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Beaucephus
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« on: February 06, 2012, 03:16:57 pm » |
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Well, this is my third year of hog dogging and I am very discouraged. I have had the ups and downs and trials many people preach on here. Well heres how it has unfolded.
1st Year. Bought any dog I thought or someone told me would bay a hog. I went with a buddy with a lead strike dog. That was all fine and dandy until he got out and I keep hunting with my help dogs and pups.
2nd year. Thought I would raise pups out of my good gyp and buddy man strike dog. The didn't turn out. Culled 6 and ended up selling one. Bought a good strike dog. It was trash and likes to run it also. Burnt on that dog
3rd year (current) Still have the trashy strike and two jam up bay/strike dogs that need to be hunting with a good lead dog.
This brings me my current situation. I have saved money and sold some dogs at very fair prices often taking a lose just to get the money together find and buy a "finished"/ real deal strike dog. This is something I wish I had done from day one but like most people just getting into it I thought I could do it my own way with out spending a ton of money.
My problem now is. How do I get into a good line of dogs. I am willing to drive pay do whatever it takes. I have been searching furiously for 4 months and called everyone in the country trying to find that good dog. I know its tough for people to let go of their good dogs but there is no way for "newbies" to get in it with out that. It's a big circle that keeps getting bigger each time someone breeds a couple mediocre dogs. I would like to get in the small circle and frankly not breed any dogs.
I am at a huge disadvantage because I live in NW Arkansas and don't have the opportunity to go hunt with experience guys that have good dogs just to hope they offer to sell me one. I hunt my own property and carry my own gear. Usually just me and my wife. I know someone will say that all you need to do is feed you dogs hog tracks. I can't do that we don't have enough pork. They have to know what they're doing to find hogs in my country.
Questions:
How do I get a great dog without raising him from a pup? I want to raise him but need him now and don't have many hogs.
I guess I just needed to vent because I have tried so hard to find a decent dog just t be let down and lied to time after time.
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ED BARNES
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« Reply #1 on: February 06, 2012, 03:40:01 pm » |
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IM IN NE OKLAHOMA SO I UNDERSTAND A BIT OF YOUR FRUSTRATION. ITS NOT EASY. YOUR PROBABLY NOT GOING TO BUY A DOG READY TO GO FINISHED THAT TURNS OUT TO BE WHAT YOU WANT. YOUR PROBABLY GOING TO HAVE TO AMKE YOUR OWN DOGS, AND REALLY I THINK ITS BETTER. IT TAKES A LONG TIME TO GET A DOG GOING WITH THE HOG NUMBERS WE HAVE SO MAKE SURE YOUR SPENDING THAT TIME AND MONEY ON A PUP THAT HAS THE POTENTIAL! I WANT THE PUP THAT HITS THE GROUND AN EVEN THOUGH IT DOESNT KNOW WHAT ITS DOIN, IS COVERING GROUND, CHECKIN THINGS OUT. IF THEY DONT DO THIS THEN I MOVE ON TO ANOTHER PROPSECT, NOT IMMEDIATELY BUT I SURE WONT WASTE MY TIME AND MONEY FOR MONTHS HOPIN.
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bob
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« Reply #2 on: February 06, 2012, 06:32:01 pm » |
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x2 a lot of work to make a dog and one that fits in your pack , a very hard find
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smarlowe
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« Reply #3 on: February 06, 2012, 06:33:11 pm » |
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Beaucephus your not alone ! All us ohio guys are dealin with the same issues. Not many hogs to start with, certainly not enough to train a pup or finish a started dog ! I too am in my 3rd year of this. Bought my first cheap dogs from florida 3 years ago, had no clue what I was doin. Got a hog my first day out and I thought. Wow that was awesome. From then on I was hooked ! But my succes rate is horrible compared to the guys on here. I would be happy to get one pig a month ! But while I'm learning the hard way and the hog population is growing I remind myself that Its not just about gettin hogs. I'm in the woods all the time, my dogs are like my boys. My kids are all grown and out now so the dogs kinda replaced em. I'm still havin fun tryin and sometimes I get lucky ! When I was just gettin started Lamar Meeks from GA told me its gonna be a fun ride ! He was right ! Hang in there. Have fun
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TexasLacy
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« Reply #4 on: February 06, 2012, 06:51:50 pm » |
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you guys should move to Texas!!
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Marines I see as two breeds, Rottweilers or Dobermans, because Marines come in two varieties, big and mean, or skinny and mean. They're aggressive on the attack and tenacious on defense. They've got really short hair and they always go for the throat.
RAdm. "Jay" R. Stark, USN; 10 November 1995
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OCD
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« Reply #5 on: February 06, 2012, 08:13:05 pm » |
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It takes alot of blood, sweet, tears, and TIME. I still dont have a finished dog and i have bought a few nice started dogs and we have a lot of hogs in Texas. But god willing one day it will all come together
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chads7376
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« Reply #6 on: February 06, 2012, 08:50:09 pm » |
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you guys should move to Texas!!
Shhhhhh, theres no hogs in Texas  |
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cantexduck
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« Reply #7 on: February 06, 2012, 09:28:08 pm » |
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How much money are we talking? I think 1500-2500 can get you what you want.
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There's a coon, nevermind, thats Buster.
"So I pawned my lacy off to my girlfriend. That should teach her to meet men off match.com"
Rich.
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Beaucephus
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« Reply #8 on: February 07, 2012, 01:41:16 pm » |
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I would like to have a nice pup but you gotta put them on hogs to get them finished out. I just don't have that ability.
Trust me I have thought about moving to Texas just so I can hog hunt more.
I would dang sure pay 1000.00 or more for the right finished dog. But I can't find anyone to sell one.
Ill just keep putting the time in what I have an hope for the best. If I can hang on another year maybe Ill be covered up in hogs next year.
Thanks for the input.
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RyanTBH
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« Reply #9 on: February 07, 2012, 03:23:32 pm » |
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Sounds like you need to make friends with some Texans, and bring your tail to hunt! LOL! Why are you trying to put a pack together if you don't have any land that has hogs on it? Don't get me wrong, it's a blast to be in the woods and see your dogs progress... but if you don't have the hogs to put the dogs on then what are you really doing? I'm not trying to talk you out of hunting or owning dogs AT ALL, so don't misunderstand me. But wouldn't it be cheaper for you to meet some people that love to hunt that already have dogs that you can just try and lend a helping hand and hunt with them? The thing that I have figured out with Hog Doggin' and putting together a pack is the "old schoolers" want to keep their spots and their dogs! Why put so much effort, time, and money into dogs and getting spots if your just going to sell them or have someone try and backdoor you...? and more than likely you won't turn too much of a profit doing any of it. Just like smarlowe said, have fun man... if you're out in the woods with a pack that you put together, just keep hunting, get a couple shoats and run some mock hunts, or just be in the woods and enjoy being in the woods. Don't let the fact that you don't have a 1000+ dollar dog ruin the fact that you get to be in the woods and hunt! If you take them out there enough, and do enough waking/riding around, and put them on some signs you'll eventually get on some hogs... and when you do, it will be that much better. Good luck and God's speed in your ventures buddy! |
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Do work, make chit happen, and never stop moving forward.
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rawhide
Hog Dog Pup
 Offline
Posts: 22
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« Reply #10 on: February 07, 2012, 08:41:26 pm » |
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Here in Kentucky hog populations are on the rise but nothing like Texas I'm sure.I have been interested in hog dogging since I was old enough to know anything about it.I have been raising pitbulls for years and love hounds and curs as well so I have set out to build a pack of my own.Catch dogs are not a problem and for strike and bay dogs I am just starting.I am sure it is going to be a looonnngggg process but when I finally see the pack that I have bred,raised,and trained myself on a big boar it will be worth all the blood,sweat,and tears.
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bayed hard hog dogs
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« Reply #11 on: February 07, 2012, 11:06:56 pm » |
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Well I live in the big okie state so I no what y'all mean about not alot of hogs around, where I live there hit and miss one day hogs next day 5 mile from there, something to think about is I have good dogs that I have raised up from pups and the best thing I can tell you is put more time scouting for good places with fresh sign make sure that the area that your gonna hunt has hogs on it then when you do hunt your more likely to get on hogs and not walking or riding all night and nothing.to show for it. I scout the areas out a couple times a week when you have enough spots to hunt one or to of your spots will have some sign, we hunt one night a week most weeks yeah that one night is a long night but we almost always catch one or atleast run some not trying to Bragg but just in the last 4 weeks we have caught 11 hogs so what I'm saying is put more time into your scouting then put the dogs on Hogs every time. That's just how we do it where I'm at, hope this helps.
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Keep um bayed hard tell the bulldogs hit Okie style!!!
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Beaucephus
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« Reply #12 on: February 10, 2012, 10:23:20 am » |
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Just drove 4.5 hours and spent $200 in fuel to see a "finished Strike Dog" not hunt and run a deer 3 miles. Man this is discouraging. Been dragging hides and trash breaking with the dogs I have. I'll just keep looking for a strike dog and working on the dogs I have.
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smarlowe
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« Reply #13 on: February 10, 2012, 03:27:01 pm » |
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Look at it this way. You spent 200 in gas to go see a dog that you saved a lot of money on cause you were smart enuff to know the dog wasn't finished !(You just saved a lot of money)! Last year - drove all the way to florida from ohio to watch 3 dogs hunt. 5 minutes into the hunt I knew I didn't want them ! Talk about sucks !! But I saved a lot buy not buyin em. I saw some great scenery and I hunted in an orange grove. Left ohio in snow and the next night was huntin in ripe oranges, it was kool !!! So look at the bright side and laugh it off. I'll bet if you quit now it would haunt you. So now your a hog hunter, just keep rollin on! I know my optimism is probly makin ya sick but what choice do ya have? Roll with it or get out. Don't buy another dog until you see what ya want to see from it. Come to ohio and we'll mourn together lol !
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Reuben
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« Reply #14 on: February 10, 2012, 03:57:20 pm » |
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build you a bay pen and work your best dogs...me too dogs are just that...a me too dog or help dog (same thing) only get so good...a bay pen might teach them how to hold a hog better but not hunt better.
just don't over work the dogs in the pen because too much pen work will brn them out.
break you dog off of deer...very easy to do...coon and pussum no problem...deer is usually the big problem if your dog has stick or as others call it "bottom"...
you can go out and buy you a high powered strike dog but you need to keep him in hogs too...
usually a hard hunting young and trashy dog can be bought for a fair price...I would rather buy one of these types and finish him out...you can't put the hunt in a dog so trashy is not a bad thing...unless you have the big bucks and are buying a truly finished dog then it doesn't matter...
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Training dogs is not about quantity, it's more about timing, the right situations, and proper guidance...After that it's up to the dog...
A hunting dog is born not made...
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chainrated
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« Reply #15 on: February 10, 2012, 04:33:34 pm » |
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If you're hunting a small population of hogs , $1000 won't touch the kind of dog you need. If you want a dog to consistnetly catch those hogs in your situation save up about $3000.
If you don't want to spend the money on the dog then spend it on building you a pen that's at least 20 wooded acres and work the young dogs you can get.
Building a bay pen won't help you much, Lots of dogs will bark at a hog . You want a dog that can FIND a hog.
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Our houses are protected by the good lord and a gun, you might meet em both if you show up here unwelcome son..
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Reuben
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« Reply #16 on: February 10, 2012, 04:37:37 pm » |
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no doubt a 20 acre pen in the woods is way better than a nice bay pen...but a hunting dog is born so a bay pen will work... a hunting dog just needs to know what game you want and how to stop it and the rest the dog can and will do...
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Training dogs is not about quantity, it's more about timing, the right situations, and proper guidance...After that it's up to the dog...
A hunting dog is born not made...
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