Once upon a time I consider it a challenge to myself, an Art if you want to call it that. Needed a few to train on, sell a few and so on, but to save one thats not all chewed up and have its ears torn off and hams ripped up, well it takes talented set of dogs to catch and tie consistantly wiothout having mangled hogs.
Alot of folks talk about NEEDING ROUGH dogs to stop hogs, well how you going to tie one thats not looking like hamburger with a rough set of dogs?
I undertand you arent going to catch every hog, but I aint trying to start an arguement either. If it was easy everybody would be doing it. That said I have not tied a live hog in a good while, mostly cause its alot easier not too, the art in it theses days I would rather get to a bay, hold back my catch dog and watch my dogs bay, take mental notes, photos and see what my dogs are doing, set the catch dog up for a clean catch, if you got more than one hog bayed try and set up for multiple catches and take my time and learn something about my dogs.
If I get to the bay before all the wild indians get in a hurry and run in try to get it over with, well I am too out of wiond to worry about tieing one up its not a priority anymore.
You're right about not needing rough dogs all the time. I just like a dog that isn't scared to get down and dirty when he/she knows they can.
It all really depends on the moment, IMO. Sometimes tie and sometimes stick. I personally do not carry and gun in the woods anymore, and it will probably come to bite me in the butt one day... but for now, it feels pretty good to get on a big boar and kill it with just a knife, or tie it up and take it out.
maybe it's just me... but I sure am grateful that's still a freedom of ours.
