How Come?

[Melanie Hampton]

I'll tell ya what.. If I could afford the big badass set up.. I would have it.. Wouldn't make me hunt any different...

[Big Horn Posse]

I wish I had a truck, dog box, tracking sytem, kennel and all of the rest. Had it, but sold it thinking a man was worth giving it up for. WRONG!! Now, it is just me and my hound starting over fresh. Tell you what I am the happiest girl in the world right now cause I have a great little hound and I am out doing what I love best. That is all that matters. Sometimes you don't know what you had till it is gone, but in the end you find it is not about getting what you want, it is getting what you need. That is what life is all about. Appreciate what really matters and enjoy doing what makes you truly happy. you cant take the rest with you when you go.

[houndnem]

My rig damn sure was top of the line when I got it! barely sputters up the highway now and has more dents and dings than you can shake a stick at. got called the "bling bling" lion hunter when I rolled this rig up the mountain with the boys the first time. sure miss that economy, Now I can barely afford to put new tires and registration on it every year.

[Arkansas Frog]

Rock Creek got a Bear hunting friend that lives in Western N. C. mowed his grass last week and found his boy's lost bicycle. But he loves them Plotts.

[Justaguy]

Brady,

I first have to wonder why you are only looking or using horse people with a lot of money or those who seem to be making a bigger than average wage as the norm for your example. I know plenty of horse people who do not have the multi million dollar places so to depict that all horse people are well off is not right. There are plenty of horse people who drive beat up trucks and pull old trailers and they do the best they can.

As for the hound hunters I am sure that if you look into them as a hole you will find those with really nice places and rigs and those who are doing the best they can.

Both groups of people horse and hound are participating in a sport that requires a life style. Meaning those who choose to live that way are willing to live a life style that revolves around their sport. Their love for their sport keeps them going and I am sure there are as many horse people as there are hound people who get into their respective sport and decide that it is really not what they thought it would be and get out. And those who get into their sport and buy this horse or hound to better their pack or help them move up to the next level.

I maybe wrong but this is how I see it and I have owned both hounds and horses... and I love them both.

Joe

[Mike Leonard]

Missy,

That was well put and I sure do agree with that. You have seen my place and it dang sure ain't fancy but it works and my horsetrailer well that a story in it's self ( Yuck!) but it is a thing of beauty where you can take it.

I get the biggest kick out of seeing guys show up with $40,000. horsetrailer pulled by a $60,000. diesel rig and they unload a couple of puke nags that wouldn't bring $500. at the killers and a couple of old throw away saddles. You figure right quick where their priorites are all show on the road and no go in the saddle.

Most bird hunters don't even train their own dogs other than the family lab type working guys. The big shots buy them and have them trained before they ever bring them home. Then they buy the fancy rig all the collars whistles and stuff and they are set to go. LOL! As a lot of you know I grew up working and training bird dogs and retrievers even before the hounds and my Dad and his partner sold and trained dogs for a lot of folks back them. Most of them would get them mess them up good and send them back for more training it was a pretty good racket I guess. Sort of reminds me of cutting horse people. LOL!

[Big Horn Posse]

I wish I still had my rig.... Was my dream truck. I put a lot of miles on it in the 5 1/2 years I had it. Never let me down. Double tough and was pretty to boot. Maybe I will have one again. Until then I am just lucky I can get out and hunt in my backyard.

[Brady Davis]

Brady,

I first have to wonder why you are only looking or using horse people with a lot of money or those who seem to be making a bigger than average wage as the norm for your example.
Joe

I'm not looking at wealthy people only...Just an observation I had and food for thought. Wealthy with super nice set ups are not the norm. I have shod horses all over the US and international. We all know million $$ set ups are not the norm.....My only observation is I have NEVER seen a setup like this equivalent in hounds. I'm sure they exist...Just never seen one....

Actually, I take that back, back in the late 90's I visited Sooner Black and Tans of Ed Ables in OK and I gotta say, it was the best set up I've ever seen.

[wanchese]

Brady,

I first have to wonder why you are only looking or using horse people with a lot of money or those who seem to be making a bigger than average wage as the norm for your example.
Joe

I'm not looking at wealthy people only...Just an observation I had and food for thought. Wealthy with super nice set ups are not the norm. I have shod horses all over the US and international. We all know million $$ set ups are not the norm.....My only observation is I have NEVER seen a setup like this equivalent in hounds. I'm sure they exist...Just never seen one....

Actually, I take that back, back in the late 90's I visited Sooner Black and Tans of Ed Ables in OK and I gotta say, it was the best set up I've ever seen.

theres a couple that i have seen here in eastern NC that were pretty high class set ups. they belonged to guys that run deer hounds and fox hounds. some of those running walkers live better than i do

[pegleg]

it could have to do with economics or it could do with were the bar is set. if you strive for something you look at the successful then try to imitate them. I am against the bs. theories of hounds husbandry exhibited by many. people keep a PACK of hounds so they can't all be house dogs but that doesn't mean that a stake and five foot chain in a trash filled yard is ideal. I believe if a man has pride in his hounds ability it should flow over into his care of them also.

[Benny G]

I would like to see some of those fancy rigs go where I take my used-to-be fancy rig. In order to keep hunting in this less than desireable economic environment, I have decided to keep running my old pickup. It's a '97 F350 4 door with 365,000 miles on it. I call it "Gummer". I can't see changing out my "old" trailer either. It took me several years and more money than was feesable to make it tough enough to get dragged behind my truck to the places that I wanted to go. With all of my stuff being paid for, I couldn't give a rat's #@$ what anyone else thinks about it. When the mules or horses, dogs and I show up, all I care about is the enjoyment of time spent in the hills watching the dogs do what they were bred to do. To me, it's not about "the stuff" as much as it's about the caliber of the dogs.

[Brady Davis]

Interesting posts here everyone. I agree with a lot fo whats been said and I probably don't agree with some of it too. I do think the bird dogs guys are in a different world, I also don't think they do what they do to impress people only. Let's all be honest, their fancy rigs, if given to us would turn any houndsman on and I can also say that those bad to the bone full body aluminum dog rigs would last anywhere we hunt.

Years ago I visited Sooner Black and Tans in OK and ED ABLE had the nicest hound set up I have ever seen. Ed had $$ but that was a facility that got used! I was just curious why we don't see it in hounds more. I think many of the posts describe why.

It'll be interesting to see what happens in the future. I betcha if our rights stay in tact and we're able to run our big game hounds for years, somebody will put something way cool together. You see all these hunting ranches. I could see a guy buying 50,000 plus acres and ranching for wildlife, esp predators and letting houndsmen come in and run game. Or, the guy himself running hounds for the public on bear, lion, etc on his place. Interesting to think about anyhow....

[Conejos]

This is a very interesting topic. I always have wondered why I have never met a wealthy houndsmen. I think the only answer to this is that if a guy is wealthy he either worked hard for his money which means he don't have time for hounds or it was given to him which means messing around with hounds is way to much work! I also think you don't see alot of guys making a business out of training hounds or selling hounds because they all know we are poor and tight with our money. Great topic though! Its nice to have something to read on this site. Its been pretty slim pickens lately.

[july_hound]

Too me its for several reasons... i know alot of bird hunters, and i go occasionly myself *MAYBE 3 times a year" most them guys are RICH.. plain and simple...bird hunting has changed alot from BACK THEN... now its like previously stated easier terrain for the trucks.. and most them guys to me act A LOT OF STUCK UP.. and to be honest... i ain't going to walk miles on end through the woods to a tree in a thick shirt unless its winter and i have a golden rule "start off walkin cold and you'll be ok" them guys really in all honesty don't have to walk that much like bird hunters used too.. i mean lets all sit down and think about how far we all walk... i'd lay a large sum down saying i've walked over 6 miles if not more in one day through some TOUGH stuff in the HOT and dry georgia heat and then turned aroun leadin 5 dogs back through the woods... and from what i've seen from the "hound" world... true some of us have alot of money.. but most of them are your everyday basic type of people who didn't grow up "keeping up with the johnsons" as the old saying goes... and thats EXACTLY what bird hunters do. don't believe me? go to a big bird hunt.. mostly new trucks and new dog boxes and nice chains/nice clothes... alllllllll that other stuff that doesn't make a dog... they keep up with the johnsons.. allways trying to out do the other guy.. and your rite. we do need to put forward a better foot.. but man... we are who we are.. WE CARE ABOUT THE DOGS AND NOT THE WREST.. you go to a comp hunt.. you'll see plain ol people.. im one of them.. the hell with what my truck looks like, if you told me if i painted my truck hot pink/and make rust poka dots on it i'd never get stuck and could take it were i wanted, thats whats going to happen.. cause that will help me better my dogs....

so overall.. bird hunters *not all but most" try to keep up with the johnsons... houndsman *most of them* we try to enjoy what we do and AFFORD what we can


take care

[Benny G]

Brady,
I'm sure not going to get into any arguments with you, but I am a welder by trade, and I understand physics. I might not treat my equipment with the best of respect according to other peoples' standards, but there is absolutely no way that I would pull an aluminum trailer where I pull my steel trailer. I have to repair my trailer every other year on the average. I have owned aluminum dump trailers, and I haven't found any easy, sure fire ways to repair aluminum trailers once the stess cracks start. I too look at those fancy rigs and drool a little, but then a picture will flash through my mind when the tires of my trailer were three feet off the ground crossing a washed out creek, just to save 6 or 8 miles horseback. I also like to get off the beaten path, and go it alone most of the time.
I am considering having the tranny rebuilt on my "old" '97 welding truck, then building a hunting bed for my '07 F450 to haul more dogs than I own, and 3 horses or mules. If that happens, maybe I can post it in the home made dog boxes thread.