Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Around the Campfire => Topic started by: Zuma on December 01, 2017, 05:29:57 am
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It is under. or actually within the orbital of the night sky that most all coon hunts occur.
Is it really important? Well I think so. Not just for direction but for pure enjoyment.
My dad was a naval navigator plotting position and course via the stars at night.
Some of that knowledge he shared with me came in handy wether coon hunting or
running my trap line late at night. Or being lost in the Mojave Desert. (a buddy) lol.
Of course there are other ways of determining the direction you must go to get to
where you want to be. Aircraft, yappy house dogs, creeks and ridges help in known
areas but not so much in new territory. Forget about the moss on a tree.
Well here's hoping you all got a coon tale to share. I have a few.
Zuma
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So one day my brother says -- I know a great place to run the dogs. It's remote but
it should be ok. No road should be further than five miles.
Well, we dropped the tailgate at the pull off by the creek. Bullet, Hush and two pups
in training hit the woods in a downstream direction. Bada boom bada Bang the hunt was on
Jeff and I had not even finished slinging our gun and lights. It was star lit and not to tangled
after we left the creek at a right angle to the left. All tolled it was about maybe 300 yds to the tree.
A huge Hemlock not uncommon in those days in eastern PA.. Standing way back from the tree
making every coon call we could make we got a glint of gold. An eye. We decided not to leash
the dogs to save some time. The night was young. Whoever was carrying the .22 got the shot.
The rifle cracked and like a ping pong ball it came flopping down through the branches.
The hounds caught the creature in mid air. Well the mix was on, Two veteran dogs and two pups.
It was like a fifties cartoon where the bull dog gets the cat, a big ball of dust and body parts.
This was different, something unusual. The dogs had never behaved like this before.
We both grabbed collars trying to save a $30 skin. To late. The creature was ripped to shreds
and the dogs were scratching at their faces and ears. .An extra large sized Porcupine we named Spike.
To be continued--
Zuma
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It really was mayhem. At least until we had the dogs tied to saplings and could assess the situation.
As we cleared quills from dogs we left them unleashed while we went after more with our saving grace multipurpose pliers. We hadn't completed surgery on the last pup before Hush boomed on a feeder trail.
What the heck, those mutts still have broken quills in them. Yep some had broken off before fully extracted.
At this point I said let's get our bearings before we leave the tree. Jeff agreed. So we gathered up all the equipment, shut off our lights and listened and looked quietly.We had to move a little into the hardwoods to see the sky. It was dead silent and we both let out the proverbial groan, as we saw the sky was totally overcast. Jeff said "we came in this way" pointing in a direction I disagreed with by 180 degrees " Are you sure" " Heck yes, I am sure, but it only matters if we head back and wait for the dogs till morning at the truck and that would be kinda cruel seeing how their hot at getting us a coon quills and all. Don't worry it can't be more than five miles to a road, Ah geeze was all I could say .
To be continued-----
Zuma
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I'm staying tuned Zuma. I'll fill in here with a story of mine.
My son always trapped coons in one of the nieghbors barns with a live trap. He always had me dispatch them and skin them. I normally shot them with my 22 but they always ended up making themselves and everything else a bloody mess. One day I decided to try something different. I took a 220 conibear trap and two stakes. I set the trap and stood it up in place with the two stakes between the jaws. I opened the live trap door and slid it in front of the set conibear. My son and I watched as the coon walked out the trap and into the other. It worked great and quickly dispatched the coon with no mess at all. The next time he caught one the nieghbor was there. I set everything up again but the ground was to frozen to pound my stake in as far as I'd like. They stuck up about four inches above the conibear trap. My son told the nieghbor "watch this". My son had my 22 if anything went wrong. I opened the live trap door and slid it in front of the 220. The stakes were sticking up to high and the door from the live trap wouldn't slid over top of them leaving a small gap between the traps. The coon started to leave the trap headed right for the 220. At the last possible second it took a 90 degree turn and went out the small gap between the traps. My son stood there in disbelief as the coon ran away not even trying to take a shot at it. My nieghbor who is a real comedian and myself where laughing uncontrollably. "Watch this" he kept saying over and over as we ran after the coon. It ran around the outside of the barn and right back into the bale pile it was originally caught in. I thought it was one of the funniest things I ever saw. My son didn't see the humor in it for awhile as he was really razzed by the nieghbor every time he saw him for a couple years. I told the nieghbor jokingly we were practicing catch and release. I can still see that coon making that quick 90 degree turn.
Bjrogg
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Bj that's why I try not to photograph my arrowhead reduction or knap
to close to others. Murphy's Law and one lucky coon. In this case like others,
if you are with ones you care about no matter what it's still a good memory.
Thanks for sharing the story and the chuckle. I have to get typing. I've been fleshin
all day. Well maybe 2.5 hrs seems like all day
Zuma.
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Continued
The music was sweet and like rats to the flute off we went in a direction only the coon knew. When you are hustling to get up with the hounds it is difficult to hear and recognize the nuances of their barks and howls.
Our non stop hustle had brought us close enough to know the dogs were stationary but not treeing.
We stopped to listen. Approaching a bayed bear or bobcat should be done with caution because it might distract a pooch enough to get swiped. Also rushing in can scare the animal at bay to flee. And what about another Spike Yikes.
In any case we approached with awe into a clearing, a perfectly round clearing and the dogs were dead center. The strange part was all four heads were under ground. That never happens in a typical den hole.
What was this? The barking in that big hole was super intense. It had an echo and a reverb like we never heard, or ever did again. With mutterings like " what the-- and Holy ---" we headed to the hounds.
All four-- vets and pups were wired with their heads in this hole filled with water about a foot below the surface of the meadow. It was so bad I couldn't even squeeze in to take a look. The frenzie was so bad.
we leashed all four hounds so I could take a look. Jeff was much tougher than I, and he thought he could master all four crazed pooches. Now my job was to poke my noggin in the hole to see what was up,
or actually down. On all fours I crawled to the edge of the three foot wide hole, while Jeff strained against
sixteen legs of fury with two hands and only one body. What I saw was a peace full calm pool of reflective water. It was like a mirror I was thinking of the evil Queen from Snow White and scanning all the edges or ledges where something could be lurking. I hope ya all got a seat.
We didn't say "Clear" like they do today but they are the words or meaning I wanted to tell brother Jeff.
My hands and arms were going to push me up, so I was pretty well braced when----
All hell broke loose. Right out of the center of the mirror comes the most frightening thing I have ever
had so close to my pretty pumpkin, It was a wide eyed, wide mouthed, canine toothed , devil coon.
At this exact moment sixteen paws and four leashes came swirling over and around me.
The coon from hell that I thought would chew my lips off was actually just trying to breath.
To be continued---
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Oh, my!, the suspense is intense!! I better get something to sooth my nerves >:D!
Hawkdancer
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This story is as good as the Charlie and Lew stories in FFG. Stay tune everybody gotta see how this one ends.
Bjrogg
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Don , you are bringing back a lot of youthful memories for sure. Bob
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Sounds like some good action with the detailing and a fun night Zuma.....Sounds like a good scenario for your pups there too.
Once my Dina gype treed an old sow with kits early spring.I could hear the kits chattering in the den from the ground in between Dinas' barks knowing the sow just entered the den.Climbed the tree to see the kits and sow in the den.Not a good idea being 15' above ground.The tree was hollow above the den too or the whole tree was hollow so to speak.When I peeked my light into the hole the sow jumped into my face with a quick snarl and just about knocked me out of the tree.
Most times old sows like that will run and try to lead the dog away from the kits and go up a different tree quite a ways away,but Dina was a deluxe accurate lay up dog and caught this old girl by surprise.Same dog I accidently knocked out by letting a big old coon land on her at the tree from out of the tree 30' above her shooting the coon in the head.Thought I had broke her back.Luckily after a few minutes she was up and atom barking again just knocked out is all.....lol.Same dog I accidently shot in the top of the muzzle once with a CB shot to kill a big coon in a cave through all the hectic action.See in confined spaces like that a more powerful loud retorting shell will damn near break your ear drums....lol.Still got the coon.She never quit barking either and woooled that old coon like she owned him.Took her to the vet and you could see the lead bullet stuck in her jaw bone.He said let it stay in there.Sent me out with some antibiotics and she was ready to go the next night.....lol.Same dog that won the Iowa State hunt in the registered division out of 100 registered dogs hunted one saturday night in that division by treeing the winning scored coon in an outhouse of all things in the woods....lol..Other dogs from my kennel have embedded memories that'll never leave me.Some more/some less than her.
I've had to wait out dogs or dog since I liked hunting dogs by themselves too many times fighting in caves before that I can't get into.Makes for a long night waiting them out.They won't come out till the kill the coon.I did a lot of river hunting and coons like those old abandoned beaver dens.I will kill those coon that like to go to a hole though as soon as possible because they are trouble in the end.Training dogs we tree the same coon many times over.
I've had to hire a back hoe couple of occasions to get my dogs back.Luckily they were always OK.Dug them out by hand a couple of times too with a spade the next day.Thank God for tacking collars!!!!
Many,many stories stay with a person over the years.Some funny/some dangerous/but always memorable/rewarding with most very exciting.To me one of the most exciting sports out there.It's all about the dog!!!
Now bow hunting with self bows I have to do all the work myself including making the bow and arrows....lol.Not quite as exciting most times until the deer gets super close but still very rewarding and not near as strenuous for this old man.
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Oh, my!, the suspense is intense!! I better get something to sooth my nerves >:D!
Hawkdancer
Thanks dancer, Coon broth works real good -C- -C- >:D
Zuma
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Don , you are bringing back a lot of youthful memories for sure. Bob
Perhaps after you get those deer hides straight you might have time to spin us a few. )P( )P(
Zuma
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Ed, thanks for enriching the Campfire coon tales. )P( For sure you have more experience than I
and hearing other tales can spark ones memory. Keep them comming. 8) :) I have at least one
cave and dig tale to relate.
Zuma
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Well, the coon was tattered and torn and pretty much Jeff and I also. No real physical injury but our brains needed some understanding. After we leashed the hounds we discussed our next plan thinking we were finally back in control. We figured bringing the two pups was not that good of an idea but getting live fur into the mouth of a dog in training was. Maybe it wasn't to many dogs, just not enough hunters.When I say pups I mean more green and inexperienced like husky teenagers. We were lost and we new it. The sky was still dark and starless. Along with this disappointment was the cold rain that had begun to fall, right into our eyes. The question" to hunt or not to hunt" was then, pretty much settled. This stuff could turn to ice at any moment. We settled on heading south. You may ask how a lost one could reason that, on a dark rainy night with no compass etc. Well the moss on the north side of the tree of course. Every Boy Scout was taught this. Off we went assured that we would not travel more than five miles to a road. Trying to keep the mutts, I use the derogatory, because it may relate the frustration of the entanglements encountered.
When two dogs want to hunt and sniff all directions while you hope to maintain a straight course, it tends to rile you up a bit, not to mention keeping in touch with your companion who is suffering the same fate.
Leashes short as possible we trudged on thinking how nice a change of clothes and a nice warm truck will be. When at last we noticed a lighter patch of sky on the horizon (if you will) in the deep woods.Hey Jeff, there is a road. Yeah, I see. No sign of poles, wires or traffic as we immersed from the canopy of oaks.
No pavement. Perhaps a lawn. No houses just trees in a circle with a three foot diameter spring hole in the center. Ah, crap!
To be continued----
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Ed, thanks for enriching the Campfire coon tales. )P( For sure you have more experience than I
and hearing other tales can spark ones memory. Keep them comming. 8) :) I have at least one
cave and dig tale to relate.
Zuma
Everything about coonhunting is subjective to one's degree of experience.One no more so than the other more important to themselves.Getting lost is a part of it.We'll see how you get out of this one.
In my experience with friends while being lost the old too many cooks spoil the broth or not enough indians and too many chiefs usually keep people lost.
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Don, just a short little story, In our part of Penna. we don't have many Porky's so at this time our dogs have no experience with them. We decided to go a little further east and south an do some mountain coon hunting, Ole Sage was pretty young and ran into his first Porky and just curiously sniffed it, and got snout full of quills. It took 4 grown men to hold him down and we removed them with the leatherman, Luckly no quills inside of mouth a throat dewflaps. Now Ole Sage didn't like being held down ever since he was a pup and he sure wasn't to happy about it with us pulling quills, When we let that ungrateful 78# red dog up he did just what he was supposed to and treed all 4 of us in the back of the pickup bed, I thought for sure someone was going to get bit :o :o ;D. He finally lit out and we started working on a little gyp dog we had, she just layed there like she was drugged eyes all funny looking and dazed, course she bit on the porky so we had a lot of quills inside her mouth. Put a stick in her mouth but she didn't hardly move and just let us pull every one, Just seemed drugged. One of the last times we went in the mountains to hunt coon, Lot more coon at home and no Porky's. Porky's are just plain bad for dogs and men. Bob
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Ed thanks for checkin in. Don't hesitate post one if you please .
:)
Bob, for some reason I thought it was mountainous where you live.
Are you considered more Ohio Valley than the Endless Mts.
As I recall our dogs behaved very well with the quill removal although
we pulled infected stubs for weeks. I am still floored by their almost
non concern. I bet they would have went and found a track even if we
neglected to pull any quills at all. Thanks for the cool Porky tale.
At least they don't stink to bad. ;D
Zuma
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Well so much for moss. We were dumb struck and getting drenched. For better or worse we decided to try a new plan. One of us would walk in a straight line away from the other, The one left behind would shine his light at the other. We left the dog off leash thinking maybe they had sneakily twisted us back to the water hole in search of a second coon. With yelling back and forth, the lead guy would get his beam to line up with the man behind's beam. Of course a side step was required quite often to get the light beam past a wide close tree. We thought we were doing good as we leapfrogged each other down these beams of light streaked with faster falling rain drops. We would make about 60-80 yards between each leapfrog if we were lucky. Something I learned later on is, that what seems like a long way in the dark, is actually way, way shorter in the light of day. We had decided that if the dogs struck another trail we would continue to the truck and get our bearings.Then we would drive to where we could listen for treed dogs. At least a chance to warm up a bit. I think it took us close to an hour to circle back to the spring hole using the moss method and leashed dogs (mutts). With the flashlight method you can cut that time in half. And during that half hour is enough time for a pack of mutts to strike another trail. Well this was groundhog NIGHT for sure. We stayed just inside the woods around the meadow slumped down on a fallen tree without saying a word.
To be continued--
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Don really enjoying your adventure and waiting for the rest of story, You have a great way with words.
I live in the chimney part of Penna. 15 miles or so from the Lake Erie, it is mostly rolling hills and quite a bit of Agriculture land, Lots of water small lakes swamps and streams, I have to travel about 40 miles east to get into the Alleghany mts. I am in the French creek valley and we drain into the Ohio valley. I can be in either Ohio or New York in 20 minutes driving. Bob
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Your a good story teller Don. It is amazing how different everything is in the dark. I wonder how close you were to your truck while you were circling back to the pond.
Bjrogg
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Really enjoying reading this on a rainy day in Tennessee. Thanks for sharing. :)
Pappy
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Thanks for describing your habitat. Sounds nice, like great coon and fishing country.
:-D :G (B) but also (W (W (S)
BJ I think I purposely left that part out. ??? No wonder you make a good trapper. You caught me. )P(
Very close lol We figured around a 100 yds. :'(
Pappy, you are welcome I enjoy this site and all you folks as well. :) :) ;)
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continue
We tried to smoke a couple coffin nails but every thing was to soaked. Pretty soon Bullet hit wood with his Boaw. boaw, boaw then Hush and the choir. As down as we were, the sound brought us back to the living and we were off but still speechless.
Jeff said as we traveled, " I hope that's a garbage can coon they put up" wishing it was in some ones back yard. It wasn't but it was two nice coons sitting pretty in an leafless oak. We leashed all but Bullet the best kill dog. All went well with Jeff and a pair of Remington long rifle hollow points. We stuffed a coon each in our knapsacks and started off aimlessly, dogs unleashed, tired and hoping to stave off the hypothermia.
With our best guess it would be three to four hours before daylight. Jeff and I knew a little about hypothermia
and frost bite. When we were in high school we hitch hiked home from a high School dance. We caught a ride for the first six miles and were left off around midnight three miles from home. We were dressed in chino pants loafers and a cheap jacket, nothing designed for rugged weather. No scarf hat or ear muffs. The news broadcast of the car we just got out of said it was minus five degrees. Being jocks on the wrestling team
we thought we could run home if we had to. Well after the first and only car to come by and not stop. we decided to try running just to warm up. We were freezing and the temperature was dropping fast.Much worse than our present situation but similar. The running just caused ice goatees to form on our faces. After two miles I was froze numb and laid down in a roadside snow bank telling Jeff to not bother with me.
" Just keep going",I have no feeling, I don't hurt or anything. Maybe you can get help and come back.
Jeff wouldn't leave. He kicked me in the foot." Go," I said. He kicked me in the thigh. I was up on my feet and hustling down the road with Jeff hands in pockets kicking at me from behind. Not five minuets later a neighbor stopped for us. He took us to the local bar and grill where we had our first Toddy. The temp outside was now twenty below. Our present temp was hovering around freezing. Out in the near distance appeared a huge shape that looked like a whale. Jeff said "let's check that out". It was like a mini cliff, five to seven feet high and maybe fifty feet long, There was a void at the bottom about seventeen inches deep by twenty four inches high.A mini cliff with a mini rock shelter and the leaves at the bottom were dry
We piled the leaves from each end in towards the center forming a makeshift mattress. Tried to light a fire but failed. We tossed in our knapsacks for pillows and crawled in. We were a little put off at first ,when the pooches tried squeezing in on top between and around us. We soon found their warmth a good thing and dozed off now and then. Through a veiled haze I thought I heard Jeff say "there is something crawling in my hat". I thought for a moment, jumped up and said "mine too". we were both up hatless and scratching and
swatting at our heads. I grabbed a light and one of Jeff's flailing hands and said " hold it I want to look".
Right there were at least three fleas flicking around in Jeff's hair. Those damn pooches had turned into mutts again. It's fleas Jeff and a lot of them, damn mutts. I guess they need another dip. Us too! There was a faint hazy glow of light on the tree studded horizon. The center of our orbital had come to save us. East was a lucky direction for us this morning. The sun took us to a lake side camp closed for the winter. The drive into the camp took us to the road the truck was parked on. Before loading the dogs I turned each over on their back and checked between their rear legs. No flees on our pooches. Damn coons.
The end
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Well written Zuma.Those all nighters are tough on the day job and even if they are'nt all nighters too.Good thing is dogs are home with coons in the bag and so were you and your friends.A successful hunt.I bet it was time for breakfast heh???Thanks for sharing.
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The sun sure looks good on those early late night hunts. (-S
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Coon hunting has it's physical aspects to humans which can turn a lot of people off from the sport.The darkness/bugs/mud/heat and cold on top of requiring to be in physical shape overwhelm some to the point that it is'nt worth it to them.
Then it's really all about the work that these dogs do that gets people back to it.It's all about the dog really and the partnership one gets with them.The serenity of quiet with the only sound being your hound trailing up and treeing a coon on a black starry night.
The degree of desire a dog shows stands out in your mind and what they can do.To get away once from the normal routine what a dog does treeing a coon or tree game,or the outstanding things they do for you to make you proud.Other things happen too that you remember.
During my quest for a good bloodline of hound I tried many different strains and breeds over a period of close to 10 years give or take.Mostly as pups so that they were trained exactly the way I wanted.I bought a dog once already trained,but a nice little dog.A little female but older from a big game hunter in northern Minnesota.Drove up.Seen her go and brought her home.She was 4 years old if I recall.The breeder liked bear hunting mostly but used his same dogs on practically all tree game including coon and cats too.His requirements were always for a lot of drive in his hounds as mine were also.Gameness was also a very high requirement.Go deep/no come back/loud fast track and staunch stay put tree dogs.
One episode one night with this little female made me shake my head.I had just got done letting her tree a coon along a river by me.Drove around to another drop and turned her loose again.I was still getting to know her some.Which can take months in many different situations that you put them in to know them all besides the way they track and tree.She went in fairly deep around 1/2 mile struck and within 5 minutes caught it.Since I did'nt hear any coon squall at all I knew it more than likely was'nt a coon.Before I even got to her I knew.Here she has a hold of this skunk by the back end.This skunk pisses right down her throat.I get a snap on her collar and make her let go.Gave her some stern language with a little tap here and there and walked her back to the truck.Every now and then she's hacking and almost throwing up which I could easily understand just having skunk piss down her throat.
I don't like to end my hunts on a bad note although every great once in a while it can happen but rare.I drive around again to another spot.Turn her loose again.She goes in deeper this time.Strikes and I can hear it's a good coon track.Within 15 to 20 minutes she trees.She was a nice little sit down tree dog.I give her the coon and we go back to the truck.On the way I think how in the world can a dog who just had skunk piss down her throat be able to smell a coon track.I tell ya.I still gotta laugh about that to this day.
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The sun sure looks good on those early late night hunts. (-S
LOL any more if I see the sun rise I get on my knees. O:) Even if it's to flesh a hide >:D
Thanks for being around the harth
Zuma
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Ed, We stopped at the Marshall Creek general store. Had a couple brewskies with omelets.
All's well that ends well. I have meet mostly bear hunters down here in VA. Some pretty rugged individuals.
A coon hunter or two in 30 years. I think it is why posting with you guys has been so cool.
Common interest helps when spinnin a coon tale or two. Yep you could do a river float at night and
pop coons out of the trees they take into but that's just killing. As you say, with out a doubt it is all
about the hounds, pooches, and yep the mutts. LOL I have had pups and vets tear a skunk to bits
but didn't need mouth wash. Mutts) lol. Off season night hunts really fine tune you to the bark/ howl.
You don't want to call first strike and get a minus if you are not positive it is your hound.
Your coon tale shows your love for the dogs. Thanks for sharing, )P(
Zuma
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My son's dog Sage had tons of Nite Hunt trophy and titles that said that he was a straight dog no trash, he knew the game just fine. He also was a professional skunk killing machine, He would not dare open up on one but if things seemed a little to quiet just listen real hard and you could hear bones being crushed way down in the corner of the hay field. Then he would check in and make sure he rubbed up against your carhartts, Just as proud as could be, never got any skunk piss in his eyes and like Ed said he would go off and run and tree one right now. He was a coon dog deluxe but just couldn't pass up a an easy skunk kill. :o ;D Bob
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Good enterteinment.
WA
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Good stories guys thanks for sharing. (-P
Bjrogg
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I've gotten to know many hound hunters over the years from all over the country.Some for breeding purposes or puppy sales or drawing out with them in a nite hunt.Hunting in their state and them hunting up here in mine.Most times we would meet at some centrally located large hunt and pleasure hunt a night or two before the nite hunt.I still stay in touch with them.
To be straight they cannot get on anything other than a coon.Some people will tolerate more than others.I had to have absolutley straight clean hounds to be able to train all my pups.They had to double duty things making the nite hunts too.I've been lucky enough to own at least 3 purely straight coon hounds throughout their whole life from a pup.Not even a possum treed by them.Would'nt even back a hound treed with one.The others that were outstanding were'nt that big of a deal to straighten out when young and continued to be straight the rest of their life.In the beginning though trying out different strains and breeds I had to break a few.They will teach you something too.It is'nt all about me being the trainer.The hounds teach me something too.Not the same method works for all personalitys.A person needs to learn to read a dogs temperment and go accordingly.It's a never ending learning curve just like making bows.The wood teaches me something too.
A dog will accumulate quite a few trophies on the quest to be a Gr.Nt.I've had a few myself and sold a few to others that they made into GR.Nt.and state Ch's.The smaller hunts and little trophies I usually gave back to clubs so they could save money by just changing the inscribed plate on them instead of buying a whole different trophy.I kept the larger ones.I've got a few 4 to 5 foot trophies.
From open registered a 1st, place plus with a total of 100 points of other placements to be a nt.ch.1st. place counts 40 points.After that 5 nt.ch. wins need to be won to be Gr.Nt.That's with the UKC registry.World hunt qualifier hunts get wins also.
There are a few other registries like PKC[money hunts]/ACHA/AKC/NKC out there too.
A person needs to get to know the rules before getting into it.More importantly a person needs to know exactly what your dog will and will not do alone or in strange company and that takes hunting.That's why socializing dogs is a very important too.All ill dogs will be disqualified on the spot.No mean dogs allowed.These are part of the rules too.
Competition coon hunting will get rather expensive and time consuming.It's a life style.Another reason why after some realize it they don't continue on with it.One reason why I'm not into it any more but do enjoy hearing about it.I know what it takes to win and my standards on quality type dogs remains also.I was tougher on criticizing my own dogs then on others.I'll call a spade a spade no matter who owns it.There's a saying that holds true to the progression a hunter will become over time.First a hide or pleasure hunter/competition hunter/breeder,trainer,competition hunter.The more you hunt/the more different dogs/the more you learn.It's that way with bows too I'd say.
One thing though in northern Iowa is that I would get treated with occasionally in the winter was the northern lights.You get to see all kinds of crazy type weather.Thunder snow too.It makes no difference to the dogs but is memorable.
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Here's a couple of personal appreciation type salutes to a hound of mine but had a few females almost equal to his abilities and attributes.The picture was a christmas present from my sister.It's hand stitched macro may I believe.The other is a piece of my smoked brain tan laced onto a willow hoop with a few crow beads on the bottom with a beaded image of him on it.Done the traditional lazy siouw and applique method.You'll notice the thread does not go through the leather.Half way in and then out.This stuff does'nt collect as much dust as the trophies.
(https://i.imgur.com/JXBOmCi.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/n3FhmXE.jpg)
(https://i.imgur.com/968Ib9G.jpg)
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Just a quick check in Ed. Those are very cool. I want to get up with you on the night hunts.
Gotta run out a while today. Good things. Later
Zuma
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The dog game can be a lot of fun and a great sport on any plane, it can also get too cutthroat if there is not a presence of good sportsmanship! It is fun, and a great socializer for the dogs, and usually for the handlers, but a lot of folks wind up soured by the poor sportsmanship that sometimes occurs. I judge Earthdog events, and like the idea that the dog is competing with him/ herself at all levels. The field events can be a lot of fun, too, but it does get expensive, depending on how deep you get into it.
Real nice work on the plaques, those are trophies that are appreciated the most!
Hawkdancer
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This is true at times about the sporstmanship sometimes and sometimes the best dog does not win.I've been on a few of those kind of casts.The dogs are competing with each other and it's up to the handler to call his dog.Right or wrong.You have to know the rules and stick up for yourself and your dog.Judges are appointed onto every cast that are recognized and chosen to be fair.I've been a judge many a time myself.There's an old saying about this...If it's too hot in the kitchen then you better get out.Sometimes handlers want to blame everything else but their dog for losing too.Honesty is always the best policy.Overall honor is given to those that deserve it.Just like the creed on the U.K.C. insignia says making it recognizable to the coon hound world by the title in front of his or her name on his or her pedigree besides the personal recognition one feels towards his dog.
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Ed your home made heart felt tribute art is way more cool than some generic ones.
I hope the pooches look down and realize how much they meant to us. Oh yeah and
I hope the mutts look up to. lol
Yep Dancer it can be like Little league with some in any competition, And you remind me---
Also a part of a night trial hunts, when I was active was showing your hound. Straight tail, muzzle
bunched toes etc. My daughter loved it.
Ed did you ever cross paths with a guy from Henderson NC Kenneth Taylor. He had two outstanding dogs Sounder and Sheba both Treeing Walkers. He may have claimed Raleigh/ Durham as home.
Zuma
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Yes showing hounds is a good thing to participate in too.The ABC's of standards.A hound has to be set up right to perform well in tough conditions.It really helps to socialize the dog and get him used to handling etc. to.All in all a good thing.I was'nt into it all that much but liked watching the shows.Nor the day time type field trials much just the nite hunts.I always had to have a good water dog though doing most of my hunting along larger rivers and did enter into the pond water races occasionally.
No I can't say I have heard of him but I bet a B&T friend of mine by Raleigh/Durham called Randy Pridgeon has heard of him.Randy and me had bred dogs together for years.Heck of a nice guy.His brother hunted some walker dogs though.Randy has outstanding hounds.He hunts lots of beaver pond like swamps over there hence his kennel name was Backswamp Kennels.Mine was Blackland Kennels being from the farm land area.