BigGameHoundsmen.com

Dont care if you like the dogs or what not, its a descent read. You may not even agree but its still interesting.



The Hunter’s Horn
February, 1956
Page Twenty-eight & Twenty-nine

The July Hound of Yesterday—‘Quick to Jump, Runs to Catch’ –Sets the Pattern for Today
By Jack Davis, Temple, Ga.

Mr. July man, what do you want? Do you want a July hound patterned in performance and appearance after
some other strain or do you want a hound with the characteristics of the old original Julys? Are you going
to try to breed something to hush the criticism within the ranks of some other strains that do not have and
are not supposed to have the July’s characteristics? Or do you want to breed a July hound that is a true
July hound, “quick to jump, runs to catch”?

It seems to me there is not enough uniformity within the strain today. Perhaps some breeders are breeding
for oppositely different characteristics. Perhaps some are trying to breed a hound that will conform to the
standard of performance set up by the breeders of other strains. As a student of the July strain, I have
found a variation in type and performance of July hounds in different communities.

The July hound that attracted almost world-wide attention and gave birth to a burning desire with a
multitude of people to own them, was a strain with certain fixed characteristics. Breeders would do well to
recognize just what those characteristics were and set them up as their objective in their breeding
program.

Old July, when a growing pup, was scorned and laughed to shame. This was because his appearance was
so foreign to the ideal existing in the minds of men as to how a fox hound should look. In that day men of
the South had as their ideal of appearance and performance a smooth-coated hound, with extremely long
pendulous ears, that followed the track closely giving long, drawn-out, bawling musical notes. Old July was
just the opposite. One thing is certain; it was not their appearance or long, drawn-out, musical tonguing
that won the Julys their fame.

There came a day when old July had almost grown up and he jumped and ran a fox to death in the presence
of a number of men. From that moment on his stock soared high. Now, what was the factor that brought
about this sudden popularity? His performance, of course. There is simply no room for argument
whatever. His style of performance was one of being quick to jump and running with a determination to
catch his fox.

Let us analyze the slogan, “Quick to jump, runs to catch.” What enables the July, or any hound for that
matter, to quickly jump a fox even when the strike is cold? If the hound moves with a leisurely gait,
covering every crook and turn that a fox out hunting its dinner makes, that hound will never jump the fox
unless the fox stops, and beds down to rest. Even then it will take a long time for the trailing hound to
come up to him.

The hound that does not make every crook and turn, cuts a few corners and does some drifting, but does a
lot of tonguing meanwhile, will be a long time getting up to its fox. A fox hearing a great clamor from a
trailing pack will move faster and away, keeping its distance as long as possible.

A hound that does a lot of drifting, not following every crook and turn but coursing the general direction of
the line of scent, not wildly but efficiently and fast in a semi-silent manner, will surprise it’s quarry, as the
quarry, undisturbed and unaware of danger, leisurely feeds along its habitual range, and quickly jump it and
put it to running. This is the characteristic that won the July hound the right to be called the strain that is
quick to jump.

How did the July get its reputation of running to catch? Simply because the July hound ran with that
thought gripping and governing its whole being. A hound that runs to catch does not move forward and
give tongue just because it has scent of a fox in its nostrils, but because that scent denotes there is a fox
out ahead that it wants to catch. This type hound does not move ahead when it scents a fox in mechanical
manner just as if that was its whole duty and it was interested in performing its duty only. Any sense of
mechanical duty is thrown to the winds and the hound plunges excitedly ahead, its whole being stirred by
the excitement of the chase and the determination to catch that fox, the scent being only the means of
obtaining the end. It decidedly is not the end.

So, if the hound loses the scent it has not lost its chief object of interest. The scent being only secondary,
it casts ahead knowing full well that the fox almost always moves in a forward direction and the fox is its
primary object of interest, contacting the scent line again, confirming its belief that the fox went in that
direction.

With a slower track-running type of hound interested in the line of scent primarily and the fox secondarily, it
is different. When it makes a runover its chief concern is to find the line of scent again. It makes little
difference to this type of hound whether the line of scent is found closer to the fox or farther away. This
hound checks its pace and makes a tight or close circle searching mechanically for the scent and not for
the fox. A pack of hounds of this type will give one a lot of hound music and precise, mechanical action, but
not as much excitement as a pack that runs with ingenuity and intelligence—to be more exact, as the July
hound of the late nineties ran.

July performance should be the July breeder’s watchword. It seems to me that we as breeders of a strain
should agree on what that performance should be and breed for it, letting the chips fall where they may. In
choosing breeding stock we should choose individuals within the strain who perform according to the
accepted July standard. And these individuals should be from families that perform likewise.

We should refrain from becoming “pedigree happy” and using as breeding stock individuals who are poor
performers from families who are poor performers, although these families have a traditionally good
pedigree. Even if their forefathers were good hounds six or seven generations back, our chance of
getting good hounds from such a mating is one of getting a throwback only.

Any family line can “run out.” We see the proof of this in some human families.

Neither should we use good outstanding individuals whose background is unimpressive, especially in the
close up generations, nor individuals with a radical cross close up on another strain, for it is the July
characteristics we want to intensify and preserve. Just about all outcrosses on strains that perform in a
different manner to the July, made in the past, have been made by men who wanted to introduce other
strain characteristics into the July strain, and not to intensify and preserve the July characteristics. Such
people should get some hounds of another strain if they do not like the July. Let us not try to conform the
July strain to the pattern of some other strain.

The strain in its true and original state had individuality. The tenets of that individuality were such that the
breeders adopted a slogan that should be descriptive of every hound within the strain –“Quick to jump,
runs to catch.”

Evidently the July hounds of the late nineties packed close and well and would hark to one another quickly,
but they also displayed more individuality and ingenuity and executive ability than most strains. They were
keenly intelligent and fiercely determined, never contented to be just a cog in a machine. A pack of them
became a deadly cooperative group, not just a mechanical organization. Their speed and ability to stay
close to their quarry, keeping it running for dear life, supplied the hunter with thrills from the beginning to
the end of the race.

“Quick to Jump, Runs to Catch.” Three cheers for a July that is a July.

Good read Dan,
Julys are my favorit trail hound.
July hounds do the best on Fox & coyotes,
but cross them with any good hound & u usally have an outstanding hound.
My favorit cross is with bear bred Plotts.
Then u can still hunt fast game , bear, hogs & cats.
I sold 2 plott crosses to a guy in Wisc. & they can catch coyote & kill them on the snow, & also do a great job on bears. The wolves got a hold of one & injured him some, but he survived & is back in good form now.
Dan I quit hunting coyotes, I got a 3 year old reg july female, that I wished u had in your pack. She looks like a 45 lb grayhound. She is probably the fastest hound & ever owned. She fights really good for a little female. I have been hunting her on cats
with my pack, she still prefers coyotes, I never tryed to break her off coyotes, I don,t turn her loose till I got a good cat race going. She can smoke a track.

I have not forgotten our conversations and I plan to do some "radical" things someday that make people open their eyes but its hard to get "the blind" to see. As of right now, I would really love to have your gyp cause I have NO July females at the moment. I got my young gyp killed Sunday morning on the road. I had been running Sat. night and never got her caught up and then I couldnt get a signal on her. Well.....its cause the car had knocked the damn collar out of wack which has happened to me 3 other times that I can remember. She was the granddaughter of my old fast dog that was gifted to me. He is 6 now and crippled as could be but can still put the heat on a running dog coyote. I aint sayin he can catch one still but he wont let no grass grow under their feet.

I hope someday that you might get that gyp of yours bred to something brindle that can move and I might take you up on a pair of gyps. I have zero breed loyalty but I sure do like dogs that can catch shit.

One more thing, it was really nice the first time I had you tell me that you ran yotes at night all year long like I did also. I always thought I was crazy and so did most others but it was nice to hear about somebody being just as crazy. Day or night, winter or summer, it dont matter to me. Ice cuts heal 10x faster than a slipped pad and we run them back on anyhow. LOL!

Mr. Dan

Great Article! Those old Hunters Horns are full of good info. We have copies going back to the late 40's.

This story explains why Dad kept a July in his Pack up into the 1970s. This is when the traits described in the article started expressing themselves in the Hounds Dad was breeding.

These traits had always been there it was just that the Old Time Walker Fox Hunters would go to the woods about dark, cast their Hounds, build a fire(maybe break out a jug of squezings) and wait for the strike. It alwasy came, the Fox jumped and ran until daylight. These Hunters did not want to Catch the game, if they had it would not be there to run next week! They Culled the swinging type Hounds!

Again "Purpose" and the type of "Country" you hunt should dictate the type and kind of Hound you hunt! Different Strokes for Different Folks is just fine!

As I have related in other posts Dad structures his Pack as you would a football team:

You start with a Quarterback-Strikedog, as with a QB, this Hound starts every Race. They need a Cold Nose and the Brains to use it. Not only does this Hound have to strike the Track they have to be able to tell you and the Pack which way the Bobcat has gone!

Next is the Fullback-Traildog, this hound has to have a NOSE and moves the Track forward, tounging, advancing the Track and keeping the Pack interested on a Cold Trail.

Then we have the Linemen-Packdog, in Dads Pack these are the 1 & 2 year olds who are learning their trade. They are helping when they can and are being exposed to all of the Wiley Ways of the Shorttail Feline! They are begining to express their individual Talents and determining what position they will have as CatHounds(a designation Dad withholds until a Hound is 4 years of age).

Now we come to the Wide Recievers-Swinging Hounds, these are the Type Hounds described in the above Article. They advance the play down fieild, swing out to the side and a head of the Pack. They find Mr. Smarty when he hits a road or goes across a fresh clearcut or Burn. Dad likes to say "They Take the Slack Out". However this type of Hound must hold his game when he finds it. If he tells the world and then drops the Track he has hurt the Hell out of your Race! Without this type of Hound Dad would not catch near the Cat He does!

Again Great Article Mr. Dan! I sure hope you will come see our Hounds in action!

Good Running to All!

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

John, you have just described a good bobcat pack as I have always believed them to be. IMO, for this country, it takes the 4 types you described. While it is not unusual to find a dog with 2 or even perhaps 3 of the traits I have never hunted with one that was TOPS in all 4 areas. Perhaps others have. Don't misunderstand....I have seen dogs that were exra good in a couple of the areas and acceptable in the others, just not outstanding. Takes a team!!

briarpatch

And that my friends is why most cat hunters that are successfull will not mix packs.
A pack that is costantly worked togeather and trust one another is a powerfull thing to watch! Pass the beer!

fantastic article. I have seen this trait in mixed up dogs, now wondering if they got it from the Julys.

The one burning question I have for you guys: (coming from someone who has never fox hunted) It says the July dog distinguished himself by running a fox to death. How in the world to you run a fox to death if you are running to catch.

This is my whole point in being criticle of the pure hounds I personally have known. Yes, they will run stuff to death. No, they do not run to catch. I have seen cats run for hours and hours till they cant run no more. That is not running to catch! That is running to chase. If you like endless hours of music and dont mind missing Christmas dinner, I understand it. I like my music as much as anybody, but I go for the pop songs; shorter and more to the point.

Everything else in the article fits together nicely and makes me want a pack of old Julys. But that one sentance is not working for me. What say ye?

David, I have only caught two red fox above ground in my life. There are men that have fox hunted their whole lives and have never seen it done. Not just the set back and drink the corn around the fire kind either. Its extremely difficult to catch a mature red fox above ground.

Mr. David

I hope Poon fron NC reads your post, then gets his wife to register him on here, then show him how to Post. If those things happen you will be introduced to a Hunter who does to Fox what we do to Bobcat (Oh he does it to Bobcat too).

Poon has a set of Running Walker Hounds he has been breeding for a while (they are Tan w/Black Saddlebacks & of the Bourbon Line) jokingly called the "BlackPower". They Run Grey Fox and Bobcat in some Corn and Soybean fields, SMZ's, and Pine Plantations and catch them in under 30 min. If a Red is unlucky enough to expose himself to the Power, it might take longer than 30 min but Mr. Reynard will have to "Fly, Climb, or Die".

There are more Hounds that belong to Outside Hunters who breed their Hounds to Catch their Game. The Hunters Horn article spoke of the July, but there were Goodman Breeder/Hunters, Walker Houndsmen, Hudspeth Houndsmen(ran Gey Fox mostly), and one or two others whos "Purpose" was to catch their game not just aggrevate the Varmit!

Sorry you have not been around these type of Hounds but select individuals around the country have Bred and Hunted this type, and they were Full Hound, no Hot Sauce spilled. If you will just give Mr. Dan his due and either go Hunt with Him or come see us not only will the piece of the Pie get larger it will Darn sure Taste Better!

Good Running to All!

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

Briarpatch,

Thanks for the afermation!

Over 57 years Dad has had 6 that were the complete deal! 3 were the extra special ones that treed and located 90% of the ones that climbed. We currently have 1 of the 6 but she does not tree.

As I posted elsewhere when the discussion was on "Get to the Head" and a complete Hound was discussed they are rare indeed! Mr. Joe Rufus Lynne probably had more than anyone else. We hear that Danny Brammen from the Victoria area has one that qualifies, Mr. Mclean in NC, Charles Smith in GA, as well as Poon mentioned in the previous post all have exceptional individual Hounds that can do it all.

I had to add two Hounds that I forgot that belong on the Complete Hound list. Mr. Harold Parker of MS. had a Hound he called Rip, Glen Rybard from here in AR has Lou. Both of these were Strike, Trail, Jump and Run Hounds that would be ranked in the top 5% of Southern Bobcat Hounds.

But You are right lots of Cat Hounds have 1 or two of these abilities, but all 4, there Ain't many!

Good Running to All!

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

Here is another little tidbit to read if yall want to.


In June of 1858 a pair of wooly haired cockeared tan colored puppies, from Lade and Tickler, were crated and routed to Georgia. The hound puppies reached Sparta the first of July, for which the male puppy was named and his sister was chris­tened Mary. Their advent in Georgia created wide and adverse criticism. A Mr. Harvey Dennis from Putnam County, 30 miles away across the Oconee River, was invited to view these Maryland puppies. Mr. Dennis felt much chagrined when the pups were submitted to him as they did not at all resemble a foxhound (short ears and the wrong tail). They were such poor looking pups that a lot of hunters, friends of Miles Harris, thought a joke had been played on him. At that time no pup was promising unless its ears were long enough to lap around his nose and tie into a bow. The adverse opinions from all hunters caused Col. Harris to clandestinely raise these pups until grown.

In October of 1859, Colonel Harris invited fox hunters for miles distant to join him for a hunt. They accepted and brought their best runners. The pair of Irish yearlings, July and Mary, about 23 inches tall with wooly tan hair and cocked ears, were coupled and ready for their first race. A red fox was quickly unkenneled and led the pack in the direction of the Oconee River. Some tried to follow the hounds and some remained. The fox made his circle and returned with only two hounds in close pursuit, pressing him hard while the rest of pack was scattered from the river to Shoulderbone Creek.

The chop and yelp of Mary and July astonished the other hunters, for the two hounds were pumping the wind out of the fox. The fox came in sight, showing signs of distress. The Irish pursuers had marked the fox for their game. The fox was forced to shorten his circles and began "tacking" for another lead, but the unerring nose of July and Mary guided their speed and the fox was soon killed in an open cotton patch in less than an hour, with no other hounds to be heard or seen.

Thanks Mr. Dan! Another Great read!

You would greatly enjoy Mr. Ben Hardaway's book "Never out Foxed" go to http://www.mfha.com and click on the link to the Midlands Fox Hounds and they will link you as to how to order the Book. I understand that proceeds from book sales go to the Spotsmans Alliance to fight the Anti's!

Also http://www.walkerhound.com gives a great History of the American Fox/Wolf Hound, and not just Walkers.

You have found http://www.foxhoundspastandpresent.com also http://www.masterfox.com and links from the mfha site can give Houndsmen who are interested lots of valuble information!

To Quote a very famous wise man (he had to be a Houndsman) "To see forward, one must sometimes look backward"!

C. John Clay

Mr. Dan,

Here is a bit of History I just found. The Ben Robinson mention was my Dads Grandmothers Great Uncle. Another Great, Great Uncle (might have to add another Great) was a Col. Clay from the Lexington, Kentucky area who married one of the Walker Brothers (Founders with the Maupins of the Walker Hounds) sisters.

The Love of Hounds must be a genetic thing!

http://weisair.net/foxhistory.htm

Good Running to All!

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

I picked up a book at a gun and antique show this spring.

"The American Trail Hound" Fred Streever.

short write ups of origins american strain of foxhounds..july..goodman..hudspeth...whitlock shaggies..sugar loaf..birdsong..wild goose ect ad infi.

some written hunts for fox on foot

great read I'm sure it could be found in a library seens I found it in a hockey arena in Kamloops BC Canada.

horshur,

That is a great book. Entertaining and educational!

Another good book is "Bobcats Before Breakfast" by John Kulish. set in the deperession-WWII era New England. This book is full of Wildlife and Hound lore, written by a man who supported his family from the Outdoors! It is available oneline @ about $20.00.

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy