camp-a-while catahoulas

This is a very narrow point of view, but it is my only point of view. I''ll start off with a story.

Back in 1999 I got my first two hog dogs. One was a plot from Mr. Orval Roberts, the other was a young box head red leopard furr dog from south FL. I started hunting a little and then I deployed to Iraq (I was in the Army at the time). When I came back from Iraq, I could not get my plot back, my dad made a house dog out of her and he really loved that dog. The friend that took my curr dog gave me a sorry excuse, so I never got him back either. For the next year or so, I tried finding some decent dogs. Everything I came across was a cull.

After a year of feeding culls, I started researching these Catahoula dogs. I ended up calling Sherry Bando. She told me that she didn't have a liter of pups at the time, but she did say that she had runt female from her last liter that nobody wanted. She told me that the gyp pup she has was black and tan and no glass eyes. She explained that nobody wanted this color dog. I asked how old the pup was and she said 3 months. We discussed a price and I sent her a check. I fed this pup and worked with her a lot for the first year and half. Sh would bay a hog in a pin like a champ, but she wasn't going to hunt more than maybe a hundred yards or so. This was before garmin, heck this was before I could afford a Quick Track.

Fast forward about 6 months and I was on a hunt in South Louisiana on a rice field. We bayed an caught a boar about 100 lbs or so, and she was in on the bay. As we were walking out, she left out on a hot track and bayed her first hog solo. We caught that hog and ever since then, she has been a different dog. She can roll out with the best of curs and I would put her up against anything out there. She has been raised with plotts and trained a bunch too.

I don't know about the entire Camp A While line, but the little gyp I have wont ever leave hear. She turned 11 years old this past June and she is not as fast as she used to be, but it seems like every time I take her, I come home with a hog. Very tight bay dog, outstanding confirmation, hot nose, HUGE heart, bottom= 4 hours on a hard running hog, 100% companionship.

Out of all the dogs I've had since 1999; she is by far my favorite. I don't know if this help you or not, I don't know of any other C A W dogs. My gyp is double bred on Ms Bandos Elvis; she has a great pedigree.

I cant say that I would search for another C A W dog. Ive talked to a few people that have the line and they seem like they are salesman, sure not hunters. Anyway, good luck in finding one that suits you. Ms. Bando is on Facebook, you can get a hold of her there. My pus name is Shadow, Ms. Bandow named her and I try to report on her progress every couple of years when I see Ms Bando at Uncle Earls.