How many dogs do you prefer?

[t-dog]

This cold weather is hard on this can't sit still country bumpkin. So if I can't hunt, I might as well talk about it. There have been several debates on here about running hogs. I have seen the rough tooth packs that had hunt and stay. I have seen them get out there and be too far out for you to get there before they have pulled both ears off. Because he's big enough to withstand the punishment dealt to him, he now has these alligators backed up. They are tired from being caught and he is getting his air back. Before you get there he runs off. You might get to the next bay but he has got in good cover for sure now. His ears are gone so your ear catching catch dog misses because there's nothing there or you can't get a clean shot due to density of cover and mister hog takes another trip and another, etc. The next scenario is the hog that has the loose dogs baying him. You can't ever get close because the dogs won't get up there and make him pay attention and back up to protect his pride and joy. He's not scared and he's not running, just a constant walk that usually takes you right to a group of hogs. This normally means you catch a lesser hog and scattered dogs. Split bays are fine if you have more than one person, but if your by yourself, it sure would have been a lot more fun and easier on you if you could have stopped that big loner.  The third is when your dog strikes and the hog heads for the next county before the dog finishes the first bark. Seems like anywhere you go, people are trying shoot, trap, run over, dog, etc. etc. The first hogs that get caught are the hogs that stop first. So the hogs that are out there are the more elusive, hard running survivors. Evolution of sorts. I think there is a time and place for the different styles of dogs. My thinking though, I like a dog that will get up there and pull hair but not catch dogs. Smart enough to know when to pull the trigger and when not to. I only want 2-3 of these on the ground though. Dogs are pack animals by nature, gang bangers. They get braver ever time one of their buddies show. Pretty soon, there are enough numbers on their side that they start doing things that they wouldn't have done without outside influence. The hog is holding bay pretty good until the numbers start to overwhelm him. He feels pretty confident with 2 or 3 that are "baying" at him, but once they start inching up tighter every time another buddy arrives, he knows it's a losing situation and he is gonna check out. I had a good friend that stopped by the house one day after a hard hunt he was just on, still had his dogs in the truck. I think there were 7 or 8 "bay" dogs in all. When I asked how his hunt went, his reply was that all they did was chase hog after hog. He said that it seemed like that was all they did anymore and he just didn't understand why. I told him that I felt like it was because he was putting too many dogs on the ground at one time. He didn't think that had anything to do with it. I just happened to have a pretty nice boar in my bay pen at the time, 200lbs or so. I told him to get his lead dog out and put in there. It went to baying and I said to get another. There wasn't much change. When he added the third dog the intensity started to pick up but the hog stayed put. Dog number four really increased intensity and you could see that the hog starting to panic. Number five made them start inching up so that the hog was starting to flinch at them. Six drew them up to where the hog swatted and broke out over the dogs running. He would stop for a second and they would repeat the whole thing. One more dog was added and all the dogs were trying to do was get ahold. The hog was running as hard as he could to get away and when a dog got caught up enough to try and ear him, he was big enough and athlete enough to slap them back and not break stride. I made my case to him. It went pretty good for him for a couple weeks, but he still had 7 or 8 bay dogs. He decided he didn't want to keep leaving dogs he was feeding at home so he started chasing hogs again. Real good guy but a slow learner.

[KevinN]

The guys that were nice enough to let me tag along when I first started never put more than four dogs on the ground unless they were training pups. Then it was usually only 1 pup.

These weren't sit back and bay dogs either. They got tight. But that was a long time ago.

I still think catching hogs on a consistent basis is determined by a mix of the dogs AND the hogs.

But...I digress...my opinion...4 dogs is perfect.

[Judge peel]

I like 3 or 4 with cd

[chads7376]

If I'm hunting with just my dogs I like just one or two on the ground. I don't get to do it much but it sure shows you what you got as far as a dog.

[Reuben]

The kind of dogs I like...one in the bay pen might  try to catch...2 probably will...but in the woods in the thick cover those same 2 dogs will back up and bay....
Here is an observation I have made...open the dog box when the dogs are fresh and they are already smelling hog...they will throw caution to the wind and catch solid...sometimes a dog will or can get hurt in that scenario...same dogs after the edge is off of them and  they will be cautious and catch smart and once the boar is caught he won't go any where...because the dogs will be resting when they feel the need...and catching again if the hog wants to break...the dogs tend to stay clear of the ivory in this scenario but to many dogs or against a steep bank etc...etc...can get a dog hurt pretty quick...







break...I have seen that many times...in this scenarioprobably will be
totally different and just like T-dog said when running a
RCD...

[Reuben]

Well...I hate posting on my phone...thought I had lost what I typed...but it was sitting at the bottom of the page...plus have to do my job to boot...

But to answer your question...2 good dogs in my opinion may be better for catching hogs...but I am like that slow learner and like carrying 5 or 6 dogs...

[Bar5Ranch]

Me and my little brother hunt together and we both have are own pack so I take 5 dogs and he takes  five  and some time we take  pups to work them we use to hunt just 6 dogs at a time but now we take 10  dogs 5 strike and 5 catch all togather we have a total of 22 dogs and we hunt about 3 times a week and we switch out dogs but they all get to hunt two times a week so we hunt 10 dogs each time we go
       

[t-dog]

Bar 5, what style of dogs are y'all hunting if you don't mind my asking?

[oconee]

If a guy didn't want to take pups and just wanted to catch hogs he could load the truck with hogs if he just took one good dog and 3 Catch-dogs to lead into him when he gets bayed.  Just like t-dog said most hogs will take one dog all day.  I like to get pups started and therefore I usually end up turning more loose that I really prefer. 

[Reuben]

If a guy didn't want to take pups and just wanted to catch hogs he could load the truck with hogs if he just took one good dog and 3 Catch-dogs to lead into him when he gets bayed.  Just like t-dog said most hogs will take one dog all day.  I like to get pups started and therefore I usually end up turning more loose that I really prefer. 

if you are in it to just catch hogs then that would be a good way to do it...

[wildchild]

Me and my wife hunt together she has rough dogs i have loose dogs we have 8 total we hunt 3 to 4 times a week so we can change dogs out we normally take 4 bay dogs 2 catch dogs 3 are hers 3 are mine her shut down runners mine wait for the catch dogs then go find another for hers to hold we like this mix of dogs we catch multiple hog at once

[KevinN]

Me and my wife hunt together she has rough dogs i have loose dogs we have 8 total we hunt 3 to 4 times a week so we can change dogs out we normally take 4 bay dogs 2 catch dogs 3 are hers 3 are mine her shut down runners mine wait for the catch dogs then go find another for hers to hold we like this mix of dogs we catch multiple hog at once

Love those dogs that roll out

[Shotgun wg]

How many ya got . Dump the box as long as they hunt and don't play. I have 4 worth hunting and that's what hits the ground. If there are other dogs it goes back to whatever is agreed on and if that's 7 or 8 that will all hunt and not play turn em out. Lol


Shotgun
Arkansas

[dan]

1

[LTcaughthog]

4-5 3 bay dogs 2 CDs if I'm Huntin with someone or just 1cd if I'm by myself

[Bar5Ranch]

Well most of our strike dogs are bmc but we have a few cur/crosses and a lab our catch are all pits and one AM bulldog all of our strike dog wind off the box we don't every run them on the ground and the all stay step for step with each other and our catch dog we cut them from the truck if they can here it they will get there we have alot of outlaw who run trail barking dogs and them pig run to the hills when the here a bark all our dog don't bark unless there looking at a pig when they wind they just jump off the box and run to it if one jumps off the other four are with him and we just sit and wait when they bay we cut the bull dog and go to them I no thats a lot of dogs to take but it works for us our cur are jam up dogs its hard for them to run with 5 dog on them but man it took a lot of time to get our dogs to work like this and its just not our blood line of dogs we hunt cause we don't every breed our dogs we work in the oilfield and don't have time for a litter of pups so we buy one at 8 month old not started and we teache them from there most of our dog are 6 or 7 years old we just love to hunt man and I'm not saying anything bad about trail barking dogs it just hard to catch them down here in south texas that way but it can be done with our dogs we might run 100 yards at the most

[TazD]

One dog out maybe 2 if I am training a younger dog! Leading another Fl Cur or bulldog!

[rdjustham]

One or two.  At the most three if one is a young dog or pup.  Gotta be quick though cause if there is more than one on him most of the time it's a caught hog.

[Bonnie_Clyde]

Everyone has there own style, mine is getting out in the woods and letting one or a hundred of them lose, sit back and enjoy life. To many people take hunting way to serious. let yourself and your dogs go and enjoy!!

[Judge peel]

Man you got that right