Aldeer.com Forums Alabama Deer Talk Al Dogs Sq dog training story or the Benedict Arnold Sq

So anyhow I took a half-finished Silver line lbmc pup down into a hardwood finger. You know the kind surrounded by clearcut you have to wade a briar to get to. In those days I hunted so much I ran out of woods and had to take what I could find. Oftentime such places are loaded with sq because nobody goes in there but deer hunters and the occasional rabbit hunter wondering after his hounds.

As soon as we get in the clear, I cut the cur pup loose. He immediately slammed a den tree. I looked and saw what it was and called it dead, heeled the pup off and cut him loose again. It wasn't a minute and he treed again. I get over there and he's split on two trees, setting back and looking up pretty. I went ahead and knocked one out without tying the pup. Yeah, my bad and we will see it really was.

So while I'm fooling with the sq, pup goes back to the first den tree. Now we're all out of sorts because I broke the rule and didn't tie it at the split. What can I say? I like killing sq too much. This is also my bad and we will see it really is.

So I get back and tie the dog, determined to do right. I get a green limb and get down on my knees with my arm well up the hollow, trying to twist the sq out. I get fur, but it don't look like sq fur. I'm perplexed. Is it a coon? That'd be nice. The pup is right at me trying to blow my eardrums out this whole time.

So (apparently I like the word 'so') I start knocking on the hollow trying to feel where the sq or coon or whatever is like finding a stud in a wall. There's a thing about bullets people don't realize. A middling velocity round nose is a penetrating thing. A 9mm or 38 round nose has fantastic penetrating ability. I've seen more than once such rounds go completely through large berms and bury in trees behind at target ranges. Nobody every believes this until they see it.

I found where I thought the critter was and sent a 22lr through the tree. Thrashing and scratching. Hit it! I get down and almost into my hand falls a cottontail rabbit. Now I'm kneeling there and the pup is there. It sees the rabbit, on which it has been shocked before, and clams up. It gets as far from that rabbit as the lead will allow and tries to not be there.

I'm thinking what have I done. Mistake after mistake and now I killed a rabbit right under it's nose when I had thought to break the cur off rabbits. So, (there's that word again) while I'm trying to figure out what to do I catch a movement in the old peripheral. What do I see but a squirrel poking its head down out the hollow looking at me? The blame sq had invaded Br'er Rabbits hidey hole and got him kilt.

I expended a few rounds trying to avenge the poor rabbit to no avail. We honored the rabbit with collards and gravy. The cur did eventually make a fair tree dog, day and night, despite its sorry excuse for a trainer.

What’s crazy is I’ve never tied a dog back I trained. I don’t train a lot but I’ve started 5-6 and never had an Issue. But I don’t care about competition dogs I train meat dogs.

I wouldn't shoot a deer with a 308 but I hear it does kill them.

That’s funny but several members here have hunted with my dogs and they will vouch for them. I also know several of them who never tied theirs and they had solid dogs.

It’s crazy the stuff you’ll see hunting with squirrel/rabbit/coon dogs every now and then.

Don't doubt it.