What State Has The Power?????

[Hunter]

I believe that if one state is stronger than the other in the way of most power the best way to prove that is by listing all hounds lets say from the past 5 years that have Granded out. Only if the numbers prove it can it be so. But , a person could probably take it farther and say that you need to consider the number of trialers , number of dogs, number of clubs, number of hunts held per year, and so on and figure it by statistics. So will this question ever be answered? cya, Paul

[BJK]

KENTUCKY

[Mike Thoms]

VIRGINIA, Right down around Richmond!

[BJK]

Mike,

Have you boyz been to any hunts? The World Hunt is this weekend. I'll see you there.

ps I met a guy who said he had the best dogs ever. He never ran with anyone, just with his brother and cousin. He came to a trial here in VA and was blown away. He couldn't believe that his were the same dogs that he had been running at home. Go figure


BJK

[Hunter]

Dont take this the wrong way. I am not making any statements. Just Bring your dogs to Martinsville,IN on 5-1-04 and see who comes out on top. When the tailgate drops the bull stops! Then you will know who has the power.

[Richard G]

Define power, # of champions, # of gundogs, dogs with speed, control, nose? looking at pedigrees and # of off spring placing in trials I see Branko blood, Ranger Dan, MJR Mitsou Argenteuil Striker, Haunted Hill Shaker, at this time. Doesn't look like much in-put fron the Northern states or the Providences of Canada on this board. The ones who make the most noise wins. Good question, let's hear some reasons for the state you pick.

[Matt B]

Check out the HOY race 100% Ohio 1st and 2nd in each class. And Richard G. You lost me with your post...??

[Guest]

check the number of hunts in ohio and that might help the answer to dog one and two.

[Big Dog]

In the arha I still say Kentucky has the best dog power and it looks like they do pretty well in midwest spo also. Can't count LP on hare because not many folks form the midwest or southern states run that format. Too hard to get a dog in shape on cottontail to run a hare. As far as Ohio is concerned I have seen some good dogs from there, but the HOY competition is by no means a good tool for measuring dog power. Ohio has a million clubs and those guys hit a trial every weekend. They HOY race is more about how many trials you attend than how good your dog is. Not trying to slight anyone but this is a fact. I saw dogs that were on top in the HOY race get beat qutie a bit by dogs that only go to a trial or two and never go to a big hunt.

Big Dog

[Matt B]

Kentucky registered LP clubs 17
Ohio registered LP clubs 11
KY has way more hunts than Ohio

[Blu Tick Beagler]

Sorry to get off topic, but I have to reply to Big Dog's last post. I happen to be one of those guys you are talking about. The problem is you have no idea how much time and effort it took to to run for HOY under last years point system. I did take your post as a slight and not totally fact. I did attend a bunch of trials, but let me give you a run down. I started running RJ for HOY in March of last year. I got a 3 month late start. His first hunt as a champ was Spring Nationals he got 2nd and it went from there. I ran him 2 more months, sat out for 3 monts(June, July nad ran 1 hunt in Aug). Ran the month of Sept and Granded him in Oct. So basically the other dogs running for HOY had an extra 5 months of running time. He placed in 3 of the 4 state hunts he was in. Won his first cast 94% of all hunts he was in, and I can't think of one time he was "beat qutie a bit by dogs that only go to a trial or two". I believe this topic was started in good fun no need to slam others on something they worked very hard to accomplish.

[Blu Tick Beagler]

Almost forgot to reply to "guest" I ran more hunts in WV,PA and KY than I did in Ohio.

[Big Dog]

This wasn't a slam on you or anyone else and if you take it that way then you are missreading somehting. The way that the system is set up is screwed up. A guy that doesn't hit a trial every weekend has no chance to compete regardless of how good the dog is. I wasn't specifically speaking about your dog because I have never seen him or seen him run, but I was speaking in general about many of the others that I have seen that place high in the HOY standings. I said it before and I will say it again. Winning the HOY of the year in the set up from last year is not necessarily indicative of an overwhelmingly powerful dog. I don't say the dog isn't good, because he obviously must be some good in order to place but sheer opportunities plays a major part. Most people can't afford nor would they even want to go to a trial every weekend, I don't knock those who do, but I am stating the facts. I will give you a good example Laurel Mtn Blue Streak owned by Rick Burkholder went to very few trials but did very well at the ones that he did yet he has no chance at HOY, that doesn't mean he isn't a better hound it just means that he didn't go to enough trials, now what has that got to do with dog power? I'll say it again the HOY race aint much of a measuring stick when it comes to dog power, because the great dogs that don't go to a hunt every weekend don't have a chance. I didn't say that these dogs weren't good or even great dogs. I just stated that the HOY race is not a good metric to use when measuring ability. I will respond to the comment about #of clubs as soon as I do a little research.

Big Dog

[Richard G]

In the arha I still say Kentucky has the best dog power and it looks like they do pretty well in midwest spo also. Can't count LP on hare because not many folks form the midwest or southern states run that format. Too hard to get a dog in shape on cottontail to run a hare.

Big Dog

I guess this answers my question. You are not really talking about all dogs in the states just arha format, and your local area. I run AKC large pack and AKC small pack on hare or cotton tail. I don't know anything about arha, just what I read on this board.

[Big Dog]

My point about clubs in ohio and kentucky is a little deeper than the actual number of clubs. Ohio is only 220 miles wide and 220 miles tall. You can basically drive from one side to the other in 4 1/2 hrs. Kentucky is 380 miles long and 140 miles wide. It will take about 8 1/2 hrs or more to drive from Pikeville to Paducah. With that being said, my only point is that you guys in Ohio are lucky. You are fortunate to have a bunch of clubs within close proximity of each other, and you can also hit some clubs on border states. Guys in my area can't feasibly do this. For example My club is 100 miles from my house. The next nearest active club is 170 miles(3hrs) from my house, central Va is 4 hrs from my house. Vansant Va is 4 hrs away and they just opened in february. Dorton kentucky is 5 hrs away. There is no possible way a guy in my neck of the woods, could really compete for HOY. That doesn't mean there aren't superior dogs here, it just means that the system from last year wasn't set up very well. This takes nothing away from any man or his dog, it just doesn't substantiate the HOY runoff as a good metric. I don't mind riding 4 or 5 hours even 8 or 9 in most cases for a big hunt, but folks in this neck of the woods don't stand a chance regardless of how good their dogs are because of access to clubs in reasonable driving distance. Sorry for getting off topic, but I needed to let Blu tick beagler know that he nor his dog were being slammed, I'm just stating the facts whether we like them or not.


Big Dog