BigGameHoundsmen.com

I heard a rumor that bells help ward off wolves? any merrit?

You better get a big bell if you want a wolf to choke to death on it .

Do not know about wolves but it did not keep coyotes off Duke in the 70's

The theory is the bell lets the wolf know that something is in the area so it isn't startled by the hounds presence and goes into defense mode. Some say they are a dinner bell for the wolves. I don't know. In my experience, they are nice for when you are trying to catch dogs near a road or when its dark out. I think the only thing that will save dogs from wolves is they need to have fear when they hear hounds barking and the only thing that will do that is is being able to hunt them with hounds and start shooting at them every chance we get.

So far so good for me! I have been living in the heart of wolf country a few miles outside of Yellowstone for 11 months now. Have yet to have a wolf get my dogs. I never even let my dogs outside of the cabin without bells on and they are out all day long lose even if I am not hiking with them. My biologist buddy here also has hounds and he swears by them. I did have an incident today where the wolves had been coming my direction on the trail and as soon as they heard us coming they went off trail. I have a videos of what happened next.

https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pho ... 7068319124

https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pho ... 8564985641

I have also trained my dogs not to go into wolves, but to come back to me if they sense wolves are close by and I have burned them anytime they have put their nose in a wolf track. I think negative reinforcement works on other trash, so why not teach them wolves are bad. Also helps if you have a reliable dog you can trust to read what he is telling you. Lots of times you will not even know they are there, but your dogs will!

It may work for awhile in some cases. More often it will end it only being a dinner bell. Know a lot of folks that swear by them. Know a few folks that have had dogs killed while wearing them.

One theory that I believe. Is that by not having them a dog may be able to get out silently undetected.

Some believe something that makes the dog taste bad will prevent it. Like bug spray for instance. But, by this time the dog is already in the wolves mouth.

Bells, lights, or bad taste. In the end if a wold wants to kill your dog. None of it is going to matter. Even your presence will not deter them. Many dogs are killed here every year when the hunter is within 100yds. Just cannot get there fast enough.

It just plain sucks, and there is only one solution!!!

I have always wondered if anyone has tried the beeper collars the bird dogs guys use...they are pretty obnoxious, not sure if they might be just enough to keep an attack from happening?

I can see it working if humans wore the bells and created an association between the two.

I hunt just north
of you..I agree with Steve it's a dinner bell up here I believe.