distance, bottom is finishing!   Jimmy said hunt short to him was out to 1000 yds  that is long to many.   I consider my dogs short to medium they tend to make circles from 300--900 hunting.   But also have lots of bottom.  Meaning they finish track, or stay hooked up.

Who said short range means they quit a track.   Range is hunting distance, bottom is finishing!   Jimmy said hunt short to him was out to 1000 yds  that is long to many.   I consider my dogs short to medium they tend to make circles from 300--900 hunting.   But also have lots of bottom.  Meaning they finish track, or stay hooked up.

KevinN...some very good hog dogs with plenty of bottom get outran because the briars and palmettos are so thick they can't catch up to stop or catch the hog...the dogs just run until they over heat and have to give it up...but these dogs can make the race short if the woods is open and they will catch/stop the hog pretty quick...I am talking about gritty strike dogs with lots of bottom...

I gotcha Reuben. Didn't think about the over heating part...knew I was missing something. Man....with dogs that just have that endless bottom...you probably have to be REAL careful once temps hit 80 or above.

IMO, when the hog leaves the dogs, yes there is scent... But if the hog is far enough away how long is it going to take for the dogs to catch up, and not find other scent to lead to a different hog that maybe miles away. Or what the scent is left on (terrain), or how strong it is whether it's a rank boar or a shoat...  Or what if the hog just outlasts the dogs and they can't keep up. What if they run across a road and loose the scent...? There are plenty of scenarios that I don't know of because I am not out there running with the dogs, but it happens. We as dog hunters just have to make the best guess that we can. I just know my dogs will normally follow said hog until the end of their ability to; whether it be a mile or 4 before they either get it stopped or loose it. I know i've seen Blake's Zig dog go for hours on end chasing running hogs and he had to get on a wheeler to stop him before he killed himself from overheating and dying. The dog came up after he got him picked up and fell over he was so tired and to me thats bottom. I guess you could look at it like quitting it, but after a mile - 4 mile chase, and already putting down 20+ miles I'm happy. I do not want them "quitting" said track after only 1000-1500 yards, especially if they've seen the hog, I want to give their best shot at finishing it no matter the cost. Hope that clears it up some. And no harm done cause that's a good question and like I said, it's JMO.

you are spot in there... I didn't say that short range dogs would quit a track... I read on here that some like their dogs to come off hogs/tracks after 1000-1500 yards if they haven't got it stopped yet. You could look at that as training I guess, or less bottom. I just don't prefer my dogs to quit after that far is all. Like you said, I wants dogs to finish, or damn near die trying.

Really all that matters is what the guy wants that owns them.  The only person that has to be happy with there dogs are the owner.   Some like them long with big bottom some like they short with big bottom , some like them in between , some even like their dogs to come back after so long on the run .

Its all understandable because everyones situations are different .  The land they hunt , the hogs they have on the land so on and so fouth  .   To me I could give a damn how everybody hunts and what kind of dogs they like are got to just say the truth I don't have to hunt with them thats not saying they are not great dogs am sure a lot are its just saying get after it your way   .  Same goes for me there is a lot of people that would not like the way my dogs hunt are maybe even the way I myself like to hunt.  Its no big deal were the big deal comes in is when people want to say unless you got big range big bottom your dogs are chit , and when somebody says them big range dogs pass up hogs like stripes on a freeway ,  are you guys need to sell your garmin collars and use cowbells for tracking systems LOL ahahah I thought it was funny myself , are when if you walk hunt  you ain't hunting your winding the hog for your dogs  .  Come on man everybody knows they gonna stir up a big ole pot of of chit before they even say those things LOL !

I say who cares,    if your dogs find hogs then you doing what needs to be done Long , med , short , ruff, loose , big bottom no bottom who cares whats the big deal unless you ain't satisfied with your on dogs .  Am satisfied with mine and don't give a damn what the next person thinks about mine we find hogs our way and the way we like not your way thats all that matters folks does yours satisfied you if so the hell with everybody else !

Guess I dont understand the short breaking distance call offs or quitting a track.  Is the problem that folks are having to hunt 30 acre plots......or their dogs loose the track soon after they loose sight of the hog?  Or their dogs won't take tracks and work through them?  

My initial response.....sure training some hogs to run with sets of dogs that quit early or are called out almost immediately.  

Range is lil different animal and truly think its mostly preference.  But again my preference is not to have to do the dogs job for them.  Think the question was asked earlier about short range dogs will eventually cover the same tracks as long range dogs..........Yep sure will.......As soon as you walk then all the way there so they can do it.

I like cheetos.....the big puffy kind. And I dont like dogs that like cheetos.....my cheetos....the ones I keep close by me in the woods.   Morale of the story.......stay far away hunting puppy.....from the cheetos.   >:D

Myles, I like cheetos too...the dense, crunchy, and flavorful "original Cheeto"...  :)

and my pups to look like this one...and bob tailed about that length...the bob tail is the secret to having lots of bottom/heart or just plain ole stick...my dogs get a cheeto every now and then...   :D :)


(http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af5/cuell27393/IMG00362-20121122-08511_zpsf8183a36.jpg)

Haha! Mine too Reuben (literally and metaphorically)

I didn't read all the replies...4 pages man...but your scenario makes a complicated choice.

For the dogman, choice one is not an option. When quitter is put in the defining of a dog so is a .22 bullet.

Yet, for the family feeding, freezer filling, farmer friendly hunter, how can you pick the lower % of hogs caught?

Would dog 1 really stack more hogs up than dog 2? Why are easy hogs left behind? I've never witnessed that scenerio so hard for me to wrap my brain around it...unless you have a dog that prefers the boars. Been there done that.

havent been around to many other peoples dogs , mine hunt short to medium and will stay with one for miles most of the time , I wouldnt call them cold nosed thow , I like the way they hunt , they check in and move back out as we hunt , did hunt with a plott of craigs for a couple of years , cold nose , long range , you could hunt with this dog and follow it a mile behind it for hours , turn the CDS loose and when you got there she was already gone going after another one , this could go on all day and never see her, bay after bay, by the end it was catch that dog I want to go home , we hunted huge places and always got off of it with her ,I heard several people say it was the best they ever seen , so I was truely blessed to have been able to hunt behind this dog as a rookie, craig sold her because it was to much dog for our spots or just about anyones spots , this was the only long range dog Ive seen and by that experiance I would say for me the long range dog is to much for were we hunt , R.I.P. ANNIE

I agree... I've seen some good short range dogs hunt Jimmy. It's just not my kind of dog, nor what I am looking for. I don't think that all of em will leave a hog or track at there limit, but I don't want a short range dog that does leave a hog or track at 1000+ yards though. I want whatever dog it is that is on the ground hunting to stay with anything they see until it sits or outruns them. JMO though.
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Ryan

This is how most of my dogs are, stays within 200 or so yards until hits whatever turns them on, then they go, they go 500+ plan on catching something, unless they go 1.5+, they usually come back.  I like them like that, they run we just move down the trail and strike another.  Most of the places I hunt have pretty good populations so it works well, however taking one of my dogs to a different area, they may not work.  In short, should you run into any of these type, let me know ;)

Dang phone messing up again.

Well I can only attest to the scenario I have witnessed alot around here.
It typically happens with sounders. When a sounder breaks the dog lines a sole hog out and does one of two things.....stays with it until closing ...which around here could be 6 hrs and 17 miles later .....or quits the hot track and circles back eventually finding squatted shoats or remains of the busted sounder that has reformed.  I.E.......the easier targets.
That is the way the quitter ups its % ratio of caughts hogs vs the closer.

Now which dog would you prefer at the end of the day? 

I say hands down the closer.  Not even a hard choice for me.

You know what your gonna get with him regardless of timeframe. And you also decrease the amount of runners and lower the % of training new runners with that type. 

As long as somebody with dogs doesn't come into the area and dog the remaining sounder with the low bottomed types and ultimately train new runners.   Your closer dog will eventually mop em all up. 

Hell.....or it may just be the cheetos talking.  :laugh:

I most definitely will do Denton. And yeah, Jimmy, I'm right with you on that one buddy. I love my dogs, they work for me, and I wouldn't have it any other way. I also do like hunting with other people's good dogs too though. I love seeing good dog work no matter the range. Long as they get the job done its always a good experience for me and my dogs. I like running my dogs in different areas to get them diverse with different types of terrains and ways of hunting; ie: wheelers, roadin', good hunting... It's cool to see what they are capable of when you try to test them. Anyways, good hunting to all!

Short range all the wayI can't fathom running miles after a hog of course we don't have to run any where cause our dogs know the meaning of keep. AT bay

That's got Alot to do with the places and pressure on the hogs then the actual dogs themselves.

 I use to think the same until you hunt a place with very little hog s and the ones left run like hell. 


   A lot of kennel blindness in this thread.

I don't know that you could call range and bottom preferences kennel blindness. At least I wouldn't. Then again...maybe I don't have a correct understanding of the term. I thought kennel blindness was more along the lines of your dogs not performing for you but you not seeing/believing that a change needs to be made. If your catching hogs on the places your hunting at a rate thats acceptable to you then no need to change anything. JMO

One thing I could never get my head around is how a dog can bust its butt working a track to find a hog, and then quit it after a short run...  Whats the point of all that work if the dog won't even make the effort to stay with the hog??  ???