Wirehair Pointer & Cur

[dogs-n-natives 1,182]

My partner brought him back from the other side of the pond,

 

 

Been having some good hunting as Ive been snowed off work....but the snow really hinders the hare so much that Ive been heading down the glen to lower wooded slopes that hold a few rogue populations of rabbits and hunting them instead.

 

I try not to kill many of these bunnies, as I dont have much land that holds rabbits up here, but when the snow is deep like this up the hill the hares are no good to run and have enough to worry about with the foxes we have.

 

We dont have masses of thick brambles here in the woods, but theres a bit about. In general, the ground cover is sparse and patchy, its a case of covering a lot of land and hoping to find something sat out in cover. There are scattered warrens and rocky spots that offer safe refuge. The pup is getting sharp and he even made a catch the other day as the pointer was marking one in some brambles, I walked in and egged her on to flush it, it ran out straight at him. Was a nice bit of luck, it all helps bring them on. He knows what the pointer is doing now, and heads in her direction as soon as he sees her pointing. He has flushed a fair share of 'her' woodcock now lol and will watch it fly off and not chase, looking proud of himself.

 

Most of the rabbit hunts are taking place under the trees, and the rabbits dont get the advantage of running over open ground here, its all steep and rough. The gwp has had 2 nice hunts recently both ending in a catch. I fancy her chances of catching a rabbit in most of the places I hunt them, if the rabbit doesnt get to ground fast. But most of the time its down a hole within 200 yards and I no longer have a ferret to honour their mark. They never sicken though as we have many days with no catch and lots of miles!, We catch enough to put a bit in the freezer now n then, but Id rather see a good hunt, and the game lives to run another day, than an easy kill with no good running...

 

I like the chance to hunt rabbits like this when I can, its sharpened them up a bit as the rabbit hunt is fast and reactions need to be instant, its helped with their team work working closer to me and taking hand signals etc... Id like to find a bit of ratting soon, the pointer loves a bit of ratting and is as hard mouthed as a big terrier with them... she will bring a live rabbit to me though, and is very soft with feather. From what Ive seen of the pup so far, he will be hardish... once he has something in his jaw its locked down, he is not soft mouthed at all and has almost no retrieve in him with other dogs around.

Edited January 19, 2016 by dogs-n-natives

[roybo 2,873]

D&N...Would you say the cur will be hound like ?

In the way a fox hound or beagle hunts?

Or are they a bit more trainable in a gundog way?

[dogs-n-natives 1,182]

Hi Roy, I grew up hunting with a collie dog, and in many ways he works the land in a similar fashion to a collie, independent enough to cast out but working with me all the time.They have a character all their own though. He follows the wirehair and they should make a good team as they hunt similar. He's getting pretty confident now and was hard to catch up today after a rabbit hunt, he was so fired up, was like seeing the old bull cross the way he was smashing through the rhododendrons with the wirehair. He can move a hot track away at some pace, and he yips and squalls... I'd say he is pretty hot nosed but older scent gets him excited and casting for the game. Im happy with his progress, and im excited to see how he works out with boar hunting.

[dogs-n-natives 1,182]

OK, update on big pup...

 

Hey if I compared him to a collie, I was wrong, he might handle easy, but not like responsive like a collie or spaniel, he likes to look at me when I call him, and then carry on doing things his way, stubborn maybe, but independent and likes to weigh the job up and react in his own time, but still working with me and for me if that makes any sense to you lol. Hunting has escalated from him keeping up with the terriers bushing rabbits, to him hunting so hard and fast that even the gwp struggles to keep up. He dont want to quit a track, he wants a kill and has made several now. Ive seen the pointer make a quick loss and he lifts his head, drifts the land, and away, all flat out. Windblow slows him down, where the gwp hammers it, but he is the head dog now, as he moves a track and picks up the losses quicker as he can plant his nose right down and plod it out, like when the game runs a road for a ways.

[Guest Navek]

OK, update on big pup...

 

Hey if I compared him to a collie, I was wrong, he might handle easy, but not like responsive like a collie or spaniel, he likes to look at me when I call him, and then carry on doing things his way, stubborn maybe, but independent and likes to weigh the job up and react in his own time, but still working with me and for me if that makes any sense to you lol. Hunting has escalated from him keeping up with the terriers bushing rabbits, to him hunting so hard and fast that even the gwp struggles to keep up. He dont want to quit a track, he wants a kill and has made several now. Ive seen the pointer make a quick loss and he lifts his head, drifts the land, and away, all flat out. Windblow slows him down, where the gwp hammers it, but he is the head dog now, as he moves a track and picks up the losses quicker as he can plant his nose right down and plod it out, like when the game runs a road for a ways.

 

see some good footage of them yanks housing black mouth cur on coon there fitted with collar taken to a track on the permission in the dead of nite and turned loose after acouple minutes you can hear them baying at a treed coon. Out comes the tracking devices and away there off to find the dogs...looks like. Hell of a lot of fun

[dogs-n-natives 1,182]

Sorry for the delayed response, busy still and dont come on here much. Joe, I'll get some recent pics sent to you when I get some time. Haven't really had much chance to go out with others, but a few months back we had a day driving foxes and he got lucky and jumped one and the dogs had a wee run in among some tight bramble and it slipped out - (towards the guns)

Navek, I got some raccoons treed with the gwp in Canada. She took to the job very easily, and treed good enough for me to locate (but a bit loose compared to a good treed dog). The cur dog will be great for this if I get him treeing, but he is all about tracking right now. He is bred from dogs that make decent tree dogs for coon. I think he will be better used for bear rather than coon, as he has so much drive and likes a looong run, and a fight.