Registered: Jan 2011
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 702

In as much as we are all fanciers of the great sport of coonhunting and whether we are hunting English, Bluetick, Walkers, Plotts, Redbones, Black and Tans or Curs, we can all agree that we love this glorious sport and without the influence of certain people we would may not be hunting at all today. Growing up in the Appalachian mountains in the small town of Middlesboro, Kentucky I grew to love the outdoors and the way of Mountain people. There wasn't a whole lot to do in those days as we didn't have video games, computers or any of the modern technology that we have today. So from a young age we really enjoyed rabbit hunting, squirrel hunting and bird hunting not to mention killing hogs. Killing hogs was a family affair, Papaw would do the shooting because you had to shoot a hog in the right spot to kill him, this is true. I saw Pap shoot a hog one time and it took three shots to bring it down. The first two shots didn't even faze it but with a well placed third shot ole' Wilbur breathed his last. Later that day Papaw taught me how to measure a hogs tail. For those of you that have never measured a hogs tail I can tell you this, the first time you do it will probably be your last time and you don't use a ruler... stinky fingers..lol. After we had bled the hog out we would then pour boiling water on him and commence to scraping the hair from his skin and then eventually processing him and dividing the meat with the rest of our kin folks. Those were the good old days and in that time a love for the outdoors was born in me. I remember Mom had some kitchen plates and on those plates was a picture of a foxhound running. I'll never forget the feeling I had and how I wanted one of those hound dogs. My Dad was never a big dog man, he was a great provider and Dad and to this day is my best friend but he was just always too busy working to fool with dogs, so my influence came from different folks. Looking back now I remember and would like to recognize my first influence in this precious sport. The man's name was
Claude Barnett, he is the father to our kennel partner Colin Barnett. He was the very first man I ever bought a dog from. The dog was a Bluetick male pup that I booked from Claude for $5. I didn't have a whole lot of money back then and was working for $3.35 an hour. I remember asking Claude if I could put a little money down on a pup and he said sure, what do you have to put down and I said $5. Claude said that would be fine and I told him I would be back Friday to pay him the other $45 and pick up my pup. Claude said that would be ok and then he in the kindest way said "now son let me get this right, now if you don't come back and pick this puppy up then this $5 belongs to me right?" Yes sir I said that is right but I'll be back. Sure enough Friday I came and got that blue pup. I was so proud but didn't think about puppies barking so much so the blue pup didn't stay long at my house, Dad said get rid of him and seeing as how it was his house I had no other choice but I never forgot Claude and as I got older and starting buying more pups and hunting with more people I began to realize that I wasn't the only one who had bought their first pup from Claude. Claude actually turned all of the Uptight family on to the best bloodlines the English and Walker breed had to offer. In the early days it was ONEY'S DRUM and then later on it was Walker dogs that went back to Minklers Kansas Rock and Halls Champ. Claude crossed a ROCK male on to a CHAMP female and that cross is still being talked about today in the little town of Middlesboro and the tri-state area. Everybody that was serious about coonhunting in those days booked a pup from Claude just as soon as ole' Lady Pup came in season. I'm not sure how many times that cross was made (although it was several times) and though there where never any World champs produced from those litters, there was several of young men just like me that got their start hunting pups from ole' HOOT and LADY PUP not to mention several more good bred hounds that were born at the home of Claude Barnett.
I know that most of you don't know him but we (uptight gang) all do and we all felt that giving him some recognition that he never got while living was only right and fitting. God bless the Legend of Claude Barnett and may he rest in peace.

Last edited by Longwoods Kennel on 12-18-2014 at 05:19 AM

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Registered: Aug 2008
Location: SE Ohio, Glouster
Posts: 2244

Thank You Brian for sharing a great, great story. I remember those days as well when their wasn't much to do but gather up an ole hound and head off into the woods to see what kind of mischief we could drum up together.

My story was a little different in that my father loved hounds and they were his very best friends. He told me one time that peoples love will double cross you sometimes, but a dogs love is faithful too the end. As I grew up I realized those word to ring more true each year.

I was blessed from a very young age to follow 1st Beagles, then graduating to fox hounds, and then finally catching the coon hound bug when I was somewhere near 20 years old. I had hunted coon with Dad all of my life, but I wasn't really bitten by the bug till about the age of 20. I am now 59 years old and have hunted 2 night per week or more since the age of 20, week in and week out.

My father was my mentor as he taught me great things about how a dog learns what is expected of it. He taught me great patience when training hounds. He taught me great ways of encouragement that dogs understand. And much like Claude, he introduced many, many young men and some women in our area, the thrill of the chase on a great coon hunt. Dad is now 89 years old and suffered a stroke in August that has left him very weak, but my hope is that we get to cut them loose in the spring when my knee gets stronger so that I can enjoy at least one more trip to the woods with my Dad.

If that is not in Gods plan, then I will still be very proud of the fact that Dad and I have hunted a couple nights per week for the past 40 years or so and that in its self is a blessing that very few of us get to experience. Again Thanks for sharing and bringing us back to yesteryear, when life may have been just a little more simpler. Happy Holidays!!!!

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Registered: Jan 2011
Location: Kentucky
Posts: 702

Thanks Dave and that too is a great story. My hope and prayer is that your father will regain his strength and you and him will again get to turn those ticked up dogs loose. Take some pics when that day comes and cherish them. This life is just a drop in the bucket to what is to come. I don't know if we will hunt raccoons in Heaven or even want to but I do know this, we will never again say goodbye to the ones we love. Thanks for sharing and if you ever get the chance come on down for a hunt with the Uptight gang, we like visiting and hunting with good people, God bless and you too have a Merry Christmas!!

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Registered: Feb 2004
Location: NE south dakota
Posts: 260

A couple of great stories about a couple great and unselfish men, thanks for sharing. Gene Parrow

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