Registered packs run to a lose? How?

Alabama John · Post by **Alabama John** » Sat Jun 28, 2003 8:06 pm

Chris, I reread your post and see you were talking about hare only.
As you know, neither me or any of my dogs have seen or smelled a Hare.

Hyperbole has not been my message.

Reading it again, I do not see that you were talking about me anyway. I hope not.

Lets both forget it and move on.

NSB · Post by **NSB** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 4:08 am

REBEL "Todate i have seen but one fast hare hound and she is in my kennel and yet she likes the energy i like to see in most my hounds,all other hare hounds i am aware of and the ones in my kennel are trailing hounds,heads down typeand i doublt if most have even seen a hare,less long catch one, most are not run to catch hounds,like we have." That is the funniest thing I have ever read. It clearly shows how little you have seen. To Rebel and anyone else who has never ran hare, I suggest you book a hunting trip to Branko Krpans. There are lots of hare and he puts together some pretty good hunting packs. You would get the benifit of seeing Branko bred hounds in person and hare chases all in the same week. Then you could really debate the two on the internet.
To the guys with the hounds that catch all the cottontails, you should get them qualified for the triple challenge. I have been down to watch that and not one of these 30 champions could catch a rabbit over the two days. I think a lot of them went to hole. LOL

DG TX · Post by **DG TX** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 5:25 am

Bob,
My Daddy told of a Black man that worked for his grandparents when he was young in the 1920's that could catch rabbits on foot. Said he could have been a pro athlete in any sport if it would have been 60 years later.

Alabama John · Post by **Alabama John** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 8:09 am

NSB, some of the folks around here have been to Canada to hunt their place and really enjoy it. Saw about 300 dogs they said. Hospitality, lodging, and food was great and they still talk about the experience. Shot a ton of rabbits and got to hunt with several packs as they were changed out all during the day to keep a fresh pack going in the tall, real thick (grass ?) at all times. Takes a tough dog to run in it they said. One bunch from here goes every year.

The Krpans came down last year to Alabama near me to visit friends that are also local Beaglers. I talked to Mrs. Krpans on the phone about their dogs. Very nice people.

The speed of their dogs while running here in Alabama according to those that run all Branko's here, is medium speed, compared to the non-Branko medium speed packs and those fast packs run here by my friends. Nothing wrong with that, they have been very successful in their breeding of dogs that most Beaglers want. The Branko dogs I've seen sure have great mouths.

If Branko dogs are your benchmark for fast dogs, down here you are way off.

Chris · Post by **Chris** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 5:13 pm

Alabama John wrote:Lets both forget it and move on.

Forget about what?

John, through reading your posts for months and months I've grown to respect your word as though we've hunted together for years. Sometimes it can be hard to communicate with these damned keyboards, but we'll keep trying.

I can't give a whole lot of input on Branko dogs except to say I've seen a huge variation in the speed of the different Branko dogs I've watched run and gunned over -- from a pretty modest medium speed to blazing fast. They breed so many dogs that the hound characteristics are bound to vary quite a lot. I've seen some that I've been super impressed with and others that I wouldn't have taken the gift of. Considering half of how a dog turns out depends on the one who raises it, I think sometimes Branko dogs can get a bad rap by all getting lumped together.

NSB · Post by **NSB** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 8:00 pm

Alabama John, that was not the point of my post. I do not use Branko as a bench mark for speed. The point was it is really a geat place to see snow shoe run with good hounds. Also I read a lot of bad stuff posted about Branko hounds from people who have buddies that have branko three generations back in thr ped. These hounds may show some bad traits so they generalize all Branko hounds as having these faults. Don't get me wrong some junk does come from his kennel but you can't generalize from this.
Anyway back to my original post, for Rebel to say they are all head down trailing hounds is totally wrong. I have seen lots that the only way they could run the hare any faster is if they had longer legs. They are running it literally as fast as they can run and these aren't 12 " crooked leg dogs.
One more thing about branko hounds. They make up a very small % of hounds here in Canada.

Alabama John · Post by **Alabama John** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 8:54 pm

Thanks Chris!

NSB, I hope nothing I said about the Branko's or their dogs came across as negative. I reread my post and it seems clear to me what I said was all good and positive. It certainly was meant to be so. The dogs down here I was referring to came direct from Branko"s kennel to a friend of theirs here. I know nothing negative.
One thing that impressed me was on the trip some different friends from here took, Branko would bring out his 5 or 6 stud dogs with the many big titles that must be worth a lot, and even though one of them two years ago was about 15 years old they still were brought to the field to hunt over. The oldest one was the last one in and that sure impressed my friends that hunted with them. I do not remember the dogs names. I have heard that story in detail on the porch of the old general store while eating hoop cheese, crackers, and drinking a Buffalo Rock many times when several of us get together.

It would be fun to see and run a Hare, but I hear you must go in the right time of the year or the big mosquitoes will eat you or the snow will be there.

NSB · Post by **NSB** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 9:13 pm

Alabama John, I thought your post about branko and his hounds was far from negative. Your are right about timing, early fall is best. Mosquitos can be terrible and snow can come early.
It would be great to go and watch hounds run in your neck of the woods. Like I said ,in a previous post, I have been to Virgina to watch the triple Challenge and didn't see too much of these fast hounds every one is writing about. I know the scenting was poor that weekend but nothing got out of a trott. I like to thing the hounds down there are faster than that or people wouldn't bother running them.

REBELxx · Post by **REBELxx** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 9:39 pm

Not all of any bloodline is bad and it is the individual hound that i look at,it is just that to date "I" have not seen a fast hare hound nor one that has the energy level i like in my hounds and i have a few well breed hare hounds other than Branko in my kennel and all todate are trailing hounds and not run to catch-I hope to have one or two young hare bred hounds that is going to make a run to catch hound.

REBELxx · Post by **REBELxx** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 9:59 pm

Chris i will take you up on your bet if i ever leave my state. i do now realize it would be imposible for Richard Smokers story to be true, but i think i might have super dogs that could do it.

NSB · Post by **NSB** » Sun Jun 29, 2003 10:25 pm

Rebel what do you actually mean by energy level? I have seen two litter mates to your merlin X Daisey and if yours is like those two I think I know what you mean but not sure.
I don't know if I will make it down your way any time soon. If I do you will be the first person I look up. From the hounds I have watched up here I don't possible know how your's can run any faster and still do a good job on a cottontail. I would really like to get down there and see it. For me to say it can't be done is like you saying hare hounds are only trailers. I have not seen enough to go out on a limb and say it is not true.

CANADIAN · Post by **CANADIAN** » Mon Jun 30, 2003 4:12 pm

In regards to the last post, a lot of the time, the hare will come so close to me that I cannot get a shot off because it will ruin the meat. I just have to stand there and stare him down till the dogs catch up. Although I am sure some people would put the lead to them, I use the opportunity to get a good look at how the dogs run the line

Nsb · Post by **Nsb** » Thu Jul 03, 2003 5:06 pm

Canadian, where do you live and what breeding is behind your hounds?

CANADIAN · Post by **CANADIAN** » Fri Jul 04, 2003 8:11 am

I live just outside Halifax. Mainly Branko. You live in Nova Scotia?

NSB · Post by **NSB** » Fri Jul 04, 2003 10:07 am

I am from Cape breton but now living in the west. I have Branko and Otterbrook hounds. I don't know if it's the difference in scenting out here or these particular hounds but they stay really close to the hare. It is very seldom that you see the hare just hopping along. Between being an awful shot and the hare always looking six feet long I go through lots of shells. LOL. Do you trial down there?