EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

I'm sure some will not like this but it is what it is. There are more people getting into this sport everyday. I see new people mainly young kids reading websites and tv shows and wanting to become hog hunters.  I have had plenty ask me to help them get started. Nothing wrong with that. Where the problem starts is do you have places to hunt? Do you have enough places  that you don't over hunt one place so they move out? Are you capable and willing to spend whatever it takes at the vet to save your dogs? Are you going to take the time to clean your pens or are you going to keep your dogs in a 4x6 pen and never clean it like some do? Then there is wormers, flea and tick control, and general up keep. We won't even get into how much it takes to feed dogs properly. Lots of people don't.
  Not trying to start a argument or trying to tell you not to get started. Just asking to ask the seasoned hunters what it cost and how much is involved. There are a lot of new people getting started and we are seeing the effects. I see lots of unwanted breeding whether by accident or they want a pup and no one wants the other twelve. I won't even get started on what some untrained dogs have done on farms lately.
   I have not met too many older hunters who don't mind some young gun coming along to drag pigs or run to the dogs or drag a hog out of the water to tie. Some elderly can't go without young help and you can learn alot from them without having a big pack of dogs. Just saying

Amen.

Y'all boys need to listen to this


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is a great thread! I for one am very green to hog hunting with dogs. I am also a firm believer in starting out properly and taking care of your hunting equipment, this especially includes your dogs! I learned at a very young age to take care of your animals. This means from cleaning up after them, proper socialization, up to date shots, worming ( read the worming routine sticky, good info), exercise, proper protection ( cut vests, vet bill, cut kit, etc) and proper diet. If you don't have the money to properly care for your dog or have the funds to take it to the vet when it gets hurt, it would be best to give the dogs to someone that can care for them. Find a buddy that hunts hogs and go with him.

Muleskinner,

Don't feel bad about creating this thread.  I made a very similar thread last year.  For every new hunter that gets in it, their is some body ready to sell them unproven dogs and sell them or pawn off other stuff.  The all mighty dollar (maybe not as mighty as it once was) creates the urge for people to breed and sell dogs and other equipment.  I support young hunters because I don't forget where I came from; but I urge new guys to come and hunt with me.  They can have a very similar experience hunting with me and not so much responsibility.  It is funny to invite a young guy in his twenties and tell him this is what you need to do to hunt with me today:

Come over the night before and hook up the truck and trailer.
Charge garmin collars
Premake coffee pot and snack bag

Day of the hunt.
Get here early to load dogs
Put other equipment in the truck
Get to the gas station and help pay for gas for truck and ranger
When we get home, unload dogs
wash kennels
feed dogs
pressure was ranger

Didn't even mention lease dues or how much it cost to make a hunt three or four hours away like I often do.

Everything above cost money or time.  If you are going to get into hog hunting all of these cost are reoccurring cost, not just pay once and your done.

Anyway, Ive taken up enough time now, but you are correct.  People need to

There are a lot of things I would like to cover but can't. If I write what's really happening it will make dog hunters not just hog hunters look bad and get a bad name. There are really nice ranchers out there who want to have the hogs gone and enjoy seeing hog hunters with their families enjoy family time but due to irresponsible hunters they won't let you. I have seen hunters who have had permission 20 years lose their keys. I'm all about teaching and helping new hunters but some are killing this sport.

Dang hoghunter ur slave driver.  ;D jk with ya, but yea, ur right, its cheaper to help out than take on the responcibility n cost 100%. Plus it shows who is in for the sport or in it for the potential $$$.

i am as green as it gets. if u check my posts i want to know what it costs to play because everything costs. i want to go in with my eyes wide open. no matter what activity u choose to participate n their is a cost involved. golf as a sport is expensive, especially if u go to the nicer courses. drag racing is not only expensive, but its dangerous and to be competitive it costs a purty penny. if there were a hog hunting club in my area i would join because the responsibilities and cost would be shared. maybe hunters should pool their resources and starting a hunting time share club!

 Great post Mule !!
    I would tell new people to spend a year with a hunter that is already going. See the time and money that it takes to care for your dogs etc. It isnt just the new people that are bad for the sport, some people think that just because they have been hunting the same area for years they can go where ever they want. Sometimes I get tired of cleaning kennels,feeding, and up keep of my hunting dogs. During deer season the dogs stay at the house, so it is hard to justify the money spent each month on dog food and wormer.
   Making money? I laugh when I see people talk about making money. I can not see how you could come out ahead. I guide whitetail and exotics as a side job. I do pretty well at it considering I do it part time on the weekends. My expenses are very low and hunts range from 1500-10k. I took up being a guide to help offset my costs of having dogs and to supplement my household income.

   I went with some guys for a little while before I got a dog. I jumped in with both feet. Spent no telling how much on junk azz dogs. If someone was around me and really wanted to get into the sport, I would gladly take them with me. I hunt with very few people. My two hunting partners dont have any dogs. I would love to find a guy who wanted to help and someone I could trust that was looking to start out.

I dont know bout a time share thing in hunting, especially hog dog hunting. I dont know bout others, but i dont want the responcibility of bringin somebodys dog/s back alive, just like i would want them to hav that responcibility of mine. Hog hunting is to unpredictable, to many deadly chances out there, ie: the hogs themselves, other hunters that may steal the dog/s, dog shooters, dogs gettin ran over by an automobile. Plus u have the upkeep on the machines and tools, ie: atvs, trailers, vests, collars n handhelds cost of material to build/add-on of the equipment, then u got the feed n vet bills. A club would fine if it were stricly to split the cost of land leasing, but thats bout the extent of it. Way to many variable to take into consideration with shared hunting, compared to whackin a lil white ball in a small hole or whackin a green ball back n forth across a net.

Well, me personally.... I'm new to the sport of hoggin because of my relocation to TX from IL. There are no hogs in IL but I'm far from new to owning and raising multiple bulldogs. If anybody thought they were going to make any money doing anything off of dogs, they're out their dang mind! I suppose if you don't care for your animals at all and you peddle them like a corner store does candy, you'll probably make a profit. But if you properly care for your animals, all great examples listed above, you'll always spend more money then you MIGHT eventually bring in (after years of hard work). I've already posted a thread on here asking for some kind folks to possibly help my dogs get started (thank you to the kind gentlemen that contacted me!!) and in the thread I explained that I'd help with any financial costs,etc. so I understand the costs and work involved. And I know there's just as much work as there is cost involved because properly caring for multiple dogs is not a light task. I think this is a good thread as well because there will obviously be some that would like to join the sport who would think it's all fun and games, and that's far from the reality of it.

Good post for sure

hey charles the land lease and maintaining the lease was what i was talking about. having a spot to hunt, everything esle would be on the hunter. guest would be extra

I understand where y'all r coming from and c young guys like myself that should not have the right for hunting dogs but at the same time not all of us young guys r bad I'm only 20 yrs old and I take care of my dogs very well it makes me mad that these other young guys give us a bad name but like I said not all of us r bad. I call all my land owners and ask if I can go befor I go and if it's muddy I either walk or don't go. And these young guys with deer and cow dogs get rid of them or get out of hunting land owners are getn harder and hard to let ppl hunt cuz ur giving us a bad name

 It has nothing to do with age.

It does and doesn't have anything to do with age. In not all cases but it can be difficult for hunters still in school to support this hobby. The old timers have seen what it takes to keep landowners happy and the sport going. And like I said not in all cases. Last hunt I spent 1649.00 dollars on my ranger repairs and 1000 dollar vet bill. When I was seventeen or so there's no way I could of done it. The ones that are doing right come on let's hunt. If you can't there's nothing wrong with riding along.

when u r young u may not have the resources financially and as u get older your resources r spoken for, but somehow we manage to do the things we want to do with or without money. hunt with others, hunt with fewer dogs, take a cull(s) and find hogs. where their is a will there is a way. maybe new/young hunters don't have the guidance they need to become better hunters. i worked with some damn good people to learn what i know about cars. by the same token i have worked with/for people that should have been working in the meat dept. at krogers because they r butchers

x10 on the food bill, and x1000 on the vet bill. Heck now when I call my vet and tell him Concho, or Lil Red, (my catch dog and gritty a$$ lepoard) just at the mention of their name he say's " Ill clear the table" and "How many staples are in them?"

I think starting to hog hunt is like moving your girlfriend in.

It only takes one day to move a girl in, sometimes it is a lot harder and takes a lot longer to move one out.

Its easy to get dogs and all the stuff you need (except a spot to hunt).  Maintaining all those things year after year and trying to give more back that what you take out is the hard. part.

excellent topic.  Many of the things listed here are exactly what keeps me from having my own pack of dogs.  I have a couple of buddies that I hunt with some and I love the sport.  But I KNOW that I don't have the time to really put in the training and upkeep with dogs.  I am a football coach and that takes up a lot of my time.  One of these days that may change but for now I would like to think I'm smart enough to stay out of putting together my own hunting outfit.  
I see people every day try it and do it WAYYYYYY wrong.  I feel most for the dogs that suffer because of it.  

U want to know what it cost. Well I figured up roughly what I spent last year. I would bet my figure is on the low side of actual. I don't have lease dues either. I figured GPS and cut vest on a pro rated figure. Initial cost divided by number of years life expectancy. Almond with other big ticket items that are used solely for hog hunting.

I spent over $11,000.00 last year. This includes all aspects of expense.

There is no telling the man hours spent. Duck hunting cost way less than this. So does deer hunting. No telling how many times I came in late from work to feed and care for dogs. It's just part of it.

This is why I always say it best starting out to find someone to go with. U can learn a ton and ease ur way into it instead of trying to go whole hog and spend way more.


Shotgun
Arkansas

To the hunter who asked what it cost. I did not include the cost because someone will take it wrong and say I'm bragging or showing off. Now that you have asked I will share some cost references. Polaris crew ranger 13600, plus lift kit bigger tires rigging hood adds around 2000 more. Sea container for storing feed,gear, and Polaris  with delivering and extras 5000 then you can add dogs and anywhere from 5000 and up for gear and dogs easily. Then there's kennels and the skies the limit on those.  Lots of man hours cleaning and feeding. It's 1000 dollars every time I buy feed. Then there's up keep for dogs. It's easy to spend 35000 to get started. You can go hunting in Africa cheaper. And we still haven't added gas, Polaris maintenance , or vet bills. So divide what it cost per year to hunt by how many pigs you will catch and you will b surprised by your answer. I hope this helped.

Hey devildawg86 just throw away your check book lol in this game you need to be all in

i like to know what it cost because it all cost. was it 35k to start or is that your investment to date. can i spend 35k on hog hunting and live to tell about it, hell naw! everything has a price associated with it, thats a fact, if i had someone to tag along with i would. but i always like to have my own. can i have a yard of 30-40 dogs, no. can i keep 3 or 4, take care of their health, feed them and provide the care they need beyond my own ability, yes. it would be alot easier if i had someone to partner with, rome wasn't built n a day and i am just doing my due diligence. great topic, good advice keep it coming. this thread will answer alot of questions i have and others.

let me update my life insurance first judge lol

I mainly read the posts here on this site, never really comment or express my opinion.  Been hunting hogs since the 70's with my Dad...But this post, my friends, hit the nail right on the head.

Good Luck and God Bless America.  popo

You could minus the sea container if you hade a place for the rest but I didn't. And you can google prices on Polaris , kennels,garmin,tracking collars, dog box, cut vest and collars, trailer for Polaris, dogs and so own if anyone wants too. You can check for yourself or ask someone who has. I promise you there's people on here with a lot more invested than me. Good luck

Lol, yea the other half would need the extra to pay the lawyer fees.

Muleskinner, ur sea container, im assuming thats what in the military we call a shipping container right? A big metal box similar to an 18 wheeler trailer, but can be loaded on ship or rail car? Not tryin to b a smart a$$, but if its the same thing, iv nvr heard it called a sea container.

Charles I'm sure your right. I see them loaded on big boats and also on truck trailers like you mentioned. I used to work in refineries and they called them sea containers or conex buildings. I bought them because they are rat proof. I added two of those spinning vents to mine. I bought the 53 foot one because its taller and wider than the 40 or 45. I also put in a metal door on the side.

Ahh, yes, conexes. Thats anothr name we called them. I see why u paid 5k plys delivery too, a 53'. Im lookin at gettin a 40' or 45' but the local place is selling the 40'ers for 6k, delivered with in 50 miles. I ask about me picking it up and it was still 6k, so im gonna hav to wait till i find another place to get 1, 1 that aint just rusted through in places and dont an arm n half a leg.

dont doubt u one bit. i have checked the price on the garmin, cut collar etc... and it is expensive, no doubt about it. but i try my damnest to not pay the dumb ass price if their r options. trade, barter, build and if necessary buy. ( dumb ass price would be full retail). i see the sport as a way to get to work with my dog, meet some good folks and have fun.

Another cost cutting tip .......

Learn how to tend your own. Instead of depending solely on vets for general maintenance care and minor first aid issues.
Whip out a staple gun or stich kit and sew em up yourself. Way to much info available these days to say you cannot do it yourself.  When in doubt .....ask someone for help and step by step directions of how to do it.

Just make sure the person trying to answer the question isn't greener than you are.......but suffers from knowing it all. ;D

Yep I think its more important to get good mates to hunt with before you get a dog or dogs...pay your way, have fun, be prepared to help with the mundane things and you'll go a long way....and learn a lot for when it comes time to get your own dog.

As a dog owner I find it easier and preferable to take mates who don't even own a dog.  That way I can work my own dogs without worrying about theres.  There always seems to be too many dogs for the work you have.  I feel if I'm doing most of the running around organising, hunting my spots then I should be able to work and teach my own dogs as a priority.

Hog hunting does cost a lot.  But you've gotta have a passion.

T

This kinda seems more like a brag thread to me people do need to know the cost but it doesnt take anymore than few thousand to start it is expensive over time. I wont mention what i have in it but saying it easily takes 35K is ridiculous. That is because you want to hunt in a ranger crew cab and have all the top of the line fancy stuff which is not necc to all people. Not saying thats wrong but it can be done for way less just my 2 cents

I agree, hell I hunted on a cheap little 1000$ fourwheeler for the first 3-4 years without a garmin or tracker of any sort for that matter. It can be done for MUCH cheaper than 35k, MUCH MUCH cheaper. Most of the things we use today are not necessity, they are things we use to make our lives easier, think about it 40-50-60yrs ago the guys rounding up their hogs/ cattle didn't have garmins or shock collars or fancy buggies to ride around on and they managed just fine. the most important things regarding this sport in my opinion are making sure you have the money to fall on to properly care for your dogs in the event that you do have a dog that requires vet care but like yellowblackmask said, there is TONS of information online regarding animal care and alot of things you can handle yourself by doing a little research beforehand. Good luck in the future, to say this sport is addicting is an understatement.

Easttexasoutlaw I wrote that and sure wasn't bragging. A gentleman asked and I told him as an example. It was at the end of the thread that was not were this thread was heading. I hunted off of mules for years. After some bad experiences riding and some high dollar doctor bills and airvac charges I bought a Polaris. I did not brag at all and was asked and even said there's people with a lot more invested than that. If you can get everything you need for a coupe thousand than you need to be the one bragging not me. The Polaris is also used for farm use. I work out of state alot and when I do get to hunt I don't wont to be chasing mules or working on wore out equipment.

Didn't say it was wrong but I agree as long as you can properly care for your dogs and the land you hunt then how you do the rest is up to you

 how is it bragging. like he said, some1 ask, he answered. he doesnt need any1s permission to spend HIS money. if he wants to buy top $ equipment, then that is HIS choice and its his choice to do it in the way the suits HIM, no1 else. iv got a lot tied up in my equipment, but I started out on foot and with nothing but dogs, 11Bs, eyes and ears. took me several yrs to get a tracking system, then several more yrs to get me an atv, but I bought it as I got the money. with a broke back and busted out knees and ankles, and several more ankle injuries, I decided to get me a wheeler, more for the medical aspect than to just spend the money. if he wants to buy a conex to keep his machines and equipment and dry goods dry and out of the weather, and be able to secure it, then why bust his balls over it. I agree with muleskinner, if u can get by with spending less and accomplishing the same thing, then that's more to brag about than ole' joe snuffy spending a lot more and accomplishing the same tasks. try taking some midol or something and chill out. uv been on a rampage on 2 different topics busting folks balls, ill gladly giv the name of my crazy/anger meds if it will calm u down.   

Let them "make their own bed an lie in"

at some point n life we all do,  i prefer to do lt with the lights on and having done my due diligence. I appreciate the thread for what is and will asks questions as i go and learn from my mistakes!

I think it all depends on how you choose to hunt, and with what tools. Over here in the swamp and the marsh, we either are in boat, or we are on our good ol' feet. No big money four wheelers or mules or any of them nice toys/conveniences. Our cost is gas money for my truck, sometimes a boat, and feed/vaccines/gear/medical supplies for our dogs. Pretty simple. Still not cheap, but definitely not in the thousands upon thousands range. Of course it accumulates over time, specifically if you're taking proper care of your dogs.

 boats can cost as much if not more than any big money wheeler. my old $12,000 flatbottom boat when I was fishing bass tourneys, I caught just as many bass as them folks with them $50,000 bass boats, but what worked for them and worked for me differed. I used what I could I afford, they used what they wanted and or could afford.
what bout the price tag of the tck used to get ur dogs from point a to point b and back hm? what bout the water resistant/proof snake/hunting boots u were in the marshes/swamps? them cost. it aint all gotta be just them big money wheelers and other toys that add up on the cost to hunt, fish, golf, ride motor cross and so forth. buy whats comfy for the individual and not worry bout how much the next man spent and say oh, I do for less. if u can do it for less, good for u, its ur money. 

Well my truck is my daily driver, so I don't count it's value as a hog hunting expense per se'....though if I didn't have it, I wouldn't be going ANYwhere, lol. Waterproof boots, I have those anyway, because unfortunately our property gets real nice and swampy in some parts when we get rain.

I'm pretty much on the same page as you Charles. The point I was trying to make was that it can be cheaper, or it can me more pricey, all depending on what tools one chooses to utilize. Not everything I have seen mentioned is an absolute necessity is all I was really sayin.

No midol just tired of fake people and pretend to know everything. Go re read my man i said i didnt say it was wrong i just said that it is ridiculous to claim it easily takes 35K to start all i said so maybe you need to check your vision

My vision is fine. It may be ridiculous for u to spend that much, but u r not him, so get over how he spent. Its not ur cash, its his. U evidently think ur the know all be all and hunter and banker of other folks money. U buy what u want, n let the rest of us buy what we want n try not to get ur thong in to big of a knot of how much or how little the rest spend their money.

It is a lot more to having a pack of dogs than loading them up and going hunting. I know with me it consumes most of my time when I'm not at work one dog wouldn't be to much to deal with but it's hard to have a good pack with one dog. I know I'm constantly spending money on something dog related whether it be dog food or gas to go hunting or repairs to the kennels are medicine wormer etc. tracking system send off for repairs it's always something. I usually keep around 16 dogs and it takes a while to feed and wash out all them pens and maintain everything. Not to mention I have a ranger and two four wheelers I have to keep running so I can go hunting because it's no way I'm going to walk hunt over here .I look at it like this I have these dogs and am not going to let them sit in the pen if it's a day I can hunt so I have to take them hunting, but it's what I lay in the bed thinking about at night and it's what I love to do. I don't go on vacations or out of town because I have dogs I have to tend to every day. Last year I bought two dogs for 4500$, a month later I had a 1400$ vet bill and a month later I had a 500$ four wheeler bill for maintaince. My wife knew that's how I was before she married me we didn't even go on a honeymoon because I didn't want to ask someone to tend to my dogs. We use to take different people hunting and a week later they would be looking for dogs going to jump in and be a hog hunter now I won't hardly invite anyone hunting just for the fact they are usually going to buy a bunch of dogs and get rid of them all in the same year. I would recomend to anyone that wanted to "become a hog hunter" to hunt with someone a couple years and make sure that's what they wanted to do and not be in a hurry to own a pack of dogs. And one thing. If you ever do get a pack of dogs you can't just get tired of them or hunting and quit I know I can't I'm to far in money invested and way to much time and got a pack I couldn't put a price on not because their good by any means but they wouldn't be worth near as what I have invested in them if that makes any sense to anyone. I recently bred two dogs and got 6 pups and plan on keeping all of them so it looks like more money is soon to be spent but it is the only thing I like to do so before you go buy dogs and such make sure your going to be in it for the long haul

Just  because....can i get started with $2000

Sure u can. i spent like 600 on 3 dogs, NO tracking collars, NO wheeler. I had 1 older dog n 2 young dogs, a compass n a topo map of the area n i walked everywhere or took my flat bottom to place with no roads to the public lands.

You can get started for free it just depends on what you are looking for in a dog and how you want to hunt. I don't think you will find a long range silent dog with a good nose and plenty of bottom for under 1500$ especially if your not good buddies with the owner and if you go that route you will definetly need a tracker or you will prob loose your new dog. It's a lot of dogs in the dog trade section on here all the time of all different types but a lot of them are a lot different than what the caption reads and it has been a many disappointed people buying cheap dogs hoping for a star " me included". One word of advice is not to jump on the first dog you see for sale or your probably going to regret it. It will always be dogs forsale find one you like and will enjoy hunting. What kind of dogs are you wanting to get. Give us a example of the dog you would like to own and how many and whatnot and we could give a little better description of what you might would have to spend to get started

My advice would be to get in with a few seasoned hog hunters and hunt with them as much as you can, do everything you can to help every time you go. Hog hunters are overall great folks but i imagine want to make sure the dogs they pass along to others  arent turned over for $ a week later. Show that you are serious about it and i imagine someone will help you out along the way. Ive got a buddy that did pretty much exactly that and he acquired a starter pack of dogs in almost no time and now has some nice dogs out of a solid line because of it. Best of luck, lots of good guys here, i imagine someone can help you out.

 Right now i have 1ab pup and one invite from a hunter here n the great state of georgia. I don't have a clue. N my present situation the dogs will most likely be short range and gritty, one striking, rcd, and a lead in catch dog. Really need to.get n the loop.with some folks n my area.

So to sum up everything I was trying to say before it got off course. When it comes to hog hunters some of them are some of the best people Out there. They love the sport and everything involved. They love their dogs and do what they can for them. They thrive to keep the sport going for future generations. Then there are some who don't care about anything except Look at me I'm a hog hunter! Like I said before I wish I could write the things that I have seen and what's happening right now but I don't want any more negative publicity to this great sport and the great people involved. It's up to you which category you fall in. I'm just sorry that dogs and hunters have to suffer because of the other group.

Well said muleskinner, another good point.