Sam Ray's Bear Paw Outfitters
Trophy Black Ber and Mountain Lion
About Our Dogs
Our dogs are an integral part of your successfull hunt. As such, we value our dogs very highly. Since we work closely with them and are in perilous situations together, we form strong bonds of affection with our dogs.
Each dog has their own house, bowls, bedding , name and personality. Sam can even tell you which dog is barking when they are out of sight and what kind of bark it is.
These dogs mean a lot to us, you can tell. We wish to pause and take a moment to thank our Creator and theirs for all the good dogs we have had in the past, the good ones we own now, and the good ones to come. May the Creator and Sustainer of the universe continue to smile on us, our dogs and you, our hunters!.
Rip Roarin'!!!
Here he is! Here he is!!
Several hounds and one lion in a tree.
Why Do They Do It?
They do it because chasing lions and bears is what they want to do MOST. They are born with the desire. They learn how to use their noses and their brains to figure tricky prey out. They do it becaused they love to bark under that tree!!!!
The life of a hound is incredibly physically demanding. If the dogs did not want to run for miles over rough country, totally out of sight of humans, they just woundn't do it. They would go back to the truck, never go back or just sit under a tree somewhere. There is no coercion involved with hunting thesedogs. They run because they love it!
Sam prepares to tie up the hounds out of harm's way.
Dogs under treed lion. Note collar on dog in foreground.
Why Traciking Collars?
As we mentioned above, a lot of time, training, effort and money goes into each dog. Each dog represents a substantial investment to us, both financially and emotionally.
For this reason, each dog turned out to hunt wears their own electronic tracking collar. These collars do not make the dog run faster, think more clearly or aid the dogs in staying together or help them to trail better in any way. They simply allow us to have a better chance of finding each dog when the day is done.
Mike Ray and Sam Ray let the hounds drink, cool off and relax in a stock drinker on a warm spring day.
Three hounds are actually in the tree, and several more are trying to be!
After a breather, they are ready to go again!
Dedication...
This page is dedicated to all the dogs who have worked for us and with us. Dogs who have given their lives in the chase, died of old age in retirement, or of illnees, disease or injury long before their natural time.
They are too numerous to name or picture here, but they served us well. We are grateful for the time we had with them, however short or long it was.
Crazy as it seems, sometimes when the wind blows, I could swear I hear them treeing just over the next hill.
They may be gone, but they are not forgotten.
Click Button for Home
