Houndsmen

[Timberhound]

Just a question I had runnin through the melon

[three rivers catahoulas]

A houndsmen in my mind, is a person who is in it for the joy of the dogs, not just haven dogs and runnin down or treein game. A person that really wants to better the breed He/She owns and hunts and all others for that matter. A houndsmen is a person that doesn't feel the need to kill every thing they catch. A houndsmen will try and teach any and all who want to learn, And first and for most a houndsmen Takes pride in ownership of his or hers dogs and wants to preserve our haratage and our way of life. And pass it down through our children, because they are our future

[Mike Leonard]

Excellent response TRC!

I couldn't vote because the response I would give didn't fit into the categories.

I have met dozens who bought hounds, who own hounds who hunt hounds that I wouldn't consider houndsmen at all. I have been around hunters who have owned hounds and pursued game for years and I would not consider them a houndsmen. No, TRC hit it on the head it is a condition of the heart. Many are called but few are chosen a houndsmen to become. It is a bit of a lonely jouney at times but your four legged friends( your best friends) make it all worthwhile.

I know this may be a bitter pill to many: a lion hunter does not make you a houndsman, and bear hunter or a cat hunter or a coon hunter does not make you a houndsmen. You are a hunter a possibly a hound enthusiast. You will know when you are a houndsmen. No longer is it a hobby, no longers is it a sport, it is a way of life. And it is not for everybody.

[three rivers catahoulas]

I voted" Sprayed by a skunk" LOL, that was the only one that made me laugh, and the only one that made me have to sleep on the porch one night.

[Bearhunter]

A houndsmen in my mind, is a person who is in it for the joy of the dogs, not just haven dogs and runnin down or treein game. A person that really wants to better the breed He/She owns and hunts and all others for that matter. A houndsmen is a person that doesn't feel the need to kill every thing they catch. A houndsmen will try and teach any and all who want to learn, And first and for most a houndsmen Takes pride in ownership of his or hers dogs and wants to preserve our haratage and our way of life. And pass it down through our children, because they are our future

DITTO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Vance M.]

Lol @ "first time getting sprayed by a skunk"

[Cathunter10]

Getting sprayed by a skunk its happened to the best of them.Even a few of us that are second rate houndsmen.
Bill

[Arkansas Frog]

what does Cage fighter got to do with hounds?

[Buddyw]

I voted for the skunk. Although it didn't turn me a houndsmen, At least I knew I smelled like one for a few days .

that's probably as close as any of the choices I could find.

[Cold Track]

Around here there are a lot of people with hounds that might title themselves as a lion hunter, aka lion killers, wantabe guides, guys that catch one or two lions a year, you know like the typical hound guys that think them and their dogs are the greatest and aren't afraid to tell everyone how great they are, and run down others and their dogs as if this hound hunting addiction is a competition. Te typical hound people that don't have a clue about cat mindedness, reading sign, or even handling dogs, they catch a little game on a fresh snow a couple months a year and that's it. Now Houndsmen, well there are far fewer of them around. In my mind that's a whole bigger greater title. These are the guys that hunt most all year round, can catch game in any condition, won't bragg about themselves, and do it all for the love of the sport, the love of their dogs and the outdoors. The rest...............well, they aren't a pimple on a houndsmen's but!

[Melanie Hampton]

I went with skunk also... Couldn't find any referance to deer Made me feel pretty important at least, listening to the dogs burn up a track

[uncle Brisco]

i totaly beg to differ,all thats good,the love of the game and all but truth be told i don't feel you can call yourselfe a houndsman until something goes horably wrong, and you have to stand there and take inventory over all you mental assets, and you still go back and punish yer self,for me it was when i had my first dog,trained him all by my self,got his first place win easily,run across the road one night, hit by a car but didn't kill him,i had to stand over him and send him home,i was done,was not going threw this again, had a new pup in a week,i decided that is was one of the few things i was good at,or so i thought,so i decided to treat this like a beat down,and come up swinging,been kicking myself ever since,lol, i think its when a fella gets to the point were this crazy thing is in yer blood and yer in it for good,part timers need not aply,lol, it isn't in any defined amount of time,there are some fellas who are born to it(my son) and some folks relize this a little latter on,but no the other hand i've met plent of folks that been chaseing hounds their whole life and they will never be a HOUNDSMEN,now this is just my example and my thoughts on this deep subject

[killemallboy]

just getting to be ouyt there in the woods hearing your dogs work is payment enough plus there are some up sides to it extra food in frezzer but alot of down falls like no money always broke but that is all apart of the game and that is what makes use houndsmen

[michael.magorian]

I agree with uncle Brisco. There are pleanty of people out there that call themselves houndsmen, that couldn't care less about about passing this sport on to another generation. There are pleanty that care about nothing more than a stupid trophy, or where there dogs came from, and treat their hounds like a disposable camera. If I were to write my definition of a houndsman, I would waste a lot of time, but I will say this; you know a "real" houndsman when you see them.

[TomJr]

I don't call myself a Houndsman. I have never been sprayed by a skunk altho I have had a dog rub on my pant legs after it was sprayed that count? I killed my first Lion at 14 years old, 25 years ago... didn't make me a houndsman. Since then I have taken several lions and to many bobcats and foxes to remember.

Now so far this year my dogs have put up 6 bears all of them mulitple times. In the last three days my dogs treed 2 differnt bears and pushed a third right to me in some brush, at one point I was 5 feet from a 300+ lb bear. I called the dogs off after that and went home, maybe if I was a houndsman I would have let the dogs keep pushing it until they either treed it or got ate up... Point is while my dogs tree alot of game I don't consider myself a "houndsman".

All of my dogs are nutered for one. And some are not even hounds or even what most would consider biggame hunting dogs. Thier main job is just to keep bears out of our orchard. But during lion and furbearing seasons I do take them out to run in the canyons around the orchard every morning. We tree a number of bobcats every year and last year got alot of foxes in and around the orchard. We also tree a few lions every year but the last one I took was 5 years ago. Only took it because it was inside the fence, smallish male about 100lbs.

When I think of houndsman I think of someone that is breeding or if not acualy doing the breeding, a part of a breeding program ie running dogs that if they prove out will be bred to improve a line or continue a good one. They are also likly heavily invested in dogs and equipment. Ie dog box tracking collars ect. I have non of those just some dogs that like to chase stuff... only thing I don't allow them to run is deer. We have alot of fun though and I realy admire those that make the sport pay a little or atleast break even