BigGameHoundsmen.com

My name is Clay Pope owner of Pope Brothers Guide Service & Outfitting
http://www.pbgso.com/index.php I've been guiding and outfitting in Texas for 10 years now and I'm about to be 32 years old. When I'm not guiding you might be able to find me in a boat somewhere, predator calling, chasing a pack of dogs, or spending time with my family. I make a living hunting we offer hunts year round in Texas (Texas is a great state). I got into Hounds about 3 years ago so I'm fairly new to this. I consider myself a predator hunter (calling) I put in over 100 days per year either guiding predator hunters or hunting myself for predator control. The reason I got into dogs was I had several hunters miss lions that were called in and I figured I could fix that with some dogs. It has been a learning experience to say the least. Here is one I called in to 50 yards and my client took back in April its a good female. I'm the one holding the lion.


I've been around and done a little reading posting in the past, but figured I would introduce myself and make some new friends. I'm always looking for good dogs, and guides.
Clay Pope

Clay
I live in Menard, not far west of you. I have a few blue hounds and have been known to try to call a critter myself. Give me a holler sometime and I will tell you a story.

I have thought about it. New Mexico has quite a bit of public land, but I am not up to date on their rules and regulations for out of state hunting with hounds. I had asked one of my guides last year to look into the laws for NM and nothing ever got done. I would be interested and it really isn't that much further than I travel already. I have a bunch of country in west Texas that is private property that I pretty much have exclusive rights to hunt and its good country. I have never hunted public property so I don't know what to expect either. Another thing is I don't like to step on other outfitters toes even if its public hunting. No snow either my dogs have never seen snow 1 has I have a walker out of Idaho but has been in Texas for quite a while now. Southern NM appeals to me and even private property that I could lease for Mule Deer etc... I have a friend that has a big lease in NM for muleys, but he told me not very many cats in that country. I think the lease is around Corona.
Clay

Clay
I have hunted hounds since I was in the 6th grade. Lots of bobcats in South Texas. One year, when I was in high school, caught 80 bobcats while hunting with an old man around Devine. We would put our hounds together and generally had around 10 dogs on the ground. My buddy, Robbie Hurt at Dilley has the best bobcat hounds anywhere. He catches 150-170 cats a year and last year caught 3 lions for deer hunters. He hunts primarily running walker type hounds as does everyone else in that country.
As you know, the secret to good dogs is to keep them in the woods. That is why I hunt coon in this country. It is best to keep the dogs sharp trailing something than just lying in a pen. Since most good lion country has no coon in it, this does not generally create a problem.
I will agree with you about the smaller dogs, I am not a fan of large hounds. I do have a male that just turned 3 years old that is making me rethink the size question. He weighs approx. 70 lbs and is lanky. He can stand flat footed and jump a five foot fence, has a ton of stamina and can fly on a good track. He would have a tough time in S. Texas as the short brush would eat him up but well suited in West Texas and NM.
Adios,
Gary