I’ve started several pups singularly with mixed success. I would recommend starting with one pup, a good Garmin tracking collar, and start training with a caged coon at 6-8 months in age, and then in a few weeks turn a wet coon lose in a timbered area and let the pup bay it before turning it lose. Once he is beginning to tree a easy released coon I put out coon feeders in prime coon spots and let the dog strike and run coons on their own.
Before all this a young dog needs to have some obedience training and know commands prior to setting out tracks or hunting. You will have deer races and they need to be broke from running trash, hunting in snow will help you sort out what they are chasing.
Once a dog can trail/tree a coon I would start walking out cat tracks in the snow with your hound on a lease, and watch his reaction. Once he starts getting gamey and barking on track I will turn him lose and let him run it. When he loses the track I will try to help him get it going again, and continue walking out tracks, until he is able to get a bobcat/lion jumped and either have a race or possibly get it up a tree.
Everyone needs one Walker in there life, I will never personally have another one. You have to get a pup from a good hunting background in the territory/region you hunt (dry ground,snow). A lot of houndsmen are like horse traders, always trading/selling for the perfect type hound, which doesn’t exist. Secondly, no experienced houndsmen is going to invite you into their hunting spot, and let you work a pup with their hounds.
My great uncle taught me a lot about running hounds but you will learn more by spending time with a dog or two and walking out tracks. I learned more from my failures. I started a Leopard hound pup six years ago and didn’t really have anyone to show me the ropes in western hunting. He only treed a handful of lions, even fewer bobcats, but bunches of coon/squirrel. And he died at 5.
I don’t agree with the comment that good houndsmen doesn’t hunt other game. Cat season may only last 2-3 months, and I’m always scouting out cat tracks when I’m elk/deer hunting. I do agree that it is a year around commitment and most people don’t want to spend the time training a hound. My dogs are part of my family and they go with walks with us daily off leash. I’ve been so pissed before, and not every dog will make a tree dog. Lastly, I’d stay away from a Walker unless you get to hunt with the dogs owners and watch them tree game. I personally like mixed breeds from good hunters. I’m still learning and it s a incredible difficult type of hunting starting one your own. It makes hunting trophy bull elk look easy. Best of luck.
