Registered: May 2016
Location: Palatka, FL
Posts: 5106

I know this is one of the top subjects on this board. Once I turn my computer off and get a glass if Ice Tea I find a quiet spot and really think about this it. God has blessed me with a long life and a lot of woods time with hounds. Not the high level of quality competition hounds many of you have raised, trained and owned. Just a bunch of hounds from quality stock that I tried to catch coon with and comp hunt some.
I tried to understand their pedigrees and give credit to the genetics of the puppy I had to raise and train. That was important. Trainable Genetics that was in the puppy that allowed it respond and give its fair share to the training process. In life all kinds of things happen to people. Some work for years and only get their head above water in their later years. Some catch a break early in life or have family that makes it easy on them to have what they want. Many like I was (50 years ago) have very little experience when the get their first coon hound pup. We are drowning in inexperience. One of my first pups (blue tick) was a very high quality pup but the truth is I did not appreciate and understand how rare that pup was. My lack of experience prevented me from understanding I had something special. Yes 50 years ago I had non walker pup that was something to be proud of and I didn't realize it. Thought they were all suppose to do what that pup did. She trained herself and tried to train me but maybe my genetics just didn't let me understand she was something special.
Anyway I think the answer to which hounds are better-the yesterday hounds or the todays hounds-are in the mind and experience of the owner. There have been quality hounds over the years and some were understood and appreciated and allowed to showcase their talent. Some like mine were not understood and appreciated. Since then I have learned to appreciate a coon hound more and I have to give my vote to the hounds of today. If I would have been wiser 50 years ago my vote probably would go the other way.

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
Posts: 10790

Your talking about two different types of dogs Bruce !! Yesterday's dogs might score 1000 plus on a three hour hunt competing against each other in heads up competition where the better track dog and quicker tree dog located the coon prevailed now in a two hour hunt a high percentage of hunts are won with one measly coon the dog that had first and first on it not competing with the others just usually somewhere almost out of hearing wins I will take yesterday's dogs I have seen dogs latley I guess because of genetics a dog get treed and they pull up 50 yrds over what I call jealous treeing just to keep from packing.

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Registered: Mar 2012
Location: Canada
Posts: 338

You can still get both kinds IMO. I got an old female that starts hunting as soon as the dog box door opens, she throws her head up on the tailgate to wind and starts right when she hits the ground. Her pups do it too. Some friends I hunt with their dogs don't start hunting till they run 100 yards off, and sometimes run paths in the woods right through across a road and into the next section. When those guys come hunting with me I have to watch where I take them, and ensure the land is big enough so their dogs don't blow right through the woods we want to hunt. They get 'alone and deep' it can work for comp hunts but is a pain in the butt hide hunting. Not to mention they will go by coons. If todays hounds are supposed to be 'deep and alone' I will vote for yesterdays. I believe there are just as many very good dogs of 'yesterday' around, they just arnt in the spotlight.

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Registered: Jan 2007
Location: monroeville OH
Posts: 2685

I have found hounds of today are much more easier to get started!! I was gonna say train but !! I never use the word train!! all I do is hunt them/expose to timber!!They have trained me to reckenize what a quality young dog can and should do!!Went to hills a few days ago!! turned my young dog loose with a older dog!!500 yrds first tree!!first time he has seen the rear of another dog! hes 16 mts old now!!they made 3 trees first dump!!one big oak top hill! other dog came about 400 yrds to him!! got off the tree and I asked him if he wanted to turn loose again!! he said he never does!!lol I said well lets just do see what happens!! young dog goes off down made 3 barks and about 250 yrds treed!! his dog goes about 300 yrds opposite diirection!! trees! go to mine on beaver dam!! coon on a willow tree!! go to his dog dang possum!! go another spot! young dog struck in hollow 300 yrds! his dpg chimed in!! got in a thicket we drove around to them!! his dog treed!! mine bout 50 yrds around hill!! his on a cherry tree!!SLICK!!lol go to mine on vines!! Yep coon!! mind you this dog has been hunted on flat ground since 3 mts old!! I cant believe how far 250 yrds is in mountains compared to flat ground!! made turn out with just young dog!! and he went about 200 yards and fell treed!! had another!! so the training of yesterday dosnt always work on dogs of today!!some of the older folk think !! cage/drags!! all that nonsence of yesterday is thae way to go!! Lazy mans way!!jmo

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Registered: Sep 2014
Location:
Posts: 562

It is hard to bring back the past even with tight line breeding although if you have the time and money you can hunt the dog or offspring of any dog you see hunting today, I will take the old blood dogs any day of the week .

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Registered: May 2016
Location: Palatka, FL
Posts: 5106

Chewbach you said a mouthful comparing the way you work with a hound of today compared to how you worked one yesterday.

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