What's your view on fear/respect of catching hogs

[Myles Man]

When I 1st started running dogs, I thought it was  99% depending on great strike dogs to successfully catch hogs. I'm recently realizing (on my own and from others) there is a role to every dog in the pack. Simply put, strike dog=finding hogs....catch dog=catching hogs....RCD's= hurry to the bay and catch hogs


I've come to conclusion that i kinda cheated myself in the beginning. Catching hogs depends on trusting the strike dogs to find whats in their path and catch dogs to handle what's in their path.

I know that sounds elementary; but I never looked at it that way......... Here is why---pits are a dime a dozen now days(maybe cull maybe not). It's easy to find a free/$50 pit any day of the week. I figured that means their role was not as important as the big "$1500" strike dog....O how i was wrong. I learned my first few strikes that CD's are as important as the 44 mag being fully loaded (just incase of course     )

Since I don't have a legit CD crew that I can depend on, my FEAR while approaching a bay makes me crazy nervous. Mostly because I hunt alone, but also because I don't have a dependable pair of CD's (just a RCD and xtra ruff cur). I got 2 gyp bulldogs that have the bloodline and will produce top notch CD's. They will catch, but they are really for breeding, not working-as of now. I'm excited about where I will be at in a year or 2 with that deal....which one gyp should drop pups Nov 26.

fear and respect--that's part of it....just FYI, I'm excited to get my pack up to date and build my CONFIDENCE. Right  now, I'm probably 25% of where I hope to be. The thrill of the runnin is awesome.....how much better/necessary  it is to have a good set of CD's to trust!!!!

Fill me in on your view of a good fear/respect of catchin hogs if ya like...

[KevinN]

I think your right on the trust.

I think it's trust in ALL the dogs though.

When I'm hunting with my main hunting partner I feel real confident going into the bay. The dogs on the ground are...in my opinion....very good bay dogs. If they've been bayed long enough for me to close in, I trust that they will hold that pig at bay as I'm trying to find a path for the bulldog and myself before I release. I also trust that they will pile on when the CD's hit.

On a sounder, I wouldn't say I'm scared (and there's a reason, lol) I'd say I'm alert. Plenty of times hogs have broke out of the rally before we unsnapped and passed within 8-10 feet of me. I guess....Just knowing I have a  bulldog in front of me, between me and the hogs is a "safety blanket" lol.
Once we unsnap it's a different story I guess...but I've never had a bad experience so I guess that fear seed just hasn't been planted.

[Judge peel]

Fear and respect are equil but different I think with out them you can get in a bad way fast but I look at me and my dogs as a team I am part of the catch dog team I won't leave my dogs out to dry for nothing and they know I am coming. If that pig don't respect us as equil he is going to be hurting and any one that says catch dog ain't as important as a strike dog well let see what they can do without one lol

[coach]

There are still other things that should be considered when catching hogs.

1) Even the best catch dog will meet his match one day! Seen it happen way too many times. Turn out two catch dogs to a  bay get there and the bay dogs are still baying with no catch dogs in the mix. That's why they are soldiers.

2) I think that too many of us go in way to fast to a bay ( hunting without catch dogs) I think it's important to sneak in down wind at all cost. I myself and I know it sounds nutty, but I have bayed up hogs that have slipped out of a bay. I would walk up and catch one trying to slip out and I would start to simulate a bark and the hog would try backing up to some brush. Even walking into a bay some dogs get uneasy when you walk up with a gun, with a quick bark or two the jump back into the mix to keep em bayed up.

3) I don't fear hogs but I surely have learned over the years I better respect them!!! When they want to run, they will run!! When they want to stand and fight they will do that too!!!  

Had too many people in my life tell me their dogs will catch any size hog and crawled into a bay and get flipped or knocked down  even run over!!! I trust more in catch dogs catching, bay dogs bayin and strike dogs striking!!!!

[Jimt3]

There's nothing like running to a bay knowing that the pig you just sent your catch dog after is about to be too preoccupied to worry about that stinky human crashing through the underbrush. Pit bulls are a dime a dozen but a dependable catch dog is priceless.

[Purebreedcolt]

I require a lot outof my cds.  It dont matter how good ur bay dogs are if you dont have a good cd or cds your not hobbling any hogs. 

[jpuckett]

Yeah man, gotta have a solid catch dog. We like to release two on the bay. Saves the catch dogs for another season. Keeps the hog from running.  And keeps the bay dogs from getting cut up trying to help catch when the cd gets their. When you have a good pair of CDs it takes some of the fear out of the equation!!

[reatj81]

Call it fear, respect whatever you want, or maybe just good comon sense!  Hunting alone often I carry a gun, some times a bulldog.  Alone caution is a good thing it doesn't take long for things to go real bad fast.  I only carry one bulldog when alone, that's enough work leading one. But I do carry my old gyp she is slow and steady, she will ease threw brush trying not to make a sound and when she catches I know it's ear until I get their.   So with her my confidence is higher.  Alone I go much slower to the bay.  I have even broken bays intentionally to move the hog out to a better area to catch.  I have no desire to put myself in a bad situation that could have been avoided.   Also I'm scared of the dark,  so that's out if the question. 

[haakdt]

The idea of 2 cd's is looking better to me I have always had trust in my cd he is not the best but he is pretty solid so I never thought I would need to I was gung ho that he would hold every hog my dogs bayed but I was wrong the day came he couldn't and it wasn't the biggest hog it was a boar hog with dog killers weighing about 240 I unsnapped him he hit the cur dogs piled on when I legged the hog all hell broke loose that hog threw me and all 4 dogs off and when they stopped him again it was in the worst thicket I've ever seen I couldn't get to them and we hauled 4 butchered dogs out that day after calling my buddy with 2 more cd's so the moral of my story is I gained more respect for hogs that day because within a split second everything will go down the drain I do believe if we would have had 2 cd's that day or my rcd that wouldn't have happend

[Jimt3]

I'm scared of the dark,  so that's out if the question.

I'm with you there dude! I can't enjoy myself hunting at night. Too dang risky. Call me paranoid but I don't wanna fall of into a steep banked creek in the middle of the night! Even a good head lamp only shows you so much. Also spiderwebs.