Registered: Oct 2010
Location:
Posts: 67

Just curious if anyone here has ever tried using a cur to hunt birds? I would love to hear about it if someone has tried it.

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Registered: Dec 2012
Location: Indiana
Posts: 789

Curs were originally bred to catch. Let's just say the hunt to catch pray.

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Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Central PA
Posts: 363

Some curs do. I have some photos on photobucket that I copied of a mountain cur that hunted pheasant, retrieved geese, treed squirrel, and blood trailed wounded game. A lot of curs have a strong desire to please and all it takes is experiencing the game and encouragement. Praise them for what you want them to hunt and discourage them from what you don't. I haver heard a lot of people say a cur won't hunt non tree game but I know of some that do. I think it's all about exposure and praise. Might be some so hardwired that they won't but they were originally bred to be versitile dogs. I had a teeing cur that would run rabbits, flush birds, tree squirrel, and actually hold groundhogs at bay. She would keep them right there and cut them off like a cattle dog when they tried to move.

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Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Central PA
Posts: 363

As far as what this treeing cur hunted like it was pretty strange. She would naturally quarter and stay in range in a weed or grass field. You could see her work the scent cones on a ground hog or bird. She would not bark on a bird but would bark like crazy when she held up a ground hog. On rabbits she basically ran them like a beagle full open on track. She didn't have the line control of a good beagle but she got the job done good. On squirrel she would walk hunt with me. She would cut out and do her loop and check back in on me. If squirrel weren't moving she would eventually go wide till she treed something. This dog I had no idea how she was breed. She kinda looked like a small long legged walker.

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Registered: Oct 2010
Location:
Posts: 67

Thanks for the response Huntsmenbob. I have always had hounds but got a Mt Cur because of the potential of having a real meat dog. He's still very young and I plan to start him this fall on squirrel and eventually on coon. He just looks real "birdy" to me sometimes when I have him out for walks in the woods and fields. I think he could be good on woodcock and grouse if I took a little time to introduce him to birds. Just wondering who else may have had the same idea or some actual experience.

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Registered: Jan 2010
Location: mid MI
Posts: 67

I never targeted birds before but have flushed a lot of partridge with my curs and laikas. Usually long gone before I get the gun off my shoulder... sometimes they just fly up into a tree and the dog will tree it. Have also walked into the dog treed and it's a tree with 5 or 6 of partridge in it. I'll try to shot them when their in season so the dogs know it's ok I guess

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Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Central PA
Posts: 363

If you ever intend to competition hunt them you
will get minuses for non tree game I think. If you do intend to then you should keep them all treedog.

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Registered: Jan 2011
Location: Wolverine State
Posts: 66

My Mtn Cut points and flushes grouse and pheasants..... I haven't encouraged it, she just does it once in a while. One time she took off in a sprint for a sandhill crane 100 yards away in a field. This bird thought he could intimidate the dog by standing with its wings open making crazy noises. He narrowly escaped....

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Registered: Feb 2011
Location: so il
Posts: 128

Was rabbit hunting with some friends this winter, couple beagles they had did a jam up job on a couple rabbit so far. When they brought the rabbit around to us one of us shot it close to us. The beagles came and sniffed and grabbed at it as we put it in pouch. One of the beagles obviously winded something to his right and made a couple easy steps and locked up solid like a pure bred pointer , pretty as could be. There was a small covey of quail. One flushed and that beagle snagged that thing straight out of the air! Didn't pull a feather on that bird. Owner got it from him and it wasn't harmed a bit. I don't know if I was more amazed at how pretty that dog pointed or that he actually caught the bird in mid air. Wouldn't have believed it if I didn't see it. Guy told me he points them all the time if he isn't already running a rabbit!

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