Successful hunt???

[oconee]

I was reading the topic on "rollin out" and I guess I've changed a lot in my old age because I don't even care if my dogs "roll out" whereas I used to want them to.  As I ponded the reason for not caring anymore, I realized why I quit caring.  Most of the real big boars are loners and usually when a dog starts rolling out its obviously a group of hogs and rarely does any of the roll out bays produce a top quality boar.  Now I realize there are exceptions to this but for the most part a lot of guys would have to agree that you'll probably just end up with a bunch of tied sows and shoats!  The real big boars are mostly found alone and bayed up quickly and caught if a guy has some good catch dogs.  These big hogs usually think they can whip every dog in the country and won't run a lick.   Now the more I thought the more I realized that my ideal of a good hunt would bore most guys to death!!!!   I don't care one bit about catching a giant with teeth like deer ribs hanging out and I'm to lazy to chase a dog that's baying hog after hog every hundred yards.  I like the race!!!   The longer the better!!  Now on work nights I prefer a little different approach but when I have the time I'll turn more plotts into a bay instead of catch dogs just to break the bay and run the hog some more.  Well I'm sure by now ya'll all think I'm crazy, but that's my thing now a days!!  My ideal of a successful hunt would be a 8-10 mile race with good road access to keep me in hearing distance and a good bay-up at the end and the size of hog don't even matter.  Now I know that sounds stupid so lets hear what everyone wants out of a good hunt?  Good dog work, Big hogs, Big numbers, Big toothed hogs, or just any Ol' pig and a good time with the friends???    Please don't use this post to attack my "idiotic ways" of hunting!!!  lol

[Mike]

I'm with you there... I love a good, long race with a hog at the end. That's the kind of dog work I like to see.

[decker]

Agreed, I'd rather see a dog hunt his tail off, grub out an old track, get in a good long race, and bay up a 150 pound hog, then stumble across a big boar hog crossing the road in front of us, that stops a hundred yards in the bushes. I guess As long as I don't see the dog, either bayed up or I go pick him up somewhere, I'm happy,..weird I know

[Judge peel]

Any hunt that ends with a pig or one where a dog learned something or I learned something and every one made it out ok is a success to me

[Shotgun wg]

U love to hear the race. I do also. Growing up running deer dogs that's was half the fun. I love to catch a good hog also. As long as I have fun. get to see the dogs work.plenty of laughing with friends. no dogs get hurt. That is a successful hunt. A pig at the end is all the better. I think to many get hung up on the biggest or most pigs and miss the real enjoyment of the hunt. 


Shotgun
Arkansas

[KevinN]

^^^^like it

[hoghunter71409]

Alvin- you couldn't have said it better man.  I pack as many hounds in my Ranger as I can, just to turn them all loose.  I am happiest when they are all out running in a tight pack and my dog box is empty.  Just me and the bulldog sitting their listening to a race, sipping on something cold to drink.  I like it when I have four or five dogs packed up so tightly it looks like one dog on the garmin.  The bigger and longer the loops on the garmin, the better I like it.  I guess a lot of fellows like to be zoomed in on the garmin.  I like being zoomed out so I can predict where the hog is going to next, if I am lucky, I can get around and see him cross and then see a bunch of hounds cross behind him.  When those hounds cross Im watching to see who is in the lead.  Lead dog tends to get a little more in the food bowl at the end of the night! 

[Peachcreek]

Agree with shotgun

My idea of a good hunt is a dog taking a cold trail for a couple miles striking the hog. Letting the hog tie its running shoes and start running. Go kick some fast dogs to the race, three hours later kick some more fast dogs to the race, hopefully get a bay after a few more hours. Then a good catch with the bulldogs. Stick that runnin sob or cut his nads. The end

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[Bo Pugh]

My favorite hunts are like this. Haul the dogs til I see a decent track not a monster but about a 150-200lb and put about two dogs on his track they trail about 300 yards and bay him in the bed for a few min and then break and run about 5 or so miles and we go pack a few young dogs in and they bay again with a few of the young dogs there that has made about two or three hours of race and then break again and run another hour or two and then they finally bay him but it's going to take about a hour to drive around to and get around there and they are barking every breath and then catch the hog. My buddy's are not like this they want to catch a lot. But to me I love to run them for a while before we catch them and I like to pack dogs on tracks.

[Cajun]

Alvin, You know where I stand.lol Just read my caption under my signature. haha

[oconee]

I knew I could count on Mike and Jon!!!   LOL  Ya'll didn't let me down.

[hoghunter71409]

Alvin, Last time I hunted with Mike ( and NathanO we had 12-14 hounds running a 150 hog.  He ran a mile or so down the levee turned and ran all the way back.  It was a good race for sure.  We were so happy listening to the race and turning more dogs in, we le the hog slip out in front of us and cross the levee.  You should have seen that pack of hounds cross the levee..it was like you stepped on a pile of ants!  The hog hit the water and the canes and we ended up catching a smaller hog, but the race made that one of the best hog hunts I've been on in a long time.  I LOVED seeing those hounds cross the levee!!  You could hardy tell which one was which.

[Reuben]

let me see...big ranch...no palmettos and about 50 degrees...fairly open woods and I have 5 dogs out and not much hog sign...as I move along I see the dogs running at 1/2 throttle on the hunt...as long as I see a dog now and then I know there isn't a hog around...then I hear 3 chops and all the dogs head out...I stop and pull that old reliable tracker and I see all the dogs are running the cold track and running silent...I check a few minutes later and they are still running together...I slowly move in their direction...stop and check again and all the dogs are together in one spot...check in 2 minutes and still the same spot...caught hog...get here and it is a big boar already wore down...dogs are tired but keeping him bayed...I tell the dogs to get back and I shoot the hog with the 22 mag...load the dogs up and back to the house...

or same scenario but a 2 hour race and caught hog...

[t crump]

Hey where you guys from did not no so many liked listning to the hounds run a hog. most tell me they wont a silent dog or you cant catch a hog anymore.

[justincorbell]

let me see...big ranch...no palmettos and about 50 degrees...fairly open woods and I have 5 dogs out and not much hog sign...as I move along I see the dogs running at 1/2 throttle on the hunt...as long as I see a dog now and then I know there isn't a hog around...then I hear 3 chops and all the dogs head out...I stop and pull that old reliable tracker and I see all the dogs are running the cold track and running silent...I check a few minutes later and they are still running together...I slowly move in their direction...stop and check again and all the dogs are together in one spot...check in 2 minutes and still the same spot...caught hog...get here and it is a big boar already wore down...dogs are tired but keeping him bayed...I tell the dogs to get back and I shoot the hog with the 22 mag...load the dogs up and back to the house...

or same scenario but a 2 hour race and caught hog...

Im with you Reuben, those are fun hunts even if it is thick!

[red79]

Maybe this is y hogs run as bad as they do these days if y'all want to hear dogs barking all night and don't care if y'all catch anything r not y'all should get apack of yota dogs

[oconee]

Well red79 I knew someone would have something smart to say!  You can always tell who is having trouble catching hogs!   They'll always fine a reason its someone else's fault.  The reason the hogs run is because the ones that don't run are in someones trailer.  If a hog don't run a bunch of city slickers can catch him with collie dogs and a couple pits!  This whole topic was a trap!!  Just the reply I expected from a guy that needs to grade his dogs on numbers or size off a hog and not the difficulty of the hog his dogs catch!

[Cajun]

Alvin, I bet you play a pretty good game of checkers.lol

[heavyhitter89]

I also agree, growing up with deer dogs and hearing that race for what seemed like days, makes the hunt the best, now I get the point of getting in and catching a hog right away is fun from time to time when you are planning on hunting a short time, but hell when I go I make it a point to hunt as long as I want to, I love hearing them dogs in the distance working a  cold trail.

[KevinN]

Short race long race...makes no difference to me. Even if the hog bays in his bed you don't have to catch him right away, lol. Haven't done it in a while but "back in the day"  we'd sit and watch the dogs work...5 minutes...10 minutes before we let the CD's go. THATS what I like. I need to start doing that again.