Running deer with dogs
 

I would just like some insight from someone that has hunted deer
with houds. Like how it is done or what breed of dogs are best.
Any info would be appreciated.

Please no debates or negetive feed this
thread is for education.thanks

Decades ago I hunted deer by running them with hounds. I liked the Beagle because these dogs were easy to train to deer scent, worked great in packs of 2-3, did not eat me out of house and home in the off season, and did not push a deer clear across the county!!

agree with the beagles. a lot of people around here like to run deer with walkers (and that's nice if all you want to do is see them streak by and hear the dogs run). i personally prefer still hunting. i do, however, go hunting at least a few times a year with some of my friends who are really into running dogs. it is very enjoyable (less sporting of course), and here in the south it's a tradition that's as old as the country itself. my father ran dogs for years, but got out of the dog business when i got involved in youth sports around age 6 (of course he was in his 40's then and diving and chasing after dogs was probably becoming a little more difficult), and that's how he introduced me to the outdoors. i think it's a great way to introduce youths to hunting, as it is usually very exciting on a good cool morning. i fear it will soon be a thing of the past entirely. i will admit it's a little annoying when you're still hunting to have about 2 dozen dogs come barreling through, but it always gets the blood pumping when you hear them barking like something's killing them and they're getting closer. all in all, it's fun.

Yeah the guys I hunt with seem to have moved more towards beagles. They still use some black and tans though too. They seem to do a good job but they are all a lot of work in the off season.

Basically how it's done is the dogs pick up on a sent and follow it barking. They usually find the deer and jump it up. The deer is often a little ways in front of the dogs and the dogs are following the scent. You try to get somewhere that you think you will get a shot and the deer and hope he comes your way.

We hunted with dogs for close to 30 years until it got too expensive to have enough contiguous land to hunt without running all over other hunters.
The breed I liked best were blueticks. Easier to handle IMHO, and usually smarter. Best pack I've ever seen was catahoula crossed with Australian shepard. Owner could stop on a road and whistle to the pack and they immediately stopped running and came to the truck. It's most important to train your dogs. It seemed that the majority of the beagles I saw were either rabbit dogs or would run each other.

How does hunting with dogs work anyway?

I guess I never put much thought into it. What is suppose to happen? Does the deer tire out and stop running? Is the constant running around suppose to eventually give the hunter a running shot?

Since we're talking beagles here, I'm assuming there's no physical contact in trying to pull the deer down to the ground. Yorkies could do it. LOL!

iSnipe

Good God... I've seen em attack and kill. You could hear em barking from 100's of yards away. That got my attention and when I saw that doe runnin...... well they were hot on her, and WHAM took her down, and made quick work of doing so.

YEP!............Blueticks & Redbones!

wow thanks for the replys
This all seems very interesting and like a lot of fun!
I have always hunted deer by still hunt or stalking. But i am always interested in different legeal hunting methods. I would like to try it one day. it will go on my list.

it has its place, but it usually leaves an area worthless for years to come for any still hunter ( unless you like sitting all year and watching 3 or 4 deer tops