![]() “Knock that squirrel out of the tree down on them, and you have a good start.” When that first squirrel runs across the ground and up the tree in front of them, their instinct will kick in,” says Reynolds. “Get the dog in the timber as much as possible. Get in the Woodsīoth Reynolds and Oaks say there is no substitute for woods time when it comes to making a squirrel dog. Miss Ellie is well into her second season now and coming along nicely.ĭoes the thought of hunting squirrels with a dog appeal to you? Here are 10 tips that helped us: 1. With tips from Earl and Tobby, we began our trip down this squirrel dog rabbit hole. He named her Miss Ellie, and the two bonded immediately. Potroast picked out a small female from one of Earl’s litters. They just have a particular look,” he says. “I can recognize a dog out of my line from a photo when I see them on social media or competition hunt websites. “Not all those first crosses worked,” he says, “but eventually I started to see the traits I was looking for.” Reynolds-bred dogs now show up regularly in competition hunts all across the country. ( Don't Miss: 6 Reasons Why Kids Love Squirrel Hunting with Dogs)Įarl began crossing feists to get the attributes he wanted in a dog. I want a dog that hunts with me instead of me hunting with the dog, and feists just fit that bill.” “That’s important today where properties are small and permission to cross lines is getting harder and harder to get. “They hunt closer than hounds or curs,” he says. More than 20 years ago, he settled on the mountain feist as his breed of choice. Over the years, Earl has hunted with multiple breeds, including a squirrel hunting collie when he was a kid. I guess you can say I was born into it,” says Reynolds. “I’ve been hunting with dogs for more than 74 years. We went to see Earl Reynolds, the breeder who had produced Squall, along with countless other champion squirrel dogs now living and hunting in more than 30 states across the country. ![]() ![]() Truth was, I did too.Īfter several more trips with Tobby and Squall, we decided to get a feist of our own. Potroast and I talked about squirrel dogs on our trip home and how much he wanted one. Squall worked the woods around us like a machine, showing us more squirrels than I thought possible on an unseasonably hot and windy day. What we saw over the next five hours changed the way we’ll spend our hunting seasons from now on. How much better could it be? That’s what I asked myself as my son, Potroast, and I pulled up to the designated meeting spot with Tobby Oaks and his mountain feist, Miss Squall. Besides, I’d squirrel hunted all my life in the traditional, sneak-slowly-through-the-hardwoods way. Between hunting at home and out-of-state trips, there seems to be something going on every weekend from September to February. But don’t let their beautiful fur fool you, these dogs don’t actually shed much at all and thus are considered to be hypoallergenic.The last thing I needed was another hunting hobby. Are hounds hypoallergenic?Īfghan Hounds have a regal appearance thanks to their long, silky, thick coats. They have a short coat that is not hypoallergenic. Do Mullins Feist shed?įeists are generally low shedding dogs that only require a bit of brushing once a week. Mountain Feist Temperament They are an intelligent and curious breed which undoubtedly helps to fuel their hunting/treeing abilities, but it can also be problematic at times, making training a bit of an uphill battle, especially in the early stages. Indigenous to the Ozark Mountains in Missouri, Arkansas, Kansas, and Oklahoma, Mountain Feists are sometimes called “the last true hunting dog.” They’re believed to have been in the country since as early as the 17th and 18th centuries, and though their numbers have been small over the centuries, they have grown in Are mountain Feists smart? Due to such a grand mix of genes, this breed isn’t identified by its appearance, but rather its hunting ability and temperament. Most fiests and curs make great family dogs, are good with kids, and will be a loyal companion as long as they live. The Mullens fiest, Barger fiest, mountain fiest, and American treeing fiest are all good squirrel dog breeds. These terriers probably included crosses between the Smooth Fox Terrier, the Manchester Terrier, and the now-extinct English White Terrier. You might be interested: How Long For A Burnese Mountain Dog To Be A Full Adult? (TOP 5 Tips) What breeds make up a Feist?Ī feist is a small hunting dog, descended from the terriers brought over to the United States by English miners and other working class immigrants.
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