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What's the best age to start hunting a young dog in nite hunt's

just wanting everyone thought's

I was told by alot 0f comp hunters to wait till they are 2 years that way they are not as apt to pick up so many bad habits from other dogs and can handle themselves better.... So I waited .....

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Umbe's Moon Dog kennel
GRCH' PR'Umbe's Moon Dog Barley Ray
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CH 'PR' Thundering Blue Buckshot
'PR' Umbes Bella Luna Blue Eclipse
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and the pups

depends on the dog...and how you hunt them...

i start and hunt mine primarily alone...and wait till they are atleast 7-8 months or older and showing signs of maturity..not acting like a puppy..before i show them a coon and start hunting them...once they come on and start treeing coon alone i will hunt em with another youngun and/or an older dog on occassion...not very often but enough to get em used to being in the woods with another dog...

by the time they are a year and a half old they are doing a nice job alone and with company and not caring what other dogs do...so i start hunting them in the hunts about then usually...

from their i gauge them against their company at a hunt or 2...if they arent winning or doings well they arent taken for a while..if they start me-tooing, or trashing etc with other dogs they arent taken to the hunts a while...


a lot of factors to weigh in....but a young dog is definetly prone to picking up bad habits and depending on other dogs and becoming a pack dog at younger ages...i am a different breed of coon hunter i am learning and i like to pretty much single out a dog and dislike pack dogs...i know dogs are pack critters by nature...thats fine n dandy...but i like a coon dog that does it 100% on its own and doesnt know he should be part of any kind of pack...

if i wanna hunt with a pack i will go down south and run bear or deer...both of which i have ran and did enjoy a ton...once it gets dark i like to listen to a lone dog get it by himself

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Team Trackman!!

'PR' Trackman's Dizzy Duke

when tehy put it all together

I ahve a 17 month old walker out of my grand nite Ace dog and a cold sweat female.Trees his own coon splitt tree really nice to handle does tree a slick tail every once in a while.But very plesureable to hunt.I am waiting till he really puts it all together.He like pleasing me.If If i wanted to take a chance I would hunt him now in the hunts but hes not matured enough to my notion to take that chance.Its nice to take him out and listen to him run and tree by himself.and he looks good with other dogs split tree and hold it.I guess i am getting enough satisfaction now seeing him doing waht he is doing.Ill probaly wait till next spring to hunt him in hunts.
Mike

thank's everyone i'll probly hunt him in new york next month during the opening part of kill season and when we get home i'll single him out and go from there