Why Trail Barking ???

I believe you guys are correct about why dogs were bred to be open. Mr.Parker makes a good point about quieter dogs not bringing unwanted attention.
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One aspect that I miss about running open dogs is the music! I still go Coon hunting from time to time to listen to the hounds work out a track and put one on a limb. It's fun to try to figure out what the open dogs are doing on a track. Sportsman/Pleasure hunters with time and wide open spaces still run open dogs. If/when I switch over to tree game, I'll be looking for some open stock.