Dear Hoghunter,

I thank you for taking the time to write. My goodness, you asked a whole lot of questions in one mouth full. I will try and answer the best I can.

What kind of dogs do I prefer? Well, I can tell you what I like, but that doesnt mean that everyone will like the same type of dog. The type of dog that pleases the individual who's hunting the dog is what really counts. Doesnt make any difference what pure breed or cross breed it really is.  The bottom line is what ever type dog he is, hes got to please and hunt like the man who owns him wants a dog to hunt.

 The kind of dog I really prefer is the strike/find dogs. Some people are really into catch dogs or bay dogs, but in my opinion, the dogs who find the hogs is really what its all about. Ive said many times over the years, I dont care if you have the worlds greatest catch or bay dog, if you dont have a dog who can find a hog, all the other dogs are nothing more than glorified pot lickers. I like a dog with a medium+ cold nose, who is a medium to long range hunter, that runs quiet, that will stop a hog then step back and bay until its time for the hog to be caught with the catch dogs. In reguards to breeds I have? I have full blood plotts, plott crosses, blackmouth cur crosses and catahoula cur crosses.  I really would care what breed he was, if he would hunt like I want.  And im not color blind, he doesnt have to be yellow or brindle for me to like him/her.   I'm dog poor like everyone whos been in this game awhile...haha

How many dogs should a person take in the woods? Here again, its up to the individual hunter on this one too. I usually turn one or two strike dogs loose to find the hog (unless I'm rig/hood hunting), and when hes found, I turn in the calvary, which usually consist of a couple more stop dogs. Kinda sorta depends on the situation. Sometimes you dont even need to turn in the calvary, the two dogs will be all thats needed.

How big a bull dog should a person have and does a docked tail make a difference?  Well, here again, this is an opinion type question. I've owned catch dogs from 35 lbs. to 120 lbs.. The best catch dog that my family ever owned and used to date was a 40 lb. full pit on his heavest day by the name of Chompers. Currently I have a gyp catch dog that weighs about 65 lbs.. The smaller rednose pit that I once owned that weighed 35 lbs soakin wet, was used as a backup dog, and not a primary catch dog. I felt she was just to small to do that. However the man that talked me out of her, used her as a primary dog by her self. Ive just seen smaller dogs that latched on to a good hogs ear and the hog take off running with him like he was a knat. The problem I had with the big dog was him getting to hot. I see no reason that a dog with a docked tail would be any different in his catching abilities than a dog with a tail. I've heard that game bred bull dogs in the old days might have had a problem in the ring when they were rolled. But that is illegal now and not a concern to me.

Whats a decent price for a stike dog? Well, its kinda like buying dog food. You can go to one store and buy a 50 lb. bag of dog food for $8 that will work just fine, then you can drive over to a Pet Store and buy a 40 lb. bag of some other brand of super dooper dog food for $40 thats alot better for the dogs nutrition. Both work, but one is better for the dog than the other.   The best dog I ever owned was given to me, she had been a house dog.   The second best I ever owned I paid $300 for, I had to train both dogs. Currently, my best young prospect dog didnt cost me anything eiether, he was a puppy trade. The first two dogs are in dog heaven now, and the young one is out in my pen.   But, if someone ever wanted to try and buy any of these dogs from me. They would have to have big pockets for them to take them from my place. Are they truely worth the thousands I would have asked for them if pushed for a price? Probably not, but all that price means is I really didnt and dont want the dog to leave my house.  

 I can only state how I personally feel about prices.   This is strickly my opinion.   I sell registered plott pups with a guarantee they will bay a hog by one year old for $150 each. Some people get less, some get more. If a person had a decent bay dog that I wanted, I might give him up to $300 for him if I tried the dog. If a person had a good started dog that would find his own hog By him/herself, I would pay probably up to $4-500. For a finished strike dog they are gonna run from $500 on up to several thousand.

I understand what you mean about the possibility of loosing one you just paid for. It works the same way for a person who has been offered a decent price for a dog and turns it down also. On this young dog I mentioned, I just turned down a person who wanted to buy him recently. Did I have him offered for sale? No, he just called me up after hearing about him.   When I told my hunting buddies what I was offered and turned down, they told me I was absolutely crazy for turning it down. Maybe I am, but the dog is not going anywhere but in his pen at my house. Loosing a dog can happen to any dog at any time when you unsnap the leash. As my close friend Orval told me once, "Jim, if your scared of loosing your dog, don't unsnap him, it can happen anytime, any where" For example there is a breed of dog that is used for catch dogs that as 6 week old pups usually start at $500 on up, and for a year old one ready to use, a person is looking at $750 on up. They are good dogs and can get the job done, but for me personally, I cant and wont pay that kind of money for a catch dog. Their mortality table is just to high.

Earlier you asked me about strike dogs. And I told you I wanted one who could stop a hog but stand back and bay. If I were going to pay a bunch of money for a strike/find dog, I certainly wouldnt want him to be too rough, I've got other dogs for that. Some people judge dogs that are for sale by how many scars are on him/her, and dont think they are any good unless they have "war wounds".  On the other hand, I have friends and know people who wont own a dog not matter how good he is unless he will stop one or be rough.

I wrote and article about a year ago about the best strike dog Ive ever seen in my life. This is basically what I wrote.   Well, there were two. One was a dog named Blue, he was a half walker and half bluetick. Bottom line, if Blue could smell a track, you were gonna find that hog 99.9% of the time.  Blue is about 10 or 11 years old now, and to my knowledge has only one scar on his body from a hog. And probably the only time hes ever tasted a hog was if his owner thru him a bone to knaw on for dinner. But he could bay up the baddest boar in the woods all by his self that no one elses dogs could. Blues probably bayed up 1500 or more hogs in his life. Im sure hes lost a step or two by now due to his age, but am sure hes still probaly in the eliete catagory of find dogs even at his present age. The other was a red gyp my nephew owned named Trashy. She was a cross bred dog, part ridgeback, part running walker and part cur. A long range hunting machine. She too was a super find dog, both on track or by casting in the woods. The difference was, Trashy was rough. Many many times she would catch a hog by her self and she was going to TRY everyone of them before she decided if she was gonna bay or catch. Theres no telling how many ears she had to her credit in her life time. Problem was, Trashy was always getting cut up and sewn up. At about the age of 7, Trashy had so much scar tissue, bone breaks/cracks, joint problems from hogs and just plain ole wore out from taking so many beatings from the hogs that her body couldnt take anymore. And she perished at home and is buried out behind my brothers home.

So many folks feel you have to use a rough dog to stop a hog. This is a subject that I've heard cussed and discussed many many times. But, I just know this, that I personally have seen single dogs that would stand back and bay a hog that would bay up the biggest, baddest, runninest russian or feral in the woods all by their self and never lay a tooth on him. Why? Because the Hog doesnt feel threatened. If a dog ran after and bit me, im gonna run and try to get away,  but if a dog just ran towards me but stopped and stood 10 feet or so away and just barked, I dont feel nearly as threatened and wont run away. On cow dogs, if you have a dog that just barks and circles the herd, they will just stand there, but if you have a dog thats always bitting at and and barking closer and closer to the herd and pressuring the herd or a single cow, their going to try and get away. Its always been my contention in cow dogs that the dog that heads off the herd is your dog, not the dog that biting on the last cow in the herds legs trying to get her to stop. I truely feel most animals are the same way. Is this a hard and fast rule/fact and can it be done every time? No, of course not, but Ive seen it done with my own eyes on Russians in east Texas and Lousianna that were more wirey than a white tailed deer.

I think if I were going after a bad runnin hog that no one could catch, I would probably take one good strike dog that that was fast but would stand back and bay, but also bring along about 3 or 4 catch dogs. Some people will disagree with that statement, but a lot would agree also. Like I said earlier. Ever how a hunter hog hunts and what type and how many dogs he uses is up to him, theres no right or wrong. I guess thats what makes it so fun is trying different methods. Ive had hogs that Ive tried this method on and didnt have any luck what so ever, but Ive also tried and see it where it does work great.

And last,

Good luck on finding you a replacement dog, they are out there if your looking.

Jim