The lurcher as a hunting companion, or as a killing machine?

[cúagusgiorraí 57]

I was out duck hunting with my collie lurcher there recently. As I walked the shoreline, my lurcher ran off on a scent and when I found him he had a vixen cornered. He was mixing with it, but I could see it was going to be a prolonged ordeal. I had the shotgun, so changed cartridges to a heavy load, and when I had a clear shot I dispatched the fox cleanly. Job done, I moved on to hunt some duck.

[Brigzy 1,298]

very same guys that say, dog should kill it, are indded the same guys ye see pulling away when a bunny kicks oot

 

 

 

get it over an done with, as quickly an quietly as possible, an move on

and also how u planning on killing a fox quickly when it could turn and bite ya ? pre ban

 

mate to ask a stupid question like that you shood get out of dogs and take up somthing else !!

[dpb82uk 138]

companion 1st hunting partner 2nd but wood exspect mi bitch to sortout anything it ran if i had any douts i wud not even be sliping her and if i get ther in time i wood help her out and get it over quick i wood not like to see mi bitch geting raggd or kicked and dragged id step in if i cud and end it quick as poss as i dont like the noise letting evry f****r no im ther

[genuine 81]

a lot on here say a fox dog should not need any help he/she is bred

for the job he/she has to be able to do it on his/her own well what

about deer dogs their bred for that job should they be able to

catch and dispatch deer on their own with no help from the hunter

or is it different rules for different dogs to most on here. myself

ill never let my dog get badly chewed up again and when i can i will have

no problem stepping in and getting the job done quicker.

 

anyway a great thread the best in a while on here

 

Ive seen alot of dogs kill fox most of them heavy types that do the job themselfs without taking much stick at all killing on impact or a 10 second job, those dogs arn't realy the type to be taking deer with! On the other hand ive seen saluki types take deer all day long that catch and hold, not kill.But when on fox either cant do the job fast enough take alot of stick and some dont entertain! Different dogs for different jobs comes in again, there is some out there that can do everything but they are few and far between! So if help is needed thats what im there for

Edited October 6, 2010 by genuine

[CorkyJohn 808]

Its fine everyone jumping on the humane sportsman band wagon but if I had to choose between pups from the tooled up assistant or the hunter who kept a dog do what it was bred to do, I know which way I'd go. Keep taking pups from the pullers/jackers & there'll be plenty more shite kicking around than there already is

[Malt 379]

Its fine everyone jumping on the humane sportsman band wagon but if I had to choose between pups from the tooled up assistant or the hunter who kept a dog do what it was bred to do, I know which way I'd go. Keep taking pups from the pullers/jackers & there'll be plenty more shite kicking around than there already is

 

I totally understand what you're saying.

 

I knew of a dog who had the knack of consistently incapacitating foxes until they were despatched, while taking very little damage. He'd do this multiple times a night, multiple times a week. Him and his owner accounted for a large number of foxes over the course of a season, all on permission where there was a need for fox control.

 

In this instance, I don't think you could knock the dog for his efforts & call him shite, he was very effective in playing his part. Saying that, if fox hunting with lurcher's was what I was into, I'd choose a dog that could kill quickly over a dog of that type if I had the choice.

[genuine 81]

Its fine everyone jumping on the humane sportsman band wagon but if I had to choose between pups from the tooled up assistant or the hunter who kept a dog do what it was bred to do, I know which way I'd go. Keep taking pups from the pullers/jackers & there'll be plenty more shite kicking around than there already is

 

im with you 100% i was just making a point of cant have the best of both worlds! This is how i work lurcher for rabbit hare deer ( pre ban of course) and much prefer using terrier for foxes (ETC) it gives me more thrill than lamping them! JMO. But i also need a lurcher that can take fox if needed incase the shooter misses or theres a job to be done! Not the best at charlie but gives 100% and complete the job, sometimes with little or no assistance!

[Tyla 3,179]

This has been one of the best threads on here for ages. Well done Maltenby

[Ideation 8,216]

Its fine everyone jumping on the humane sportsman band wagon but if I had to choose between pups from the tooled up assistant or the hunter who kept a dog do what it was bred to do, I know which way I'd go. Keep taking pups from the pullers/jackers & there'll be plenty more shite kicking around than there already is

 

 

 

I agree with you matey, but i think there is a world of difference between HAVING to help a jacker because it CANNOT do what is needed and stepping in to help a dog that CAN and HAS done what is needed, just to make the thing quicker and cleaner, especially if it is toward the end of a night where the dog has taken multiple big game and is starting to tire. Also i think its a case of i would expect most dogs to have the job done by the time i get there, but if its not done by the time get there i see no reason to not slip a knife in and finish it so we can move on. Even if the dog WILL finish it on its own i dont really enjoy standing there and watching a fight to the death and see no need to if i'm stood there.

[Catcher 1 639]

Great thread Mal.Dont want to go over all the if,and or buts.For me a good dog should be both.A true companion and when needs must have the capability to do it solo.If you get that you have a good dog.So treat it right.atb. Catcher

[Malt 379]

Thanks for the replies lads, proper debate and discussion without the usual shite.

[tag 29]

i think dogs are both hunting compaion and killing machine , ive been through the whole thread and theres a few one sided views ive noticed . firstly for years people have been trying to breed more fire/guts in to dogs , adding bedlington blood , bearded collie instead of border terrier xs to whippets , all to make a certain something so the dog could do other things , also how many people do you know that take risks with their dogs running them through woods after something or lamping the dog as it smashes through a hedge or working their dog on on old waste ground or a quarry/landfill site , would you let your kids run near the edge of a quarry ....... no you wouldnt but people do hunt their dogs in dangerous places and keep the lamp on the fox {preban} as it slips through a hedge, or dont call their dog back as it runs a deer into a wood crashing through cover, {ive read} or take their terriers ratting in the dirtiest places possible , all them things are to please the owner ........ for the thrill of the chase , wich proves the dog is a tool /hunting machine first and companion second

[toby1066 413]

man and dog need to work as a team but the dog needs to be able to do the job on its own without a human helper if the chase has gone out of sight. its no good having a dog that will only hold onto something or keep it at bay til the handler can come and dispatch it if the handler doesnt know where the dog is

[Bosun11 537]

It's been a good thred this so far, tnhough it seems to be fragmenting a little from the original.

 

To the original question, a companion for me, we both expect different things from one another, me getting him/her out for a start, finding the right speck, selecting the right quarry, all these things and plenty more are my parts. The dog runnig its quarry, catching it (and thats what i'm expecting, catches. From the pup i've selected to bringing it on to maturity. None of this constant near miss stuff, its a dog for a job, on bunnys for example, i'm not going to say, 'fair play, good rabbit' as the dogs turned the arse out of it and its heading for home, i'm expecting it in the bag!) and then retrieving it, those are the dogs parts, maybe its daytime, then the job of finding belongs to us both... It's that type of stuff, in its simplest terms, is where I see the partnership, but stop to really think and theres much much more.

 

As for quarry dispatch, where this thred is going, when I did a fair bit of pre-ban foxing, I expected a dog to kill it's quarry, no if's or but's, if it couldn't it was no use to me!

That said, there are occasions where any hunter MUST give a dog a helping hand. Example, if I'd driven two hundred miles and the first one caught, managed to get a leg hold, i'd never stand back and let the dog figure it out for itself, no way, though more than capable, it was my duty to aid the dog, twofold, one to stop my mutt taking any unnessisary stick and two, i'm expecting a full night. Stabba's post on this is, as usual, simple and bang on, read back!

 

Along with Mal, i've also seen a dog, mustard on foxes, never kill one, Prince was made up of both collie and bull blood and he simply held, forever, even taking stick he'd never finish his fox. His owner knew the score and was proficient at dispatching and they both did very well for many years. No, not a dog for me but just an example of differences.

[Guest dances]

wondered how long before you got in here properly busun