# Anyone else have squirrel dogs?



## SQHunterGray (Oct 21, 2008)

Hello Folks:

I am new to the forum and just curious if anyone else on here has squirrel dogs? If so, what kind?

We have mainly feist dogs here...


Thanks,

-Marc


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

I got a Jack Russell that I've been trying to train. He goes crazy over the squirrel hide that I use to tease him with. But everytime we go out in the woods we don't see any squirrels to chase. I go out deer hunting and have squirrels crawling all over me but when I go back with the dog we can't find any. 

Other dogs I have trainned for squirrel hunting are Black$tan, and bluetick coondogs. When I was growing up I had a English setter mixed breed dog that treed by sight. I used her to train the coondogs with. She was excellent for getting coondogs started and then switch over to coonhunting.


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## Calvin Wiles (May 14, 2008)

I have a half Mountain Cur and half Mountain Fiest.


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## Irish farmer (Dec 21, 2007)

That is a pretty brindle cur. Will it stay on the tree?


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## Calvin Wiles (May 14, 2008)

Irish farmer said:


> That is a pretty brindle cur. Will it stay on the tree?


Thanks. She has just started treeing good and is doing good, but I'm usually close. She don't hunt very far away.


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## SQHunterGray (Oct 21, 2008)

Glad to see some other folks on here with squirrel dogs! Hunting squirrels with dogs is growing at a phenomenal rate...There seems to be a breed or type of squirrel dog out there for everyone. Many of them are essentially historical artifacts from our pioneer days and are really making a comeback. Most squirrel dog breeds are extremely versatile. Just about all of them make great homestead dogs!

-Marc


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## Oldcountryboy (Feb 23, 2008)

Well it's nice to hear that it is growing cause I thought it was dying out. When I was growing up seemed out here in the country most all the boys had a squirrel dog or rabbit dog. Now days there's too much emphasise on deer hunting and I just don't think it's a hot enough action to keep the young boys interested in hunting. 

I'm suppose to take a couple of high school boys out squirrel hunting this coming saturday. They're really looking forward to it. I use to take them out several years ago when we use to attend the same church. I just recently got re-aquainted with them and the first thing the asked was to go squirrel hunting again. So hopefully it will be a good day for squirrel hunting.


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## SQHunterGray (Oct 21, 2008)

Thank you for taking some kids hunting! They need to change the slogan from "Take a kid hunting" to "Take a dozen kids hunting"!!!

I have conducted some surveys of squirrel dog participants and since 2000, the growth of squirrel hunting with dogs have grown nearly exponentially overall across the country!


-Marc


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## Homesteadwi5 (Mar 16, 2008)

Had two mtn. fiest when i was a teen but could never keep em on a tree,they trailed like crazy but would'nt tree a lick.


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## SQHunterGray (Oct 21, 2008)

Hopefully this pic will work...It is of our Squirrel Champion feist dog, Kentucky Jody.

Thanks for lookin',


-Marc


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## SQHunterGray (Oct 21, 2008)

Since that one worked, I will try some more...This one is of Jody at the 1st ever American Feist Breeders Association Hunt (NKC Sanctioned). She had a 1st place win there in Ohio out of the open dogs (no title currently) to finish out her Squirrel Champion Title.


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## SQHunterGray (Oct 21, 2008)

Here is Jody again during the Bench Show. She won Best Female and Overall Best of Show at the same AFBA event...That finished her out to Bench Champion.


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## SQHunterGray (Oct 21, 2008)

Lastly, here is a picture of Beth with our 4 feist dogs after a short but successful hunt!

Thanks for lookin',

-Marc


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## SQHunterGray (Oct 21, 2008)

We consider our dogs "Mountain Feist".


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## RideBarefoot (Jun 29, 2008)

My "unofficial" squirrel dog- so far her roster includes squirrels, mice, rats, frogs, snakes, possums, deer, raccoons, and I watched her take an armadillo out of its shell once. That was amazing.









She might have other critters on the menu I don't know about...

Twila


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## SQHunterGray (Oct 21, 2008)

Squirrels aren't on the menu for our dogs...They put squirrels on our menu! Thanks for sharing your picture.


-Marc


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## Irish farmer (Dec 21, 2007)

I would be interested to know what strain of squirrel dog has the best reputation as also being a good pet. Which ones are calm and not hyper when not hunting? I have noticed that some of the best hunting dogs are too hyper for pets. So what breed or strain also doubles well as a pet?


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## SQHunterGray (Oct 21, 2008)

Most strains/lines of feist dogs make good pets in addition to hunting dogs. They are not hyper in the sense of a Jack Russell...They have a dual personality in that they are comfortable lounging around at your feet but when you are ready to hunt, they go all day. Feist dogs still do well with an active, preferably rural, family.

The Original Mountain Curs are a little more independent-minded but also make good pets.

Hope this helps,

-Marc


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## Homesteadwi5 (Mar 16, 2008)

the kemmer line of mtn. curs make fine pets as well as very well rounded hunters.


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## SQHunterGray (Oct 21, 2008)

Yup. They were developed from OMC dogs...


-Marc


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