shankem
|
|
« on: July 26, 2011, 07:13:52 pm » |
|
This is what I have done. I have made mistakes. Mistake #1- Got in a hurry and took in every free dog a hoghunter would give me. I also purchased a few started curs and a few pups. Not to mention the bulldogs. 23 dogs on my yard at once and not a single foot of hunting land. Freaking Genius; heard the grunt and went all retarded. I quickly realized I don't need that many dogs; and started testing and hunting them all against my Bull. 2 out of 5 pups remain. Mistake #2- Thinking I had it all figured out! I built a pig pen and bought coon trap. Started putting a shoat in the trap and oozin past it, and teaching the dogs to wind it and bay the trap. I increased the distance to the pig each time and changed locations. I also put a pig on a drag and let it go to teach them to run a track. The dogs learned to bay but not to shut down the runners. Mistake #3- Tritronics Classic 70 + Cattle = shankem getting dumped on cattle alot. Mistake #4- Underestimating the costs involved in maintaining a large pack. Not to mention time involved. Mistake #5- Lack of swine to hunt and time to hunt what's there.
I only hunt one day a week; not nearly enough to make a dog in my opinion. It's all the time I have and my wife and daughter get the rest. I love them more than the dogs. I currently have 2 dogs striking hogs,2 dogs catching hogs, 3 dogs I take hunting, and a pup out of my Bull( I only kept one because she is a month older than my daughter) baying shoats in pasture. I am hoping that my ol' gyp I bought can fill in the gaps I created; so far so good. Bug and Buster are showing improvement and gonna get their chance on their own this weekend. They are both around 2 and I have to decide if they are what I want in a dog. All in all; it seems like the more I learn the less I think I know. If that makes any sense.
I am starting to believe hunting,hunting, and hunting is what makes a dog.
|
|
|
Logged
|
|
|
|
|