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

Between myself Corey and our friend Kevin we have about a half dozen pups to start this year. Most of you experienced guys know that having that many pups spells disaster if your not careful and many nights in the woods. Plus we have one small problem with junk we need to work with one old dog on.

Couple things I found funny from last nights hunt. I had the old dog and a couple pups. My buddies were out there with a couple just started dogs and a couple pups. My old dog can strike one from the ranger if one has been feeding along creeks by the road. Well he made a couple barks and I said let me check this out so I stopped. Well guess what? The little animal he is having trash problems with just happened to leave some tracks right where he barked. First I asked myself if he really struck that junk out of the truck and second I told myself he barked and there was trash tracks right there so I guess so. I got him out and walked him to the tracks and he threw his head up and went crazy on the lead. He sure was winding something and I sure was ready to have some fun teaching him I didn't like what he was winding. When I cut him he bee lined straight in the woods with his head up barking and came treed 65 yards from me. I went in there and he had a coon. lol I am hoping for junk and he trees a coon. Crazy Sport and Loving It!
Second thing that was crazy last night is about feeders. I know we talk about them a lot and when working pups I use them. Well Corey spent part of the weekend and Monday night filling several up. After I ran into Corey and Kevin last night we decided to make the one last drop. As they had been working the young dogs they had and I had been off working mine. We just cut the old dog and Corey said I bet he is treed within 10 minutes. Where we cut him loose we didn't have any feeders but we thought was a good spot. Anyway he was treed in 8 minutes. So we drive out the road we were on and down another one and he is treed 90 yards off the road. I see a coon sitting up by a creek right on the side of the road. Corey and Kevin went to the tree and when they got back they told me they saw 7 singles sitting up on there way to the tree only 90 yards away. I looked at Corey and said why did you spend several hours filling feeders carrying dog food through the woods when we turn out here and see more coon than we ever have with no feeders within a mile. Crazy Sport and Loving It!
Well at the end of the hunt we discussed how we were going to hunt all these dogs and not ruin half of them in the process. Corey has the young legs and loves a good dog and doesn't like the nonsense pups create. So we decided I would hunt a few of the pups and Corey would take the experienced dog and work maybe one pup at a time with him.

Just for clarification. The pups we have are 6 months and a couple just over a year old and I don't think Coreys two young ones were even turned out last night. My two I put out in a small swamp alone to let them see what it was all about. Our goal with them right now isn't catching coon or exposing them to coon. It is about leaning to go from the pen to the truck at the house. Ride in the truck and keep their mouths shut. Then unload and and get back in the pens at home. Basically obedience training while going through the motion of hunting. Dealing with pups and them throwing up in the truck the first few times hauled and turning them loose and hoping the come command you taught them at home works in the woods. Just makes for some fun times.
Corey being young likes the trained dogs. Me I love the pups and all the nonsense they dish out. Most of their nonsense is close to the truck and I can handle it. Most of the old dogs trees are way in there and Corey can handle that! Hopefully buy summer I can have one of these young ones calling Corey deep into the swamp.
Crazy Sport and Loving it!

Note: I do a lot of things I would never suggest anyone else to do. I do a lot of things that shouldn't be done with pups. I do a lot of things that Mr. Wick and others that have wrote on the subject of training would call me crazy for. Thing is I understand they are right but I handle pups in in a very controlled manner and I watch every move the young ones make. And my next decision on what needs to be done to improve them is based on their last decision and what they did or didn't do. This week I have a bunch of fruitcakes on my hands but day by day they will hopefully start to look more like coonhounds. You know what the good news is. If they don't I had fun anyway and I can say I gave it my best shot. Nothing wrong with failing in the coonhound game as long as you admit failure and learn from it.

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
Posts: 10790

Me too Bruce. Just be glad when don't have to go hit that time clock no more lol.

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Registered: Mar 2006
Location: Western NC
Posts: 1529

The craziest thing about your whole post is the fact you're crazy enough to juggle six pups.

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

I am a firm believer in ONE dog at ONE time. Now I don't have a problem of cutting one in one direction and a few hundred yards away cutting another one in another direction and working of them if they have big ears. But circumstances and level of training determine what you do.
The last two nights I hunted by myself with three dogs. I didn't run into Corey and Kevin Monday night. Last night they came out later and about 10 we hooked up. They cut two young dogs one time which was used as teaching tool for them that it don't work. We then cut the old dog and treed a coon together. This morning when I got to the store the first thing we did is discuss last night and any error of our ways. What complicates things more is Kevin's young Black dog that has a lot of potential is in heat right now. Isn't far enough along to be hunted by herself but can't hunt with with our experienced male. That is what our future plans are, until she can tree her own coon. Corey keeps the old dog sharp and works in one pup at a time with him till they don't need him. I take a 14 month old and get her treeing solid and performing like she should while hauling a couple 6 month old pups along and make a drop a night with just one or both of them together until they tell me how they need to be hunted. Hopefully at some point in the near future I have a young one I can turn over to Corey to hunt hard by itself. Just not there yet.
Tar, I don't have to punch the time clock but normally get to work at 9am. Today it was 10am but that was because I did a couple things with the pups this morning. Dogs come first lol

Adam, I am also a firm believer that it don't take long to see if you have an outstanding one and the one your looking for will overcome a lot of handling mistakes. When that one shows up it gets hunted right.

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Last edited by Bruce m. Conkey on 01-25-2017 at 04:37 PM

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Registered: Jan 2004
Location: Northwest Georgia
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Good post Bruce

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
Posts: 10790

Bruce this will be my 6th night in a row got anouther buddy be here at 7:15 I only work 4 hrs a day but with hunting and working this leg feels like it's going to fall off I told them tar ain't going tomorrow night. I tired lol.

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Registered: May 2016
Location: Palatka, FL
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As I type this I am setting here on the tailgate of my ranger. Just me and three dogs here tonight. 14 month old and two six month old pups. My 14 month old is a ground pounder wipeout hound. She has been doing that for 45 minutes now. I was easing around trying to find the Coon up but no luck so far. I feel she needs to run till she decides to tree. Then I will be beside her. Till then I am just enjoying a cool night in the woods. Anybody can train a wipeout hound. Just build a fire and wait. Just like the old days. With the exception of the internet.
Just nothing crazy happened yet. But the night is young.

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
Posts: 10790

Well my buddy got here a little early we drove about 10 miles cut they struck worked about 15 minutes the two young dogs treed granny treed about 150 yrds left handed we walked to he first she had a coon went to them they had a coon in a ceder tree I busted it out when I looked at my garmin I was 263 yrds from the truck fell in a armadillo hole on the way back we got to the truck jimmy said lad we had a good hunt let's not mess it up so we came home.

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

Tar hope your OK from the fall in the diller hole. My night was uneventful and just had a young one beat a track to death. I hate to get on one before they learn what to do she sure deserved some correction last night. I just held back because she hasn't shown the experience to do it correctly yet. She ever does and then things will change. I had 2 pups that are 6 1/2 months old and one actually ran the track pretty well for the first time barking in the woods and only second time out. The other dog and I hate to say it did ok but reminded me of some of the Lipper dogs I have talked about. He was over there 400 yards and barked a few times and then he was in another direction barking a few times. I would say he did more barking here and there than he should of.
Corey and Kevin Perry who is on vacation a couple weeks took Kevins black female and Corey's two littermates to mine this morning and are out hunting now. Figured we would hunt them in shifts. lol Anyway he just sent me a video of one of his pups barking up a tree some.

Only thing close to Crazy that happened last night is I stopped along a creek/canal and check a tree on my way out that I saw a coon in the night before. Sure enough he/she was sitting in the same tree last night.

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
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That armadillo hole was camouflaged lol it wasent pretty I feel it this morning but I hey I am going to rest up tonight ( wash dishes )( do laundry ) so I can go Friday night and no I am not henpecked lol.

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Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Fayetteville.Ga
Posts: 2167

I'm keeping up with yadkintar and you on yawl's hunting experiences with young dogs. I am working a dog alone that knows absolutely NOTHING he goes and handles great, each night I think we are making SOME progress but nothing real fast just baby steps, made his first tree and held it for a good while last night BUT it was SLICK as a onion which seems to be the trend now. hummmm just keep telling myself that patience is a virtue.
Keep us posted on those young dogs.

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Guess I go against the grain most of the time. I cut Brute and Mary last night together. I expect mine to work together.

They both struck the track about 500 yards in on a small creek, they worked the track down the creek, sometimes one of them would hit up and the other would move the track on and the one hitting up would go on. They worked the track down the creek to the main river, there are several den trees along the river and I figured they would tree on one of those. WRONG! They worked the track up river along a cornfield about 300 yards or so. Then they turned off the river up a fence row that I've treed coons in before. They both hit up on a tree that Mason treed one in last week, then they pulled off that one and went about 250 yards back up river and all of a sudden EXPLODED on a tree. When I got to them they were treed on a Sycamore tree full of grapevines, I figured it would be a den tree or worse yet SLICK..... WRONG AGAIN! They had the coon laying in a fork trying to sleep. They sure we're sounding good to me.

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
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Hobo I would rather tree one and have a race like that than any kind !!

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HOBO, that's not against the grain. I'd venture to bet the majority of folks on here hunt very similar to you with dogs together (if that's what you mean), likely with much less success.

I feel like almost every hunt is crazy at times. Nowadays I like nothing more than working a single dog with my boys, who go the majority of the time. My wife is homeschooling them both so staying out late is a non issue usually. They're both a couple characters much like Abbot and Costello. It's just fun to listen.

Our most recent found us struggling to get on one then once we did we were climbing through laurel thickets not fit for anything but a coon, only to end in a den tree. Not a single complaint from them, other than the den. We dropped off that awful ridge (they slid down on their butt, I tripped, fumbled and fell my way down) and walked out a different path. While doing so the young hound began a steady pull and acted like he was winding one. We cut him again and in short order had a coon. The oldest got to break in his new rifle. We were filthy, covered in mud and coon blood, had plenty of laughs, taught the dog a thing or two and I taught the boys a thing or two about training. At least I tried.

I do know as coon hunters we're already crazy, so it's a given the hunts will be as well. And I might as well try and raise a couple more crazies in the process.

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Registered: May 2016
Location: Palatka, FL
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Adam your right. The memories you make with your Family in the woods are something special and something you and your Sons will be talking about many years from now.

Last night I met up with Cory in the woods and he had his whole Family out there. The little girl in the picture is 2 months old and not only has she been on a couple coon hunts already but several deer hunts. lol

Can't wait till a few years from now and she is climbing all over the dog box and tearing up everything in the truck. Corey will never find his coon squaller. lol

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Last edited by Bruce m. Conkey on 01-27-2017 at 12:53 PM

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
Posts: 10790

Bruce that coons fatter than the one you got on your wall !!

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Registered: May 2016
Location: Palatka, FL
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Yea but that coon on the wall was a gift from Corey so you will never hear me complain about it. lol This is one of our nicer coons from FL. His tail was lighter color than normal and almost like cotton instead of fur. Big boar coon probably 16 lbs.

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
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That's about as big as they get here you think it's because I know when they used to farm here coons got bigger we treed some kitten coons the other night must be breeding twice a year !!

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Registered: Sep 2003
Location: Fayetteville.Ga
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Been looking for a up date from yadkintar or bruce but could not find one so here I go.
Went last night and it was cold, 4 th time out with this dog, turned my dog loose and he went hunting with not much activity in fact not a peep stayed gone about 15 m and came in o well made another drop with about the same results but stayed quite a bit longer traveled about 926 yd was as far as he went BUT looked like he was working ig the track on the Garmin means anything o well he came in, now my confidence in him doing anything was mighty low did not think game was moving so I turned him in again after he had covered most of the ground he opened now and then then put a little more excitement in his bark AND THEN MY THOUGHTS TURNED TO WHAT IS HE RUNNING ( now I am hunting on a 2600ac deer lease where I have 33 feeders out and PLENTY of deer) man is he sounding good about that time I hear a locate that made me get off the 4 wheeler man did that excite me but there is more to come. then he started to tree which is something I have NEVER heard him do before. we could have rode to about 20 yds of him but it was sounding so GOOD we took of through woods crossing two creeks a small track of pines and into a good hardwood bottom and he STAYED hooked the whole time. Got there and he was treed on a BIG tall hollow tree we looked and looked but could not find NOTHING I tried to leave twice but mu buddy would not he kept saying that dog has got a coon listen to his bark well what seemed like a eternity my buddy said BRING ME THE RIFLE man did that sound good then down came a big coon. Now man it don't get much better than that. Hope all is going good with your young dogs. H L !!! O and he is one of them SHOW DOGS.

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Registered: May 2016
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Sounds Great Mr. Meyer.

Last week I hunted 4 nights and took the weekend off. lol
Last night I was at it again but decided to get an early start before it got to cold. Got out there about 5:30 and filled one feeder and decided to cut the dogs. Well I had left my Garmin APLHA Handheld at home so it was old school. Just me and the dogs. I cut one just over a year old and to 6 month pups with her and they trailed around and headed for a big creek about a mile away. I drove around and got there just as they came close and then the turned and went into a cutover. Track started to break down so I went back around to the other side and called them and they came to me. Disappointed in the results but glad I got them. Next drop I just dropped one dog and she trailed around and tried to tree but I couldn't find a coon where she was attempting to tree so I just caught her and headed home. Kind a disappointed night. When I was leaving at about 8:30 Corey was coming into the club and had a Friend Chad with him who has a nice young English out of John the Baptist. They hunted Mongo and the English dog and treed and cut from the tree several times and treed again. Think they had 3 trees and 4 coon. Thats the difference in a coon dog and pups. I have fun with pups and scratch my head the next day. Tonight I am taking just one and hopefully things will improve.

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
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I been a couch patato for a few nights had a freind that wanted to buy my young dog I told him to take him for a week and make sure he likes him so it's just me and granny I go out and give her a couple weenies before dark and she's good I don't have but about two days a week that this leg eases up a little were I feel like hunting so I think she understands lol.

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Registered: Jan 2007
Location: monroeville OH
Posts: 2685

well yadkintar our season goes out tonite at midnite!! so now I will turn into a convict!!!after tonite!!! got these 4 mt old dogs here!! gonna start taking to timber tonite!! old lady fixing supper after that its time I put leather behind these young dogs!!! they only have about 2 mts to show there ingredents!! of what they are made of!! but I still think your crazy!!!lol

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Man has it been a great day weather is nice SO I'm gona load um up and head out.
Going to get a jump on yawl. H L

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Just got in about dark granny was throwing a fit to go hunting it was either go give her a spanking or go hunting sooooo we went hunting first track was bad she treed had a big old nest but I think she missed it second track was just as bad she took it 500 yrds in some bad stuff treed took me little bit to get there my crazy old dog was 10 ft up in that tree I got her down big old den and we came home I guess she was happy I gave her two hot dogs lol.

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quote:

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Originally posted by Bruce m. Conkey

Last night I was at it again but decided to get an early start before it got to cold.

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