Blueticks and training to wind

Last year I saw a bluetick win a bay dog competition and there was no doubt about it he was going to win...

I have had two kemmer Mt curs wind hogs at about a mile distance...conditions were right and not much cover...both dogs were related to a certain sire and others of the same bloodline...they didn’t open but put their noses to the wind and I turned into the wind and kept going until they took off...

Many times these dogs wind 1/4 mile more and less...if it’s hot they will blow up trying to get loose...

For me it is all about the dogs...everything I do is to get the best out of them which is making them better...

If the dogs are winding and get in the thick brush and come back out and the try again...usually what’s going on is this...the scent is weak and is slowly skimming over the brush...when the dogs go in the thick brush they lose the scent because it is not there...I will get off the wheeler and go in until the dogs can pickup on the scent and go...

Sometimes the wind is channeling and this can confuse the dogs if it is whipping around...as the captain of the ship so to speak I analyze what’s happening and then change direction as needed...

The thing to do is watch the dogs as often as possible when hunting and make decisions based on the dogs actions when needed...

Once the dogs are rigging good...if they smell hog strong enough in the wind currents they will bark...if the scent is weak some will act interested other might not...and the dogs probably won’t bark...to the hunter that doesn’t pay attention to their dogs will miss hogs...to those that do watch the dogs will get on more hogs...