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Just curious as to what you guys (and gals) think about it.
Bears with hounds, fair chase or not....
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I hunted Black Bears in the hills over my GrandPaws redbone hounds. Lets see that was about 28 years ago. I remember more of us running away than us shooting. I think its where the sport of running came from. I dont know how sporting it was, but I think its in the same leauge as baiting for bears.
I do remember the dogs got messed up pretty good when the bear was treed. We never lost any dogs, but I remember some old-timers talking about some of their dogs getting killed. It was a very rough activity, men were also maimed while doing it. I dont think I would advocate it due to the harm done to the dogs.
To each his own, I still can't understand duck hunting, but I am keeping an open mind about it... :lol:
I do remember the dogs got messed up pretty good when the bear was treed. We never lost any dogs, but I remember some old-timers talking about some of their dogs getting killed. It was a very rough activity, men were also maimed while doing it. I dont think I would advocate it due to the harm done to the dogs.
To each his own, I still can't understand duck hunting, but I am keeping an open mind about it... :lol:
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I admire anyone with the stamina to follow dogs...
Baiting is not legal here in Vermont, but running with dogs is...
Far and away the greatest number of bear are taken by people NOT in pursuit of bear with or without dogs...Most (by a factor of 10) are taken by people engaged in other activities, be it hunting grouse or deer, or just chance encounters...
Dog hunters earn every bear they take here...
And it aint many...
Me...I just follow the food they are eating at the time and hope alot...Last bear I connected with here was 1991...T/C Contender with a 10" .45-70 barrel...On the ground at 34 yards in an abandoned apple orchard on State land...
Baiting is not legal here in Vermont, but running with dogs is...
Far and away the greatest number of bear are taken by people NOT in pursuit of bear with or without dogs...Most (by a factor of 10) are taken by people engaged in other activities, be it hunting grouse or deer, or just chance encounters...
Dog hunters earn every bear they take here...
And it aint many...
Me...I just follow the food they are eating at the time and hope alot...Last bear I connected with here was 1991...T/C Contender with a 10" .45-70 barrel...On the ground at 34 yards in an abandoned apple orchard on State land...
Hound hunting of anything is much more difficult than the uninitiated think. I would guess that I've taken raccoons about 60% of the time, everything else drops down from there. I haven't hunted bears with hounds though I have been invited to do so in Wisconsin. I have hunted coyotes and ***** with them and they treat it as a "cooling off" from the rigors of bear hunting. If coyotes are cooling off, then bears must be the equivalent of an ultra-marathon. I have a lot of respect for the devotion these guys have to their sport but following singing hounds through miles of swamp, brush, and whatever else God threw in the back 40 is not my idea of fun. Nor is packing the bear out from such a hell hole, that is likely the reason so many are let go. I would love to go for a cougar though, it is different enough that it would make a good memory.
Fair chase many times is only a term used by some to degrade a way of hunting they do not agree with.
In some ways it's a PC term to appease the bunny huggers.
In some ways it's meaningless since the boundaries of the hunt are dictated by law and local tradition, what was the question again?
In some ways it's a PC term to appease the bunny huggers.
In some ways it's meaningless since the boundaries of the hunt are dictated by law and local tradition, what was the question again?
It's bear hunting, something that I'm not interested in doing, if that's what you want to hunt then I wish you luck and have a great time, it's just not for me. The idea of hunting them over bait never seemed "fair", but then you see the areas that the critters are in and your going to need something a lot stronger than luck to find one and dogs would seem to be a good choice.
I would like to go and see them in the wild again and get some photos. Seen them on tv in Canada and AK at the salmon runs, saw a couple when I was in AZ or NM, it was right before we went down into White Sands, NM(those 14 states in 18 days sort of all run together) they were in the high hills. You could see were they had tried to get into the steel trash bins. Left some impressive gouges.
We have a few in the far southern end of AL, berry bears all in the less than 200 size and there is no season for them.
I would like to go and see them in the wild again and get some photos. Seen them on tv in Canada and AK at the salmon runs, saw a couple when I was in AZ or NM, it was right before we went down into White Sands, NM(those 14 states in 18 days sort of all run together) they were in the high hills. You could see were they had tried to get into the steel trash bins. Left some impressive gouges.
We have a few in the far southern end of AL, berry bears all in the less than 200 size and there is no season for them.
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Its awesome!! I have coon hunted with B&T coonhounds all of my life but. I have been on a few Bear hunts and man what a rush. A dog with that stamina and treeing power is awesome. ***** usually run a few hundred yards. A bear can run a few miles. There is nothing like hearing a hound running a cold track, warming it up, and then falling treed. You just got to learn to appreciate what a dog will do for the meat!!!!!
These days houndsman have tracking devices so getting to the dogs is alot easier than it used to be. Alot if times you can drive closer to the dogs. If you are in a area that permits it 4 wheelers are awfully handy too.
These days houndsman have tracking devices so getting to the dogs is alot easier than it used to be. Alot if times you can drive closer to the dogs. If you are in a area that permits it 4 wheelers are awfully handy too.
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Hey Shannon...
A couple of good-ole-boys used to stay at our camp with their Blue-Ticks...They had tracking collars on them...One day we followed those crazy mutts over at least 6 miles of hill, dale and swamp...Finally lost the signal alltogether and had to hike back to the road which was a straight line of 2 miles...The guys left their jackets in the ditch where we had started the day and we drove around the rest of the afternoon stopping on high ground when we could to put the antenna up...Only got weak hits twice out of a couple dozen tries...Went back to camp for the night and slept hard...Back up the mountain to where the coats were at first light the next day, and there were those dogs...All curled up on the coats...Tired and hungry, but ready to run again...
The 'boys' took off one direction with their newly fed dogs looking for a warm trail, and the Wife and I went back to camp for a nap...
Ayuh...Dog hunters earn their animals around here...Something about the sound of a good bawl or chop in the early morning mist in the middle of nowhere...
A couple of good-ole-boys used to stay at our camp with their Blue-Ticks...They had tracking collars on them...One day we followed those crazy mutts over at least 6 miles of hill, dale and swamp...Finally lost the signal alltogether and had to hike back to the road which was a straight line of 2 miles...The guys left their jackets in the ditch where we had started the day and we drove around the rest of the afternoon stopping on high ground when we could to put the antenna up...Only got weak hits twice out of a couple dozen tries...Went back to camp for the night and slept hard...Back up the mountain to where the coats were at first light the next day, and there were those dogs...All curled up on the coats...Tired and hungry, but ready to run again...
The 'boys' took off one direction with their newly fed dogs looking for a warm trail, and the Wife and I went back to camp for a nap...
Ayuh...Dog hunters earn their animals around here...Something about the sound of a good bawl or chop in the early morning mist in the middle of nowhere...
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Those hounds have a mind of their own. You cut one loose you never know what you might get into. I just always hope for the best.
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Personally, I'm okay with it. I was just curious.
Oops! I almost forgot. A buddy of mine went with two of his boys and hunted behind hounds. They each got a boar weighing at least 400 pounds. I would love to go but not enough $$$$
Oops! I almost forgot. A buddy of mine went with two of his boys and hunted behind hounds. They each got a boar weighing at least 400 pounds. I would love to go but not enough $$$$
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