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Your Coonhounds and Deer Running.

I will share my experience and current thoughts on this. But I need to hear yours to see if they align themselves at all.

Over the past few years the amount of deer running any young dog I am trying to train. Has almost been ZERO. They just don't want anything to do with them. Since we deer hunt with dogs down here, I fully understand what a good deer hound can do. I also know that 10-20 years ago. I took a few well bred coon hound pups and used them on deer. Actually it took a lot of work to get some of them to even start running deer. I would have to find deer close to the road and drop them several times with a deer hound and encourage them to get them started. I had one out of Hardwood Swamp I thought would never start on deer. But when she did was outstanding at it. I had one out of World Ch Handsome Hank that took some doing to get to run a deer. But he finally did. Had two littermate sisters here out of Stylish Hayes Jr that one I put on deer because her mouth wasn't what I wanted in a coon hound that did great on deer after several tries. While her sister I trained on coon alone and went on to finish in the top 4 of the Superstakes hunt in 2001.

I start pups on feeders. These feeders have just as much deer around them that they do coon. I put out young dogs over and over again on these feeders with no deer being run. Back in the 90's I would bury buckets and fill with water and corn to sour it to keep the deer away. I was worried about a young one getting off on a deer. Earlier this month I had some cobbed corn getting old so I made 4 different piles of about 10 bags each pile. Deer enjoying it and the coon. Haven't struck a deer off it and me and buddies have had at least 8 different dogs around it with 5 of them young just starting.

I hope I haven't jinxed myself as I have found if you say your dog won't do something it does it the next time out. But Deer Running is something I think genetics has slowed down in my hounds. Anyone else found this to be true?

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"Boss Lights"

Deer running

Our young plotts 30 years ago were bad at running deer. Before garmin we would spend half the nite driving around trying to catch them. Now days I cant remember the last time we heard a dog go out of hearing on a deer. Maybe its because we have so many deer, heck everwhere we turn loose if you dont see deer you see their poop piles. A few will run a deer for couple hundred yards then come back or go on and get on a coon.

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Jim Garrison-The Plott Promoter
Home of Hall of fame Grand Nite Ch.
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I currently have 1 that has been a little bit of a chore to break off deer but with a alpha it's generally going to take care of it.

50 yrs, ago I would think what are they doing? In the last 20 yrs I don't why I truly believe they are tree minded (right or wrong) jmo.

I think young dogs years ago gained a lot of experience in tracking when they ran junk before they were broke. Now they don’t seem to want to mess with fast game and it takes them longer to learn how to track, but you usually don’t have to beg them to tree. I believe that is where a lot of the slick treeing comes from because they don’t have as much desire to track compared to treeing.

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John Smith
Ohio Valley Bluetick Kennel

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ov_blues you hit on several things in your post that are very true.

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www.ConkeysOutdoors.com
"Boss Lights"

I've felt like dogs are naturally more straight than when I first got into hounds (late 80's). I've only raised two young dogs over the past 4 or 5 years and they just aren't interested in deer. Maybe I'm just hunting a better line of dogs than I had in the past... and I'm only going off of memory and "feel".. but it sure feels like young hounds used to always be tempted to run deer until you broke them off of it.

We have probably 10 fold the population of deer in this country compared to when I was a kid in the 80's... maybe more... they are thick here. I wonder if the over abundance of deer scent everywhere makes it less a big deal to a young dog?

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Seeking Soli Deo Gloria through the hounds.

I have been in coonhounds( of my own) for 30 yrs , always been lucky from what I hear

Really honestly this family ofhounds has been clean from whatever I heard from other hunters experience with theirs! No matter the breeds of the others! Not bragging mind you just rejoicing!!! Actually could say straight to a fault, some we got to do really well on coyotes but had Been plenty over they Years that couldn’t make drive them, follow along maybe and wrrastle with them when they got there but no desire to actually trail them. Same with bear , just didn’t want to!! Lastvyear sent one to Maine, “ nope she didn’t do she came home! Now this seems strange that some genetics just wont mess with anything but coon, MUCHTHANKS TO THE BREEDERS BEFORE ME!! ( I guess?!) strange but understandable, different people are interested in different things as well! Ok jibber jabber enough! Good post Bruce ! Happy hounding!!

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I saw some naturally straight ones back in the 70's but they had quirks about them. Seen some when other dogs start running trash come in and tell on them and would not hunt. It was almost like they were afraid of deer scent. Now these dogs has not been disciplined on deer. The hot scent just upset them. I have a Bone Collector male and I would guarantee plenty of Bone pups have burnt a deer up. But mine pays deer no mind. I have seen him trail a coon across a cut down corn field with deer standing within yards feeding. What is worse than deer is getting one to liking an armadillo or Diller as we can them. I will take a possum or two a year and not be too upset. Hogs are a problem because you get one liking them you had better get ready to either be a vet that can sew up a dog or know a vet that won't charge you thousands of dollars

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www.ConkeysOutdoors.com
"Boss Lights"

Trash??

I've been following these ole hounds for 50 years now and have seen a lot of changes come about. Used to be when I would get a new pup/hound, the first order of business would be to break them off trash. That went with all breeds, it was just a common thing that everybody did. There were all kinds of gadgets made for trash breaking because it was so common in coon hounds. Throughout the years I've seen it slowly change from that to where we stand today. I believe it is a genetic thing, just like tracking and treeing. If we continue to weed out the bad and insert the good, things will eventually change, sometimes for the good but unfortunate, sometimes for the bad. When we give up one thing there has to be another to take its place. There are balanced dogs out there that are pretty much trash free from birth because of good breeding practice but there are some that are quite lop sided as well. Hence, all tree and no track or vice versa. There are still some trash burners out there but they're getting fewer which could be a good thing for the coon hunter, (or maybe not). I like the road we are on with our hounds now but wish I could insert some of the older traits in them such as, stamina, grit, knowing when to turn around and mannerism.

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while on the subject of deer running hounds. ive got a 9 1/2 year old male that's always been a straight dog . haven't been hunted much in 2-3 years, but the last few times i've took him he has run deer!

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Jesus saves!

We run deer with hounds here and use to could always find young dogs to add to the pack that made good ones. The last few years though it has been harder to find young dogs that would actually mess with one to begin with.