Registered: Dec 2009
Location: Indiana
Posts: 59

I have a 5 month old walker male I'm training and here are my two questions.

Q1: Is he too young to shoot out a coon to ALONE?

Q2: Is he too young to use a shocker on to break off of trash?

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jul 2008
Location: north cental,mo.
Posts: 605

1.yes
2.yes

__________________
Al Brobst
po box 71
Wheeling,Mo 64688
Home of:
Red Eagle Chief

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Feb 2010
Location: fairmont wv
Posts: 169

1 no just kill it dead
2 yes

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Sep 2007
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 2713

I wouldnt shoot a coon out to him this young until you know what he will do around one and still then probably not. If he goes crazy and attacks a caged coon then maybe shoot out a small one or make sure I head shot one out to him so it would be dead. I would be really careful about giving him too many coon at that age though.

I would not use a shocker on him unless it is absolutely necessary, to keep him from running trash across a highway or something like that.

__________________
Golden Woods Bo
Golden Woods Fancy B

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Mercer PA
Posts: 4837

If he is treeing the coon alone and you have a good shot and can know it out dead with him tied back just in case, I would give him some coon.

I wear a shock collar on every dog everytime they go to the woods probably until they are 18 months old. All I have to say is that you better be darn sure when you are pressing the button. I wouldn't try to break a dog that young off anything. As long as they are getting hooked and not putting themselves at risk sometimes you got to grin and bear the learning process and not risk doing more harm than good./

__________________
The fun is over once you pull the trigger

Ron Ashbaugh
CROOKED FOOT KENNELS

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Central Michigan
Posts: 6544

Do not worry about breaking him from off game until you have made it clear what you want him to hunt.

Second never use a shock collar on a dog that has not been conditioned to it!

Knocking coons out you need to maintain total control. Lease pup back shott coon in the head dead. Verify the coon is dead then turn pup loose. Beware the coon does fall near the pup.

__________________
Larry Atherton

Aim small miss small

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Mercer PA
Posts: 4837

I am no pup training expert at all, but when I do start one I take them to a woods that I know has coon in it and I cut them loose with a blinking collar one them. I more or less let them do whatever but what I am looking for is for them to show interest in stopping and getting treed. I mean they don't have to blow the top out of it, but I need to see them stop and at least rear up on a tree and be interested. They just have to stop. Once they do that you can worn on staying close to him and encouraging him especially if he is treeing on trees the coon is in. This pup you have is very young to be hunting IMO. If it were mine I would start this pup in March. Right now the hunting is only going to get harder and the deer are in Rut and everything is working against you. Can it be done? Sure it can, is it ideal, not to me. At the most I would be catching as many coon as I can while the season is in the turning them out and gving the pup hot tracks to run and hopefully tree where you KNOW for certain that he is running a coon. If he is treeing them, knock them out under good conditions and that will show him that what he is doing is right.

The best thing that can happen now is that the pup gets rolling at 6.5 months old and then old man winter comes and he is pup up for 3 months. I just hate doing that. IF you wait till march and get him rolling you have a full 8-9 months to hunt him and give him a nice solid foundation before you put him away for next winter.

__________________
The fun is over once you pull the trigger

Ron Ashbaugh
CROOKED FOOT KENNELS

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Mercer PA
Posts: 4837

It is unfortunate, but sometimes kill season and pup training season don't always overlap. Do your best to grey in the black and white.

__________________
The fun is over once you pull the trigger

Ron Ashbaugh
CROOKED FOOT KENNELS

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged

Registered: Apr 2006
Location:
Posts: 6548

possums only coons are still bigger than my 5mth old pups

Report this post to a moderator | IP: Logged