EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

Ok, used to walk hunting or 4-Wheeler. Now Im in south tx and hunting style has changed to driving around in a truck and letting dog strike from there. Now my lead dog has taken to this alot quicker and alot better than I had imagined. He's been striking off the truck and out of ten times 9 we catch a pig. My question is, will he get to where he will just bark so i will let him down off the truck even if he doesnt smell a pig? I ask because He struck twice off the truck last night and only went out abut 3-400 yards and came back. This is unusual to me because this is a very long range dog and usually doesnt come back until he finds somthing. Could he have been booger barking? Just wonderin what the pro's think.

When rigging dogs you have to be careful and knowledgable of the wind and terrain.  It is very likely in a good wind that he could have smelled a hog 3/4 mile or aA LOT further away.  If he barks and you let him down and the wind calms, he can no longer trail the wind.  Makes perfect sense for him to only go a couple hundred yards.  In that case, you need to drive towards the wind and get closer to what he was winding. 

Wind currents are everything when it comes to a dog rigging. Pay attention to your dog & which way he is facing.
  With the hounds I have a couple who will rig tracks & I can tell from her strike if they are hot or cold. Now if every dog blows up, they are catching body scent & normally the hog will be within 400 yards.
  Just like Jon said, a lot of times dogs can smell hogs from the top of the rig but once they are on the ground they cannot smell it. Experience will teach them & also teach you to read your dogs.
  I have had dogs strike hard & go almost 600 yards to the hog itself & bay it in it's bed.
  A good rig dog sure can make it a lot easier.

That makes sense, I wasnt thinkin bout him losing the sent after I let him down due to wind drop. Thanks guys.

Where ya at In south texas mike


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I switched two dogs over and half the time they would bark just to get off the rig. They weren't used to it and just wanted to get on the ground and hunt like they were used to. The eventually figured it out.

Im in Tuleta, hunt a place in Berclair, and Beeville off of Hwy 202.

I've had some dogs rig out of the back of my truck. Wasn't on purpose they just happened to get a whiff of some sign close by. Rigging don't work to good here n Louisiana I dont think. Interesting way to hunt. At least dogs don't get worn out

My hood dogs just jump off no bark.you have to have little wind an moister helps.iv had my dogs blow off an come back cause it was very dry.I love hunting this style cause u save there legs.most of the hogs are under 500 yrds from the truck.an we catch quick.

mine just jump, we like the hoods on our trucks here so dogs work from the tray...still puzzled why you'd let them jump on the hood???

I keep mine on top the box, and clipped to it until he barks, then I turn him loose once he gives me a sure enough bark.

x2...lots of times a dog with a good winding nose can wind a hog a very long ways in the right conditions but once he hits the ground he might lose the scent and then comes back...you as the handle need to decide where the hog is located as per the wind current and then walk or drive into the wind until the dog picks it back up...