Dec 30 Solo Hunt

I have tried to ease these pups into hunting...I may have been too easy, as yesterday was only their second trip to the woods and they turned 9 months old Dec 20. What I was trying to prevent was just what you described. I have seen several young dogs ruined by getting hurt their first couple of hunts. Some just never seem to gain their confidence back.

Last year a buddy took a Monkey x JJ pup he got from me on his first hunt at about 9 months old. Monkey bayed in a palmetto/gallberry thicket and when we got close the pup went to him. The pup ran in, tried the hog (he had been messed with a time or two in a controlled situation with a hog), got slung about 10-12 feet, came right back, and got cut several times. Monkey got cut once in the fight as he thought he had help catching, not realizing it was just a pup with him. We had to shoot the hog to save the young dog as he just kept going back in. It was a 205 lb boar with about 2" teeth and we had to staple the pup in five places...some cuts were 4-5 inches long, plus he had numerous pokes.

That put the young dog out of commission for several weeks, luckily he didn't get killed. It hasn't slowed him down on the hogs, but I have seen some that something like that would have ruined them.

Thats what I am trying to prevent on these two pups, at least until they get on a few hogs in the woods.....