Melon Ranch Hounds

Although there are many reasons why hound hunters find themselves having problems, I think being honest about what they have is one of the bigger issues. Currently I am going through an issue with one of my hounds which gave me the idea for this article. We had a litter of puppies by two outstanding cat hounds back in late June. The litter consisted of three females and three males, all of which looked outstanding. My son kept a male and female, my brother kept a male, and I kept two females and one male. When it came time to start my pups I elected to start Maverick, the male puppy first. Maverick is tri-colored and big for his age. Aside from being pretty, Maverick handles well around the kennels and when he barks, you just know he’s going have a mouth that makes races sound better. In other words, I was excited to get Maverick started and envisioned how great he would do. On the first hunt the old dogs started and ran the cat and Maverick went with them but was behind a little ways. Being behind at this age and on their first hunt is expected. The good news was that he went with them and didn’t bark behind. When the hounds treed the cat, and I got there Maverick was standing under the tree. Of course he had no idea what was going on but he was there and this was a great sign. I jumped the cat out and away they went and the puppy went with them. I thought to myself, maybe this is the next superstar. Shortly after I jumped him out the hounds bayed the cat and upon my arrival to the catch Maverick was smelling the ground where the fight had occurred. I’ve seen hundreds of puppies do this and was pleased with how this first hunt shaped up. Hunt number two started out very similar with Maverick going with the hounds. I was hunting along the edge of a creek and started a cat that didn’t want to run much. The hounds had just barely got the cat jumped and I watched the cat climb a tree fifty yards beside my truck. Maverick was with them when they located the tree. I took my rat shot filled pistol into the tree and shot an entire box of shells trying to get the cat to jump, but he refused. I then walked back to my truck to get my pole and noticed Maverick laying down beside the truck. Although this is not a good sign, I attributed it to the box of shells I shot. Jumped the cat out and they caught it right there without Maverick ever coming back in. On the third hunt Maverick went with the hounds. When this cat treed I took my pole instead of my rat shot just to see if this made a difference. When I arrived at the tree Maverick was no where to be seen so I checked my GPS. Maverick was 300 yards away and not on the trail the hounds had come in on. It was clear that he wondered off away from the tree. Strike 1. The fourth hunt didn’t end with a tree, they caught it on the ground. The second I heard them bay, I zoomed in tight on my tracker to see what this puppy did. Within twenty seconds of the fight I watched him just slowly move away. Here is where it is time to be 100% honest with yourself in what you have. Before I get too deep into that, I first need to talk about being honest with what I want. I do not go cat hunting to hear hounds bark. I do not go cat hunting to enjoy time away from life in general. Cat hunting is my life and I go to catch cats. Anything short of a bobcat on top of my truck after a hunt is a failure in my opinion. With that in mind, I’d better expect major contributions in the race and the fight from every single one of my hounds. If I fail to do this I will slowly replace great with mediocre and before long every hunt I go on will end in failure and despair. I don’t do anything to entice the switch to flip in my puppies. In my mind they either have it or they don’t. Greatness isn’t made by man, it is implanted by God. Maverick was showing signs of at best being mediocre and I have zero tolerance for anything shy of greatness. Hunts 5 & 6 ended similarly with hunt 7 being the icing on the cake. Yesterday was hunt number 7 which took place right after daylight. Shooter started a cat cold about a hundred yards east of my truck and he, Rain, and Ike were trying to work it out. The other hounds were swinging wide trying to find it and Jazz and Whiskey started opening across the road about 150 yards away. I was dubious at first because those hounds are just over a year old and I could tell by how they sounded that they just didn’t have the confidence to really scream,”here he is.” Their barks were quiet and half throttled. I watched on the screen as Laney got closer and closer to them. When Laney made it to the puppies she let out a squall that I know blew leaves off of the bushes. The young hounds had it and it only took Laney saying that it was ok for them to change their barks and start rolling. The calvary was closing fast, including Maverick, and when they made it, the race was on. They crossed behind me and moved into a bad thicket down along the creek. For twenty five minutes the cat would run down to the creek’s edge and back to the road I was parked on. This cat was a slippery sucker, squatting often and doubling back. There were a couple times when he’d run his trail back and forth trying to lose the dogs. At least ten times he would settle down in a bad white brush thicket and make little circles inside a forty foot area. Then, he’d sneak out one side and try to pull out. Finally he turned left when he should’ve turned right and ran right into Dixie. I heard Dixie bay and within seconds the rest were bayed with her. Considering that this is the thickest pasture on the ranch and I had a young man with me, I used better judgement and sent him to the catch. Five minutes went by and they hadn’t killed the cat. This is not normal at all because usually it’s over within seconds. The next thing I know Maverick walks out in the road I am standing on wagging his tail and wanting me to pet him. The hounds finally killed the cat, he had gotten himself under the white brush and hounds couldn’t get to him; but that’s not what this article is about. This article is about hound men being honest with themselves about what they have. The simple truth is, as much as I want Maverick to make it, he isn’t going to. He lacks the desire to fight which means he lacks the run to catch aspect that I demand. Maverick is a follower not a leader. Is he beautiful, yes he is. Is he well bred, yes he is. Do I want him to fulfill the visions I had of him when I started him, hell yes I do. But, the reality is, Maverick is a cartridge with no gun powder. Meaning he looks just like the others but he isn’t going to go boom. This honesty will ensure that I stay far away from mediocre and continue to strive for hounds that run to catch. I cannot and I will not allow sentimentality or desire to stand in my way of the truth. If you are a hound hunter and you want success, you mustn’t allow what you wish to be true to cloud the reality that stands in front of you.