Mountain feist puppies in missouri12/1/2023 “What are they listening for?” I asked Marcus. We hadn’t yet reached the woods when suddenly both dogs stopped and cocked their ears toward the trees and looked back as if to say, “You guys hear that?” Timbering OutĪs we walked down the wooded fence line leading to the woods, Marcus and Austin kept close eye on Daisy and Zip’s every movement. Once the dogs were sufficiently reacquainted, they were ready for the hunt. ![]() ![]() It was obvious to me that the trips back to the family farm for Marcus and Jess were as much about instilling a love of the outdoors and conservation in their children as it was about hunting squirrels on the home place. Marcus also said he sees this tradition starting to gain in popularity as more folks are finding out how enjoyable it is.Īs Daisy and Zip were getting reacquainted, Marcus and Jess got their kids ready for the hunt. As time went on and these small farms disappeared from the landscape, the squirreldog hunting tradition began to decline. Not only were they used to hunt squirrels to supply the family with meat, they were good at protecting the hen house. He said that back when the countryside was dotted with small subsistence family farms, most farmsteads likely had a dog from one of the common squirrel dog breeds. Until today, Tom and Austin were the only two hunters I knew who hunted squirrels using dogs, so I asked Marcus about the popularity of this tradition. The kids, 5-year-old Danielle and 3-year old Robert, were a little too young to carry a gun while walking the woods, but they were just as excited as the adults to be going squirrel hunting. Marcus, an avid squirrel hunter, had learned to hunt on this farm and had harvested his first squirrel in the very woods we were about to hunt. Marcus, his wife, Jess, their two kids - and Zip’s mom, Daisy - had made the trek out from New Jersey, something they do twice a year to visit family and friends. Tom and his 14-year-old grandson, Austin, brought along Zip, a 2-year-old mountain feist, when we drove out to meet Tom’s friends on their family farm in north Missouri. So when Tom, a friend and quail-hunting buddy of mine, called and asked if I wanted to try my hand at squirrel hunting with dogs, I jumped at the opportunity. It had been a few years since I last chased any bushytails around the woods. When the spot-and-stalk tactic didn’t work, I would find a big tree to sit against and do my best to imitate the sound of a squirrel eating a hickory nut, hoping to encourage any nearby squirrels to investigate and give up their cover. They generally involved donning camo, quietly walking the woods near my house, and searching for an unwary squirrel given away by a subtle flicker of fur among the treetops. My squirrel hunting excursions were more limited. Look for us on our Facebook site Steve Buckley's Appalachian Prick Eared Mountain Feist or Buckley Farm Kennels.When I was growing up, my small-game hunting experiences mainly consisted of chasing rabbits and quail with dogs. All our dogs and pups are NKC registered. We do not run a puppy factory and if you are interested in a well bred, top pedigree puppy that will make a tree dog (MEAT DOG), then give us a call or text at 60. We raise and sale a few litters of pups each year and take reservations for those litters. We also are proud of the fact that we produce puppies/dogs that are treeing squirrels all over the United States. ![]() We consistently year after year fill tail gates and freezers, yes we "hunt" our dogs and "hunt" them hard. ![]() We are lucky to hunt and own some of the best Mountain Feist dogs I’ve ever followed and we are known to put a hurt on the squirrel population. All our dogs are bred to optimize both sire and dams traits to produce natural tree dogs. We study and decide carefully on how we make our crosses, whether it be linebred or outcrossed. We take pride in our dogs and we are very passionate with the crosses we make. With careful linebreeding and outcrosses we have had excellent results that speak for themselves with our dogs. Although we do outcross with a select few lines of Appalachian Prick Eared Mountain Feist to get the desired traits we search for. Here at Buckley Farm Kennels we hunt, breed, raise and train the same line of dogs.
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