Squeaky

I got to talking to a man down at The Legion the other night. Turns out I know his brother, big hound hunter. He was driving up the road the one night when two Walker Hounds come out into the road. He hits one, felt it go over it. So, he stops, gets out and the dog is laying there. Then, it gets up, and runs off wobbling a little. So he calls his brother and asked if he was running his hounds there, which he was, and asked if it was his dog. No, they tree’d the Coon and killed it. He asked if he was sure. He was sure. Then a little later he called back and said there was a big skinned place on the dogs head. Sure enough he ran over his brothers dog.

Bear Hunting with Hounds is a hoot. It’s the most efficient way to hunt bears in this part of the country, baiting is illegal and sitting a stand trying to call one or chance it takes actionable intelligence. But, the Dogs make it a tad special. Hounds are relentless, as long as they have sight or scent of the bear they don’t stop. They won’t quit until themselves or the bear is dead, unless pulled off. The Plott Hound is considered the best of the Bear Dogs by most. They are smart, fierce, have a good nose…They were bred for Bear in what is now Haywood County NC (hence the Plott Balsams). They are the NC State Dog even. There are some varying stories to the breeds linage, and some of it folk tales. But no Hound Hunter turns their nose up to a Plott. They’re not all perfect, it’s been said a good bear dog is hard to come by and the right line of Plotts is good. I bough Squeaky off of a man Twister had hunted with over in Franklin stein, paid the man hard cold cash. The mans dad had died and bear hunting just wasn’t the same without his dad, so he stopped. Squeaky hadn’t hunted in almost two years. But, Squeaky had a real good reputation among some of the boys I had hunted with over there. I was told he had a good nose, struck bear, didn’t pay as much mind to a coon, had ran a deer before, but had had help from other dogs and he had fight in him. Not to mind this, he’s as gentle as they come. I wouldn’t think twice about a young in walking up to him. He wasn’t all healthy though, he had kennel cough, his eyes were matted and snot pouring from his nose. The boy was treating him for it with amoxicillin. I boosted up his protein and took him to a vet, got a whole ten day supply of an antibiotic that I cant quote the name of. It clearedup, but he has couhed some since, I think it’s allergies, h gets a snotty nose too. But he’s smart. I walked him across a fresh deer track and h paid I no mind, has struck a bear four times while out walking him (getting the two of us into some better shape) and one here on my drive way. The day I got him Twister had a mangy coon that rode in a cage in the back of my truck with Squeaky (another story) and he could have cared less.

I got plans to stud him for pick of the litter. A boy out the raod saw him and said he wanted one of the pups. He’s a brindle color, with some grey in the snout. I came home yesterday evening and he had pulled off his chain meeting me at the bottom of the drive way, I told him to get in the back of the truck which he did. I’ve only had to pick him up once. I bet he’ll close the door on the dog box as well.

I’ll down load his picture here before too long. Get this, on his papers his given name is Rambo...

The Appalachianist