BigGameHoundsmen.com

6 YRS AGO I BOUGHT A WALKER FEMALE FROM RICHARD HANKINS IN NEVADA. SHE WAS LOOSE BRUCE BRED. SHE WAS TREEING HER OWN CATS BY 14 MONTHS. SHE WAS ON HER WAY TO BEING UNBELIEVABLE. UNFORTUNATELY SHE DIED AT THE AGE OF 2 YRS OLD WHILE BEING EXCERCISED. SHE FELL TREED AND CLIMBED THE TREE, AND FELL OUT AND BROKE HER BACK. OVER THE PAST SEVERAL YEARS I HAVE RAISED AND HUNTED NUMEROUS PUPS AND DOGS TRYING TO REPLACE HER. HOWEVER, THEY ALL TURNED OUT NOT BE WHAT I WAS LOOKING FOR IN A DOG. I CALLED RICARD NUMEROUS TIMES TO TRY TO BUY ANOTHER PUP, BUT WAS NOT ABLE TO. HOWEVER, LAST JANUARY I CALLED HIM AND THE GOOD LORD ABOVE MUST OF BEEN WITH ME, BECAUSE HE SAID I WILL SELL YOU A FIVE MONTH OLD FEMALE. HE SAID "SHE IS GOING TO BE A GOOD ONE" I MET RICHARD IN RENO, NV. WHERE HE WENT TO GET READY FOR THE S.C.I. AND I GOT THE PUP. WHEN I GOT HER HOME, I TOOK HER THE CREEK TO SEE HOW SHE ACTED. I COULD SEE THAT SHE HAD WHAT IT TOOK TO BE A NICE DOG. I PUT HER UP FOR THE NEXT 7 MONTHS BECAUSE I DONT LIKE TO START THEM TOO EARLY ON BIG GAME. I LIKE TO LET THEM MATURE. SATURDAY OUR BEAR SEASON STARTED HERE, I TOOK THIS PUP, AND PUT HER ON THE RIG SHE RODE THE RIG LIKE SHE HAD BEEN DOING IT ALL HER LIFE, SHE STRUCK OFF THE BOX WITH MY RIG DOG WHEN I TURNED THEM LOOSE SHE HIT THE GROUND SCREAMING ON TRACK, THE TERRAIN WAS VERY BRUSHY AND STEEP. I WAS AFRAID SHE WOULD NOT MAKE IT BUT WHEN I GOT TO THE TREE, SHE WAS BLOWING IT DOWN. I WOULD LIKE TO THANK RICHARD FOR SELLING ME THIS PUP. IT HAS BEEN HARD TO REPLACE THAT FEMALE I LOST. HOWEVER, RICHARD IS RIGHT, SHE IS GOING TO BE A GOOD ONE.
I ALSO WOULD LIKE TO SAY THAT I LIKE THIS SITE AND READ IT OFTEN. HOWEVER, DONT COMMENT OR SAY TOO MUCH BECAUSE I AM A ONE FINGER TYPER AND IT TAKES ME FOREVER TO GET ANYTHING TYPED OUT. THANK YOU FOR READING MY COMMENT AND THANKS AGIAIN TO RICHARD HANKINS FOR SELLING ME THIS PUP. DEAN W. CALIFORNIA

looking foward to hearing more of your pups progress and also maybe a few photos. I too am a big fan of the old hurts bawling banjo line. My old bandit female was one of my best and she was old banjo top and loose bruce on bottom. I wish you luck and for sure Rich has some top hounds here in the west....

DEAN/ SPANKY, INTERESTING ON THE OLD BRUCE LINE. I HAD A DIRECT SON FROM BRUCE AND A DOG CALLED WALTZ SIS. CROSSED TO MY OLD BANJO DOGS. THESE DOGS WERE THE REASON I QUIT THE PLOTT BREED AND WENT WITH WALKERS. THEY WERE THE REAL DEAL. HAD NO KNOWLEDGE OF THIS BLOOD LEFT IN THE COUNTRY. I TOO WOULD LOVE TO SEE SOME PICS. AND PEDIGREE ON THIS HOUND. I WOULD HAVE GONE BACK TO THOSE DOGS BUT COULD NOT LOCATE ANY. NOW I GOT THE WHITE CLOUD STRAIN, EVERY MOVE I MAKE WITH THEM IS MEASURED BY WHAT OLD BRUCE PRODUCED.GOOD LUCK, THEY MADE HUNTING FUN....

Mike I had 3 old Banjo hounds that I bought as pups from Don Holum of Joseph Oregon back in the early 90's.

One of the hounds was out of Holums Ghost, one from Holums Banjo and one from Holums Banjo II. All 3 of these stud hounds were directly out of Hurts Bawling Banjo just like Loose Bruce was. Matt Eder of minnesota had a real nice hound out of Bruce called LBJ.

The mother of my 3 hounds were out of FR Queen, Halls Queen and Holums Clover Class.

SPANKY, HEY BACK IN THOSE DAYS I LIVED IN WALLOWA. THE CONNECTION HERE WAS THAT LINE OF DOGS. MARK MONCRIEF , DON HOLUM.AND I, ALL HAD THE SAME LINE UP OF HOUNDS, IRONICALLY EVEN JIM WALKER WHO NEVER HUNTED AT ALL HAD THE SAME BREEDING MOST PEOPLE NEVER KNEW THAT BY THE PICTURES HE PLACED IN FULL CRY, HE HAD THE BLOOD AND GOT LUCKY WITH SELLING PUPS. MARK MONCRIEF HUNTED HEROLD DICKERSON. THE OLD PICTURES IN FULL CRY WITH HAROLD AND MARK PROMOTING THE BRUCE LINE ALWAYS SEEM COMICAL AS MARK HUNTED A BUNCH OF MIXED BRED TOP DOGS AND HAROLD HAD A FIT AND MADE MARK TAKE THEM OUT OF THE PHOTO SHOOT. MARK SAID COME ON YOU GAME CATCHING S.O.B.S. GET OUT OF THE PICTURE. BUT NO JOKING AROUND THOSE DOGS HAD IT AND I DO MISS THERE GAME CATCHING ABILITY. DEAN SENT HIS PEDS ON HIS YOUNG DOG .THEY LOOK GOOD. HEY BACK THEN A GUY IN JOSEPH RICK HANKINS LIVED THERE AND MOVED I WONDER IF IT IS THE SAME GUY?RICHARD-RICK? HE IF THE SAME PERSON GUIDED THE N.E.OREGON UNITS AND HAD SOME GREAT DOGS. I HAD RICK FOR COMPETITION. WE USED TO SLAM THOSE BIG CATS HARD BACK THEN. HE WAS A TOP HOUNDMAN.

I would have to say that the dogs i have seen from loose bruce were pretty consistant for grit and toughness probably the most consistent in that catagory but also on the slower side . this has been the best walker beardog line that i have seen .
I wondered if anyone has seen man aggressive or health problems in other dogs from loose bruce or banjo stuff?

DAMN SMILEY, COMING FROM A BIG TIME PLOTT MAN I'LL TAKE THAT AS A COMPLIMENT LOL. I WILL FIELD THE QUESTION. NO MINE WERE SUPER FAST NOT A CROSS HAIR ON THEM. IN FACT BELIEVE IT OR NOT MY AMOS DOG OUT OF BRUCE RUN SILENT UNTIL CAUGHT OR LOOKING AT THE GAME. I FOUND THAT ODD. HE RUN WITH STITCHS FROM ONE WEEK TO THE NEXT. HE HAD NO FEAR OF NOTHING. WHEN I SKINNED A BEAR OR LION THEY ALWAYS HAD BITE MARKS ON THE BACK LEGS. (LIKE A GOOD PLOTT )A LION HAD JUST A FEW MINUTES JUMPED ON THE GROUND OR IT WAS CAUGHT THERE. BE GOOD SMILEY...... MIKE

Mike it is the same Rick we are talking about. He is an outfitter now down south.
Bandit was pretty fast, she was out of Banjo II, Thunder and Jocko were both fast also and they were out of Ghost and clover class. Rosie was a plug but extremely accurate and a awesome treehound, she was finley river on her bottom side.
There is a fella outside of Walla Walla named Bill Daugherty. He had littermates to old Banjo and has a kennel full of the blood that he has kept bringing back to the top for generations now. He works as a guide in the Selway for his cousin. One heck of a houndsmen and a great man.

Mike, If you are looking for this old blood,go to kennels,and breeders on this site. Look at Bay lakes kennels, and check out old Hurcules pedigree. I don't know if he can still get pups, but if I had a proven female, and wanted to line breed that bloodline I would consider him. I don't think there are many dogs left that is bred that close to old Bruce, and old chief. I wished he was younger so I coud cross my female if she makes it. P.S I do think Richard said he used to live in Oregon. Thanks. Dean Webster.

I know at one time Rick had some semen froze out of a son of bruce he called joe if I remeber right. Bill Lancaster is another houndsman that has heavy bruce bred dogs, I know him and rick got together on a breeding with the semen that only produced 1 pup, I think he only had a few straws left and that was like 6-7 yrs ago, but theres still a small ring of guys hunting heavy bruce bred dogs around, getting in there click to get a pup though is pretty tough, much of what dean said.... I have a female thats 12 now, that was out of woodscreek earnhardt, a son of bruce that harold promoted also.... shes been a good one.

When I say slow i do not mean SLOW I mean they were just average of what i term speed (My average is fast for most people ) . Right now I have what i deem average speed in my dogs but most think they are fast .

Oh and mike as far as big time plottman I would not say so I am a big time beardog enthusiast. Just happens the type of beardog i like come in a great percentage of a particular plott line .

DESERT DWELLER.THANKS FOR THE REPLY. I KNOW BILL LANCASTER WELL. AND IS A FINE TAXIDERMIST AS WELL. I GIVE UP ON THE BRUCE LINE. I NOW HUNT AND BREED THE ORIGINAL FOUNDATION STOCK WHITE CLOUD DOGS. THIS HAS BEEN THE SAME DEAL WITH GUYS BEING TIGHT. I NOW HAPPEN TO HAVE THE MOST COMPLETE BLOOD LEFT IN THE COUNTRY. WE HAVE 16 PUPS ON THE GROUND I WILL PICKUP 12PUPS NEXT MONTH. ALL GOING TO TOP BIG GAME MEN. WE HAVE A NETWORK OF 7 GUYS THAT APPRECIATE THIS BLOOD AND WILL NOT OUT CROSS .I HAVE BEEN 10 HARD YEARS TO GET TO WERE I'M AT NOW. SO I GUESS I WOULD NOT LIVE LONG ENOUGH TO TRY GETTING SOME OF THE BRUCE STOCK AGAIN.I SEE WHAT GUYS LIKE BOBBY LYLES DID TO OUTCROSS ONTO SOME NANCE BRED HOUNDS. FOR THE SAKE OF A DOLLAR BILL,ALL BUT DESTROYING THE STRAIN. NOT THAT THE NANCE AIN'T GOOD THEY ARE THEY JUST DO NOT CROSS WELL WITH WHITE CLOUD HOUNDS IN 95% OF THE CROSSES I HAVE SEEN AND HUNTED SO I WOULD THINK THE BRUCE LINE UNLESS GUARDED BY LINE BREEDING WOULD BE ABOUT THE SAME. THANKS....MIKE

All loose bruce fans. I have Bruce line pups for sale. Please see add this page under Registered Walker Pups. I have a few left.

Thanks

Mike , or spankey. Did either of you take alook at Bay Lakes kennel, and check out Hurcs pedagree? If you did I would like to know what you think, as I would like to get this blood up close and try to keep it that way. Thanks Dean. W.