EAST TEXAS HOG DOGGERS FORUM

I've been stuck on nights looking at four walls for 12 hours and been doing some thinking about how and why some hunters hunt the way they do? About 90% of the guys I've hunted with prefer casting dogs but its like I'm the odd ball and would rather road hunt mine. I have pretty good luck doing it that way. Most of the places I hunt you want see any sign or tracks so ill just drop them where i think it might be hogs and let them work. So that's partially why I do it that way.

 My question is what hunting style do you prefer (walk hunting, casting, roading, etc...) and Why??
what type of terrain do you prefer hunting? River bottoms ,rice fields, marsh etc...?? And why?

Most of the places we hunt have cattle on them. A lot of creeks and rivers also. I prefer hunting these places because we seems to have the best of both worlds. During the hot months the hogs bed the bottoms and during the colder months on the south side of the hills. A majority of these places will have big blocks of woods and then big open pastures. There are some sure enough slow going thickets and places where the under brush seems to meet the earth about every 6 or 12 inches. But for the most part it's very manageable. It's also nice because we get to see our share of hogs bust across those pastures leaving one creek bottom or one set of woods headed for another one. During the growing season we have a lot of crop land. A lot of milo and corn. It's not my favorite thing to hunt but it's not that bad. We hunt it a little different than we do the hard woods. We cast 2 to 4 dogs usually, depending on who's all hunting. We let them hunt out a set of woods and push them to the next set if they don't find anything. My dogs typically hunt out about 900-1200 yards to sometimes almost a mile without sign. When we hunt the corn we run a little rougher set of dogs and more of them. We put the pressure on them to move and get out of the corn or milk. I like to cast hunt because I like to see the dogs hunt, even if it's on the garmin. The dog work is my favorite part of it. I like catching hogs, but I've been on dry runs that I really enjoyed just because of things the dogs did or the way they hustled.

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I was just thinking about creating a similar thread.... personally, I walk hunt. Not by choice, but by necessity. We have around 180k acres that we hunt, that for the most part is all properties connecting together. These properties have very little vehicle access. You can get a side by side or a 4 wheeler in the very beginning of the properties, or maybe right at the property line, but after that you can’t even ride a four wheeler through the property. It’s all thick stuff, or multiple water crossings, briar beds, swamp, etc..

I think this has negatively affected my dogs to an extent. The challenge for us is finding the hogs. They move across so much land that we have to cover a lot of ground to find them. So in a sense we walk the dogs to fresh sign. I think this leads to the dogs not hunting hard. My dogs stay very close until we hit a hot track. If they’re more than 250yds they’re running something. I wish that they would range out and hunt for sign harder, that’s my main complaint with my dogs. I would love to cast dogs, but I really can’t on any of my land. So I would like my walk hunting dogs to range further while looking for a track.

Normally we are hunting near the river, or if we have a farmer saying he’s seen pigs in a certain area we go there


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Initially in the marsh they will make a good round when casting them...then they will hunt close on account the marsh can be really thick and hard going...to cover ground we will rig them in the marsh as well...the woods and river bottoms it is usually casting them and we follow along as best we can in buggies or 4 wheelers...they will usually range out as far as needed to get on a hog...

In the woods we seldom rig or road...
We minimize roading in the marsh when we can cover more ground rigging...this way the dogs can cool off and rest as well...

Austesus my two oldest I started them out walk hunting and I dont mind one bit getting off the buggy and taking a tour through god's country every now and again but I definitely prefer riding vs walking. My set of dogs will get out of pocket real quick and turn a walk into a marathon lol

T-dog and Reuben what's your negative thoughts on roading a dog?

Honestly I haven't done much roading. I really don't have an opinion about it because of that. Since the day I started we have cast hunted and walk hunted with a little rigging. One thing I learned about walk hunting was to move and set a while then move a distance and set a while. I realized, because I was hunting young dogs, that their range was getting shorter and shorter. What I figured out was I was moving to fast and not giving them time to hunt an area out. So because I was constantly moving and they weren't exactly sure of themselves yet, they were always wondering where I was headed and what I wanted. In a sense, they were watching me hunt lol. When I started sitting and letting them do the hunting their rate of progression increased. I thought I was smarter too. Sometimes they would be trying to leave in a certain direction but I thought the hogs were another, so I would call them in to go my way. Then after not finding anything and a 100 mile march, we would circle back around and they would bay hogs where they originally wanted to go if I had just let them. It thought me to trust my dogs. That in turn helped me rig better. Rigging isn't bad during grain season. I think you can save your dogs a little heat trauma that way. Those crops are usually hundreds of acres and by the time a dog has got to the opposite side of it, they can be pretty warm in this Texas heat and humidity. Just my way of doing things.

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In my younger days we walked a good bit. Now my favorite way is to look for a big track and put on it. It also depends on where we hunt. In the marsh 80% of the hogs we catch are rigged. We will cast  there too. Hunting in woods dogs will rig or we cast them in areas we think hogs might be in. Dont really road them just because we get strikes off the rig or we can see tracks.

Cajun having a good rig dog sure makes life alot easier on them dogs

This could be part of my problem too. On a typical hunt, I have to walk the dogs a mile or more to get to where I expect to find the sign. The pigs move around this land like livestock. The man that started me has pretty well figured out the pattern. So I hit a block, and then he will tell me where I will probably hit them next. So I try to keep the dogs nearby and rush them to where I think the pigs are instead of letting them range out in areas I know there are no pigs


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I mainly walk hunt even if we’re on my buddies land in the sxs my dogs just range out a lot better that way I think they’re to worried about me leaving them. They will get out a pretty good ways and the coe land I walk hunt the hogs are all athletes I only got one rough dog thatll put teeth on one and I don’t mind walking or running the extra yardage if it saves dogs from getting cut. The rain has slowed me down a lot  because it’s near a lake and it’s all bottoms. Ive seen a few people post pics of alligators on the lake it surrounds and They’ve bayed on that lake enough times to make me want to slow it down. Especially with the raising water levels. I have caught hogs before out there with just a strike dog and a rcd but they still had to hold him for a hour or so because it took me so long to get around to where they were at. My dogs are by no means great hell theyre hardly decent  lol but they’re starting to produce hogs almost every time we go and all the standing water sometimes throws them off but they’re starting to figure out how to finish a track on it all

I hunt the same kind of stuff T dog described. I walk a lot just because a rig won’t go where the dogs do. I like roading and rigging. Most of my dogs will cast decently generally will come back after 600 to 1/2 mile if they don’t get on any then I am pretty sure ain’t much around and move on. Got to be careful roading dogs cuz you will burn them up quick. I usually road them at first then rig and road back and forth works good for me.


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Y'all should look into hunting off horseback or mules, cover a lot more ground quicker and by doing so will probably produce more hogs...

Everything Tdog said is how I hunt my dogs...I will add some to what he said...pups and dogs are more worried about keeping up with me when hunting along too fast...

many dogs will roll out when fresh...so I take advantage of that and cast them first...and they hunt closer when they tire...especially when there isn’t much hog sign...so I will road them then if if feel it is right...

for me it is all about the dogs...when the dogs start winding I stop and let them work...sometimes I will get off my wheeler and walk into the wind...lots of times the dogs can wind from afar but once they get in the thick brush they lose the scent because the wind is skimming over the thick brush...as the overseer of the pack it is my job to see the problem and I walk in far enough to where the scent is stronger and the dogs can pick it up from that point...

Other times I might turn and ride directly into the wind for the same outcome...sometimes the wind is channeling so it is my job as the leader to work through that as needed...

If the dogs pick up on an old track I wait on them to line it out or give it up...either way I wait on them to strike or come back or I’ll head out after them when they strike...

Hunting this way the dogs will learn to take colder tracks and work weaker scent in the wind...

Moving quickly and not watching the dogs...and the dogs will learn to run hotter tracks and not pay much attention to the wind...they will not range far as well unless they come across a hot track or scent...

I cast my dogs first because they will be wanting to go...it makes sense to use their momentum to my advantage...If i only had one way to hunt my dogs it would be casting...rigging is my second choice because they can wind and smell a hot track from the platform...

if possible I like hunting crosswind just below where I think the hogs might be hanging out...
It’s the little things we do that can really make a dog or the pack as good as they can be...
We make the plan per wind and other weather conditions and hunt the dogs accordingly...
When it all comes together...well...it just doesn’t get any better than that...

TFree80...I didn’t answer your question directly but when reading my post you will see how and why I hunt my dogs as I do when I can...

We hunt just about every style, some dogs I can road with ease but some of them if I put them down on a road it's an all out race for as far they feel compelled to go, heck sometimes if they aren't hitting on anything and they come to a road they're like "oh look a road, let's make master irate and run as far down it as we can" so those I don't even attempt to road, we sometimes strike off the box but at the time I don't have a dog that I trust 100% to trust dumping them on a strike out the box unless they're all going nuts and I know it's a smoking hot track, and the ones I can trust are dead silent and won't say a word if they're in a boat and in front of me I can read they're body language and know what to do, I don't really have to walk them much, about the only time we might have to do that is at night, they don't seem to want to cast as far at night unless we've been hunting a bunch at night and they're conditioned to it, or they're just wore down and with work and life I haven't had that problem lately...

Thanks for the feedback guys!

Reuben you might have a point there when you mentioned about moving to quickly. I'm very guilty of moving on when a dog is working a cold track. Im by far one of the most impatient person you will ever meet lol but Thats definitely something to think about on the next hunt.

I currently walk hunt the rolling hills, brushy draws, and Creek/timber bottoms northwest of the DFW metroplex with a pair of short range, loose bay dogs. Most of my places are less than 1k acres with coastal and CRP pastures surrounded by cedar and post oak timber. Briar thickets are awful! There are a lot of tanks/ponds on the places I hunt. Cattle on every place. I also hunt a few sloughs on some small lakes in the summer. I prefer to hunt at daylight and find most of my hogs in acorn flats, on deer/ cattle feeders, or on water in the summer. I have a couple places with wheat fields and milo when the farmer plants it. My RCD’s enjoy the crop work.
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I prefer a casting dog that will hunt out a draw, Creek bottom, or block of timber. Nothing more satisfying to me than to drop the tailgate and send a dog or two into a nice timber bottom on a cool morning. Kick back on the tailgate, watch em work a track on the garmin and fall bayed. Open the box, pet my catch dog on the head, vest em up, walk in, watch em bay for a while, pat my CD on the head again, unsnap em and let the rodeo begin!
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Unfortunately the urban sprawl up here has made it just about impossible to hunt a real deal casting dog with good bottom. I can’t complain too much. The 2 bay dogs I hunt both consistently find and bay hogs alone or together. They both strike off the rig on hot sign. They handle very well. I’ve definitely shortened their hunting range by walking them all the time. My catch dogs get hooked when they are given a fair shot. I can rig/road them RCD style during crop season through a pasture full of calves day or night. I’ve spent a lot of time with these 4 dogs.


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X2 on what some have said.

My favorite is walk hunting. But it is one of the less I do because its not the most effective on bigger places. IMO it is the best way to start dogs because i walk very slow and gives them time to work without fear of being left. I see more woods and read more sign that way.

Then casting in sign and putting on tracks. Like Rueben said the slower the better. Younger dogs I will wait on them way longer than most people hunting with me are willing to wait! LOL

Walking out big tracks with a dog keeps from the shoats and pigs.

Once they get  to do all the above pretty regularly they can road or rig on there own without much effort.

With that said roading, rigging and casting is mostly how I hunt my old dogs now. I like them well rounded and be able to hunt any way the terrain and weather dictates.

I usely start em all here at the house when they 5-6 months old teach em to get ahead of the buggy and run I very seldom hunt em like that but they will do it I use to hunt em like that ever so often but hardly ever do any more. I mainly like to cast em in some sign or maybe good track or just where I think might be some hogs usely when I am hunting with group of people I walk the dogs 50 or 100 yards way I want em to go to get em away from what's going on at the buggys then cast em from there let em roll out. Some times when's it's cool and I feel like making a stroll in the woods I do that let dogs get gone then I will just ease though the woods stop sit on log wait see what's going to happen. Catch quit a few hogs they wind from box never just ride around trying to let em wind from box but they do it pretty often just riding from spot to spot or riding looking for sign.

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All of my hog hunting I do out here is walk hunting. We just mosey through the way we want to go nice and slow and let the dogs get out and work. We never look for sign or tracks other than just for ourselves. We know they are in there and our dogs have to find them without any help from us. We just let the dogs get out and work. The most help they get from us is we will work the wind in our favor. Just the way we do it for the most part. I sure do wish we had a few places we could take a truck or sxs like we do where I fox hunt.

I hunt every terrain and way possible from marsh and swamps to hardwoods and palmettos all depends on where and how I feel like hunting.If I'm huntin from the airboat the dogs are always winding if they don't strike from the boat I'll cast them down crossings or into areas I know the hogs bed they generally cast 800 -.65 or so if they don't smell something they come back.If I feel like I need to push them deeper into a head or swamp I'll walk them in.Some spots I hunt you can only use the boat to access and then have to walk so I will play wind and plan a loop accordingly.I always look at google earth and study an area thoroughly before I hunt it, I then head for areas I know hogs will be such as waterholes or hammocks.If the hogs are feeding on accorns I hunt oaks if they're feeding on palm berries I hunt palms.When its dry I head for isolated water.If I'm hunting off the buggy I look for tracks or sign if I find a good track and its a bit to old I'll push it but the dog's are always huntin from the box.A lease I was on last year the only way to hunt it effectively for me was to rig.it was 12,400 acres with very few hogs that rarely came to roads some of the hogs we'd rig were 8-900 yds in a block with zero sign on the edges.To big to walk and to few hogs and to big of blocks to just randomly cast.Roading a dog is my least favorite way to hunt if you have a lot of hogs I can see how it works but if you have a large area with a small amount of hogs it is pissin in the wind imo.I generally try to hunt just as hard as my dogs to find the hogs and put them within striking range if I can get them within .5 or so they'll do the rest and be fresh when they strike.For me knowing the terrain and habbits of the hogs then putting a plan together is a lot of the fun.I have hunted places as a guest where there were enough hogs that you didn't have to do that but I don't have anywhere like that so being a good hunter is key to my success.

Cracker that is a point that I think is over looked a lot when hunting. You and I think a lot alike in the sense of knowing what the places your hunting have to offer and how they lay out. The wind  direction and all is so important also. I think these things are a short cut to helping young dogs turn out and saving wear and tear on dogs during the heat.

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Cracker that is a point that I think is over looked a lot when hunting. You and I think a lot alike in the sense of knowing what the places your hunting have to offer and how they lay out. The wind  direction and all is so important also. I think these things are a short cut to helping young dogs turn out and saving wear and tear on dogs during the heat.

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Everything you said is right on...this includes droughts and floods...

My favorite hunting spots have always been large places with a few hogs...I want to see the dogs really have to hunt for a hog and us setting the stage for success...

The land I go to the most has all the forest roads are closed, so I have to walk in. I started to road them some too and have got some races going that way too and it's easier on my old knees.

A small sample of the flat land out here.

https://youtu.be/TN4YXOIRKec

https://youtu.be/urMAyluHP08

Orchards and rolling cattle land....I hunt a lot off a side by side, either roading or boxing the dogs depends on weather conditions.  All my dogs will find and catch there own or sure give it h%ll trying.

Awesome post. That’s something I always try to work on. Every time I hunt I try to think of ways I can improve myself and make myself a better hunter, not just the dogs. The main land I hunt is very hard hunting. You have to put a lot of effort in to finding and tracking the pigs. There’s little subtle things like you mentioned, that I have started doing to improve the odds for the dogs.


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