Why do we run so many bay dogs?

[Bump]

Its all about preference, style, hunting terrain/conditions and the person. I kill everything I catch and leave them for the buzzards.....

What works best for me may not be suitable for the next person. I prefer my bay dogs to bay and my catch dogs to catch. I do not see any benefit in having more than 3 or 4 bay dogs and typically 2 catch dogs.

Rough bay dogs in the Hill Country will get wrecked in a hurry. As Bryant stated...95% of the time one catch dog can get the job done. It is the other 5% that a person has to worry about.....I like to be as safe as possible and send two catch dogs in to every bay.

[TShelly]

We normally run 5-7 cur dogs on the ground and usually just one CD, sometimes 2 if we hunt more cur dogs! We normally catch most hogs with just our cur dogs. And our main reason For the 2nd CD is if we split up and go to seperate bays.. I can count on one hand the times we've purposely sent 2 cd's dogs in, I agree in the sense that one 50# cd is enough.. Our cur dogs are rough but not pshycho they'll sit back and bay a bad hog even if they're all there .. It does lead to more staples and cut dogs but IMO more hogs.. To each his own!

[clint]

We run 2-3 bay dogs on the ground at a time. and maybe a pup or two we turn loose to the bay. only one lead in bulldog.....

caught lots of big barrs and bad boars with my one catchdog. yet to see him get whooped off. but he is about 100lbs

and the curs will catch with him. the curs will catch most everything under 180 lbs by themselves.

i think the key to only using one bulldog is gettting close as possible before turning it loose. i never turn a catchdog loose if i cant see the hog. that way you can be right behind it when it hits the hog. so you can catch the hog before it has any time to do much damage

[robbiew2208]

clint although i dont agree wth turning hogs loose, i sure enough agree with gettin close as you can before turning a bulldog loose. i domt like mine bein caught no longer than they have to. i hate it when a bulldog is on the run . i believe in getting in there and helping your dogs

[craig]

this has shure been interesting reading..

im shure most of my hunts are like everyone elses, if 3 or 4 guys go we end up with to many dogs on the ground.
i have a freind, his rule is one man one dog, i really like that deal but it makes some guys mad..    guys that want to take every dog they own dont get invited to go with me if they arent willing to just bring 1 or 2 dogs..     

im probably too picky about what i hunt my dogs with but in this country rough dogs dont last long, all my dogs are loose bay dogs, and you put a rough dog in the pack and it changes the whole deal, i can no longer relax if my dogs get 2miles away with this rough dog in the mix. ( im talking about a catchy rough dog ) cause my dogs are going to tighten up on the hog with a dog like that.  thats when time is your worst enemy, if it takes 1 to 2 hrs to get to them dogs  , that gives a big hog alot of opurtunity to cut those dogs if they arent giving him a little respect.

  i want my bay dogs to turn a hog and back up and bay, i always take 2 catch dogs, i have been in to many situiations were one was not enough, split bay, cur dogs rolled out, ect.

my ideal pack is 3 loose bay dogs with 2 lead in catch dogs.

the thing to remenber is not all of the hogs across the country are the same nor are the dogs so everyone has to put together a set of dog that works for them in there country.

 

[make-em-squeel]

I like multiple catch dogs for a couple of reasons. #1 reason is that I want my bay dog to leave once the catch dogs catch. Got a couple dogs that you might not see at the catch at all. By the time you get there to leg the hog, and have it tied or stuck, the bay dogs are already a couple hundred yards out hunting again.  #2, I have had the hog break after the catch dog was released, only to have it bay up and be caught a a couple hundred yards away in some thick stuff. It took a while to get there, and it was a stout 250# boar, both catch dogs were getting hot, and I was glad we had two catch dogs that day. It's just my preference though.

Like what DJ said,  mix it up and have fun.  If there is one rule in hog dogging, it's that there are no absolutes!

I agree 100%, even if we have 4 to 7 curs on the ground the mature dogs will role out as soon as the hog is handled- be it the cd or me. plus there are just times where two bulldogs makes everything safer, ie. split bays , heat , cut up bull dog, etc etc

[Piglywigly]

This is why I am running more CD's now.

1. I don't like to lose hogs or run em more than an hour maybe two. I like to catch hogs. If my bay dogs work their butts of, the CD needs to handle up on his end to. Anything short of that is a waste of time for all of us, including the bay dogs.

2. I've seen some CD's get clipped hard in the front legs. Enough to take out any dog.

3. CD too slow

4. CD made it, but a day late and dollar short.

5. CD lost

6. Hog broke... cd kept up, but not enough bottom in the end.

7. Real bad hog, cut CD real bad even w/ vest and cut collar, he needed help.

8. I've been able to get ahead of a few hogs, and having another CD to dump in front of the hog is nice. He's fresh and ready to go. Plus, if he catches and needs help, send another in to him. So right there, makes 3 CD. Then I still have a fresh spare for a split bay.

I can really go on all night about why I personally need more. It's just what I've personally found to be better for me. I don't like the feeling of a good solid bay and no CD to complete the job.

Still, that doesn't mean you dump 4 CD'S on the ground at one time. Use em when you need em or when the situation calls for it.

[BarrNinja]

The more catch dogs the merryer. Just dont turn them loose till you need um. 

[hog428]

I love the sound of the hound and I have hunted most everything there was to hunt with a hound before I hunted the hog many guys brought up the point of grab dogs getting hit  or the grab dogs can not make the race with the more pure lines I believe this to be true I run full throttle grab dogs they are bread for hogs I have a little bark and they will hunt all day just my opinion the grab dogs are under estimated and under trained   RUNNING BULLS ONLY

[Piglywigly]

The more catch dogs the merryer. Just dont turn them loose till you need um. 

that's my idea, don't use em unless you need em. If I could get one to do the job, I wouldn't own anymore. It's just impossible for one dog to do everything I need in all the different places we hunt.
 

[Piglywigly]

I love the sound of the hound and I have hunted most everything there was to hunt with a hound before I hunted the hog many guys brought up the point of grab dogs getting hit  or the grab dogs can not make the race with the more pure lines I believe this to be true I run full throttle grab dogs they are bread for hogs I have a little bark and they will hunt all day just my opinion the grab dogs are under estimated and under trained   RUNNING BULLS ONLY

most people in my neck of the woods don't know about performance type bulldogs. They are built different than your average short, fat, bulldog, which is what most people own. They are a lot faster and lankyer. Still.... They will not out run a hound x bully cross.

[hog428]

 I have been dealing with this problem for years building a bull that has the stamina brains and nohow after 16 years of breeding I have a line of pure athletes running bulls they will hunt all day and hang with any hound here Im not saying they are better just better for my style

[make-em-squeel]

 I have been dealing with this problem for years building a bull that has the stamina brains and nohow after 16 years of breeding I have a line of pure athletes running bulls they will hunt all day and hang with any hound here Im not saying they are better just better for my style

Where do you live and what terrain do you hunt? Do your pits bay until you get there and then catch when you get close, similiar to our rough curs? Will your pits bay a bad hog or will they catch until you leg it? Do you leg hogs or shoot them?

[hog428]

they will pin him to the ground try to keep him com ther is always one or two dogs that will bark enough to find them I hunt in very cliffy terrain thick brush

[Donnie]

i agree u domt need all those dogs 2 catch  good hogs.more dogs seems to say something about how much confidence the person has in his dogs and  the persons abilities

[TexasHogDogs]

Well I have had both great ruff dogs that caught hogs 300 lbs and  under with out catch dogs and I sew dogs up all the time and had two three get killed with vest on and highly rated vest no junk.  Then I said well let me try the not so ruff dogs and I ended up chasing hogs half way across the country .

Then I said well it must have to do with the quality of bay dogs a man runs not the number of bay dogs he runs been knowing that for a long time just hard headed and love ruff dogs but man it gets old sewing up dogs everytime and digging holes.  So I picked me out three that I thought would work the best together not all out catchy but would sure nuff stop one if he tried to run and three that were smart nuff to know what they can and cannot catch and back off hold and bay.

After much work finally got my first look at the real thing in action with the biggest boar hog I have seen in years if not the biggest period I have seen with my own eyes here the other week.  Went with a friend of mine he has some pretty ruff kind of dogs his went one way mine went the other mine ended up down at the river baying like hell his was looking elsewere so I told him they got one at the river and took off while he was still trying to find his .  Got to the river snuck in didnt have a catch dog just my gun finally get in there 15 yards away and the three dogs I thought would work was working perfect they was spinning this big ole boar like a top and he could do noting else sat back watched for a min as it was pretty as could be then raised my gun had my sights on the big boar and all the sudden I heard something come crashin in from the side and behind me it was my buddys dogs they ran in and put the pressure on got there asses  handed to them the big boar broke and I walked four miles down the river were they had him bayed again on a point out at the rivers edge , bayed solid again my three spinning like a top again pretty pretty pretty problem was I had a hard time getting close nuff for a sure shot as it was so thick could hardly get threw when I finally did get close nuff and was about to put the old boar in his place here comes my buddys ruff ass dogs again and guess what busted the bay the boar hit the river crossed  and that was the end of the story!

What did I learn from this first hand ?  Some dogs think they are bad till the hog whips there asses and hands it to them on a platter !  These dogs bust bays left and right the hog runs for miles and the good dogs pay the price usally with getting bad hurt are their lives!  I dont know and dont claim to know if this is most of the peoples problems out there but I sure do suspect it is a big part of running hogs !

When I ran my ruff ruff dogs they were sure nuff some bad boys and girls we caught hogs regular close to 300 with out a bulldog are catch dog but after many many big vet bills and great dead dogs and some not so great it kinda leaves a man with a different attuide towards what a good ruff bay stop dog is and a dog that is a bay busting peice of chit !

3 sure nuff good find bay stop type of dogs and two catch dogs is what I will use from now on .  If other folks wants to run theirs I will leave mine at  home it just dont work mixing dogs somebody is gonna come home with less dogs at some time are another and speakin from long time experince it is usally yours and your best one that  you cannot replace for years and years! 

[Silverton Boar Dogs]

Great post TexasHogDogs, I agree 100%

[ROCKIN-B-HOG DOGS]

i run 3 rough curr dogs and 3 rcd two of them are pit/curr the other is dogo/bulldog and everything works great. 

[3-Bdogs]

100% agree that allot of ppl blame the hog well i kinda have to disagree maybe its the dogs i don't like rcd not sayin they don't work just not my way i do have some... i think smart dogs catch dogs their are ppl here who run 20 dogs on the ground no lie they still have hogs run on them so you tell me rough dogs work the best id disagree i also know a guy he been huntin 30 plus yrs and runs to dogs on the ground and to lead in catch dogs and catchs more hogs than anyone i know so what im sayin i guess is smart dogs catch hogs however you hunt rough or bay dogs 1 dog or 20 they got to be smart

[waylon-N.E. OK]

Hate to pull of the real topic here, but I had to


Hog428 wroye: they will hunt all day and hang with any hound  


You have never ran them with July or Running Walker hounds  then my friend. There ain't a bulldog alive on this planet that can run AS LONG or AS FAST as a one of them in the jungle,Tropic Islands, mountains, desert, artic slope on the moon or any where else.You have mentioned 16 years of breeding, most running hounds have been breed to run and not stop no matter the cost by great men before this country was even formed. I have seen coyotes run 8 hours from a pack of running hounds full speed and a bull dog of any type would have had a lung collaspe by then.I have seen july hounds run there pads off there feet in the lime stone fields around here and have to be caught and carried back to the truck or they would have bleed to death before quitting. Your dogs may have some lung but you will have to breed more bull dog out of them than they posses to honestly say they can hang with ANY HOUND. The hound is often tore down and over looked in internet circles where any one can be a dog expert but the truth is a tougher, bigger hearted, harder headed, full of bottom, stick with the game no matter where it goes or how long it runs dog has yet to be bred in this world in my opnion than a Good hound and I doubt there ever will be in the future either.