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aladatrot
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Yall all know that I have my own ways that are a little different from "normal". Chris mentioned my greyhound that happens to be THE hunting dog which stands out as my favorite I have ever owned OR hunted behind. For me to bash someone about their hunting style would be the pot calling the kettle black. I am with Krystal and Matt in that I welcome the opportunity to learn about an alternative from plain old black and white hunting. I like it, I enjoy learning, and I appreciate that it may or may not work for everyone.
A comment was made by Josh that Riddick would out run any greyhound to a hog. This was not hearsay, I sat there and heard it with my own ears and I saw who said it. After sitting there in disbelief, I decided it was best not to let my evil ego cause a scene in public - even a light hearted one - and I decided to let cooler heads prevail. Quite a while later, I called him up on the comment. Together over the phone, we figured out a win/win proposition for a match race between my hot blood and his dane with a pot for folks to put their money up one against the other. All proceeds would have gone to TDHA's coffers and one of us would have bragging rights. I liked the fella on the phone, and I can see why so many folks stand by him. He is a nice guy and I will maintain that to the day I die.
Now, what I vehemently abhor are the statements over the years which bash pack hunters. We can't control our dogs when they are in a frenzy, they run through fences and on other people's property, we can't take as good of care of our larger number of dogs and keep them healthy, one dog on a hog is more humane, among other comments - and that is just what was in print in one article. That is exclusive of any statements which have been made on the message boards which have really sent me into orbit. For those who wish to believe that the article was taken out of context, go back and re read it. It was "blah blah blah" josh said. Furthermore, IF the article's author had twisted his words to the point which made it a detrimental article to his fellow hunters, WHY on EARTH would he actively promote and endorse the article on his website? If you sit back and look at what is represented here and isolate the fact that you and I think he is underneath it all a nice guy, it is painfully obvious that pack hunters have historically been thrown under the bus in order for L3 to promote himself.
Can I accept the fact that a NICE GUY can also have a shameless self promotion side? Yes. Do I wish that he would promote himself without the negative pack hunting remarks and insinuations? You bet I do. I absolutely wish that he would not spew such remarks in a high profile way. We get that he believes his way to be superior. Hey, if we didn't think each of our own little methods of hunting were superior, we wouldn't choose to hunt the ways we do, would we? Part of the reason L3 is chided is because from the first time he appeared on the hog dogging scene (I remember Contest 2008) with his ridgeback dog Capstick, the story has been changing almost constantly. If you spoke to him at his booth at that expo, his admitted first hog dog Capstick was three years old, if I remember correctly, and was started on hogs at age two. Riddick was his first dane for hunting, and was acquired from craigslist and started in Mr Mason's pen in the summer of 2008 (if memory serves). See, over the years this has morphed into 17 years of hog dogging experience and a lifetime of dedication to the Boarhound. What are we to believe when the statements change so? It is for statements such as this that people find it in them to ridicule. Am I jealous of him? Absolutely not. I have never seen a person who has caused so much torment for himself through the process of trying to make his living. It is not that hog doggers are looking for someone to hate on, just look at the many different personalities that call each other friends on this site alone. We don't tend to shut people out based on the kinds of dogs they hunt and that is very evident. Heck, Cutter Bay has blue ticks for crying out loud. That argument can't even begin to hold water. When someone has bad luck with being hated on such as L3 has, he has to have brought it upon himself somehow. Those of us who were around before this website started are privy to the reasons. Some are still scratching their heads from the TB's days.
I hate it, I really do. I would like to just shake the poor fella and give him the opportunity to set the record straight. Give him the chance to tell the truth minus any form of self promotion or build up, and start over - hit the re set button. I would like a chance for this NICE GUY to lose the need to prove that his way is best and be accepted by his peers. Unfortunately, he is going to have to stop saying the negative things about pack hunters in order to gain any respect. My apologies if this post is inflamatory, I am merely pointing out what I see. I am accepting of all kinds, and I do not look at newcomers with an aire of contempt. As MANY of you know, I treat everyone with respect and open arms until they prove themselves not to be deserving. It is not Josh as a person that I don't like. It is that streak of him that is willing to down the rest of us - friends or not - for the sake of promoting what he believes to be a superior form of hunting. NONE of us win in that situation.
I was pleased that he did not down pack hunters in his most recent venture. I was happy with that. Perhaps the outcry was so over the article he promoted on his site that he learned not to throw his fellow hunters under the bus.
Cheers
M
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