who started from scratch?

[wisconsin hunter]

I am starting from scratch right now. I actually have an 8 week old bloodhound pup sleeping in my lap as I type this. I know they are not the prefered breed but he comes from lines of coonhunters, and he was the most adventurous pup of the litter. Hopefully he'll have enough grit to hunt. Any advise any of you could pass on would be apreciated.

[Steve White]

I have at least 3 times in the last 20 or so years. It seems to get easier each time. The dogs must be getting smarter, as just can't see this old dog learning any new tricks

[kurt betournay]

Started from Scratch,,,1955,,,,,,,,,,,,,,still scratchin,,,,,,,,,,,,,,give my hounds the name majestc now,,there like this,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,Gascon Hound crossed into majestic hound,,,,then bloodhound in there and a long eared walker type hound,,,,,no one knew where he came from in 82 he wandered into our hunt camp with collar on and we tried for years to find his owner,,,he ended up one of our best hounds,,,someone lost out ,,,,we found him in combermere ontario canada,,,anyway lotsa thanks over year s to Al Womack MO, Harlin Schellin MI, John Roberts PA, Lotsa Gascon Hound People, and especially Lainsing DeLee NY for his breeding knowledge...................kurt from canada,,,gasconhound@hotmail.com

[justjared]

i started from scratch no one in my family ever ran hounds or anything started with pups went to free dogs and pretty much everthing wrong finally bout 6 months ago started gettin into the bloodlines i wanted goin good now out of 15 dogs i have one i started with and had her as a pup but rockin out now proud as can be of my dogs

[Idaho]

My parents hunted black-n-tans when I was a youngster and I went on many a coonhunt. When I was 10, the folks sold all their coondogs and moved west. It wasn't until I was 14 years old that I was able to get a walker pup of my own, within a couple years I had two more pups. Youthful enthusiasm made up for my lack of knowledge, I suppose. With my parents' help and encouragement, as well as advice from a neigbor/houndsman, I plunged headfirst into training those first pups. The dogs and I learned together, and after massive amounts of time and effort (and not a little luck), my first three pups turned into pretty good bear, cougar, and bobcat dogs. All these years later and I still have the addiction and more hounds than brains, lol. Raising a pup from weanling to finished hound is certainly a satisfying thing. Training them from a pup or buying them finished, either way hound hunting is a lifestyle for sure.

[huntinlass]

I started from scratch in the late nineties. I bought 2 littermate pups (male and female). I did not get telemetry or a shock system for around 3 years. BOY, those three years were spent with a lot of worry wondering where the hell they were now. I didn't know/understand to watch them like a hawk. They'd be off chasing who knows what in the drop of a hat. Mostly coyotes and foxes. They hated coyotes because when they were 6 months old they got pretty chewed up by one. I sure learned a lot. Still am. Anyway, in short it was the blind leading the blind and nothing short of a goat rope at times. I sure love them mutts though and looking back with fond memories (because nothing real bad ever happened and somehow I always got them back), I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world. I certainly shake my head in wonder and amazement though.

[jonet plotts]

I have started from scratch over and over again.If i have a dog that wants to hunt and has a brain and some sense how to use it i will have it cold trailing and catching game consistantly by the time it reaches a year and a half old.Getting the dog completely broke and trustworthy is the hard part when you don't have old faithful to guide you along.But with the technology we have now i can even accomplish that by the time the dog is 3 years old.Luckily I've had those kind of dogs to work.That really is the key!

[Glen]

I started out with 2 culls and a pup out of another cull,the pup died of parvo and one of the culls killed the family pet so he was culled.Then I bought a pup trainer to hunt with my other cull, he was to old to make a race then he bit a kid and he was culled.Then I was given a year old dog that had been a pup and a couple months later he was culled.Finally I was given a started dog from someone who was selling out , it was his last one that he couldnt sell, and another buddy gave me a year old pup out of his good dogs then I could almost cath. The one dog that remained from my original purchase was holding the other two back. I gave her away as a pet then my other two started to make the races.Now I have bought another pup we will see how she does as I dont know her parents.I still dont know if I can catch on my own, I have hunted with a buddy who has mediocure dogs.I think another season and I can catch on my own. That will be on my fourth year as a hound hunter. Lots of frustration but I do love this sport!

[007pennpal]

Well, if it was easy it wouldn't be as much fun. I'm sure if I has to use my hounds to eat I'd be well fed if I'd just start shooting all the deer I've cut off using my garmin.
Sean

[Powder River Walker]

I am starting from scratch right now. No one in my family ever hunted with dogs and I never went hunting period until I got married and my wife took me. By starting from scatch you learn that you are the lead dog and learn to appriciate the little stuff. Like when your dogs figure their way around the rocks, or throw their head to the bottom of an old track look up think about it and do it again, then look at you like I know this sent but now what? So when I finaly get something caught other then coon then it will be a great day.
PRW

[Mountainhound]

I started from scratch and am starting from scratch again after a 7 year layoff. Should be easier this time around since I am hopefully wiser than I was then. Rewarding and frustrating.

[dwalton]

I have several times. If you have the ability and time , lots of it, it is the best way to train a dog. I train only for bobcats and have for 30 years. The best dogs are hunted on there own or with other young dogs there age. They learn to do it on there own. It is easier to get them started with a old dog and hunt them on there own when they know what game you want. Which if they are raised right they will know what you want by the time they are old enough to run there own game. Dewey

[seaverv]

I new and starting from scratch. Looks like it's coming along pretty good though. Met a guy and he's helping alittle

[walkerdog]

I started from scratch, by that I mean, I had gone bear hunting with a friend one time and got a hair up my ass and went out and bought 2 pups...Didn't know a thing about it. I laid drags with them and worked with them how I thought I should everyday. Never hunted them with anyone elses dogs, and never trained them with anyone elses dogs. They got pretty good at coon hunting but I didn't know because my friend would come with me once in a while and tell me how much my dogs sucked, so I kept raising my bar. I started bear hunting them when the coon hunting got really easy for them. Once again, never ran them with anyone elses dogs EVER, and I would turn my coon dogs out on bear tracks, I had no tracking equipment so I had no idea how far a bear would run and I would take off hiking after them. After 2 years of not being able to find my dogs I got tracking equipment and HOLY CRAP I found my dogs opening weekend with a bear in the tree!! I'm sure they weren't sure if they were doing good because I had never been to a tree to pet them up so while I was climbing up the shale rock and watching the bear shimmy around the tree, I knew he was going to jump so I yelled "good dogs" to them, and that was all they needed. That year they treed every time I turned them out. I think there is a certain understanding your pups and you come to when you work together and they try that much more to please you, and you try that much more too. I won't ever run my pups with my old dogs to train them, because I think that they learn much more and try harder when they are on their own and so far it has worked for them and myself.

[wvbearchaser1]

I started from complete scratch started really by myself and it took a lot of gas alotta shockin alotta walkin alotta sleepin in the woods for days because i would actually be runnin deer not bear took awhile to figure out and about 5 yrs later i started treeing bears and from then on out all the hard work paid off and things look upward every year that passes and i always plan on keepin some young hounds comin on every year never wana go back to those earlier years almost quit a few times cause i would get mad at myself then when i finally got that black critter in the tree it was like i was kkkkking