BigGameHoundsmen.com

West Virginia bears must have migrated from WI cause that sounds exactly like the ones we run.

Preston Joy I agree with ya man. A small percentage of dogs and I mean a small percentage are bear dogs.

The one thing that is never said is bring your dogs and I'll take you bear hunting.

I have been invited on a lot of bear hunts from people I associate with, and I have seen maybe 3-4 out of hundreds I would feed. Even after the hunt is over I hear, well they suit me. They did not even make a tree or stay with a walking bear, but they still suit the owner.

Swede it sounds as if those Plotts are doing good for ya. I hunt Plotts and cull a lot of others. It seems to me from those that catch a high percentage of bear have a plott or two. JMO

Everybodies talking Plott's or Walker's so I just figured I'ld throw in here that I hunt Mathes Lion Hounds. The Mathes dogs suit me better than either plott or walker, although I've seen good bear dogs in both breeds. It ain't necessarily how many bear you catch, it's how many get away that determines a real bear dog in my opinion. I've seen dogs that caught a lot of bear that I didn't consider bear dogs. If that real rank bear can whip them, or that little rat bear outrun them, I'm not happy. Good dogs make 90% of the bear look easy, and the other 10% are what you judge the quality of dogs on. And usually the rankest meanest bear you will run will weigh 100-125 when you kill it.

And usually the rankest meanest bear you will run will weigh 100-125 when you kill it.



Hmmmmmm!

If a 100-125 lb bear takes it to three or four dogs, I might shoot the dogs!

A 100-150 lb bear is stretched, with three or four bear dogs!

We could talk about this all day and never agree on anything. I catch about 90% and thought I had good dogs. Maybe I dont. Im not going to get rid of them I know that. Still not sure how you cant be happy catching 9 out of 10 bears.

Hey Catch,I'm just curious how many 150lb bears your dogs have stretched ? Does that often result in alot of Vet bills and dogs out of commission until they get healed up ? I can't imagine that a bear of that size wouldn't do his fair share of damage.That has got to be one hell of a fight.I've seen some pretty mean bears that size and I bet they don't go down easy.

I'd bet we're in that 90% range on jumped bear, and I'd the ones that get away are usually from out-running us. It's probably lower than that at the beginning of the season, when the dogs are fat.

I've seen a bear or two stretched like that, but it's not very darn often. And I'd about bet that there was something wrong with it in the first place. I do know that you can tag one with a tag straight from the DNR (without using your own), if you call up a fish cop and confirm that there are no weapon holes in it.

Of the bear we killed this year, only two were treed. The rest were on the ground. The one that did the most damage was the smallest at $164lbs dressed.

Smiley wrote:Travis I do not think you were bashing the plott breed at all . Just giving your personal experience as I did .
Swede asked this And im woundering what dog rase (breed) are the best for bear hunting and why?
and I gave my answer .
If he asked which breed produced an averge faster dog or more stand on the wood tree dogs I would say walker but he asked for the best beardog and knowing a little of what type of hunting and how the dogs have to be gave my best answer .As I allways will wether it looks good for my prefered color or not.
Maybe you and ryan can draw a Idaho permit and come bring Team Strawberry shortcake for a run over here or come hunt with me in B.C. this summer I would be happy to tell others how good those dogs are.

Hey...how would your dogs fair with a real bear....meaning a honest to goodness Grizzly....grit and grizzly not such a great combo...just wondering???

Horshur some have faired better than others as I am sure you are awhare we are not allowed legaly to pursue grizzlies.

I have a walker looking dog which a freind pick-up out of the pound.My friend doen't hunt but when the dog stared treeing the nieghbors cats. He asked if I wanted to give it a try so I did. at a year old fought,treed just like the old ones. Right know I'm hunting a Redbone,trigg,3 walkers and a redtick they all get the job done. They work as a team and have learned how to work the bear in different conditions. So brains is a must which ever breed a person decides to hunt. The handler must realize a beardog as it or not and cull.

Spanky, somehow I don't see how it would better a breed if everyone quit judging eachothers dogs. You can't claim to agree with the basics of culling, but yet on the other hand say it's nobodies buisiness, because they suit me. Well,..... I guess you can, but then you have to convince people you are trying to better your chosen breed, while telling them not to judge your dogs.???????

onalimb wrote:Spanky, somehow I don't see how it would better a breed if everyone quit judging eachothers dogs. You can't claim to agree with the basics of culling, but yet on the other hand say it's nobodies buisiness, because they suit me. Well,..... I guess you can, but then you have to convince people you are trying to better your chosen breed, while telling them not to judge your dogs.???????

Mercey me Mr. onalimb da what give it away too ya/ don`t worry Mr. Spankie is cool he might have to reconsider some I mean hes a hard hunter and all and his dogs catch game I seen the proof, but he maynot be the sharpest knife in the drawer/ like myself I know bout hunten and have had enoughf successes cause of help along the learnen curve scale/ but as has been pointed-out fairly conserning myself=I have too be mentally challanged cause spellen and useing a typewritter is surely not my fore`tay ! hahahaha


That above was wrote bout spankie not about onalimb/ sueeee !
I like spankie and he has some good posts and sometimes its easy to forget some previouse own posts an they don`t quite mesh ?! Well it be ok but save others can go look up all your posts and study em and conclude fairly by your own writeings ya messed-up ! I know I`m guilty as hell at it now and then so I tryand man up too it/ I doubt anyone asks a man to do anymore than that/right ?!

jack

Spanky, somehow I don't see how it would better a breed if everyone quit judging eachothers dogs. You can't claim to agree with the basics of culling, but yet on the other hand say it's nobodies buisiness, because they suit me. Well,..... I guess you can, but then you have to convince people you are trying to better your chosen breed, while telling them not to judge your dogs.???????

Preston without getting into a long drawn out explanation, I have hunted with alot of friends over the years and in several different states through different terrain and climates.

I have hunted them with plotts, blueticks, redbones, black and tans and even some mixes, so I would have to say I have witnessed first hand what they can do against others. I would say that is the best measuring stick I could have is to see them run against other hounds. They make me happy, they held there own, they did not get over shadowed by any of the others. What more is there to say

Could they be better? Are there better out there? Hell ya I'm sure there is but for now I'm not gonna go and cull a whole pack of hounds when I have not experienced other hounds giving mine an ass whooping. Like I have said I have done my share of culling and will continue to do so with hounds that are not worthy of feeding.

Scott we have shall we say disagreements but I liked your post.