BigGameHoundsmen.com

hey everyone. im tired of waiting around for snow to go hunting. and , and there cold noesd hounds arnt that cold nosed cuz they can barly cold noes a day old track in snow. what i am loooking for is for some one to point me in the way of what breed is best. for cold nosing some nice old. Coon track.

snow comes with its own set of complications, Montague Stevens' bloodhounds couldn't trail his 20 min old tracks in snow given the level of the temp! a day old track in snow given the right conditions can be virtually impossible to scent, rock holds more scent than dirt, and damp clay can be equally impossible. Where are you located, pacific NW I am guessing, lots of moisture there, dogs from that part of the country have a tendancy to fall flat on their faces in dry climates. there's alot more to it than just a cold nosed dog. You can find one in any breed, but you will have to look at a strain within the breed to get it. Old tracks are overrated anyway, you can have em.

Find a dog in the conditions you hunt that gets it done and go from there and get a pup out of that strain,(and no, old trusty to old faithful isn't a strain unless they are line bred) or else get out the checkbook, might change your mind about how bad you need one.

larry wrote:snow comes with its own set of complications, Montague Stevens' bloodhounds couldn't trail his 20 min old tracks in snow given the level of the temp! a day old track in snow given the right conditions can be virtually impossible to scent, rock holds more scent than dirt, and damp clay can be equally impossible. Where are you located, pacific NW I am guessing, lots of moisture there, dogs from that part of the country have a tendancy to fall flat on their faces in dry climates. there's alot more to it than just a cold nosed dog. You can find one in any breed, but you will have to look at a strain within the breed to get it. Old tracks are overrated anyway, you can have em.

Find a dog in the conditions you hunt that gets it done and go from there and get a pup out of that strain,(and no, old trusty to old faithful isn't a strain unless they are line bred) or else get out the checkbook, might change your mind about how bad you need one.

Larry is 100% right!

There are cold nosed dogs in every breed, and every strain, it is just finding that dog that is hard. Getting a pup and training it to stay cold nosed is also hard. You have to work with your pups and put them in situations where they will have to use their cold nosed abilities.

Patients-patients-patients.......that's what keeps a cold nosed dog cold trailing......

Keep looking.. Lots of us hunt successfully without the snow...

I say hold on and buy a trained dog, but honestly, they don't come around that often.. It's usually a personal hardship that causes you to get rid of number 1 or 2 (In my opinion) But it will happen..
But you might be waiting awhile..

You can take a young started dog and help it out, if you have snow (yeah, were the heck is it at?) YOu just have to lace up your boots and start walking.. Its work.. I know, I've worn out a pair of boots or so..

Personally you can keep the snow.. I'll hunt without it.. It means less houndhunters in the woods.. At least around here...

Well said -Don and Melanie.I do have to laugh at the Nw dogs fall on their face comment though.
Tim

I think its partially finding a good prospect and if he has the determination to want to hunt and want to use his nose he can make himself work harder and harder, which is turn people call being a cold nose. Not saying every dog is born with that ability to have so much determination but if the genetics are right and typically a dog has the nose then all you need to see if he/she wants to hunt, and how bad. That determination they have to pound a track there in turn makes them a "cold nosed" hound.

hmm. the want to hunt, and the the desire to hunt....DO NOT!, make the dog cold nosed at all. These are aids to assist a cold nose....cold nosed is exactly that cold. example i have link up 2 dog on couplers the walk over to an exsisting track and though both dogs have determination heart and hunt the one dog has no clue its there while the other is opening and trailing away........lol allmost like bare ground and dry ground are separate term in my book..

I agree completely. I was saying that a dog also has to have the breeding behind it which in turns typically leaves the dog with a better nose. You put that next to a dog that doesnt have the genetics of being a cold nosed breed then its screwed either way. The dog who has the genetics behind him and has the same determination is going to be able to move that track

I'm allways interested in talkin about stuff[not having a pissin match]because most of us see our own way[myself included] and can't beleive something, if we or our dogs,horses,trucks etc.haven't or can't done what we hearing about.
Last summer my hunting partner and I were invited to The Desert in90-100degree weather.We met Jeff Allen and Corey Kinross down there,the talk was that dogs can't strike bobcat off the rig in those kinda of conditions.After the 5th legible bobcat track was struck off the rig[1 being 90+ yards from the truck] I think guys started to believe.And yes they were even these Northwest moisture suckers we have.I've bought dogs as many of us have from about every kinda climate-level of hunter-breed you name it,and I still have yet to find anything colder nosed than what's raised right here for the bobs.Especially if you still want it to be able to move a track fast enough to actually catch the cat instead of just still cold ttrailing.
Tim 541-912-6464

Very well said Tim. I have seen alot of cold nosed dogs that could not trail fast enough to scatter thier own crap. So bottom line is just because a hound can open on a track that other dogs cant doesnt meen anything to me if they cant move it fast enough to catch what they are opening on. later, Andy