I'm concerned that if I shoot a hog in front of the gunshy dogs they're gonna get spooked every time I get close to a bay thinking they're gonna get peppered again.
When I first started hunting I had two dogs and lever action .44 and I killed hogs just fine. I have a male that never ever changes his barking at the shot of a rifle. Now the female that I have had never been shot around and after a few hogs that I shot she would get to where she would watch for me and when she saw me coming close to the bay she would get real loose and then leave out right when the hammer dropped. I enjoyed it but I found in thick country with alot of youpon it is extremely hard to get in close enough for a shot without breaking the bay.
How about those bad brier thickets when you can stand 5 feet from a bayed 250 pounder and still not be able to see a single hair of him? I have tried to break bays in stuff like that but you would have thought the hogs were anchored to the ground!
There is draw backs to all styles. Part of the fun will be learning and adapting!
Keep us posted on how its working out for ya Craig.
