BigGameHoundsmen.com

Arizonabeagle,
I totally agree.......

Man, I'm sorryto hear about that.

That guy is going to piss off the wrong person one day

Definately sounds like a lousy deal,too bad.
Kinda got me thinking about what drives this sport and who is out there hunting.
Locally we do not have a Hounds club but there is one that covers the entire province of Alberta.There are meetings and a newsletter comes out a couple times a year but that only reaches members.Something like what you boys are talking about here seems simple enough to understand but there are plenty of issues that are not quite as easy to say yes or no on.
I guess were I'm headed to on this is that how do we as hunters and houndsmen determine what the "Code" is and how do we communicate it to everyone so as to avoid these issues.There are plenty of houndsmen everywhere that do not belong to any organizations at all and there are numerous opinions on all aspects of this sport that are obviously not agreed to by everyone.
Now this deal here is a simple one to figure no doubt but I'll give you an example of an issue that I see here now and then that causes a little anxiety locally.
You get out early,say 5 am and start looking for Cougar tracks,everything works out and you find a track that crosses the road heading west toward another road.I will put out a mark of some kind,an old coffee cup works,and go check the other road.The cat does not cross the other road and you come back to find another truck parked there,boot tracks and dog tracks make it obvious that someone else is now running your track.That really gets me riled!
I have talked to these guys and they do not agree with leaving a mark and being able to claim the track,in fact I have come upon the wife of one of the fellas standing on the track at 5 30am,cold as heck while he drives around to check the other road.
Now aside from the fact that we all want a woman like that,who is right and who is wrong here?Is it ok to claim a track or not and how can we have a code that sets it all straight?

Eric Muff wrote: I guess were I'm headed to on this is that how do we as hunters and houndsmen determine what the "Code" is and how do we communicate it to everyone so as to avoid these issues.

I think the answer to that question is an easy one but you'll never get compliance on it, and that's follow the Golden Rule, "do undo others as you would have them do unto you."

Eric Muff wrote:You get out early,say 5 am and start looking for Cougar tracks,everything works out and you find a track that crosses the road heading west toward another road.I will put out a mark of some kind,an old coffee cup works,and go check the other road.The cat does not cross the other road and you come back to find another truck parked there,boot tracks and dog tracks make it obvious that someone else is now running your track.That really gets me riled!
I have talked to these guys and they do not agree with leaving a mark and being able to claim the track,in fact I have come upon the wife of one of the fellas standing on the track at 5 30am,cold as heck while he drives around to check the other road.
Now aside from the fact that we all want a woman like that,who is right and who is wrong here?Is it ok to claim a track or not and how can we have a code that sets it all straight?

Holding a track while you cut around looking to warm it up is a tough issue, and this is how I would handle it: If I had six dogs in the box, which I usually do, I'd send three down the first track and then start cutting around it. If that lion has popped out across the next road, then send the next three and wait on the first three to cross and make sure they make a safe crossing or pick them up and continue the process.

I had a couple jackasses cut me off on a bobcat a few winters back. The track crossed from right to left on fresh snow so I shipped three hounds, and in a mile or so the road forked. The dogs were still on my left so I drove on up the left fork of the road. In another mile or so the dogs and track crossed back from left to right so I turned around and drove back down to the fork. Well you guessed it, a truck had come in behind me and so I fell in behind them not knowing who they were.

I followed the trailing dogs up the canyon for another mile or so and came to a little two-track road that went straight left and those guys had gotten a dog out and walked up to cut my dogs off and drop theirs in ahead of them. That truck and the two turds were gone so I followed those tracks up and saw where the asshole had cut my bobcat tracks and dropped on it. My hounds were still coming when I arrived and I pulled them when they got to me.

Now personally I believe that was one of the more chickenshit things I'd ever saw a two hoiunddoggers do. I could hear their old bawl mouthed dog working the track out ahead of me and just turned around and left. Before I left I started to drive up the road and see who they were, but figured it was best I never knew what kind of turds are in this sport..........

Good luck and keep'em treed,
ike

I see here now and then that causes a little anxiety locally.
You get out early,say 5 am and start looking for Cougar tracks,everything works out and you find a track that crosses the road heading west toward another road.I will put out a mark of some kind,an old coffee cup works,and go check the other road.The cat does not cross the other road and you come back to find another truck parked there,boot tracks and dog tracks make it obvious that someone else is now running your track.That really gets me riled!
I have talked to these guys and they do not agree with leaving a mark and being able to claim the track,in fact I have come upon the wife of one of the fellas standing on the track at 5 30am,cold as heck while he drives around to check the other road.
Now aside from the fact that we all want a woman like that,who is right and who is wrong here?Is it ok to claim a track or not and how can we have a code that sets it all straight?

That is a tough one for sure. Although this probably isn't the answer you are looking for you asked what we thought and here is my opinion on this. I will run a track that is marked but only if the guy isnt back buy the time its legal to cut the dogs loose. Now if I find a track I sometimes try to freshen up the track but its more about the dogs running the track then it is about the catch for me. I will look around and try to find the guy that stomped it out then go back and turn loose. jmho

One more thing I doubt there are to many woman out there that will stand on a lion track in wolf country unless they have been beet a time or two. Did she look like he had already told her twice? hahajk

dryground

couple of questions man, how did the horse guy get past you? if it was my race that would not happen. were they packing bigger guns and I am not talking about the ones that take ammo I am talking about the ones connected to your shoulder.

why weren't your dogs moving the track did this jerk whip your dogs off the track with the horse sounds like theres more to the story enlighten us

The horse came in after I was on foot. All they did was ride up the next ride. Nothing I can do. And for guns Im a big man. I have been in jail for thinking I was right and the law said I was wrong don't want that again and for the dogs I don't no what happened.
( I appreciate everyone opinion Thank You)

Wow I would be mad to. How many of them were there. listening to the dogs barking treed an hearing the gunshot knowing that was your cat you had started. did you talk to them when they came out with the cat.

there was 4 men and 1 kid I didn't see them I talked to the rancher up there the next day win I was looking for my dogs. He said they came by his ranch with the cat.

whoflungdung wrote:[That is a tough one for sure. Although this probably isn't the answer you are looking for you asked what we thought and here is my opinion on this. I will run a track that is marked but only if the guy isnt back buy the time its legal to cut the dogs loose. Now if I find a track I sometimes try to freshen up the track but its more about the dogs running the track then it is about the catch for me. I will look around and try to find the guy that stomped it out then go back and turn loose. jmho

It is not always a simple matter. I have been on both ends of the deal. I have had my life threatened for putting my dogs on a track that was being worked a mile away. I had no idea. There was no way I could have known. I was in an entirely different drainage, came in from the opposite direction,with a loud river to boot.

I also have had dogs cut in on a track I was working. I always remember the above, befor I jump to violent conclusions.

As far as owning a track I have found and then left: my opinion is that if I leave a track, then it is up for grabs. I dont like hunting areas that are hunted and trapped alot, but when I am stuck in that type area, I will hide tracks that are five days old.
There are many many tracks that have been stomped out by hunters that they never returned to. I immagine there have also been coffee cups left on a track, and those cups are still there in the ditch today, and that track never was run.

I agree with the point already made: If you want to claim a track, better put a dog on it. jmo

"Do unto others as you would have them do unto you"

That's a bad deal alright............. people do some stupid things when money is involved.

Dryground, we already talked about this and you know my opinion. I hope you get this resolved. Some of the other guy's on here are right he'll end up with 2 busted knee's one day! By the way how is the little plott doing?

Two sides to every story. Glad you came on Fred to give your side also.

Seems to me that there are alot of people on this forum that have some very strong ideas of what is right and what is wrong.Given the fact that you guys are from every corner of North America and beyond in some cases it's easy to see why opinions differ widely,add to that hunting styles and hunter abilities,dogs,equipment,topography,game species,weather conditions and so on and on and on how can we define it all?
There are guys on here that know their stuff,guys that think they know,guys that want you to think they know and guys that admittedly know very little at all,it's not hard to sort them out for someone in the know.There are a great number of "green" hunters on this site and others that lack the experience to sort through it all and still others that will always go their own way no matter who they need to scramble over,thats a fact of life not just dogs.
Why don't we all take a second or two and scribble down a few "rules to live by",I for one would be very interested to hear what you guys see as important and I know that the "green "guys out there could use the direction.
Here are just a few of mine;
1.If a group of guys are out searching for tracks and one individual locates the track he should have his fellow houndsman give him the courtesy of allowing his dogs to line the track out before loosing their own.
2.As I said earlier you should be able to mark a track while you check out whether it recrossed ahead of you or on adjacent roads.
3.When you decide you are in the race,you are in it until everyone and every dog is back safe and sound at the truck or in the dog box.
Thats a pretty good start I'd say,what you guys got to say?