i took my buddy Doug out last night for a hunt. Doug hasn't been on a pig in about 4yrs so, he was really excited to go. We took my dogs Jesse and Katie and the catchdog Bullet. A brief history on Jesse is that he is a full brother to some very well known dogs of some members of this site with a very impressive pedigree.. So, when he was given to me as a pup and my first hog dog I was really excited and had extremely high hopes. Well, since I started hunting him 2 yrs. ago all I've had is frustration and grief with him. He wouldn't hunt more than 30yards from me, didn't get along with any other male dogs, wouldn't bay a lick, but he would straight out catch, which I didn't want from a BMC. He would be cut up half the time I hunted him. So, I believe most hunters would have culled him by now, but seeing how his siblings were doing, I just couldn't make myself give up on him. I kept asking advice from friends and they just kept telling me to keep taking him hunting. I started noticing that over our last 3 hunts with friends Jesse was going to the bay and not catching until the catchdog got there and he was actually baying. Was he learning? I was sure hoping he was. The man that gave him to me told me to take him hunting by himself, not even a catchdog. I asked him why would I do that and he said that Jesse is hog crazy but has never had to find his own hog. So, that is exactly what I did 2 weeks ago, and what do you know, he hit a trail and bayed up a group by himself. We didn't catch anything that night but he was showing promise. So, last night we took Jesse and my young female Katie which had only bayed 1 hog before. About 30 minutes into the hunt they both went out about 130 yards from us which is pretty far for a dog that normally hunts within eyesight. They stood still on the Garmin for about 5 minutes and when I told my buddy to keep moving they started hammering away. Turned the bulldog loose at about 75 yards and headed in. When we got close they had a whole group bayed up. They caught this fat sow and I was extremely pumped. I couldn't send pictures out fast enough to my normal hunting buddies. I know it's a long story for a couple pictures of a sow, but I sure was happy last night. I know catching one pig doesn't make them dogs anything special, but it sure does feel good to see your own dogs do it by theirselves for the 1st time. I would like to say thanks to Michael and Mark for the dogs and encouragement. I was ready to quit hunting more than once over the last year because I though I couldn't raise a dog that could find it's own hog. Rodney
Me and Jesse
Doug with the sow.
