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Longest Hours to Run?

Many old timers might be able to answer this one. In your lifetime what was the longest you ever herd/watched a hound run and not quit. To stay busy running and hunting after game at one time. And list what it was.

Re: Longest Hours to Run?

10 pm til 2pm. In August!

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Had a red fox race start at 9:00am and finish up at dark on July 3 2012. That should have been close to 12 hrs. On a hot day. Two 3 yr old females, on helium and the other was out of tin roof stock. On the third day the hellum dog could wag her tail, it took the other dog 5 days to wag hers. That's when I can tell a dogs is comming back to life after being exhausted. That was the longest steady race iv ever had. Scenting conditions were good but it was hot and dry. Don't know what the barometric pressure was, but it had to just right.

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6 of us ran a gray fox for 14 hours from 11pm to 1pm, started with about 30 head, ended with about 10. The last time they crossed the road they sure wasn't moving like they was the first time they crossed it.
That pack consisted of Yazoo, Liquor, Hills, Flowers hounds, it wasn't a bunch of pot lickers.

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Started red fox race yesterday around 2:30pm could here dogs still running from house at 4:00am this morning got caught up around 6:30 or so had 4 dogs 1 off country boy Romeo 1 off of boones revenge and 2 litter mates off of brian haas wood duck dog. And I would bet money if I had any ,them wood ducks would run again tonight. Not to brag but they did all this on frozen ground on the outside. Plus them wood duck dogs home in like we all like

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This some good reading. You all keep the stories coming.

Re: Longest Hours to Run?

I don't know exactly which hound would have run the longest hours in my life. I guess Prairie Princess B or Hi-Ball Stride or Garrett's Connie B. would be three that come to mind the quickest.

Let me start off by saying all this was before Brother and I had a shock collar system and away of controlling hounds.


Field trial wise Garrett's Connie B, which was out of Magee's Sticker, at the Twin's Lake Lincoln hunt about 12 years ago at Bobby McGuire's pen in Huntsville, KY. The first day (Thursday) she ran 8 hours before being caught, then on the 2nd day (Friday) she ran 7 hours before being caught, then on 3rd day (Saturday) she ran 7 more hours before being caught. That would be a total of 22 hours over 3 days, and placed 6th HGA. Now I know all that running was not at one time but still 22 hours over 3 days is a lot and still place is pretty good in my mind, now if she had be shock collar broke and caught up with in one hour of call off I maintain she would have done better.


Now, Hi-Ball Stride out of (Prairie Stride Ike II ex BD&L's Elli May) he was as game a hound as I ever hope to own, bar none. He was a big solid white dog about 25 inches and quite was not in his vocabulary. He would nearly always run 12 plus hours every time we turn him out and you had to go get in front of him so you could go home, no matter the condition of the day or night, hot or cold good or bad conditions didn't make him any difference.

Brother and I run him 3 times all night in a 7 day period with fresh hounds just to see if we could make him quite. The first hunt was at Johnnie Cavin's up in Northeast, AL on a Friday night with a big gang of hunters, he run that night from 7:00pm to 10:30am (13.5 hours) and wasn't done when we got our hands on him. Then on Tuesday night we ran him on Chandler Mt (on the outside) and he run some over 12 hours that night. Then on Friday night we took him to Penton, AL and run him again, from 7:00pm - 9:00am, that morning (Saturday) as the sun was breaking in the eastern sky, the hounds was in full cry and bringing it, when the game crossed the road my brother's Mo Jo Dixie B, Shelton Cr. Broadway was the front two hounds, and Hi-Ball Stride was in 3rd position and running as hard as he was the week before. We finally manage to break them up around 8 but it took another hour to get our hands on Hi-Ball.

He was by far the gamest hound I have ever owned. And was a great producer, wished I had him back to breed to now. He threw hounds that were a lot faster than him, and was still very game, I don't guess any was as tuff as him but tuff enough for me. We still have several hounds that go back to Hi-Ball and he's been dead 10 plus years.

Now, as far as the longest race by a hound in one given time would be Prairie Princess B. (aka Mud) she was by (Prairie Stride Ike II ex Shane's Daisy Diamond)she was about a 23 inch BWT BB female that could fly. She could roll up at the front of a race with anybody and run a track like she was tied to it. She was a grey fox specialist. Brother and I have heard her run some outstanding races over the course of her life but one 4th of July back in about 2003 we were back in Chambers County, AL with HOF member Mr. Joe Gibson and it was dry and hot! But that didn't seem to bother our hounds. We cast about 9:00 and it was about 75 degrees at cast. We jumped and had an outstanding race all night long, the next morning the hounds was running hard and there was a little dew on that morning but not much. We began to catch up hounds probably around 7:00 or so, but by 9:00 there was still 4 or 5 hounds still out. Well, time passed along and Prairie Princess B was still running at 11:00 (13hours) and let me tell you we had all the other hounds caught up, but she was still running just like a clock ticking, and the sun was up high and it was getting hotter by the min. Finally at around 11:30-11:45 brother finally got his hands on Mud. Now, let me say this while she was running Mr. Gibson was still there with us and between 9-11:30 brother and I kept saying Lord we wished she'd quite and come on, let's go home. And yes, we were trying to get between her and the game but not happening,,,,,well I remember hearing the ole man say, "son, I had rather a hound run 3 hours to long as to quite 5 mins to quick"! That has stuck with me all these years.

We at True Grit Kennels still try to keep game tuff fox hounds, that run as long as you want. Now, that we have gotten shock collars we don't as a usual rule have hounds run that long anymore simply because we don't want them too, however, they don't need to come find us before the horn blows or the collar beeps.

As of today a lot of our hounds go back to Hi-Ball Stride, Prairie Princess B and a few to Garrett's Connie B.

As of right now today there is an ole gyp in our kennel Flying Dixie Girl S. who goes back to Mud; and Prairie Stride Ike II twice, she is 7 years old and unless her collar beeps she ain't coming in. I don't know how long she would run right now, and really don't want to find out but I would say 12 plus hours would not phase her after three litters of puppies and all the running she has put up she is a credit to Bobby and Aron Stocksill's breeding 25 years ago.


And we've been told for years our hounds ain't fast enough, well people can believe what they want but we don't have a lot of folks beating our door down to go hunting. Sure there are hounds that may out run us for 3 or 4 hours but it's been a while since we've been out run in and all night race. Remember this is fox hunting, and walker hounds aren't greyhounds, one of the traits of a true Fox Hound is endurance, remember this you can get a Cur dog to run 3 or 4 hours but when it goes to getting like work you better have some grit in your guts or you will melt before the job is done, and that is not acceptable in the True Grit world.

Boy I'd like to get in one of those knock down drag out races.....

Happy Hunting to all of you.

True Grit,
Elmore County, AL
Jonathan Blakeley

Re: Longest Hours to Run?

Longest Post: True Grit, lol, just kidding.

For me, Saucier's Nelli at 6 years old. During the Southern Star(I think) at Enon, LA. On the first day we casted around 6:30 am, finally caught her after 9 pm on the first day. She scored above average that day. 2nd day she ran over 7 hours and was 3rd high dog. 3rd day she ran 6 hours and scored average or just above the rest of the field, finished top 20. I know the first day after the hunt was over she never broke down more than 10 minutes, she was in the zone. Around 28 hours in those 3 days and was ready to go again the next weekend.
Canoy's Peter Liquor was her sire and her mom was Hill's and Kennedy breeding on top and Carr's Black John on the bottom.

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I was running long hours one time years back and invited my buddy to come run on a Friday night.We cast just before dark and it was a good night.I had been having very little trouble striking this fox and had been running him up into the next morning most times 12 or more hours.Well my buddy must been feeding good dog feed that week or something because we cast and my hounds were in the box by midnight this hunt.My friend showed me what I was feeding.He had some hard track running hounds came from north Alabama that put me to shame.I seen hunting by myself and with company had different outcomes on the type race.Wish them old days were still around.

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Had a Dash Rip Rock gyp named Brenda Lee. We ran at Little Foreston back when there was no big or little pen...just Foreston. Turn out was 10 at night with good crowds...mid morning when most were caught up some deer would slip into the pen. When Brenda Lee was jumping and running deer at 2 the next afternoon you knew she was field trial tight. She did well from Pamlico to Swainsboro to Poole's to Grenada.

First year the Masters came to Pamplico, I ran a BTTB Butch gyp....and didn't have her shock broke. 556 dogs that year....and it was dark all 3 days getting her up. She was tough as a gum stump.

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We all seen dogs stay out with no pressure.most get used up fast with heat applied. 10 hours in fast company hasn't happened as much as is accepted believe. Now, we seen white dogs,spotted dogs and red dogs all walk out of a race.so this ain't judgment day just my experience with red fox.

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Enjoyed this post like when people talk as hunters wish I could spend the night by the fire with some wine and just listen to all the stories now this is the real ****

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Had 1 I called Scar.....turned out at 9pm and finally was able to catch him at 4 pm the next day......I could get between him and the yote and that sucker would go around me and get back on him.....Oh how I wish I had the Alpha for Ol' Scar.....LOL....He was straight off Pinedale Clown B.

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I've had several that would stay out 3 days and nights, not going to say they were running that whole time but they were every time I went out there to try an get em.
When I could let mine run loose here at the house I've heard em start a fox at dark and listen to them till bed time, when I'd get up and leave for work at 7 the next morning they'd be grinding but I don't know what went on while I was sleeping.
That wasn't just 1 night that was every night. Man them was the good ole days for me.

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Glad to read that others still out there consider gameness part of a running hound.Too many people think 3 or 5 hours is a test on a hound.I think 9 or 12 in a fast paced race is a test of a hound.

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I bred my Viper dog years ago to one of Irvin Janneys gyps her name was Liza Janney Mr Irv told me she ran 19 hours in the sand sifters fox pen and he said she wasn't just out 19 hours she ran 19 hours one of those pups from that cross wound up in Mississippi and I heard she is throwing pretty good pups.

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I love this man to death give me a good one mr. Bailey miss running with u on Fridays and learnerd a lot just listening to this man love u brother

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I went to the al. open a number of years back and met mike sumby while at the hunt. he had some of the toughest hounds at that hunt. we ran two days with 8 and 7 hrs. of running. mike female off a haskill spires female and dylen which I believe was off east coast Hollywood ran about 15 hrs. the first day and around 10 hrs. the second day. mike had to run her down to catch her and she was tied for tenth place at the end of the hunt. what a hound.

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Thank you Jody for the nice words. Love you too brother! I've got a lot of stories I could tell. Maybe at a later time. ( coonass )

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Most don't remember Mr. Shillings. But he had some blood that would grind it out for sure. Most of the liquor men in Ms. would cross the fast liquor blood to the Mark S. blood and help the cause.I ran Moody's white Joe hounds that would not quit till they caught the coyote.Those were different times but hounds were hounds back then.No three hour pup hunts back in the 70's when I was a young man.It was guts or go home back then.Gameness was called bottom and grit was a top quality of a hound.

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The boys at harpon pen in Zwolle ran 16 hrs last nite hard running driving game hard if you don't believe go see for yourself and they didn't sleep all nite either it is common

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there is a large difference in how you class how long hounds run by what they are,some like hounds that trail and bump along an hour before they jump anything game feeding ahead of them not for me.had two pair gyps early mid fifties would hit a red fox open 5 or 6 times next time be on next ridge then they be going out of hearing next you heard them coming opposite direction barking every breath when they go by maybe the nearest followers would be coming in hearing never ever saw one of them with there head down they breathed fox whole lot stronger scene than any track, very few are ever blessed with this kind of hounds and if you are they are few and far between.needless to say it was not hard too find a parking spot at our camp on my night except if someone new had come to try them on then everybody would come to listen.of course this was outside wide open country and these gyps would melt most of there visitors in three or four hours cutting and running roads trying to hook them.it was wonderful back then very few paved roads not many fences no crazy land owners to deal with.
my point being the hounds i described here from when they were cast and the summer sounds was hoot owls and katydids 10 or 12 hours later when it turned to bluejays and crows they had covered enough country to last most dogs two nights or more and i dont like too brag on dead dogs but these were such i just wanted to explain the difference for some of you youngsters that did not know.
they were close flying cloud,champ clark,old pride,hub dawson,flying heels,dawson stride,raider dawson in the bloodlines too name a few.

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60 miles in 6 hours in a pen and 25 miles in 8 outside???? Alpha math.

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Till I used alpha I didn't believe in the mileage difference in pen and outside of equal hours.The pen will near double the miles in same hours as outside.. If you dnt believe it,try it for yourself.

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I'm not questioning the mileage, my question is, how much of that mileage was in the road pulling to other dogs. On the outside there ain't dogs to pull to. If you can't hold the track you can't run it outside. Speed is good if the hound can hold the track, I will be the first to say if I was still hunting on the outside a large percentage of my hounds wouldn't cut the mustard. All the cutting, grabbing out front loose it and then whack another pack that is accepted today wouldn't have been tolerated in the days of running outside.
Just my opinion, good hunting Mike

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A dog off of Kyle landers mr t run 13 hours straight

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Hour vs hour
I fail to see what a video collar saying he was doing 18 mph one circle then maybe 24 the next round
Then maybe nothing for a while that don't do nothing for me ,guess I am old school lol,only thing that interests me is what's cookin on the front burner when the end comes...

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Get some alphas and hunt with somebody that runs up and see the difference of the pen and outside. Not deer hunting.

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My toughest hound with good speed was a hound called Moonflint. I turned him and his mate loose in the 320 acre pen I owned when they were about a year old one day about 10 that morning and stayed until midnight trying to catch them. Came back the next morn ing , still running, went to work ,came back at lunch still running then came back at 5 oclock and found them lying beside a big red fox. I later took him to a 3-day up at waterloo Ala.pen.we had to work so a buddy ofmine carried the dogs and went to the benchshow. After the show he put the dogs in the holding pen and made arrangments for someone to cast them next morn..During the night they tore out and ran the rest of the night, about 7 hours. Some of the hunters went in and tried to catch them but couldn't. The next morning at first days cast the Master and the hunters decided to answer the roll for them and cast ed. When I got there about 12 the next day they told me what happened. All our dogs got scratched but 3. The next day 2 more went down. The last day with about 20 minutes left in the hunt a race came by the cast and young moonflint was leading the pack. When they totaled the scores MOONFLINT PLACED 6TH all-age. They also gave me the sportsmanship trophy. Moonflints feet wore down and got as flat as you ever saw one but in 6 yrs I never saw him quit.He had an outstanding mouth and MR.Pinky Hearns bought him to breed some gyps to. He will always stand out as a hound with awesome desire and heart of steel to me. Darrell

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Billy Melvin
I bred my Viper dog years ago to one of Irvin Janneys gyps her name was Liza Janney Mr Irv told me she ran 19 hours in the sand sifters fox pen and he said she wasn't just out 19 hours she ran 19 hours one of those pups from that cross wound up in Mississippi and I heard she is throwing pretty good pups.


That pup off that cross is Boley Creek Sally. She ran from 8 o'clock one Sunday night till 230 the next day in Millard fox pen.

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Curtis call me when you can please. 6013256825

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Bwt dogs run the hardest for 7 or 8 hours and then the white dogs take over and run all next day. LOL..... any body else noticed this?

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Yep,seen lots of your bwt dogs quit the last part of a race when lemon and white hounds start taking over.

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Lol, well what dogs were on the front the first 5 hours? The BWT or the L/W?


In all seriousness all the white dogs I have seen thrown off Canoy's Matt Liquor and Canoy's Clay Liquor were usually going to be out front from hour 4 til you put them in the box.

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Larry you know deep in your heart they are fair deer dogs..not all night fox dogs.

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Do you prefer a first shift dog or a 2nd & 3rd sgift dog? I often wonder why people perfer a dog that cant keep up the first 5hrs & be impressed that a hound finally gets to smell yote firts time five hrs after being drug for five. Just a thought

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This was a good post until the all mighty Brandon of the great Triple P decided to bless us with his 2 cents.

Some guys like foxhounds and others just like to shoot their dogs full of juice and go a field trailing so they can tell everyone how great they are. Get over yourself Brandon.

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Brandon you struck a nerve with someone. You simply made a comment on your preference of

hound. Why can't we all just get along and show a little respect?

"Best Houndsman Ever", what type foxhound do you prefer?

Myself, I like them all!

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There been some of 10 hour money hunts won by white dogs were the scoring didn't start till sun up..but nobody twisting arms to make anybody go....

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That's why the Olympics has sprinters and long distance runners! Each to his own! I can walk all day but can only run wide open for a short period! Most long hour dogs pace their selves very few exceptions! All I know is if u put a long hour dog in the open and he has the desire to try and run up with fast hounds step for step it want stay no longer! Yes there is a big difference in luxury cars and nascar ! The choice is the individuals in which to own! Just facts! True grit u need to run with some real hounds in open and rewrite your biography ! Lol

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There are some men who understand foxhounds, know their history and their purpose, and realize what makes them unique among other dog breeds.
There are some men who are hobby hoppers that pick up the sport of running dogs in field trials because they got tired of the last game they were playing and soon they will move on to the next distraction.
I guess there is room for everybody.
What i don't get is why we keep trying to get faster and faster dogs knowing that the fox and the coyote ain't getting any faster. Most good running game can not hold up to more than 45 minutes of hard pressure from top hounds today. What are we going to do when we can't have a 20 minute race anymore because the game is forced to use escape cover to protect himself. Even if we did want to have short races like that there have been breeders producing sighthounds for that sort of thing for a long time.

One hound runs 5 hours really hard, pouring the coals to it, 1st in every crossing, then he quits when he has had enough.
Another hound runs 12 hours at a steady pace and gets up front some but mostly just a 4th or 5th place dog, but he never quits.
Which dog had more desire? If it is the 5 hour dog then tell me where the desire went in the 6th hour. I say the 5 hour dog didn't want quite as much as he thought he did. You will see them biting the wire trying to get out of the kennel to go run and then they get a little running and they have to push back from the table. Too much cur dog in the way back breeding on that dog. Not enough hound blood. The foxhound blood would not have let him quit. The hound blood will make them want to run until they die from exhaustion. That is desire.

The traits valued in the American Foxhound are representations of traits we admire in humanity and maybe in ourselves as individuals if we are lucky. Endurance, stamina, gameness, desire, grit, determination, whatever you want to call it is the primary trait of a foxhound. That is the most admired and respected quality among a whole host of good traits you can find in a hound.
When the chips are down and the going gets tough there are some that duck and cover and quit. There are some that press on and continue to fight, unwilling to set down the yolk and give up. Which kind do you want on your side? Which kind do you hope you are?

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I did Jeremy & wasnt trying to.Just gave my view on it.We catch our dogs in a certain time to keep them sprinting because we choose to.One thing is for sure,a hound can always throttle down to last longer.Im not trying to prove someone wrong on there way of a hound or there way of running.But we are all guilty of wondering what had a crossing when see a crossing.I enjoy running hounds for pleasure & like competition even more so I prefer to try to have competitive hounds.

If I struck a nerve I appoligize.Ive enjoy this post my self.Its ok to have any opinoion on a hound and the way you liketo run them.One of the toughest hounds Ive ever seen run is Pooles's Pistol.I have no clue how long he ran,but we cast him one afternoon by him self listen to him for three - four hrs.Left & came back at daylight next morning he was running hard(not boodling)couldnt catch him.Came back at five afternoon he was running again couldnt catch him & went back next morning daylight he was running strong couldnt catch him.Came back that evening he was laoid up in yard.

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I dont think of myself as a top houndsman or top kennel.I just like trying to run with the big boys & I hunt hard.I hunt 3-4 days a week.
My opinion is this on a dog.Some dogs (most) when they have to pick the pace up they dont have the hrs in them that some of us think they do.Im not saying they will quit,but they dont run up as much.Please dont take this as a jab at anyone cause its not.Just my opinion.

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Well said Heath.

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Well said Heath, I've ran hounds for over 50 years and have yet seen one have the ability to know how long the chase is going to be so it can pace itself.
It's called BOTTOM, if a dog doesn't have it, it's not a fox hound.

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Anybody want to admit some white dogs run all night but like they got bricks tied to them ? And 95% bwt are short hour ,slow and average at best? Truth is there not many good hounds.and very few great.Puppy hunts are meaningless and 3 hour hunts silly....

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I don't have any top hounds but when I was young we had red sided gray fox that made lots of hounds quit that were used to red fox.Back in the late 70's before deer ,I have seen 50 hounds cast on Friday night and 4 or 5 dogs still running next morning on these long leggy red side fox.Some times the game a hound is after has to do with how long he runs...

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Anything Haskell turned out at Sandsifters, he never had his dogs at dark and we cast at daylight ! Lol

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haskill had some tough hounds that could get in any race. those woodstocks had some hours to them. he ran at my pen for a good period of time and they were good hounds. I had a few over the years that had some bottom in them. hope haskill doing well.

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Brandon need a contact number for guy that owns pooles pistol thanks

Re: Longest Hours to Run?

CALL ME

256-307-0884

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