Super Sized Bear Hounds

[bob baldwin jr]

Stopped for fuel yesterday while running errands with the wife . A guy pulls up behind me sees the hound box in the truck and starts asking me questions .Anyhow he claims his cousin in NW Idaho runs bear out there ,BUT all his hounds are 100lbs plus . He could not recall if they were pure strained or a cross breed . I did mention that seemed large to me .Anyone using hounds that large ? If so what is the Breeding . Seems to me the size alone would slow them down

[pegleg]

I believe a member of BGH "ice the collar"?? is/has experimented with Xing Great Danes into his hounds in the north somewhere. Haven't heard much about it's success but that may very well be a lead. A true hundred pound hound in running condition would have to be 30" or more to come close to being correctly built to cover much ground. I have some hounds that are over seventy lbs easily in decent condition that can reach a pudgy hundred if allowed to set around. My belief is it is easier to keep them in shape yearlong then try to get them toned up before season yearly.
My opinion is a hounds ability should be judged on that, not his size or weight alone. I know we all have a ideal hound. however we aren't raising show dogs so ability is top

[Dewatto]

My opinion is a hounds ability should be judged on that, not his size or weight alone. I know we all have a ideal hound. however we aren't raising show dogs so ability is top

Well said, When I look out at my pack they look like something form the Muppets. But as long as they hunt hard and together, that's all that matter to me.

[bob baldwin jr]

pegleg : I do look at hounds as Athletes . You don't see to many running track stars that weigh 200 lbs . just seems to me that particularly in northern Idaho there is lots of elevation changes . Not sure if you western guys hunt bear or cats at over 10,000 ft elevations or not .It would appear to me that possibly less oxygen might slow them down further I guess I should ask at what is the highest elevation your hounds run in.

[cougarhound]

my majestic is 100+ lbs

[bob baldwin jr]

Cougar Hound : If I may ask how does the Majestic stack up against your other hounds as far as speed goes

Also what is the highest elevation you guys hound hunt at

THANKS

[craigs]

If we had bear we'd huntem! Sassy, the big one in back is pushing 100. She is 7months old here. She is not as quick or agile as the standard bred blues, yet.

[shoot4fur]

I had a Duncan black and tan that was 96lbs at just under a year old. he was in good shape but not a good hound. If he were still around i would say that he would have made the 100lb mark.

[ferjr]

My Cameron pups "Jake" and "Elwood" are both over 70lbs and are only 10 months old, still growing? Both are really fast, actually two of my fastest dogs, and seem to have really good indurance when roading them, I know when they go running in the woods things will be different than running down the road, but that ought to come with experence. I have a walker that is really close to 100lbs.

[pegleg]

10,000 ft isn't unheard of in the west I have a peak five miles as the crow flies at that elevation from the house. most common is 4500 up to 7000. there are alot of variables in this region one is the fact that the highest elevations have more moisture and cooler temps leading to stronger deer herds. if a hunter is really serious in a trophy cat there are some at these altitudes. at least that is what their tracks say. there are some absolutely insane cliffs and ledges in them that so far have proven to much for me. I have heard in the past when the fire crews used to maintain the trails some where taken out. but thanks to the passage of time and new under growth they will probably stay safe unless courting gets the better of them. one cat said to have been taken in there was near the magical eight foot mark. like all things a grain of salt must be added but the rug and pics I've seen are impressive anyway.

The thing about large dogs in my mind is this the best jumping hunters are some large horses. wolves are some of the largest lean canines alive and have incredible endurance. I'm not a huge person an even six ft. there are some very competitive men in many sizes yet the overly large guys tend to be soft in many cases. yet those few individuals that have massive size coupled with those other traits equally, can be devastating if you apply the blanket statement that all huge people have no endurance ,speed,drive or strength to size ratio. it's similar to assuming that those generalities about certain races of human are absolute. those traits are a wise thing to be aware of yet it's wrong to rely on them being correct 100%. this is why I try and judge everything individually. Lets look at body size and its relationship to cold hardiness. often a larger animal with stands frigid temps better yet their actual proportions also play a important role. in race horses their drive often out shines the physical advantages of the competition. this is often why so many people out side the physical norms of a sport can compete at the top level successfully. heart.

[jasonrinebold]

I live in NW Idaho and had a guy pull up next to me last year with 5 dogs on his box and they all looked like hundred pounders. My biggest dog, in running shape is about 50 pounds and I have several that run a little under 40 pounds when there in top shape. I've never seen big dogs that could catch the little running bears we seem to have lots of around here.

[bob baldwin jr]

Jason & Pegleg : you both bring up very good points . I do NOT have enough experience to make any judgements on lions ,But when it comes to bears ,I would think lumping Bears ,hounds and people together is difficult to do.

we would all like to think that we have conditioned our hounds to be at Peak performance ,But there is just too many variables . I have seen it both ways .You can have a 40-50 lb hound that is a Speed Demon but will start giving it up after a few hours .Yet a 70 lb hound that can't keep up the speed ,but it seems like their endurence is never ending.

In our part of Maine elevation is Not an issue .Yet the bears that are say 100-135 lb swamp runners just seem to go all day long with very little give-up . On the other hand the big ones 300 lbers the chase seems to be a whole lot shorter NOT sure if that is their endurence or ATTITUDE

We as hunters I guess are in the same delema . Age will surely do us all in He was in the Military for 25 years and continues to work out and run every day . I on the other hand due to age , hips and knees my running days are over but in my mind at what point do you call it quits Somewhat funny though because we are within a 1/2 inch in height and only 5 lb difference in weight

If only the Hounds and Bears could talk We all might learn some things

[bob baldwin jr]

Somehow left out a sentence . I was referring to my son who was in the military

[KIP]

its pretty simple to figure out that that a taller dog of the right comformation equal drive and conditioning will run faster and further then its smaller counterpart in open terrain.
you should see some of the tall longlegged dogs they run in other parts of the world.

smaller dog better in tight terrain and a larger dog of the same proportion work better in open where it can get its stride.

horses for courses.

smaller dogs are far nicer to handle then 70lbs of muscle trying to go

[Andy]

Well, I've heard of a lot of the Gascon type dogs that are pretty big. If you go to Gascon forum on this site you'll see some pics and guys talking about some pretty big dogs. I don't doubt that a big dog can go hard and do anything a smaller dog can but one thing I've noticed that no one here has mentioned is that a hundred pounder is going to put away a lot more grub than a 45-50 pound dog, and good quality dog food ain't cheap.