Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Churchville, VA
Posts: 798

This may sound as dumb as the last, but it will also point out what extent some are willing to go to to not take minus points.

Dog trees in tree, we go to tree, it is clearly slick, all agree there is know way a coon could be in the tree. However, when it comes to scoring it, the handler of this dog questions the minus, he says there is a squirrels nest, I said show me. He proceeds about 50 feet away and shows me a squirrels nest, and says the coon could be there. I asked how he could get there, as this tree is 4 trres away from where his dog treed. HE said the coon could go from tree to tree. Now the limbs were all touching and they were big enough for a coon to go from his tree to the next tree to the next tree to the next tree that the squirrels nest was in.

We took a vote on it and 2 voted it was possible and 2 voted no. So we had to circle it. What would you do?

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Shawn E. Ott
Churchville, VA
540-416-6346
Shawn.Ott@vaehinc.com


Gr.Nt.Ch.Gr.Ch. 'PR' Ott's Good Golly Miss Molly (Deceased August 12, 2014)

Gr.Nt.Ch. 'PR' Ott's Shenandoah Valley Kate(Deceased)
Gr.Nt.Ch.Ch. 'PR' Tree Slammin Mac (Deceased)

"A little less tree and a little more track"

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Camden,NC
Posts: 2719

well, I think it all boils down to integrity, and I'd have to vote minus..............I had a tree at Bluetick Days this year that the judge was going to circle, I'm the only dog on the tree, and I told the judge (in joking manner) that he was not Santa Clause so MINUS the tree, as it was slick........yeh it was big, but no coon in the tree, we all laughed but.... we minused the tree and went on hunting and had a great time.

INTEGRITY and that is what you have to ask those who don't want to take their minus........Honor Rules

Thats why I'm a big fan of if the cast votes 2 for minus, and 2 for circle then the points should be deleted, so those circle points don't come back and beat you in a tie breaker.......just my thoughts on the subject

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Churchville, VA
Posts: 798

Good point Mark, If they would be deleted in the case of a tie, the minus he should have got can still beat you. However, there has to be an end to this. How many trees is this. If this was allowed, I would rarely, if ever take a minus point in a hunt, as I can always find a tree that touches another that touches another, and so on till I find a tree with a hole in it or a squirrels nest. I agree integrity should play an important role, and I would minus my own in a heart beat, if it is wrong. However, there are alot of hunters out there that set integrity aside for the sake of a win. I think they forget that the dogs are being scored for what they do right or wrong, not what the handler wants them to do. Anyway, I hope others will post to this thread, as I would like to hear from others that have experienced similar "lack of integrity" handlers.

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Shawn E. Ott
Churchville, VA
540-416-6346
Shawn.Ott@vaehinc.com


Gr.Nt.Ch.Gr.Ch. 'PR' Ott's Good Golly Miss Molly (Deceased August 12, 2014)

Gr.Nt.Ch. 'PR' Ott's Shenandoah Valley Kate(Deceased)
Gr.Nt.Ch.Ch. 'PR' Tree Slammin Mac (Deceased)

"A little less tree and a little more track"

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 437

One hour hunt..... couple dogs got treed on a bank. Walked all the way around the tree and saw nothing. Fella winning the cast shined his light at the base of the tree, then said I vote slick. I had already whispered to the guy with the other dog that I thought it was slick. Guy winning cast said how do you vote ..... I said slick but I'll bet you could have found that coon if you would have shined your light up there LOL. He said I did shine my light .... yup right at the roots that's where all the coons hang out. We minused the tree. Probably was a coon up there but couldn't find it.

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location:
Posts: 319

VERY,VERY seldom do I hunt in Nite hunts and it's not important to me to win, I agree with ALL previous posts, BUT once in 60 years of hunting, i witnessed a coon actually moving from tree to tree just as a squirrel would. He was ACTUALLY leaping from one tree to the next. Moved about 30 to 40 yards down the hill, I was actually following him with my light on him. Never saw anything like it. Sure that this is not a habit of coon. I probably would not have beleived it EITHER if I had not seen it happen.

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Missouri
Posts: 4321

I would have voted to minus it. Coons can and do cross and if its obvious, then I'd give the dog the benefit of the doubt, but a line has to be drawn somewhere.

I was on a cast this spring where 3 of our dogs were on a tree in a hedgerow. 20 yards down the hedgerow, I found and pointed out 2 coons that were setting up. The 4th dog came in to the tree after we got there. So, you would expect the vote to be 3 to 1 to plus, right? No, I voted to circle, the other two guys with dogs there voted to plus, and the guy who's dog came in late voted to circle and had a rollin' on the ground fit about it and was mad at me for even saying anything about finding the coons.

So, no matter what you do, someone is going to be upset, but I think more will be gained in the long run by voting the right way and letting the chips fall where they may.

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location:
Posts: 136

Hey, use common sense,it is possible that the moon is going to fall into the sun tonight,but not probable.It is time for grown folks to act grown up.

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location:
Posts: 4312

minus. If you are not prepared to take minus points when your dog deserves them then dont hunt!!

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Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Ky
Posts: 46

When in dought, give the dog the benifit of the dought. it's not impossible for a coon to cross over three or four trees but it is doughtful. The tree will be circle anyhow and circle counts for nothing. He or she knows what really happened, if they can't swollow their minus, then if possible let them cover it up with an outrages flying coon that went in a nest, where ever that may be, one or two or four trees over for circle points.

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Washington, NC
Posts: 3315

I watched a coon walk out on a limb and ride it down, reach over and grab the end of another limb in another tree and cross. These limbs did were not even close to touching until the coon,s weight pulled the limb down.
That said, on a nite hunt I will NOT accept a coon crossing with out an obious path; fair size limbs touching or vines. Give the dog the benifit of doubt but be reasonable and honest. Two or more trees over and there had better be large vines or limbs a person could cross on before I will vote to pluss.

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