BigGameHunt.net Hunting Forums

[quikdrw]

I saw on some old post that you hunt with plotts...what type of game do you use them for. I was trying to get some more information on plotts, live in florida and looking for a dog with a cold nose, but also silent on track if at all possible. thanks

[redrider]

If you don't get a response here try a PM to houndsman.
I don't know if he checks in here alot lately, but his email might alert him he has a PM here.

[Single Malt]

I've had Plotts all my life. You won't get them to silent trail much as they'll open on even cold tracks.
I've had them open on bear tracks from the strike box on the truck when I knew the tracks were 24 hrs old, as I'd seen them the prior morning while checking crossings.
good hounds that are slow methodical trailers and quick closers once the quarry is jumped...good at the tree too.

[tnhoundsman]

i run mine on bear and hogs. sorry to tell ya but i've only had one in my life that was totally silent on trail. she would bark to let ya know she found it then after that ya didn't hear from her till she was looking at the game

[wildwood deckers]

quikdrw wrote: I saw on some old post that you hunt with plotts...what type of game do you use them for. I was trying to get some more information on plotts, live in florida and looking for a dog with a cold nose, but also silent on track if at all possible. thanks

Don't take this the wrong way, but do you know what you are asking for? A cold nose hound could follow a trail for many hours before ever opening.... and when they do, could be well out of hearing....
Myself, I have never found those two traits to work out well together.....

Clyde

[quikdrw]

thanks for the help...curs haven't worked out to great for me and need something with a little more of a cold nose to work the trails, but try to be silent on trail. High pressured areas and if hogs think there is a dog the suitcases are packed and they are gone. You have a good point wildwood, never thought of that, just figured I would keep up with him on the tracker.

I have a catch dog and a dogo, maybe look for somethign inbetween a cur and a hound...if there is such a dog. Figure it all depends on the dog. I would appreciate any ideas. Someone once mentioned a blue lacy but never really heard of em round florida

[wildwood deckers]

I have 2 hound/decker terrier cross males that i'm going to be starting this year.... not sure if they will open, silent, or semi silent but we should know this year.... Deckers can be either so only time will tell.....

Clyde

[quikdrw]

wildwood,
never really heard of the decker terrier before, I am assuming yall hunt coons up in yalls area? I know some people use terriers and smaller dogs for hog hunting but he would look awfully small next to my dogo.

[tnhoundsman]

the thing bout bthe plott is it dont care if the hog packs up and leaves! the plott will just go with it! they wont quit and come back to ya they will stick to the track! clyde gow is the gyp workin out?

[wildwood deckers]

Hey Jeff,
Havn't had her out, she is just now starting to go out of heat.... perfect timing, our running season opens 15th.... but her and I both are chomping at the bit....

The Decker Terrier isn't what you visualize when you think terrier.... the father of these males is 18 inches tall and 40 pounds of all muscle.... the two male pups are around 60 pounds now and probably in the area of 22 inches or so.....
All my Deckers are from 35 - 42 pounds.....

Go to my profile and you can see pics of them on my website.... my original male came from a florida hog hunter, Deckers from him and others in the are were sent to South America to hunt Jaguar a number of years back.....

Clyde

[quikdrw]

sounds like an interesting dog for its size...what made you pick this breed, what type of nose do they have, hot or cold, or they open on track, and do you know the breeder you bought from down here? Figure it might take a couple of em to stop a hog.

Todd

[wildwood deckers]

Todd,
I have had these dogs for about 5 years or so..... finding one here, one there.... and putting together my kennel....
The reason I chose this breed is for their versatility, way of hunting, and temperament with all family members.....
Unfortunately, this line of dogs was almost extinct, except for one man in Pa. that kept the breed/line alive..... there was a dog here and a dog there, but it has taken a number of years to track them down.....

The breed even though the numbers have risen a bit across the country, are not making a great comeback as hunting dogs thanks to the show ring.... :](*,)

They have never been bred for open or closed mouth so you get a mix of both, nose varies as well.... but for the most part are med. to hot nosed.... This is a breed that can be used to hunt various game in the same day, and be your best friend through it all.....

The major thing I like about them is that they can be gritty as they come on game, then 10 seconds later be playing with your kids in the yard.... either way they are just as happy.....

I had a male get ripped up pretty good with female that I had here (who ultimatley was culled permanently from any breeding program)... he was left to run loose while he healed and spent every chance he could just following my 6 year old twin boys around..... they would mess with him, and even though you could see it hurt, all he would do was wince, give them a lick on the cheek and walk a distance and lay down where they were playing keeping an eye on them..... I have no doubt that if another dog, animal, or person tried to do harm to them, he would have layed his life on the line...... and this is not just him, this is the breed ..... If these dogs don't show this kind of relationship with kids, they are permantly culled from the gene pool.....

sorry for the rambling.... :oops:

But thats just a few reasons, I chose this breed.....

Clyde

[tnhoundsman]

clyde hope ya'll have a good running season. get the rust off the ol girl. have been huntin fairly regular here lately. caught 2 last saturday night.

alot of what you say about the deckers reminds me of alot of the traits i see in my plotts. i'm sure you noticed some of them on your visit to my place. like the loving nature ( catchin pigs one min and wanting petted the next) to the point of being protective( have heard of some being protective of owners). how is the gyp fitting in? any problems out of her other than comin in heat?

[wildwood deckers]

Not a single problem. Actually it seems that most all the other dogs considered her the alpha right off the bat, which is extremely unusual for my dogs, they even seem to look to her for guidence, even my dominant females.... they follow her where ever she goes.....

[tnhoundsman]

thats a good thing