Feist v.s. Cur

[ozarkhunter]

Which one do you prefer for squirrel hunting and why. Also what are the advantages and disadvantages for both dogs?

[firehunter]

I have both. Persoanlly I like a smaller dog becasue they just seem to be easier to handle. My dogs ride on my atv and on my bad boy buggy. They also eat less. Down side is coyotes can be a problem with a smaller dog. Also if you happen to shot a coon out a bigger dog is going to be the thing. A cur tends to cover more ground and have more stamina. Bottom line is if the dog trees and is a good dog you will not care what size it is.

[Arkie_3_fan]

I'm gonna cast my vote for the smaller dogs. The curs I've been around tended to cover a bunch of ground and also tended to be more stubborn when trying to train.
Also, around here there's not much timber left to squirrel hunt so a smaller dog that covers less territory is more ideal. If I hunted some of the National Forests and such with miles upon miles of ground to cover then perhaps I'd rather have a big dog of some sort.

[ryanh_johnson]

I have both. Persoanlly I like a smaller dog becasue they just seem to be easier to handle. My dogs ride on my atv and on my bad boy buggy. They also eat less. Down side is coyotes can be a problem with a smaller dog. Also if you happen to shot a coon out a bigger dog is going to be the thing. A cur tends to cover more ground and have more stamina. Bottom line is if the dog trees and is a good dog you will not care what size it is.

Very well said firehunter!! Also the factor of hogs if in the area in which you hunt!!

I personally have veered away from the fiest/small dogs and converted over to Mtn. Curs! When raising puppies it seems as more people are wanting the Curs now days. After being in the Rat Terrier business for about 10 years and flooding the area with my bloodline they begin to get harder and harder to sell because people want different bloodlines. Ours were turning out to be proven tree dogs but eventually you need different blood! A little off topic there, but anyway.......

[Arkansas Don]

I use a Decker Gaint Rat Teirrer. There a special bread of Rat Teirrer that are larger anywere from 35 to 55lbs.
"Jaker Boy" is his name, his registered name is "Fire Mountain Jaker Boy"
One heck of a squirrel dog. Go all day, and wont leave the tree until the squirrel does. Whether by the squirrels choice or my 16 ga. side by side.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y19/DonM1/100_0541.jpg

[squirrel hunter]

I personally prefer fiests for squirrel hunting. I have owned both and really like both, but the fiests tend to range out less than the curs. Both breeds are capable of hunting anything in AR., but the cur has a big advantage over the fiests for hunting hogs or coon because of their size and thicker skin. Fiests may be smaller, but they have just as much ability, if not more.

Luke:thumb:

[ozarkhunter]

Thanks for all of the interesting replys. I am in the process of trying to get a cur from my father in law. I bought a feist and pretty much gave her to my dad because he didnt have a good dog at the time, now he has a young cur that is really coming on. It doesnt really matter to me which one as long as it does its job I guess. I just wanted to know what everyone else thought.:thumb: