Old vs New

[Ike]

Ike I'm sure your story was true, impressed the man on that day, we all know rig dogs are priceless, and there is many variables. I never hunted with allen, leonard, but they seem to set the mark, that everone is trying to compare themselves to. LOL

Contrary to your statement, I know Leonard has personally stated that he has no knowledge or seen a dog rig a lion track. Matter fact, when I address this issue on the board several years back Leonard came back with his own post about lion scent laying low on the ground and implying he didn't understand how rigging lions is possible. So to say he has set the standard is not truthful in any way. Matter fact, when I started rigging lions on a regular bases no one I knew or had ever met talked about rigging a lion other than a hot one that had crossed the road in front f them; nowdays more and more people are talking about the experience but there was NO standard I followed or attempted to emulate. Therefore, to say anybody "set the standard" and "that everyone is trying to compare themselves to" is pretty funny to me.....

I do know one serious houndsmen who has worked toward this goal and has spoken to me about it in depth over the past few years, and that is Hal Mecham. Mecham has hunted with just about anybody in the Who's who list you want to name, and has also been in my truck and watched my red dogs work. Hal has been in the hound world for over forty years and is still about as tough on a dirt lion track as any man hunting today. None of the southern boys you have mentioned, along with some of the greats, have hunted lions in that fashion (off the rig) on a serious note, but instead hunt off horse or mule. Nothing wrong with that horse or mule hunting, but to imply ol' ike is chasing after some of the guys who don't even hunt the way I hunt is crazy....

I've never attempted to role model or be "like" somebody else, but rather saw something I enjoyed and went and did it. I was raised in a time when young people believed in the American Dream, that is a person could be whatever they wanted if they had the talent, learned the skills, put out the work, effort, time and money it takes to getrdone. And I have had a great deal of success at anything I've set my mine to because of that work ethic and belief system. I can't even image not being happy with myself, and in fact wishing to stand in another man's shoes. Life has been a good ride for me--matter fact it's been GREAT, so if I take offense to someone claiming I want to be like Mike Leonard or Jeff Allen then maybe you can understand why..............

ike

[Powder River Walker]

So back to the Old vs New topic at hand. alot of talk on genetics improving over the years got me thinking. If we base everything on genetics and not the training in the animal kingdom why is it that there are so many white people living on easy street and so many black people living in the projects? As slave drivers way back when ran the show they breed for strong hard workers, so is it in their genetic make up to be better workers then we are? Not trying to be racist here just wondering.
PRW

[Brady Davis]

So back to the Old vs New topic at hand. alot of talk on genetics improving over the years got me thinking. If we base everything on genetics and not the training in the animal kingdom why is it that there are so many white people living on easy street and so many black people living in the projects? As slave drivers way back when ran the show they breed for strong hard workers, so is it in their genetic make up to be better workers then we are? Not trying to be racist here just wondering.
PRW

Good question..... You should email the White House and ask daddy Obama!

[Powder River Walker]

Well he is the exception to the rule because he is an honest hard working amarican.

[liontracker]

Speaking of Mike Leonard, he has repeatedly told me that he has not seen in 20yrs, a hound that could compare on dryground to his Big John.

Old vs New, maybe maybe not.

[Mike Leonard]

Jees, Liontracker don't throw me back in this deal I thought you were a bud? LOL!

Yes I have seen dogs that could compare to John on dryground several come to mind quickly. Jeff Allen's old Ace & Hank dogs, Homer Bryant's Knothead, and Pat Wantland's Dempsey, and a few others. In fact I would have to give the nod to those dogs becasue of their age and tremendous experience at the dirt game. John was the best all around dog I have seen from dirt, to snow to coon, bobcat, bear or lion he was the best. John however after mid life saw very few bare ground lion tracks he was primariliy a snow lion dog and a bear dog deluxe. Not taking away from him one bit that is just what his new owner was hunting and let me tell you he put him on a heck of a lot more game than I ever could have.


I think the best dogs are yet to come. At least I hope that is true. We just got to hunt them hard enough to prove them and prove that point. I hope we can all keep our heads above water in these troubled times and do that.

[liontracker]

Mike. Sorry, I didn't see the bus coming!LOL

I think the best dogs are yet to come.

Yep...

I think that some of the hounds of old were incredible by today's standards.
I also think that in general, a lot of that was lost.
I also think that we have the knowledgs and ablity to create an even better hound than anything from the past.

Time and distance...
May us houndsmen live long enough to see the day!

[Ike]

I had a guy tell me that he had a hound twenty years ago that was a dirt lion trailing son-of-a-gun. He went on to say, "when that hound stuck his nose in the dirt and went to sucking and blowing all you could see was a cloud of dust until he was gone!" Nope, they don't make'em like that no more.............

ike

[arizonabeagle]

i think with all this technology we have these days, epsecially computers us hound guys are more able than ever to to create a better hound than yesterday, be it coon, bear, lion, bobcat dog, what have you.
places like this where guys could in a sense "gather" and share info about different bloodlines and whats workin for who, we should in theory be able to create better dogs

[ChasinTail]

I had a guy tell me that he had a hound twenty years ago that was a dirt lion trailing son-of-a-gun. He went on to say, "when that hound stuck his nose in the dirt and went to sucking and blowing all you could see was a cloud of dust until he was gone!" Nope, they don't make'em like that no more.............

ike

When you hunt pounded out desert cattle country this happens all the time...but most likely because the dogs are sneezing from sucking up so much dust....

I've got a walker that will tear into a prickley pear cactus like it's a ribeye steak! TOP THAT! (Mike, hopefully we'll have Hondo bent off of cactus before you get him back! )

[Ike]

WEll I'm glad to hear that dog was probably only choking on dust cause I thought maybe he had something going on ha!

ike