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What's the right amount of mixture? A super smart hound with no grit isn't worth much. And the all guts hound that's so much fun to watch can be beat with the smallest trick on the trail. So what's the right mix for big game?
Sean

Depends on what your hunting I reckon. It usually takes a mixture of dogs to get the job done and get big game caught. A real smart track dog to start a track work out the tough places and keep the track moving right and then a couple of those gritty ones to put the game up or bring it to bay.

some game animals take less gritt to bay or tree. If you hunt a variety of species as most of us do, then I would say you need at least 60% brains and as much as 70%. A loose baying dog is better than one who can't even smell thier dog food and a suicidal dog is only good for a few hunts if your lucky.

A dog has to be able to trail up the animal, get it jumped, and pressure it enough to put it in a tree or stop it. If it cant even keep up with the animal, its grit will never come into play. I like running dogs mixed with treein dog because runnin dogs get out on the track fast and quiet, and they have the genetic makeup to keep runnin no matter what. For the most part, runnin dogs want to run, not stay at a tree. This is why you would breed treein dog into the blood. Now you have a dog that can move a track fast, putting more pressure on the animal, and will stay treed relatively hard. To me, this is the perfect mix. Everyone has there own methods and beliefs and as long as your happy thats all that matters. happy hunting.

for bobcats 99% brains 1% gutts. Ill take a smart one over gutts any day.

I was just watching a coon race in a fast moving creek the other day. The older experienced dog was making the young studs look bad because she was walking on branches like tight ropes and showing excellent navigational skills. The coon criss-crossed the creek nine times. It was fun to watch. The old dog has no grit, medium nose, but if it is a contest for a tough trail to navigate she leads the way. She can find her way around cliffs and drainages too. She's like a salmon. Somehow, she can lead me to the truck out of the mountains when she has never even been to where it was parked. I'm still trying to figure that one out. Its like once she figures out where your going, she'll find the best way there. Don't offer to buy her yet, cause if she gets close to the critter she's chasing and it's not in a tree, her race is over.
Sean

007pennpal wrote:I was just watching a coon race in a fast moving creek the other day. The older experienced dog was making the young studs look bad because she was walking on branches like tight ropes and showing excellent navigational skills. The coon criss-crossed the creek nine times. It was fun to watch. The old dog has no grit, medium nose, but if it is a contest for a tough trail to navigate she leads the way. She can find her way around cliffs and drainages too. She's like a salmon. Somehow, she can lead me to the truck out of the mountains when she has never even been to where it was parked. I'm still trying to figure that one out. Its like once she figures out where your going, she'll find the best way there. Don't offer to buy her yet, cause if she gets close to the critter she's chasing and it's not in a tree, her race is over.
Sean

i'm trying to run that last sentense through my head, but its not making sense to me. so if she gets close she quits? what is she running when she is doing this? and how do you know its when she is close? could she just be makin a loose? if what your saying is what really is happening i would call her a cull.

Comment,

Don't offer to buy her yet, cause if she gets close to the critter she's chasing and it's not in a tree, her race is over.
Sean

Answer,
i'm trying to run that last sentense through my head, but its not making sense to me. so if she gets close she quits? what is she running when she is doing this? and how do you know its when she is close? could she just be makin a loose? if what your saying is what really is happening i would call her a cull.

Commenter,
I call her that all the time. All game that fights. Caged observation. She's a sit down tree dog and an F you I'll go back to the truck bay dog. Pups are leading out most races. Its only on challenging terrain that she is a true contributer. I guess her only job is obstacles. She mothers the younger pups over the difficult path some critters leave. Do you think its better to just leave her out and take some loses?
Sean

i like my dogs to have lots of brains and good grit but not to much..... My personal definition, good grit and brains - if a coon or bobcat trys to bay up they dont even brake stride they just go in full tilt and grab it and they need to be in a lion face. like two foot of closer even biting it now and then. They will stay in on a bad bear and put lots of preshure on him and maby pull just a very little hair but i dont like vet bills. this is what i like to see they will put the preshure on and maby not get hurt to bad.

007pennpal wrote:Commenter,
I call her that all the time. All game that fights. Caged observation. She's a sit down tree dog and an F you I'll go back to the truck bay dog. Pups are leading out most races. Its only on challenging terrain that she is a true contributer. I guess her only job is obstacles. She mothers the younger pups over the difficult path some critters leave. Do you think its better to just leave her out and take some loses?
Sean

I've caught lot's of game with Culls......you hunt what is in the backyard.

the dogs maybe are not what they ought but some day's they are enough.

every person is different and has different expectations. i personally like to listen to a race, and when the race comes to the end at a tree, i expect to see an animal in that tree. id give her to a kid that wants to get into hunting, and work more with your pups. it doesnt sound to me like she is contributing to anything besides distracting your dogs. the pups will learn on there own how to get through the woods, it just depends on you to take them out. I like to teach the young dogs in the dark.

Yeah. Maybe thats why they love deer so much. They don't put obstacles in their tracks as much. Just a nice fun run. Laugh. Well, the good news is the pups are coming along pretty well.
Sean

Brains catches game, grit what ever that is does not. The best bear dog that ever hunted with would never bite a bear dead or alive but she treed many bear after every other dog quit. She never got hurt and treed many bear after all the other dogs could not, some the next day. She had staying power but smart enough to know that she could not win in a bear fight. Dewey

I pefer a dog with brains. But having said that I have no use for a dog that wont get into a critters face or ass to either make it stop or tree. So I guess what I am saying is I like a hound with balls temperd by brains. I have no use for a dumb dog nor a coward.