Dog for hog hunting

[beastslayer]

Been unsuccesful so far trying to find hogs in public lands. Gone to Southern Los Padres near Sta Barbara and up North near Big Sur/Monterey and also Cottonwood. Seen lots of signs but no ghost of a sighting.

My theory is that pigs are nocturnal -- in Asia they are -- specially on public lands where there are too much people traffic. And the only way to find them is by using dogs.

My idea of a good hunting dog is a silent tracker. I'll drive in an area with lots of signs, have a trained dog track the scent and once sighted stalk and shoot.

Can anyone tell me if my theory makes sense? And if there is such a dog?

 

[manfreddy]

Buddy of mine runs these. They don't bark until they are on a hog. These are NOT pets, but used only for hunting hogs.

There are other guys on the is board who know much, much more about running dogs for hogs, so I'm sure they'll chime in.

laika

 

[beastslayer]

manfreddy - thanks for link. got excited opening it and finding a photo a very handsome dog. then, got disappointed that the web-site is not local.

any response from fellow kalifornian's?

 

[BGH831]

Got a couple buddys that run dogs for hogs. Pit bull mastiff mixes mostly. Take them into an are aof heavy sign and let them go when you hear the party starting get in there and kill the pig before he kills your dog. that's the only way to hunt pigs with dogs that I know of. Guess is that useing a dog by the time your close enough to "spot" the pig is going to have spotted you and you'll have to turn your stalking dog into a catch dog if you want any pork int he freezer. Might be able to help in the puppy dept.

 

[bigtusker]

Most guys will use 1 strike dog to locate and stop the hog. A hog is more likely to stop and fight 1 dog than a whole pack. Once your strike stops one, you go in with the other dogs on leash until you are right on the pig then release them. The problem with running many dogs loose all at once is that you can end up with multiple pigs/dog fights rather than just one. That is when your dogs get hurt.

 

[beastslayer]

BGH831 and bigtusker - thanks for the info. is my idea of a silent tracker of a dog a pipe dream? there is no such thing? that all dogs, no matter how well trained will bark and chase a hog even if restrained by its master?

 

[bayedsolid]

There are numerous breeds of hog dogs that run silent and only bark when bayed up. I don't know where you live exactly but if you have hogs in your area, chances are there are guys catching them with dogs and you should be able to find one. The hound breeds bark on track but most of the Cur's don't. Alot of times you can cross a hound with some bulldog or something and they run silent, but it's a coin toss. One thing to remember is that it is tough to have a decent dog unless you hunt it alot. Most guys with decent dogs run them a couple times a week. It might be a little tough to go about doggin hogs half-way. I don't know what your plans are but you would probably be better off to either go about being a dog hunter all the way or leave it be. Otherwise I think you might just end up chasing your tail a bit. Good luck.

 

[beastslayer]

bayedsolid - points well taken, thanks. indeed, i'm a citified chair-borne wannabie hog hunter right now spending most of my working hours staring at a computer and number crunching. at most, i'll likely be able to use the dog at an average of 10x a year. and during the rest of the week, i maybe able to take the dog on my 30-minute daily jog.

i've been reading the hound column and some dog sites and my dream is becoming more farfeched. there are leads about some Japanese breeds but the forum just died out.

but the desire -- or obsession is still there. hogs are even in my dreams lately (lol).

 

[bayedsolid]

beastslayer-- Catahoula's make pretty good dogs for pets too. They can be hard headed and need to have excercise but you could always go that route. They have the hunt in them so if you only let him off the leash when you are in fresh hog sign good things might come of it. If you just let him run loose from the start he's gonna be chasing anything that moves and you'll end up pissed off the whole time he's off chasing trash when you want to be hunting hogs. If you end up with a hound you'll probably have more problems than you would with a Catahoula or Cur breed because the hound is probably going to range a whole lot farther when you're out hunting. I've never seen any of the Japanese breeds so I can't really comment on them. <div class='quotetop'>QUOTE </div>

but the desire -- or obsession is still there. hogs are even in my dreams lately[/b]

I have the same problem. It's easier to cope with once you admit you have a problem. My name is Cole.......and I'm a hunt-a-holic. The support group doesn't work all that well though. I've had this problem since I was just a kid and I'm just as bad now as I ever was. My poor son has it bad too. Must be hereditary.

 

[beastslayer]

thanks again bayedsolid. that's a pretty comprehensive write up you made there. i like the pet angle, since i want to do justice to the hunting dog too. why frustrate a poor hunting dog by not allowing it to be what it is.

i'll be moving to a place that will allow dog, so i am keeping your counsel.

 

[mazatl]

how about argentinian mastiffs they are smart enough to train

 

[drew]

hey new to the board. but there are a few places to get hog dogs in cali. livewire kennels my personal favorite el dorado kennels and few others. but one thing finished hog dogs in california are not cheap. second training a hog dog usually takes a previously trained dog to get a new puppy or dog started. i had a catahoula and a pit bull and the pit was a natural and gave the catahoula the idea what to do in the baypens. i am new to the sport and haven't got them in the field yet. i live in so cal. and have to drive to lodi area to find a bay pen to work dogs in. there are a few guys working dogs in so cal. and things being what they are they are tight with their dogs and hogs. hope this helps.

drew