why do you hunt with dogs!? THIS IS NOT A FLAME!

[californiacoyotes]

first let me say this thread is NOT a flame. i have been talking to jason lee about hooking up with one of his buddies out here in california to do some bear hunting with his dogs. when i told my hunting buddy about my intentions he said " that ain't hunting or very sporting!" so i said back, "i suppose hunt birds with a dog is alright though!?" well he hasn't talk to me all day since then(we work together).
well he is NOT going to change my mind. we do ALL our hunting together and i respect his view on the matter, BUT i want a bear!!! i want a bear so bad i can taste it. my wife is sick of hearing about "my bear hunting trip" this season! and i even though i have a pig hunt in about a month i am totally comsumed in getting MY bear this season!!
so with what i've said above why do you hunt with dogs? and is it any different then using them to hunt birds? i know the hunt itself is different, but in your opinion why is it view differently?

dennis scott

 

[engman99]

This is one of those things you cant really put into words.When you train a hound from start to finish,and he finally graduates to what you consider a finished hound,the sense of accomplishment that comes from this just cant be appreciated until you have wasted about 5000 hrs training dogs that never make it.Then you finaly get hold of that once in a lifetime hound.The one you know is gonna die young,because the good ones always do.You will spend the rest of your life looking for another hound that is as good or better than the best one you ever had.It becomes an obsession.You want to find a dog that is faster,louder,trees harder,and hunts deeper than the one before.It is more addictive than any drug.When that pup runs his first track,locates,and puts both feet on the tree and settles into a hard chop.The chills that run down your spine can only be rivaled by the tears that come to your eyes when an old dog has ran his last track.You either love it or you hate it.There aint no in between.

------------------
Hunt hard and prosper.

 

[josh]

Great post Engman!

I have had people question me about the ethics of using hounds, If you dont like it you probably never will.... Hound hunting looks easy to someone just watching the finished product, only a houndsman knows the countless miles walked, the frustration, and the many hours of sleep lost just training a dog. How many people practice hunting deer 3-4 days a week all year long? Nope ....theres nothing easy about it... its the toughest hunting you will ever do.

 

[Wolfer]

Its Like this Anyone that says hunting with hounds isnt sporting hasnt hunted with hounds . Wait till you chase a pack of hounds 15 to 20 miles over every type of country imaginable thru brush so thick you Have to find away around up canyons so steep they will Make a Mtn goat sick. Just to have those hounds Lose the track or find out you have a cat or bear to small to take Or worse yet its to Big to Take. That coupled with the fact that your dogs are the ones that put it there. It dont begin to compare with the rush you get when ya finally find what ever you are chasin among the branches of the tree.

------------------
If there isn't any dogs in heaven .....IAINT GOIN

 

[Calif. Hunter]

I've never had hounds, although I went with one of my Dad's friends a few times when I was a kid, running bobcat and mountian lion. I have had a few bird dogs, though, and the feeling is the same when that pup you've worked with for months or years finally gets it straight. I remember my best dog finding pheasants in fields right after another group of hunters had gone through with several dogs and missed them. I remember the time she got sprayed by a skunk on the cheek and side of the neck, and pointed a pheasant on the way back to the truck. It's both pride in the dog and a real sense of accomplishment, that all the work paid off. Plus there is a bond between the hunter and his dog such that spoken commands become almost unneccessary. There's nothing really like it.

 

[SPOTTED OWL]

CC,

I don't own dogs, and doubt I ever will. Years ago I met up with a guy who said he
was training some new plot hounds, and He'd
take me for $150 a day plus a small kill fee.
We hunted the in the jungle rain forest on
the NE corner of the Olympic National Forest.
Let me tell you, talk about a hunt!! After
10 hours of following the dogs thru the dog
hair, swamps, beaver ponds, and God knows
what else, I had my bear. He's now on my
wall in the den.I doubt you'll be able to find a more exciting hunt, and if you do score, believe me, you will most likely earn
it. Hope you give it a try.


------------------

 

[Buckshot]

I think part of the reason hunting with dogs is considered unethical by some is that the game is shot out of a tree. "Where's the sport in that, it's like shooting fish in a barrel," they say. And they're right, there's little sport in the shooting. As everyone else has explained, all the sport comes before the shot. By the same token, it may be argued, where's the sport in shooting a whitetail from a treestand? That question is just as illogical, but thousands of deer hunters would be quick to point out all of the preparation leading up to the shot. Seems the same to me.


------------------
Clint Gray
Buckshot Outfitting
http://www.angelfire.com/id/buckhunting

 

[Tobey]

Looks like we all agree on this one.I have always said Its like watching your son hit a home run in little leage.And when I snap a leach on the dogs at a tree and praise them it don't matter if anyone pules the trigger or knot.My hunt is compleat

------------------
We having fun yet//Tobey

 

[CATMAN]

I agree with the other houndsmen....The hunt isn't shooting the game ..its watching your hounds work....and besides you can make a good clean kill from that distance. Your friend obviously hasn't ever followed a pack of hounds because if anyone says hound hunting is easy or unsporting, they are sadly mistaken. I also don't think the kill is what any hunt is all about, if your a stalk hunter then its how sneeky you are....if you hunt over bait, its how good at baiting and how patient you are.....every type of hunt has its own different excitements....I just prefer hound hunting. Thats whats wrong with alot of our sportsmen. They don't stick together and unite.....I'm no falcon lover, but I would help him fight for his right to hunt with a falcon as I would any hunter or fisherman. LOL....sorry if I got carried away.

------------------
CATMAN

 

[bcat]

I would have to agree with all that posted. The love of the dogs and watching them mature into real hunters from the puppy stage has to be the most rewarding thing of it all to me. bcat

------------------
If you aint the lead dog the scenery never changes

Boykin's Hunting Homepage
HuntAndLodge.com
www.recworld.com/boykin