Florida cur, Cracker cur, Southern Cur, Florida hog hunting in general history?

[treeingratterrier]

What part of Fla are you in? I have had Fla curs for almost 30 years. I managed ranches for several years and have used these dogs on both cattle and hogs. It is my opinion that the Fla curs seem to be rougher, as a breed, than most of the other curs. Some have bulldog in them I am sure, but a lot of the cattlemen don't want bulldog in them. I for one have spent years trying to get some of the bite bred OUT of mine. My old dogs used to be "bark once or twice and catch".....about ANY hog. After sewing and stapling dogs, vet bills, dogs out of commission for weeks, etc, and doing this for 20 years,  I decided there must be a better way. Sure, you will catch a lot of hogs with the rough dogs, but it only takes one bad hog to put you out of commission too........

Here is a pic of my Monkey dog. He is 6 1/2 years old.


This is my Spur dog. He is sired by Monkey and out of one of my females, and is 5 years old. Note the white ringneck, white chest and feet. I get a lot of ringnecks in my dogs.


I also get a lot of red dogs. This is Scarlet.

  When i get settled in Groveland i will find the pictures i have of the yellow black mouth curs i was inbreeding back there, that white ring neck, loose skin under chin is a dead ringer to them except there heads were not quite as blocky but close, they were from Jude Hart and Lavon davis's dogs, which Hart brought from Florida to the east texas big thicket, they hunted more like hounds than curs i had seen up to then, would roll out until they found a hog, silent on track and could trail up a hog, this was 30 years ago too by the way before the internet, how is Monkey bred as far back as you can tell, there is way way to much resemblance to Jude harts dogs for there not to be a connection, when u see the picture of Whitey and Buttler i am sure you will see it too, soon as i opened this post i saw it, small world for sure, most of the ybmc cur dogs in texas are coastal burmuda dogs and stay close, very very few have dogs that will take off and windsheild wipe a 2000 acre solid brush  pasture and hunt up a cow, they kinda have all disapeared to the close ranged bark and catch types due to all of the hog hunters buying anything with big head and black mouth.  There got to be a few left but so many now cross any ybmc to any other ybmc strain and just sell pups, there are 10 times more hogs in texas now than florida i am sure of it, anything can catch a hog now days, its not like it was 30 or 40 years ago when u had to have a wide ranging strike dog who could road all night in front of the truck trying to find a hog, times and dogs have changed for the worse for sure, thanks for that pic of your dogs, was a blast back to the past for sure.  I ran a pack of ybmcs that bayed only and would not put a mouth on a hog, but if left for 45 to 1 hour on a pack of hogs and slow driven could drive them to the old pens, nowdays the curs seem like all catch dogs who hunt in front of the horse, am sure there some wide ranging ones with sense but they have to be a rare breed for sure.

[Noah]

I know a bunch of guys I sure would like to get on here and comment... getting them anywhere near a keyboard is the problem 

... Maybe Gil Tompkins will chime in, I'd like to hear what he has to say about it...

[JDJP]

Very interesting, I see a couple ridgebacks every one in a while that look a lot like big view, never new they were mixed in, but it makes sense now.

Always like reading about this.

Noah this subject could take up a few chapters in your book, maybe you should get going on the research

[JDJP]

Look a lot like big CURS

[SCHitemHard]

my grandfather on my moms side was born and raised in okechobee. i could always ask him if he knows much, his family had lots of cows and he would always tell the kids stories of him bein out in the woods for weeks lookin for cows with his dogs, he also had his hands on some of the plotts back in the 60's

hes 83 now so i figure he has to know sometin since hes a dog man at heart

[Noah]

That's about the only people left that might have good info on the history... those old timers are gettin' harder and harder to find... somebody needs to document what's left before its too late...

... I wonder if I could talk the University into financing something like this...

[rdjustham]

Depending on who you talk to and what part of the state your standing in, depends on the answer you get.  ive had a few Fl Curs, now im down to one yella bobtail dog out of the flint stock near Lake City.  Ill try to post some pics up..

[bucsniper]

larry and bobbys dogs have mountain cur and catahoula in em.

[rdjustham]

Tipper he GYP that got me started.  She was a hand me down dog when shegot too old for the boy that had her.. But she wa a bark twice and caught kinda dog.  Cept when she got up there if she barked three times it was big and if help wasnt tere on number 4 she would quit it.



He was suppse to be off Lightsey ranch stock.  Got him half started but all he was gonna be was a catch dog.  Only problem was he caught two of my dogs and me in the process so........



Jack... got him 3rd hand from a boy nea lakeland when he got divorced.  Came from the Flint stock in Lake City area.  Would love to get another, old man that breeds them has a cousin that lives ten minutes from me, dont know him real well though.. He knows i have him, and i hint too him everytime we run in to each other how id like to get a gyp... but the old cow men around here dont like hints unless they know you real well..

[rdjustham]

Oh i shouda mentioned... The picture of Jack was the night i brought him home.. Hes a nervous kinda dog unless hes with people he knows, thus the cowering...  Oh and hes put on some weight...Dang pig!  Not real sure what the boy who had him before me did when he caught a hog, but when he catches one for me as soon as i flip it and pin it he lets go and hides... Not real sure what thats about, but i cant break him of it..

[Reuben]

Oh i shouda mentioned... The picture of Jack was the night i brought him home.. Hes a nervous kinda dog unless hes with people he knows, thus the cowering...  Oh and hes put on some weight...Dang pig!  Not real sure what the boy who had him before me did when he caught a hog, but when he catches one for me as soon as i flip it and pin it he lets go and hides... Not real sure what thats about, but i cant break him of it..

`

 More than likely someone used to beat that dog off of caught hogs. I have seen that in hog dogs before

[Noah]

"the old cow men around here don't like hints unless they know you real well"... you said a mouth full right there brother    .... men are protective over genetics for a reason...  for a cowboy, his dogs help maintain his reputation.... which gets him more day work... very similar to some hog hunters I know quite well 

I've never seen any dogs that were built like that over that way... I frequent the Lake City area and have been through some of the ranches over that way, not seen anything built like that Jack dog over there... he's built good... nice looking dog, but he got a S FL look to him

[rdjustham]

Noah my buddy's dad over in labelle has a good line of dogs that all look just like my jack dog.  I LOVE the look and build but they are damn hard to come by.  Ive had two but everyone of them ive been around were the right kinda dog.  Smart hunt and die for you kinda dogs

[sfboarbuster]

Funny thing is... Started coming around these boards and hearing the term to cut, I was thinkin dang I got
To get me some of them.. Turns out that's what I had been around my whole life. We just called them fur dogs. Everyone I grower up around just wantedgood dogs. They didn't care what state they were from! As long as they worked right and were built rght they didn't care

[bucsniper]

Rd my buddy got a dog that looks just like jack and out of Larry flints dog if your curious about where more of the blood is at. Looks just like your dog too.

[koyote76]

heres mine, ill try and find a better pic.

[koyote76]

he is the one caught.

[rdjustham]

Rd my buddy got a dog that looks just like jack and out of Larry flints dog if your curious about where more of the blood is at. Looks just like your dog too.

Bucsniper  Jack is out of the flint line, good way to tell is the F on the right hip  .  Got him from a boy that got him from the flints in lake city area.  Ronnie flint is about 70 years old still works cows and lives here in lehigh.  He told me its his cousin that breeds them but he hasnt offered a name, number, dog or anything with all the hints i been dropping.

[crackerc]

He is looking good Kerry. He looks a lot like Monkey in that pic too. My two females don't seem to be as catchy...yet....but we will see as I hunt them more.

How big did he get? I know you said he was about 70 lbs before.

[koyote76]

i got him down to 65 in hunting shape. real leggy.

he is  doing really well, just have to keep an eye on his attitude towards strangers lol. hes in that stage where im about to find out what type of dog hes going to be. you cant tell from the pic, but after he locks on his holding style is very very clean. the only concern i have with him, is that he gets wore out running with my cats. they hunt out wide open and he has a hard time keeping that pace especially in the heat. so i have been hunting him by himself and matching him with a more laid back style dog.