THE HUNTER'S HORN May, 1947 Page seven DICUSSES SIRES Bruceville, Ind., 4-5 I enjoy reading the different discussions of hound men and their likes and dislikes of the present day hounds.  I would like to express my views and also those of 90 percent of the hunters I have talked with.   Now, understand, I mean real fox chasers, not commerical fox hunters. My first peeve is why blow up a hound just because he has won a field trial or two when five hours is as long as they are out in any one day and are lucky if they run three hours out of those five.  Then just how much are they actually under the judges's eye.  I have judged at field trials and when 25 or 30 hounds come past in a pack no man can get them all and no man can get every one exactly right.  As an illustration, a few years back a friend of mine ran a derby hound two days in the derby and three days in the all-age, five days in all.  This was a fine performing bitch with a very plain number and she was heard many times dirving with the pack yet she only scored 10 points and that was on the last day, which proves there is lots of luck in winning, and many a good hound don't get a deserving score regardless of how honest one tries to be.   You just can't get them all. Now I am strong for our field trials.  We need them to educate the public and from a social standpoint among the hunters; but to put a hound at stud first because he was lucky enough to win some field trial certainly isn't helping the standard one bit.  And since when does a hound have to be marked a certain way to be a good hound. a saddle back certainly don't help a hound run a fox.  I believe it actually hinders them, at least one doesn't see many of those fancy saddle backs down on the creek where the tough running goes on, altho I do admit one sees lots of them at the meets pampered and petted an dposed.   I can take a hound by the front legs and stand him up and look at this face and breast and no one need tell me whether he is a hard running hound; the evidence is there as plain as the nose on your face. As to the different breeds of fox hounds there is good and bad in all breeds.  I used to keep Walkers. Have Goodmans now, and I believe litter for litter they are superior to the Walkers.  They are just as tough, are easier trained, have better mouths and are far faster than the Walkers.  The Goodman hounds as a rule don't trail much but jump their fox quick and have sense enough to shut their mouths and catch a hound that gets away with the fox.  I have never owned a July hound and have never seen any real tough ones in this locality but I still think that there are some good tough Julys in the country and hope to find some of them sometime. I really believe that 25 years from now the Goodmans and Julys will be the leading field performers.  The reason I say that is that the Goodman and July men don't go in for the bench shows so much and God grant that they never will as the shows have hurt the fine old breed of Walkers to a certain extent.  Too many poor mouths and dummies that can't run a fox 20 minutes alone. It is amusing to read the different stud ads.  All are outsanding of course, have the best mouths you ever heard, never bark wrong, some can catch any red, others have never been outrun, etc. Well brother hunter, let me tell you two things:  One is that if your hound was never outrun you don't know if he has guts or not, and if he was never outrun you didn't peddle him any.  We run our hounds everywhere that we are able to go if we hear of a tough fox and when you do that you are going to get into some tough company now and then.  Most any average hound will stick if he isn't being out run, but what will he do if a fresh hounds grabs his fox after he has run six or eight hours?  If he has guts he'll shut his mouth and go on and catch that hound and if he don't he isn't worth a lead nickle.  And why do stud hound men stall for excuses when some one asks to run the stud?  I want to say this to you buyers, if a man advertises a trained hound and won't let you try him and he pay return express if he doesn't suit, look out.  And if you get a hound on trial, take him out on a real good night to test his speed and guts; then take him out when scenting conditions are bad and test him for brains, see if he can keep rejumping his fox even though conditions are too bad to run long at a time.  A good hound will do lots of spurt running even on a bad night. Now I hope I haven't caused any hard feelings as I am only trying to express the one-gallus hunters feeling.   I know we have some fine men breeding some real Walkers yet, but its the percentage I am writing about and you honest Walker men know what I mean and who I mean.  Lets not let these tail holders and belly slappers ruin all of the hounds as it takes more than looks and color to make a fox hound. Ralph Kleysteuber