Registered: Aug 2017
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If you can't tell, I'm new to coonhound s. Got into it by accident really, but that's another thread.

My pups will be 8 mo old this week. Well bred. All litter mates are doing it. They are in more experienced hands. I bought a pup trainer dog recently. I still have my doubts about him as well. This is a new hobby for me and my young boys. My expectations are reasonable. We don't need or expect these pups to be rock stars, just solid dogs that will tree a coon on Friday night for a few hours. I work overnight, so Fridays are pretty much it for us.

My plan at this point is to make a couple drops every Friday night with the old dog and the pups. We plan on going Friday night to see if any of them will do anything. In a couple weeks we will be hunting with the litter mates. That should be a good time.

The pups have done everything I've asked of them up to this point. They run every track I put down for them. They have saw one caged coon and definitely showed big time interest. We have worked on obedience training since week 8. Good listeners, but we've let them be pups too.

Guess I just need to know we are on the right track. Advice is welcome. Thanks...

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Registered: Aug 2012
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Posts: 930

Sounds like you're on right track.their just right,just keep in mind you're dealing with pups not seasoned hounds, be their best buddy,and expose them to woods every chance you get. Sounds like you got some outstanding prospects to take you hunting some,Lol.

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Registered: Dec 2016
Location: Ark/Miss
Posts: 524

Welcome to the sport. I've always tried to shoot people straight, so here's my advice based on the information given. Sell your pups & the old dog if you don't have confidence in it & purchase a solid finished coonhound that does suit you. Your pups are at an age they need hunted frequently and once a week isn't sufficient. I believe you & your boys will enjoy this sport a lot more with a trained dog to hunt. Either way good luck to you..

Last edited by H.W. Moore on 09-12-2017 at 12:46 PM

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Registered: Jul 2003
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Find someone In your local area that coonhunts and go with them. Don't be afraid to ask questions. Where are you located?

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Registered: Jul 2003
Location: Buffalo, NY
Posts: 2147

Catch. More coon in live traps, show them, let coon go. Repeat.
Two pups running around with dog you aren't sure of, they will end up junking.

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Registered: Apr 2007
Location: Rayville, Mo.
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Young dogs are like teenage boys, to many together same place and time will get into trouble.

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Registered: Sep 2010
Location: New Paris, Indiana
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I'm afraid you are gonna have a tough time starting pups in the woods with only a couple drops once week. I hate to be the one to rain on your parade but you are really stacking the deck against your pups with that schedule.

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Registered: Sep 2010
Location: New Paris, Indiana
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And one other comment, the difference between the rock stars and the journeyman coondog isn't how you train them, it is mostly the talent level and the final finishing. But neither of them will ever make a coondog at any level without woods time. You just cant work around that.

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Registered: Aug 2017
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quote:

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Originally posted by H.W. Moore
Welcome to the sport. I've always tried to shoot people straight, so here's my advice based on the information given. Sell your pups & the old dog if you don't have confidence in it & purchase a solid finished coonhound that does suit you. Your pups are at an age they need hunted frequently and once a week isn't sufficient. I believe you & your boys will enjoy this sport a lot more with a trained dog to hunt. Either way good luck to you..

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Registered: Aug 2017
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quote:

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Originally posted by JiM
I'm afraid you are gonna have a tough time starting pups in the woods with only a couple drops once week. I hate to be the one to rain on your parade but you are really stacking the deck against your pups with that schedule.

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Registered: Jun 2005
Location: North of Panama City Florida
Posts: 1014

when i started out i was lucky enough to get a coon hunting buddy that would show me the ropes and had some fine coondogs. i wasn't as lucky on the dog end initially but i came around and got some good dogs and went to the woods just about every nite. my advise would be to hunt the pup trainer you have with a seasoned and respected coonhunter near you and see what they think of the dog... with and without other dogs in the woods. go with them some and learn as much as you can. and if your pup trainer turns out and is a good one, take your pups with him... if not, find a good pup trainer that will fit your bill and isn't too old in case the pups fall though. as far as the pups themselves, i do agree that once a week in the woods may not start them with much success... id give them as good of a chance as you could- whether that means getting them in the woods a few more nites a week or sending them off to be started... seeing as your kids are probably a little too young to learn the lesson about culls.... if you go the send off route check references, and try to send them close enough you can check on them and make sure they're being hunted and being taken care of.

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Registered: Dec 2016
Location: Ark/Miss
Posts: 524

If you can find someone trustworthy to hunt 1 pup, you could hunt the other and rotate them out till you feel they're far enough along. If you go to Other section of the classifieds I think there was people looking for dogs to handle. The pups are a great age to start this fall and I hope your boys & pups love to hunt..

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Registered: Oct 2008
Location: chokeabitch river, michigan
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change your work shift so you have more time to put into the dogs
with your two young sons.

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Batavia,Iowa
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There is some good advice here. I would follow it.

The kids will get over it.

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Registered: Aug 2017
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quote:

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Originally posted by toe cutter
change your work shift so you have more time to put into the dogs
with your two young sons.

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Registered: Sep 2017
Location: W.V.
Posts: 50

quote:

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Originally posted by Rough Cut
I was thinking of seeing if there is someone to hunt them more often than I can this kill season. I'm in Southern Ohio. Im not sure what the going rate is on that. But I know it happens.

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Registered: Sep 2017
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I can't tell you how many nights i've gotten home just in time to get the dogs kenneled up, fed & watered & got back into the truck & headed off to work.

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Registered: Aug 2017
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quote:

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Originally posted by SHC's Walkers
What part of Southern Ohio are you in? I could possibly help you out on getting those pups the time in the woods they need. I agree with the post above. They're going to need more than one night out of a week in the woods.

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Registered: Aug 2017
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Well i decided to take the pups to a friend in N Indiana to hunt them and get them a good start. He owns one of the litter mates. She had a first place on her already at 8.5 mo. I feel like they are in good hands at this point.

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Registered: Aug 2003
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Its already been said but one night a week won't probably be enough hunting to get a young dog started, and it definitely won't be enough to get the most out of a started dog.

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Registered: Aug 2003
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Its already been said but one night a week won't probably be enough hunting to get a young dog started, and it definitely won't be enough to get the most out of a started dog.

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Registered: Oct 2016
Location: Huntsville, Missouri
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Everyone on here wants you to hunt the pup 5 or 6 nights a week. And most don't. Everyone I know has a bunch of dogs and none of them get enough hunting. Even guys that plan on doing it, they have life come up and it is usually 2-3 nights a week. If you hunt a pup regularly once a week, truth be told that is more than most pups ever get. If your pup is bred to do it, and you don't mess him up-- you don't have to chop down trees and hunt the ridges till day break for them to show you ricky.

Hunt your pup and have fun. Jim is right that more than one pup might be trouble. I would take one pup at a time. You might just take your old dog out first and see if he will do anything.

Also, everyone that tells you they tree 5-10 coons a night is probably not telling the truth. Most dogs are just that, dogs. The owners tell you this and that and then you hunt with them and it is "I have never seen that before" or "coons must not be moving." You are the only one that has to buy dog feed for it so as long as it suits you I wouldn't worry about it.

As Mike said, I would find someone to hunt with, or better yet a club that has friendly club hunts. You can just spectate on a cast some Friday night and if you do it regularly, you can find out who has decent dogs and who talks great dogs and then withdraws to never finish a cast.

Also, coon hunters are volatile. What I mean is that if you are involved with a club or several clubs or people, invariably someone with a good dog will need money, or be going through a divorce (this is usually not simply coincidental), relocating, being sent to prison, etc. If you are patient, you can have a nice dog. As I stated above, most people have too many dogs and you can get one bought that you have already hunted with if you are patient. If you develop a friendship with good dog people, you will end up with a dog you like somehow.

Last edited by Cliff Thornburg on 11-01-2017 at 08:45 PM

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Registered: Jun 2014
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 960

JMO. Put out some feeders, and put that pup on hot coons by himself. Just me, I think there is no better way than to let him learn on his own. If you hunt him with someone elses dog, you dont know what might happen at the tree.

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Registered: Jul 2003
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Hunting them together 8 times out of 10 won't be good. Friday night hunt 1 for approx. an hour, then the other for approx. an hour. That may take 4 hours sometimes. Turn cage coons loose for them

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Registered: Aug 2017
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As i stated, the pups are being hunted 5-6 nights a week now at a buddies house. He generously offered. We all think that 3 months of consistent hunting in thick coon country will give them a great start. When they come back home, they will be just weeks past their 1 year birthday. Should have a good start... Or no??

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