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John Wick was a coon and coyote hunter and he bred his line of "Stylish" walkers, I think he called them. He wrote a couple books of which I have one and he also opened a mail-order store in Missouri for dog hunters. Seemed to me he was quite a fine fellow. What's happened to him? I heard he closed his store due to health. Anyone know the story?

I heard he was doing an online monthly for tritronics.

John is alive and well. He still writes, and still has a line of walkers and a line of Leopard curs or Leopard Hounds whichever you wish to call them.

He posted his phone number with something he wrote on the UKC board in the Leopard Hound section not too long ago. I think a search using John Wick and Jug as key words would probably produce it. His writing is always interesting reading, so you wont be wasting your time finding it.

well, heck, I got it on my phone, and since he posted it on line, I guess he wont mind.
He will not take a call unless it comes between noon and dark:
573 564 6146

if that does not work, let me know, I have another number here as well.

What ever happened with the push that Mr. Wick was doing for preserving the Ozark Preacher walker lines? I've heard of quite a few lines that the Preacher blood has influenced, and not just Walkers either.

Mike,

Festus here on the board knows about as much about John's dogs as he does. LOL! He is a personal friend of John's and use to start pups for him and I beleive John even came out to his place in Utah for a few hunts.There is some Ozark Preacher blood around and pretty darn close blood but it is guarded jealously by those who have it. I had a dog out of Tanner who was a son of Preacher and a Stylish Queen female he was a great young dog and really coming on but I had about 35 hounds at that time and I let him go with a package of hounds I sold into Arizona late 80's.


Brinkley's Ozark Preacher was a much more influential stud than most ever thought and yes he did influence other breeds or strains.

I'm just grasping here, but the ring neck still pops up here and there. You think that might have come through from Preacher. I've only seen one picture of him, and he is an odd colored Walker by todays Walker looks. I remember when I picked up my lilly dog the discussion about dogs with the ring around their neck was going on. I had no idea back then, and wonder if there was something to it. I don't know, I just remember Preacher's name being mentioned in passing and the only thing I could find on him is that he was from Wick. This post just jogged the cobwebs loose.

have you ever seen a picture of a trigg? put it there next to that odd looking walker dog. I dont know at all the history, I'm just an idiot with eyes. I do know that line of dogs made outstanding track dogs, and a few made bobcat dogs when given the chance.

I believe I read in Wicks second book where there were rumors of running dog in Preacher. The book gives the background on as much as John knew about him. The ring neck does come out alot in dogs that have trigg in them.

John has sure done a lot for the hound world. I think his writing is amazing. And I think that history may be repeating itself with his Wicks Camo Jug story. Again, I dont know the story behind Preacher, so really should just shut up, but I do know about Jug as I have studied him as best I could. I think in both cases, John saw something that was above and beyond what he was used to seeing. He recognized this clearly, and was pleasantly surprised when he discovered both these dogs could reproduce themselves. There will always be criticism of those who are willing to make a difference, but I think John has made a big difference for the better in both breeds. In both cases, he built on the work of others, but without John, most of us would never have heard of either dog, and the breeds would not have had their strong influence.

I dont know if Preacher had trigg in him. But I have been around some of his descendants. On one occasion, I was with one that I had been around and even helped train a little. She was a little slow to come on to the tree, compared to what I was used too, but came around to it soon enough. Then one day, I was at a coyote pen. I saw her there and could not figure out how or why since she was used on coon and cat. Then I asked about her, and it was not her but a papered trigg. I could not get over the exact likeness.

Anyway, all I know is, if I ever get a dog from John Wick breeding, that dog will flat be able to move a track. Leopard, Walker, doesnt matter. If he picked up on a line of Blueticks, I would know without even trying one that the dogs could flat move a track and put an end to it.

There are tree dogs that can trail. Then there are track dogs that can tree. I choose the latter.

"First find the man. Then you will find the dog".

John was and is one of the most knowledgable houndsmen I have ever been around. John is a strait shooter and tells it like it is good bad or indifferent. If John Wick tells you something you can take it to the bank.
As Mike mentioned I have had the honor and pleasure to hunt with John both here in Utah and at his house in Missouri. If anyone is interested John wrote in the " American Cooner " magazine about a bear hunt he and I went on in the Lasal Mountain's there in Moab around 2001 or 2002 I can't remember for sure which year it was now.

The Preacher dog was one of the best reproducing hounds he ever had. Ol Preacher hunted with his brain as much or more than his nose. Preacher's back ground and breeding is for sure open to interpritation. One thing that is for sure the Preacher bred dogs sure stand out with there solid color marking and the trig collar around there neck. Another trait of the preacher bred dogs is a blue eye.

With the "Stylish" bred hounds there are some things to keep in mind that blue eye, dew claws on the rear legs, and that preacher color, John has allways told me " if you get a pup with a blue eye, and rear dew claws, keep em the Stylish dogs with those traits have consistently proven to be the better dogs" .

I hunted with the Jug dog and some of his pup's out of several different Preacher bred female's back in 2000 there at John's house. They were very impressive hounds, but did not have the nose we need out here where I hunt.

If you ever get the chance to sit and talk with John do yourself a favor and listen close you will be glad you did.