Registered: Dec 2010
Location:
Posts: 1201

What's the difference in ordinary hounds and ones that are 'elite'? So let's set back and ask ourselves, do we really know? I will just ask you this question' if you wanted to be a millionaire would you go to a bridge and ask someone living under it how to do it? In the last few year I've had the opportunity to talk to some of the most successful handlers and breeders to ever live. When people are successful I listen when they talk. I have also had the opportunity to hunt with some of the winningest hounds of all time. I will say what separated them from ordinary was they were all great athletes. They just seemed to do the right things and could do it in a hurry without making mistakes. One thing almost all had was a big moter combined with independence and accuracy. A hound with all this over one hide is hard to find over any color hide. One with these qualities will very often be ' lonely and deep' just off pure ability. I will tell you that all the handlers will tell you the hardest quality to find in a hound is HEART. And one that has it is not for a lazy hunter I promise that. I just want to know if the whole coondawg world is turning into these big wild hunting deep and always alone dogs why do I see very few of them in the $$$$ hunts. Why can't I find any for sale ?

So in order to be elite or have the 'it' factor I've told you what I've seen what successful people have told me you need in a hound. What's your opinion?

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Registered: Jul 2004
Location: Nova Scotia
Posts: 2768

In my opinion, if they have the parts, what separates a good one from a real good one is consistency. They're all gonna have an off night, how bad and how often seperates the coonfogs from the dogs that can tree a coon.

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Registered: Oct 2004
Location: Clarksville, AR
Posts: 1077

You see a lot of dogs with exceptional abilities or qualities in one department or another. Fantastic mouth, big hunt, uncommon accuracy, etc... All too often, these dogs also have a glaring fault that gets overlooked because of the exceptional trait they posess. Guys will hunt and breed a blow down treedog with a monster mouth for years, even though he misses more often than not. Or a dog that never misses, but only gets treed once every 5 hours, or has a sorry mouth but trees coon after coon.

Now there are also alot of gimmick dogs. The ones with what many people would consider faults, that handlers have turned into advantages in hunts (think babblers). Or the ones that throw runaways to be alone, passing coon after coon to do so.

The elite dog to me is abnormally strong in most or all departments. The whole package. He or she is a dog that has all the bells and whistles, without the holes others possess. And they sure aren't making them every day.

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Registered: Jan 2016
Location: Bois d'Arc, MO.
Posts: 1823

I would agree with heart but if you have a superior track dog they don't need "independance" if they tree the coon first anyway!lol tracking ability is what I'd put first on the list I like to see a dog tree the bad ones behind the deep and lonely. I hate that term "deep" and lonely just horse racing retards and I've had a few!!!lol but a dog that hustled off the leash and trees coon behind them bad tracks or layups will walk all over them.

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
Posts: 10790

Rob you can't say it no better than that.

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: North GA
Posts: 14388

quote:

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Originally posted by rob thompson
I would agree with heart but if you have a superior track dog they don't need "independance" if they tree the coon first anyway!lol tracking ability is what I'd put first on the list I like to see a dog tree the bad ones behind the deep and lonely. I hate that term "deep" and lonely just horse racing retards and I've had a few!!!lol but a dog that hustled off the leash and trees coon behind them bad tracks or layups will walk all over them.

---

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Morrison TN
Posts: 4927

quote:

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Originally posted by Cory Highfill
You see a lot of dogs with exceptional abilities or qualities in one department or another. Fantastic mouth, big hunt, uncommon accuracy, etc... All too often, these dogs also have a glaring fault that gets overlooked because of the exceptional trait they posess. Guys will hunt and breed a blow down treedog with a monster mouth for years, even though he misses more often than not. Or a dog that never misses, but only gets treed once every 5 hours, or has a sorry mouth but trees coon after coon.

Now there are also alot of gimmick dogs. The ones with what many people would consider faults, that handlers have turned into advantages in hunts (think babblers). Or the ones that throw runaways to be alone, passing coon after coon to do so.

The elite dog to me is abnormally strong in most or all departments. The whole package. He or she is a dog that has all the bells and whistles, without the holes others possess. And they sure aren't making them every day.

---

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Registered: Jun 2012
Location: McRae Ar
Posts: 3701

quote:

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Originally posted by N Williams
What's the difference in ordinary hounds and ones that are 'elite'? So let's set back and ask ourselves, do we really know? I will just ask you this question' if you wanted to be a millionaire would you go to a bridge and ask someone living under it how to do it? In the last few year I've had the opportunity to talk to some of the most successful handlers and breeders to ever live. When people are successful I listen when they talk. I have also had the opportunity to hunt with some of the winningest hounds of all time. I will say what separated them from ordinary was they were all great athletes. They just seemed to do the right things and could do it in a hurry without making mistakes. One thing almost all had was a big moter combined with independence and accuracy. A hound with all this over one hide is hard to find over any color hide. One with these qualities will very often be ' lonely and deep' just off pure ability. I will tell you that all the handlers will tell you the hardest quality to find in a hound is HEART. And one that has it is not for a lazy hunter I promise that. I just want to know if the whole coondawg world is turning into these big wild hunting deep and always alone dogs why do I see very few of them in the $$$$ hunts. Why can't I find any for sale ?

So in order to be elite or have the 'it' factor I've told you what I've seen what successful people have told me you need in a hound. What's your opinion?

---

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Registered: Jan 2011
Location: Rockmart, Ga.
Posts: 2652

how many times is it natural dog power or how many times is it environment and situations ?

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Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Abbeville S.C.
Posts: 979

There two type dogs one that blast thru the country that gets byhimself with a coon that eats the clock up.And one that maybe a little lazy that has the brains that goes behind the other that leaves the country and trees the ones that that he ran past and runs up a big score. I would say the first one would be better in the south in rough country. the other would be better up north and on the coast in the south in high population coons.One thing for sure they must have heart and be accurate.I would personaly want the one with brains I'm getting to old for the deep hunting one.

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Last edited by mike fleming on 05-31-2016 at 02:58 AM

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Registered: Oct 2004
Location: Clarksville, AR
Posts: 1077

quote:

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Originally posted by Jason Baldwin
how many times is it natural dog power or how many times is it environment and situations ?

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Registered: Jul 2008
Location: USA
Posts: 1650

an elite hound to me is different than most but thats the beauty of the sport we can all have our own opinions.

a good coonhound to me is one that starts early but doesnt fizzle out. if lucky enough to not get killed by hazards of sport hunts at high level through WHOLE LIFE not just for year or two before being burned out. im talking till 10,11,12 plus years old and has the genetics that if kept in shape can be marathon hunted whole life. hunts hard, holds track or tree pressure, accurate all times of year and conditions. i like the lonely in strange company but pack well with familar dogs. thats probably pattern training though. i like dog with enough grit would go through a buzz saw to catch game but still tree or ride in dog box with anything without issue. grit on game and dog mean are two different things. dog has to be smart enough to be voice broke or at least tone broke to catch and walk off trees and shootouts or catches. im lazy and hate leading a dog. most are smart enough can learn with repitition. dog with same smarts can be bomb proof trash broke as well. i wanna know when strikes, runs, and trees isnt running junk then falling off treed.

all that to me is dang nice coon dog but ELITE is one that can also be taken big game hunting and when put on bear, yote, or cat track do the same or at least give its all.

no matter what area of the country you are coon hunting no matter what time of year dog running hard a 100yds or 2 miles and popping up a hot coon isnt elite. same dog that can do that and also run a yote 20 miles on crap snow and catch, run a bear in warm weather 15 miles and catch, cold trail a big cat in crap snow or dry ground for miles and catch. THATS ELITE. very few out there, wish i had a yard full of them.

take your dog out of comfort zone (and your self) then see how elite old shep is. ive done it time after time and brings a guy down to earth. LOL.

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Registered: Sep 2007
Location: Glenmont,Ohio
Posts: 1188

Elite dogs from what I've seen and owned all had big hustle which put them deep and alone often. Most of all they gotta have coons when they tree.They don't always have to be deep, but often are. They don't use up a lot of clock if they are good at it. I hunted a dog last winter that was .5 to .6 mile at a average speed of 6-7.5 mph. It would be treed in 10-15 min and often traveled over 2 mi to do this. Was that a straight line hunter? Was it blowing past coon? I don't think so in either case, I do know I hunted 5 casts and never had a dog treed with it. Very accurate independent dog that covered a lot of ground fast.

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Registered: Sep 2007
Location: Glenmont,Ohio
Posts: 1188

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mnb&t
an elite hound to me is different than most but thats the beauty of the sport we can all have our own opinions.

a good coonhound to me is one that starts early but doesnt fizzle out. if lucky enough to not get killed by hazards of sport hunts at high level through WHOLE LIFE not just for year or two before being burned out. im talking till 10,11,12 plus years old and has the genetics that if kept in shape can be marathon hunted whole life. hunts hard, holds track or tree pressure, accurate all times of year and conditions. i like the lonely in strange company but pack well with familar dogs. thats probably pattern training though. i like dog with enough grit would go through a buzz saw to catch game but still tree or ride in dog box with anything without issue. grit on game and dog mean are two different things. dog has to be smart enough to be voice broke or at least tone broke to catch and walk off trees and shootouts or catches. im lazy and hate leading a dog. most are smart enough can learn with repitition. dog with same smarts can be bomb proof trash broke as well. i wanna know when strikes, runs, and trees isnt running junk then falling off treed.

all that to me is dang nice coon dog but ELITE is one that can also be taken big game hunting and when put on bear, yote, or cat track do the same or at least give its all.

no matter what area of the country you are coon hunting no matter what time of year dog running hard a 100yds or 2 miles and popping up a hot coon isnt elite. same dog that can do that and also run a yote 20 miles on crap snow and catch, run a bear in warm weather 15 miles and catch, cold trail a big cat in crap snow or dry ground for miles and catch. THATS ELITE. very few out there, wish i had a yard full of them.

take your dog out of comfort zone (and your self) then see how elite old shep is. ive done it time after time and brings a guy down to earth. LOL.

Sounds like you need a shock collar!!! Lol just kidding I believe a big game hound is a different animal in its self.

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Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Chattanooga, Tn
Posts: 22586

quote:

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Originally posted by N Williams
....I will just ask you this question' if you wanted to be a millionaire would you go to a bridge and ask someone living under it how to do it?.......

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Then why in the world are you asking this question on the message board? Shouldn't you be asking it at an actual coonhunt?

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Registered: Jul 2008
Location: thomas springs tn
Posts: 404

Consistency night in and night out

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