DIFFERENT CONDITIONS AND TERRAIN

Thought Provoking post Old Man.

Disclaimer- I appreciate hounds and cur dogs. I grew up hunting hounds but I currently hunt cur dogs. Both have their place. Hound/cur crosses have made some of the best I have seen go. I like & appreciate BOTH.

In my experience, well bred hounds have a higher success rate performing in various terrain & conditions across the country. I speculate the reason for this is because they are “ hardwired” to hunt, trail, jump, chase, locate, & stay treed/bayed. The type of hound I am referencing hunts for themselves, not for their owner/handler or pack mates. Big Game Hunters & Competition Coon Hunters have dogs performing well from coast to coast & border to border.

A well bred cur dog pup has the same chance of making a dog anywhere as long as the game population allows them to be productive. I haven’t seen as many examples of cur dogs being successful across the country. I speculate this is because most cur dogs aren’t hard wired to pound out a cold track in tough conditions. There are some leopard dogs being used on bear & cat in California, Idaho, Montana, & Wyoming. They are usually in packs with hounds.

Buying finished/aged dogs can be tricky. I have firsthand experience with it. There will absolutely be a transition period and they will likely never perform quite as well in their new environment as they did “back home”. They will, however, be productive as long as the new owner is patient and puts them in sign on the desired game.

I see ALOT of dogs get returned on trial because the new owner is either impatient or does NOT hunt the dog the way they are used to being hunted. Ex. Buying a rig/road dog & expecting it to cast. Hunting in a large pack when the dog is used to being hunted alone or in small packs. Daytime vs Nighttime.

Again, I see hounds & hound crosses acclimating to change more often than pure cur dogs. Again, I speculate this is because they are hardwired to hunt for themselves.

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