Bear hide drag

[bob baldwin jr]

I need some advice and opinions. I am just starting to assemble my first pack of hounds for Bear and bobcat hunting .This is my question. Last Sept came across a road kill cub about 40 lbs . Went by at 3:00 Am was not there went by at 5:oo AM and spotted it . Threw it in the back of Truck ,went home put it in double plastic bags and put it in chest freezer in my shop. I have a few options:
Take it out ,thaw it , skin it , take to taxidermist , NOT sure if legal
Take it out , thaw it . skin it , use it for a drag for training

What would you do and if used for drag Do you think it is still scented enough to do it.. Hide is in very good shape.
I have read several postings about using drags ,But how many sections would you cut the hide into ??? How long are they good for???
Initially the pack will be 2 finished hounds 2 started hounds and 2 pups. I was considering using for training and exercising making 3 trials by age of hounds or would you run them all together???
Moderator if this is an in-appropiate post please delete. If so can someone please PM me with their thoughts , I appreciate any imput.

[pete richardson]

my first advice is-- its not legal to pick up roadkill here-
so better check on that --


i have used a piece of (tagged and reported ) frozen hide for a drag to start pups -- get them keyed in to bear scent-

put it back in freezer double bagged as soon as done- -as long as it remains partly frozen it will last several training sessions-
i cut it small so i can bounce it along on the ground- i dont drag it , i jerk it lol

if you wanted something for pups to see and tree on ?

helped a guy once that would rub it on a plastic garbage bag and the tree and put bag up in the tree for extra effect lol

especially if its a little windy ---- drove his pups crazy -

this was lot of fun , im not sure its teaching them what i want - lol -


i dont run trained hounds on drags altho i know good houndsman that say it works for them -

[bob baldwin jr]

Pete: I will not list the state but when I got home I called the State F&G Dept I gave them my address ,phone number,The only question they asked me was what mile marker I found it. I did ask what they did with them and was told Hwy Dept picks up road kill and takes to land-fill. No one ever called me back for further questions So I do not feel bad about doing what I did. Yes I realize it is a very gray area. Don't know what else I could have done.
When you say you use a piece of frozen hide how big a piece are you talking???
I don't know if this would be good for a finished hound but my feeling is the started hounds and pups would defineately be of advantage to them.
When the time is right on the training I will try the garbage bag trick;
THANKS

[pat_kemp]

I think that using a hide works puppies great and even started dogs good. just to get them trailing good and maybe even treeing a little. I usually use a coon skin that i catch out coon hunting since i have never killed or even found a bear. but it teaches my pups to keep their nose on the ground and trail fast i really dont think that it matters on the size the more hide the more scent it puts off less hide less scent. just depends on what you want. But i wouldnt run them on a lot of drags just because they will get used to that kind of trailing and the animal isnt going to drag itself so they need to also learn how to trail a track. not just a drag mark. well hope it helps.
Pat

Ps after your done with the drags look on the cat training section thats right under the big game forum when you first get on. Hes got some killer advice on how to train some dogs i know it has worked miracles on my dogs. i have ten month old pups that i do that to and now they are trailing there own lions and bobcats pretty good.

[bearhntwi]

We run drags alot in the spring on the younger dogs before our training season starts.We have an old hide that we tanned and we wrap it around a 30 gallon barrel hang it in a tree,take a piece of hide or whatever soak it in bear scent run the drag then the "bear" is in the tree for them to tree on.This is how most of the hound clubs here do they're field trials now as well,the anti's here made a big fuss over us using live bear in a cage.

[Hi Tech]

I have had great success starting my young dogs on drags. I do it a little different though. I have a canvas dummy that I spray with scent. The scent I use is called BEAR TRAIL I found it at Cabelas. I drag the dummy according to the dog’s age and ability. I only use the hide (two foot square) to hang in tree. I lower the hide if I need to get the dogs attention. But be careful this is a good way to get the dogs running the tree. So only lower it if all else fails.
Now for the drags, let it set for awhile. For the first time or two I recommend an hour. Then increase until they can’t take it. You’ll be surprised at the time. I hope it works for you as well as it has for me. Good Luck.

[pete richardson]

When you say you use a piece of frozen hide how big a piece are you talking???

-ive used one hind foot and hide from leg-

never measured it ,lol

i want it small enuff so i can bounce it along-

[Jordan Run Walkers]

Does using a scented drag cause young dogs to run the back track? Seems as if you put a bunch of scent on a drag and take off dragging it, the further you go with it the less scent your going to have. Seems as though you would start the dogs where you finish the drag.

[Will M.]

I made that same comment while bear hunting this fall that all the bear trials are run backwards where the trail starts out hot and get's colder as they run it to the end. Be interesting to see if they ran it from the tree to the start line what would happen when the dogs are let loose.