Running game backwards

[Copper]

Has anyone ever had problems with constantly running a track backwards.
If so is there a fix for this.

[SECOND NATURE]

I think probably every dog messes up once and a while on a smoking hot track but never owned one that wasnt smart enough to figure it out and turn him self around and never will own one very. long good luck Larry

[lepcur]

Man the word constantly scares me, I mainly hunt bear and every once in a great while the dogs will take a smoking hot track the wrong way but it shouldn't take them long to figure it outand turn it around, it sounds to me that thwey're running away from the game instead of trying to catch it. How many dogs arwe doing this and if several is the older dog leading the way? If so I would use the sure cure, a 22 bullet. Good luck

[Copper]

Just one dog and it is about seven years old and just started doing this. He only does it on bear. We do a lot of free casting and whatever way he is facing when he hits the track is the way he goes. He will turn around but by that time the other dogs are gone and he is way out of the race.

[Mike Leonard]

Copper,

This could be a problem, and it will take some evaluation on your part to understand why this behavior has just started.

Now on lion tracks especially older tracks snow or dirt really doesn't make any difference many a top hound will run them either way, so you have to stay on top of the situation and be ready to help turn the dog toward the toes to ever catch the lion. That is just the nature of the heavy low holding cougar scent. Those that have never had their dogs run a lion backwards have either not hunted long or have only turned out on fresh tracks and pointed their dogs in the right direction before kicking their butt down the track.

Bobcats you usually don't have this problem because if a dog is going to run and catch a cat he will aptly have to be able to depend somewhat on airborne scurf and scent molecules and trusy me man they don't last very long. Yes I have seen them sight trail cats backwards, sideways and all kinds of bs in the snow but that doesn't catch bobcats.

Now then bears light scent in large quanities hanging rather high and dispersing much quickier than that of the lion. Floating in the air on the thermals out of the canyon in the morning dogs on the box rigging 4-500 yards away. Oh yes, but it won't be there all that long. Drop the tailgate and they leave out or freecast them in even where you may start a much colder track they should by all odds honestly move it out in the proper direction. Now there are exceptions to every rule but if this becomes a pattern on decent bear track there is a problem. I have seen dogs get their butts whipped good and no help especially really fast dogs and seen them fall back in a race, or drop out, or worse yet sound the siren song and start running it backwards. ( NOT GOING TO GET HURT THAT WAY). I have also seen some dogs that were getting older and not able to hold the lead do that or fall out completly and go start their own track some place else.

So set down think about it and think about what may have led up to this. I am not saying you can turn this around on bear, but then again maybe you can, or maybe consider what old hound dog is thinking. Some just go crazy from time to time, but heck some hunters do that as well. LOL!

[cecil j.]

The dog is going on his way out, 7 isent allways that age 8-10 usually is, but old dogs mentally ware out too just like people . Some dogs eye sight gos or they start babble barking or in alot of cases/ start going backwards on track constantly/ if you had him a long while just make a yard pet or house pet out of him or find someone who will he deserves that much effort shown too him .If ya havent had him long, contack who did they might would like too retire him in their yard if they are given the chance !?

[Copper]

Yeah maybe will just use him as a strike dog for awhile teach some of the younger dogs to strike.

[Bearkiller]

If you all are culling dogs for going backwards you'll be culling any dog you ever owned. I don't believe for one minute that there's a dog thats been on any amount of game thats never gone backwards. What about an older cat track that goes accross a bare hill in the sun and the dogs lose the scent? Seems to me that that would have the same sense to the dog as a track that went backwards. Dogs go backwards some more than others. Hotter nosed dogs seem to figure it out quicker. If a dog was consistantly going backwards I wouldn't use it to start a track but if its otherwise a good dog I wouldn't cull it.

[cecil j.]

Ya don`t want too inplant this too tranflect into the younger dogs hes got, so they too start goen backwards ! He had a point use the dog too start tracks and pull him and he will be ok at it for a while yet, some go out quicker than others but ya don`t need too shoot the dog he has a life yet too be lived also now as a companion pets happy days hopefully ?Bearkiller I was just cutting too the chase cause the dog IS GOING OUT and it is just how it is !And YES thats what most good old dogs are used for when they start goen out buddy, a start dog and on a leash if uya cant run em down on foot/ ya don`t let em go on through the track and race any more, ya might walk em into a tree though for a treat cause they do want too be part of it too ya know !
Iv`e seen back trailers from the bear tree ya just tie em they can do that from youth/ but when they go out an are on their way out its different and ya deal with it and like this owner who has the 7 yr old hound/ ya love the dog and do what ya can do as it gets worst then ya make other moves and retirement should be part of the plan hopefully !

[Copper]

bearkiller of course I don't just shoot a dog for going backwards but on the last 5 bears I have ran he has gone the wrong way on all of them and you can't catch anything going the wrong way I was kind of wondering if he doesn't want to get close to the bear he has never been one to get in and pull hair. But he has struck and caught a lot of bears in his day.

[Bearkiller]

Maybe you're right. If that was a FACT I wouldn't use the dog to start the track. If this isn't something the dog has done over the years I'd really start looking somewhere else. Are you using more than one dog to start? Maybe a younger dog thats not smart enough to figure it out? Or maybe you should give him more time to figure the track out. Maybe he's opening and you're dumping a bunch of dogs on him and they're taking the track out the wrong way. Maybe The dog is losing his mind. More than likely its something else. I really was posting to the guys who talked about culling the dog. I'd figure out whats going on. If he's going backwards I wouldn't use him to start. 5 times is alot. Are you finding tracks to prove he's going backwards? Maybe they're hitting cold tracks and they can't move them past sunny spots? Just some thoughts.

[Copper]

Yeah I usually have about 4 dogs out when we started them and sometimes the other dogs would go with him for a little while then turn around I caught several of the bears so I know he was going the wrong way and on two of them he turned around about 15 minutes later and started going the right way of course he was miles behind.

[PIGLET]

copper i had the same problem with my lead dog a few years ago right about when he turned eight i found out like mike leonard said that he was starting to fall behind the young dogs and started running his own track which was usually backwards. I started giving him a longer head start and just keep hunting him he seemed to get tired of never getting closer and got used to not being the lead dog. He worked good after that even when i didn't turn him loose first.. But one year i was pulling my hair out..

[Bearkiller]

I'd try starting with 1 or 2 dogs.

[Calkins]

I'd listen to Bearkiller.