BigGameHoundsmen.com

Hi,

I've been a member for a few months now and have enjoyed all the different topics and comments that all of you have done. I am an older hound hunter that has seen his hunting ground turned into housing tracks over the past thirty or so years.

When I hunted it was 99 percent bob's with a lion now and then and even fewer coons. We could hunt year round in our southern California coastal mountains and do to the dry conditions we would hunted 99 percent of the time at night and early mornings.

I have now finally gotten close to retiring and I plan on moving out of SC and getting back into hunting hounds. Since I will have only one job hunting I hope I can get out at least 5 or 6 times a week.

Keep up the good work and happy hunting to all....

Justaguy

well someday every houndsman wants that job. what kinda dogs do u run ? what are u after big game? been learning and running past three years but the lions here are very addit. so good look on getiing back into it

When I ran hounds all the time I had two walkers and a Black & Tan. My buddies had a mix of walkers and blueticks. We ran bobcats most of the time but would get a lion wondering through our area three for times a year. The lions are protected in California so we would tree them(when we could) and hook up and go.

As for what I will hunt I guess that will depend on where I move. I guess I would stay a bobcat guy if given a choice. Of course if a lion is around and you can hunt them I would have no problems there either.

Thanks and good luck on your lions !

Welcome, where are you from in So Cal? I am a former NB girl

Yes, CA. is a great place to be 'from'. Actually, I'm amazed you can still run bears there.

Hi,

I live in La Mirada/Fullerton area and we hunted south of the ortega hwy on the Temecula side of the mountain range in Cleveland National Forest. We would hunt from the Ortega hwy south to Fall brook and from temecula west to the back side of Camp Pendleton if you know the area. But not anymore! It's all houses or little 5 and 10 acre places now. A few times a year we would go up to central California (east of Porterville) and hunt bear with friends and family living up there. They still have room to hunt up that way but not in the south. I've got a couple of years left and I am going to move somewhere I can have hounds and get back into hunting. At least until the national humane society stops all hunting. You know they have ad's running here on TV asking people to join their cause and cruelty to all animals everywhere. And they show pictures of dogs, cats and the cattle at the slaughter house. It's not hard to see that the next step will be hunting. If all hunters hound, gun, bow, trapper do not join together hunting as we know maybe a thing of the past in the not to near future.

Sorry I got on the old soap box... but it could go that way sooner than we think..

Keep the hounds going till I can join ya and please keep the stories and topics going for all of us that can not be out there as much as we like.

Justaguy,

I know those hills very well myself. As I said I grew up in Newport Beach. I used to keep my horses in San Juan Capistrano and would travel Ortega Highway all the time to Lake Elsinor and Temechula to go look at horses for sale. I was also married to a Marine stationed at Pendelton and lived in Fallbrook before he was transfered to 29 Palms. When I was little my parents used to take us for drives down Trabucco Canyon Road and we had a cougar run out in front of our car one time.

I too know those hills very well. I grew up on the ranch that borders the forest and Camp Pendleton on the SJC side. Actually Camp Pendleton belonged to the ranch before the war when the government bought the land from them. I've got some great memories in those there mountain as do hte two of you I'm sure. I sure do miss the ranch but I must agree that California is a great place to be FROM! I didn't realize that till I got out. Good luck, welcome, and happy hunting!

Tessa,

How did a Newport Beach girl end up in Montana running red bone hounds? Some really nice looking dogs I Might add. You know I have never hunted with anyone who had red bones. I have never been color blind about my dogs but I do prefer a nice bawl on track with a good chop change at the tree. I do not care if they tree on the tree or stand back. My old dogs were all a little different. They all had a bawl mouth but one walker was semi silent till we'd jump whatever we were running(mostly bobcats) and try and climb the tree once treed if he could. My walker female would open all the way and tree back away from the tree. If you watched her she would sit back, not treeing real hard, but be usually looking right at what they had treed. My Black and Tan was open and would tree with his feet on the tree or be up in the tree if he could. They were not trashy and would run bear, lion, bobcat and coon as hard as they could. If they got on a fox the black and tan would quit and come in. I would send him back and he would go but he just never really had his heart in running a fox.

I have a question and I do not mean to offend anyone but is game in such short supply that hounds men are running coyotes on purpose ? We would cull any dog that would run a coyote or deer and could not be broken.

Shorty,

You know a few years back I might have argued with you about southern california but here in the past few years there more and more people moving in everyday. You can go from Santa Clarita on the north side all the way down to San Clemente in the south and from the ocean clear out beyond San Bernardino and never leave town for those of you who know the area. And for those of you who do not that is about 70 miles in both directions with every leaving a city.

You can not really hunt anywhere and if you try and go fishing you stand almost elbow to elbow with other people. It's just got totally out of hand for those who like the out doors and a little time away from the daily grind. That's why after sixty years of living in SC I am going to retire and move where I can get back to nature a little bit. Doing some hunting where I can hear my hounds running and can take a breath of good clean air. Hope you guys will not be to mad and little just another guy out where he can hunt again.

Thanks

Joe

Joe I agree, I lived there for twenty five years. That is where I was raised and am truely rooted to. I love the country and what it offers (without all the house's). I just can't stand being in the city that much. I think you know what I'm talking about and wish you well when you move. It really was the best I thing I ever did. I can finaly listen to a hound race without worrying about getting into some houses. I visit there every year but thats enough for me.

Do any of you current (or former) So. Ca. people know an older gentlemen that lives down there by the name of John Salmons? He's an older gentlemen that I have known for many years but he knows dogs and used to hunt allot down towards Temecula area. Can't remember the name of the forest he hunted there.

Good old man. Really good fox and cat hunter in his day. Just curious.

jag im a coyote runner and i sore do enjoy it we have lots of other game to run i just prefer coyotes i just have to bend them off deer i didnt take offense to your comment

sorry everlast the name does not ring a bell.....