Common Bear Hunting Oops'

[The Grizz]

Are there any common training mistakes made when training a dog to run bear? What are they and how would you avoid making them as a newbie trainer?

[bearcrzy]

Hunt with very dependable strait dogs. It dont hurt if the dogs speed match also.

[Nolte]

Putting out too many dogs at once that don't know what's going on. Get a new dog or pup in a few races first with dogs that know the deal, then add more slowly until they all work together. When starting a track, put a dog or two to let them line it out before putting more in.
Don't hang a dog out do dry by itself without any help. Any bear regardless of size can be an ornery prick, so if you can help it have some buddies in there to chip in. It's a lot tougher to convince them to stay in (if ever) once they have started coming out.

[BigGameHunter]

Not turning the young ones loose! Not going to learn a thing in the box! That being said the other oops I make too often is on turn ins. Let one dog go at once, let it get in a good measure and let the next one go. DTFB usually ends up in a foot race. Pretty hard for me in the heat of the moment!!!!!

[The Grizz]

well at the moment ive got just the one dog. he wont really be running any bear by himself but he should make good at tracking the wounded ones on a hunt. at least i'll know where the bear is if i got the dog in hand, as opposed to rushing in after it solo or waiting for the danger to pass and possibly losing it. as well as on the trail. be good to know whats behind them bushes before i get there, right. Although if i do get the chance to get him on a run with seasoned dogs i will. but at the moment my only back-up for him is me and my shotgun.

[cox]

Good topic, I agree that turning too many dogs in at once is an oops I've made on numerous occasions. It's a catch 22 though if I have a track going into a big section I know is gonna be hard to get dogs in once it gets jumped. I've found when I get in this situation what works best for me is letting one experienced dog on it to start once he lines out and is moving pretty good I let a young dog go when he can still hear the start dog then I put another experienced dog down once the young one is gone and so on. I've found this helps if the young dog makes a loose and is thinking of coming back he'll run into the older dog behind him and will generally fall in with him and they both make it in on the race. It takes a little patience and I still find myself wanting to just dump the box when I hear the coldtrailer telling me the tracks heating up but I've seen better results doing it this way

[blackpaws]

there are way too many to post but a couple that haven't been mentioned are to just slow down and enjoy the hunt. take the extra couple seconds to make sure the doors on your dog box are lacked so they can't rattle open because the dogs will jump out going down the road. When your dogs are coming to the road, pay attention to what is going on. make sure they can get across safely. even if it means standing in front of traffic to get them across the road. i have lost dogs and still have a crippled one because of this.

one OOPS story is i was driving down the road half asleep eating doughnuts and Doritos and the box blew up. every dog just roaring. i slammed on the brakes backed up to where they started rigging and sure enough there was a bunch of water on the road just like where a bear would leave a water track across the road from having to go through deep water in the ditch. called a buddy over because we were going to train some pups on this bear; it was fresh. Just like what the other guys were saying about putting too many out to get started. we did the opposite and put out 2 truckloads of dogs and 50 yards off the road we had 4 coon treed and a minor dog scuffle. a mom a 3 little ones. so now we had to wade through waist deep mud bog crap to go get way too many dogs off a coon tree. the moral is to actually get out a try your best to figure out what you are actually putting your dogs on. some places are tough but if i had gotten out of the truck i would have seen the coon tracks on the side of the road.

[dawger]

Make sure your start dog is going the right way before you over load them with a bunch of young hot heads. Seems like I have to reteach myself that one every few years...

[LarryBeggs]

Dont forget your tracking collars. If you do forget them go home and get them. If not this will be the one time that year you will need them. If you do make it to the woods with them dont forget to take all the magnets out to turn them on. Dont forget to bring plenty of food you never know how long you are going to be out there.Dont turn loose on a Sunday afternoon on the edge of a wilderness area when you have to work Mon. am.Always bring a shovel, a chain saw and a come a long or winch.Never listen to the guy besides you about where he thinks your truck will go.Always put your tailgate up unless your dog box is tied in.Always have a spare tire.Do as I say not as I do! Take care and dont forget to have fun,Larry

[The Grizz]

:quote: Never listen to the guy besides you about where he thinks your truck will go :quote:

thats good advice. the only person who knows what your truck can do is you! I wish i didnt have to sell mine cause that truck CAN go anywhere.

[bob baldwin jr]

My BEST ADVICE : NEVER START YOUR PACK OF HOUNDS WITH PLOTTS !!!

[slowandeasy]

[Ankle Express]

Don't freak out, shoot for the right spot & finish what you start. There's many lines of hounds bred for well over 100 years to catch bears & even then its 1 in 1000 to have the guts, heart, sense & experience to handle a crippled up bear in the bush alone but a hound is the best place to start, IMO. I read a previous post by you. Most what I said bout that dog is a direct reflection of who is feeding that dog. Have a good one.