Rigging

jlyman · Post by **jlyman** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 12:22 am

hey I was just wondering how hard it is to get a dog that used to rigg bears to start doing it again. It has been about two years since he has been bear hunting.

Then this going to be my first year hunting bear and just have a couple stupid question for you guys. once you get a rigg how do go about the rest. Do you just dump the dogs or do you have to look for a track. Are the dogs silent intill smell one Do they open harder the closer you get to the track so do you keep on driving intill start to slow down then back up.

Thanks
Jim

Ike · Post by **Ike** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 12:44 am

Running dogs blind off the rig is something a person should only do after their rig dogs have proven themselves to the owner. And just because they rig true the first time (or with a good pack) doesn't mean they are always gonna be honest. If that dog hasn't been hunting on bears for two years, I'd put it up and then make it show me the track before you let'em run.

I often run lions when bear season is closed and am usually forced to make the dogs show me the track. I generally make my dogs all wear shock collars so I can call them off game if need be. They all pay attention and it has never hurt the big heart or the drive in a single one of them.

Good luck and let us know how it goes.........

ike

jlyman · Post by **jlyman** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 12:56 am

Thank you Ike
I will be sure to find the track. Just one more thing if he has ran bear is it like people once you have done it you never forget like ridding a bike. Should I try scents to get him used to bear scent.

Jim

Ike · Post by **Ike** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 1:02 am

I suppose all of us go through the whole program again each spring, as the bears where i live den and they just don't get much action from November until May. And they don't seem to forget how to rig a bear or what they smell like. There probably is a point of diminishing return when a good bear dog is no longer a good bear dog. But the truth is, if a hound was ever a good rig dog then the skills it developed will mostly likely come back rather quickly.

The best thing you can do is get that dog in a place with lots of bears and some good dirt for cutting tracks if possible and turn it loose. I'll let somebody else address scent use, as I haven't used anything (even for young dogs) in years. Personally, I've learned to never take a dog from anybody and just breed and raise my own pups. If a pup bonds to it's peers and has natural hunting instincts all you have to do is turn them in and get out of the way........

Good luck,
ike

bearbredplotts · Post by **bearbredplotts** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 10:46 am

take em to the woods and road em, re introduce em to the woods . get all their senses workin again. roadin em in the woods will let their brain start to click again
i wouldnt be too worried about catchin game at this point, id want to get the dog in decent enough shape so they can finish a race.
if he was a true bear dog before, itll never leave.
figure out where all the bear are where you live. what are they eating? my bear yesterday had crab apples and salmon in his stomach.
get out in the woods and learn your bear country. know it so well that youll know where to find a bear at any month of the year. up here some bears are active all winter- some hibernate.
never turn loose without a shock collar! find a mentor.
never let your dogs bark in the box or on the box unless its a strike. my dogs booger bark when the got to drop a turd, so i let them out to do what they got to do. know your dogs- learn from eachother.
ill stop here! good huntin

Lonewolf · Post by **Lonewolf** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 8:51 pm

A Rig dog is born with it and will always be a rig dog. If he's a rig dog just hunt him.

jlyman · Post by **jlyman** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 12:20 am

Thank you guys I will just put him in the woods and see what we can find

Thanks
Jim