shooting over dogs

[BarrNinja]

I'm concerned that if I shoot a hog in front of the gunshy dogs they're gonna get spooked every time I get close to a bay thinking they're gonna get peppered again.

When I first started hunting I had two dogs and lever action .44 and I killed hogs just fine.  I have a male that never ever changes his barking at the shot of a rifle.  Now the female that I have had never been shot around and after a few hogs that I shot she would get to where she would watch for me and when she saw me coming close to the bay she would get real loose and then leave out right when the hammer dropped.  I enjoyed it but I found in thick country with alot of youpon it is extremely hard to get in close enough for a shot without breaking the bay.

How about those bad brier thickets when you can stand 5 feet from a bayed 250 pounder and still not be able to see a single hair of him? I have tried to break bays in stuff like that but you would have thought the hogs were anchored to the ground!
There is draw backs to all styles. Part of the fun will be learning and adapting!

Keep us posted on how its working out for ya Craig.

[craig]

i shure will.

[DangerZone]

I use this in  22 LR,, pistol and auto rifle,, 60gr,, has worked for me numeruos time behind the ear or a lung shot, I shot a 130-140lb sow in nov. just behind the shoulder into the lungs didn't penetrate all the way though she was on her knees after 20-30 sec.    http://www.cheaperthandirt.com/LargeImage.aspx?sku=AMM-057

[Reuben]

I used gritty cur dogs and they would catch a big boar on command. Several times the dogs were cut down and the hog trotted off and I felt helpless. I now carry a 22 mag because of those two episodes. I will tell the curs to back off from a big boar because I would rather shoot than have a valuable dog get killed or crippled.

[cantexduck]

 I use a rem 35 marlin.(have used most other guns too). Bring two dogs with me. a mt cur x plott and a mnc x plott. Snapper(mt cur) will back up when she shes me. The other one I have to wait till she is clear to shoot. Dont use a .22 mag. Sure it will work but sometimes the only shoot you have is of a less then perfect angle. I have shoot a few in the back hips to break it down. a 22 mag isnt going to work on a decent size hog.

[Wmwendler]

Craig....you have got some good replies so far.  I've been shooting hogs out of the bay for 20 years and Before I found message boards on the internet, I never even knew there was such thing as a catch dog.  I always thought caught hogs were an every now and then type thing when you had too many dogs on the ground or the dogs got a smaller hog singled out.


On caliber......I hunt with a 30/30 and 150 grain solid nose bullets.  Smaller calibers will work fine if you can make a perfect shot every time.  But I am human not perfect and sometimes miss the mark and I prefer to have something a with a little more power thats still effective when the shot is not perfect.  No to mention you will encounter situations were you can not make a head shot, and if its a big boar you need something with enough power to make it through the shield and still have enough kinetic energy left to do some damage.  I wont take a shot with dogs on the other side no matter what caliber.  I always assume a pass through even thought most shots don't.  It only takes one time to regret it.


On type of dogs.............Hound or Cur does not matter when it comes to advantages for shooting hogs out of the bay.  If you prefer one breeds hunting style over the other then go with that.  Loose baying style and fewer dogs on the ground makes a safe shot easier to come by.  Dogs that bay loose or will back up on command if they don't bay loose.  I hunt with Stock bred curs dogs.  Its how I was started and still what I prefer to this day after hunting with lots of other types of dogs over the years. 

On sneaking.............Some hogs might not break if they see, hear, or smell you.  But None of them will if they don't, so I always suggest sneaking in with the wind in your favor. 

Jessie Paul....you must be super stealthy and odorless .  But I suppose we allready knew you had super human powers. lol

Waylon

[Reuben]

cantexduck,

is that mnc x plott a manning cur x plott? If so what is the breeding on the manning cur?

[cantexduck]

Ment black mouth cur. I prefer to drop the mt cur out alone. easy to shoot over her.

[slick]

i had the bolt slip open and the round fall out while running in. it was a single shot .22 and that boar was about the 180lb mark, it handled him too easy.

[slick]

i finally got a clip of myself shooting over my dogs (it aint easy filming and shooting at the same time, but i got it done), as i went to fire the first shot i found that the bolt had come open and the round fell out so i had to quickly had to throw another one in.
its just a single shot .22 that is as old as the hills but does the job. my cats dont mind the gun but you can see my mate border collie jump when the shot is fired.




he would have been about 70kg/160lb once dressed, that conversion is a guess too bynthe way.

[miahogger]

I shoot all theones my dogs bay stick the rest they learn to roll out as soon as I shoot.Sometimes 1 will holds on they no what shot does

[jwdeltx]

I forgot to mention that what I call my hound pack is waker/cat, believe it or not they can find a hog.HUNT’UM UP !!!!

[firemedic]

We hunt hounds and curs both, they know what a shot means....it means a hog to them and they aren't bothered by it. I've been using an M1 carbine for over 10 years now.....yep, the old military gun from WW II. Short, light, even lighter if you'll put a synthetic stock on it. It shoots a 110 gr. bullet that won't go through a hog that's over 70 lbs. Not nearly as loud as a 30-30 or 35, but will kill a hog at over 100 yrds easy. Killed a bunch of hogs with it and only lost 2 that I knew I hit. Try one.....they're a bit pricey, you'll really like it. You can get a Universal brand for about $400 if you shop around.

[Reuben]

We hunt hounds and curs both, they know what a shot means....it means a hog to them and they aren't bothered by it. I've been using an M1 carbine for over 10 years now.....yep, the old military gun from WW II. Short, light, even lighter if you'll put a synthetic stock on it. It shoots a 110 gr. bullet that won't go through a hog that's over 70 lbs. Not nearly as loud as a 30-30 or 35, but will kill a hog at over 100 yrds easy. Killed a bunch of hogs with it and only lost 2 that I knew I hit. Try one.....they're a bit pricey, you'll really like it. You can get a Universal brand for about $400 if you shop around.

I killed a lot of deer with an m1 30 carbine when I was a kid...

[GW]

Amen Brothers!!!! I have caught hogs with catch dogs and shot them with bay dogs in my limited 2 year career and it didn't take me long to figure out which I liked the best.

My Reasons to shoot over dogs vs. Catch with dogs:

I love my dogs and have too invested in them
I prefer to shoot hogs primarily to prevent my dogs from gettn cut down or killed.
Since I didn't really want to rig up to catch and transport hogs to sell, why let them SOB's live in the first place.
Most of the farmers I hunt on want the hogs dead anyway.
Better daytime hunting opportunities. In Oklahoma we have legal shooting hours.
I can get a hog bayed and shot without going on these 3 & 4 mile runs
1 or 2 dogs don't put as much pressure on a hog as a whole pack of bay dogs.
I can kill as many hogs with 1 dog as I can with a pack of dogs
Hogs will bay up because I don't think hogs don't see 1 dog as a real threat.
A smaller bay dog, 25-40 pounder can be more effective than a 70-80 larger dog. (quicker, faster and more bottom)

Last point, and this MY OPINION for what it's worth.  I think that if you are a breeder or one who raises pups that will tolerate being shot over, the demand for your dogs will be great in the future!!!!  European hog hunters shoot hogs with 1 or 2 bay dogs or use 1 or 2 rcd's with great success. (Bay dogs live longer than rcd's)
Today's hogs are not baying up with the dogs like they use too.  They are just flat out running when they feel pressure. Many hunters are already figuring out that they need to do something different to get a hog in the deep freezer. 
I think as time passes, many more hunter will either become baying shooters or will hunt with rcd's. As much as I hate to admit this, the Europeans are setting the trend in hog hunting tactics and equipment.  Think about it.

[waylon-N.E. OK]

We use .357 mag's and solid lead slugs only My buddy and i are allowed to carry guns though. It has worked well for us. It could be risky if you lost your head and just blasted away, my dogs don't bay right up in a hogs face either though.