BigGameHoundsmen.com

But again muleman plenty of men out there way more successful, smarter and better hunters/breeders than I am. And have better packs and individual hounds than me

Perk, do you think every time a dog puts a cat in his mouth he gets smarter? I had a hunter tell me he moved from one state to another taking the same strain of dogs he had been breeding for25 years. His catch rate tripled in 6 months. I believe he said he caught 72 cats the first year and had 17 month old pups doing what normally his 3 yr olds did. Same stock of dogs.

His catch rate tripled? Or he caught 3x as many cats? Bc that's potentially 2 different things, I'd prob catch more cats if I lived in an area with more cats, but do not know that I would catch at a higher rate.

No catching a cat doesn't make a dog smarter necessarily, but usually makes a dog desire to catch increase if they have a good prey drive. And the more a pack of dogs actually catch game on the ground the better they get at finishing a cat off when it's ready to be caught, they learn how to catch the more they do, and packs that do catch more game do tend to be more efficient at catching game when it's that time of the race.

I also think location and terrain affect the traits a dog may need, pack size, and difficulty catching

Perk, what do think makes the best race from start to finish, grey fox or cat?