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jsh
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« on: July 21, 2009, 04:34:03 pm » |
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West Texas,
Personally, I've got no problem with an open mouth dog. When I first began studying this sport (I waited 5 years before owning my own dogs) I often heard people bashing hounds or open dogs. A lot of them would not even give them a chance. Fortunately I had many opportunities to hunt behind open hound packs as well as individual dogs that were good, solid hog dogs. From what I saw, those dogs were just as good as a silent dog when it came to hog hunting. A smart hog in the area will run at the sound of a bay and a hog squealing just as fast as he will from an open trailing dog.
When talking open mouth dogs, track speed is key IMO. A good dog should be able to catch up to the hog whether he's open or not, unless it's an extremely old track. My lead dog is pure hound and opens up only when he sees them, but will never shut up until the fat lady sings. He's great at locating, great at the bay but poor at shutting down a runner. I supplement him with a couple good curs and that helps that issue. Another reason I don't mind him open is that when the curs are caught, I can easily locate the catch if it's a bigger hog that's not squealing.
I agree with Cutter Bay on what an open dog is.
Just my opinions - my dogs are by no means the best and I'm sure as heck no expert, I just enjoy hunting.
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