Registered: Jun 2023
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What breed were the 3 dogs and could you explain there hunting style/ability what you really liked about them and what you didnt.i know everyone doesn't like the same thing.

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My first Top Coon Dog was a bluetick/ mt. cur cross. He had the brains of the cur nose of the bluetick and drive of the hound blood. He was deadly accurate, he had the hunt and nose to go with the brains and had one thing on his mind when cut loose and that was to tree a coon. Handled like a dream. I could write a book on him and his abilities. The next 2 dogs were both registered Walkers. They had the brains, nose, and drive and excelled in coon treeing. All 3 of these dogs had one thing on their mind every time the were cut loose and that was to tree a coon. You could cut them with trashy dogs, slick treers, etc and they paid no attention, they would tree a coon. I hunted in all kinds of weather, rain, snow, single digit temperatures, did not bother these dogs at all. These were dogs that you never made an excuse for, they always produced coons. When a lot if hunters were either at home or treeing den trees, I was treeing coons every night. I opened a lot of eyes with these 3 dogs taking other coon hunters with them, some wanted to hunt with these dogs over and over and did so, saying they had never seen such a dog. Every coon hunter in my part of the country knew about these dogs during the times I owned them and they were the talk of the town. I would not take any thing for the memories these 3 dogs provided me. I am now 75 and NOT in good health, so my coon hunting days are numbered. I only have 1 dog currently, a Dual Grand Night Champion, a good dog, but a far cry from those 3 dogs. Dave

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Dave Richards Treeing Walkers Reg American Saddlebred and Registered Rocky Mt. Show Horses

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Thanks for thewalk down memory lane.alwaya like hearing other hunters stories about there dogs.sounds like they were a ton of fun to hunt.

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I thank you for asking about these dogs as I love recalling the many fond memories they brought to me and the many nights I spent hunting with those dogs. All 3 dogs were deadly accurate tree dogs, something I expect in all my dogs, but is hard to find. Dave

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Dave Richards Treeing Walkers Reg American Saddlebred and Registered Rocky Mt. Show Horses

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Dave, I was hunting last night and really evaluating my dog. I look at every hole one has. I listed them for my buddy and we decided if we could find a dog that filled those holes 1. He wouldn't be for sale, 2. I couldn't afford him if he was and 3. He would be amazing to hunt. I really like my dog and he has a permanent home And he doesn't have many holes. One of the 5 best I've ever owned but I don't call him a top dog. Would really like to own one like the 3 you described.

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Tom Wood

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I think you have a pretty nice dog, one that you enjoy. Honestly, a real top coon coon is not only rare, but they spoil you to the point that nothing less is not as enjoyable as it could be. I was spoiled by my first one in my twenties and judged every dog by him thereafter. Some were decent dogs but I did not enjoy them near as much due to measuring them against a truly outstanding dog. My next top dog was in my early 40's and heart was broke when she got killed on a railroad track. I almost quit hunting at that time, took a year or so before I started back thinking I would never find another one that good. My last one was in my later 60's. There was a lot of years and a lot of dogs between those 3 dogs and I never fully liked any of them as they all had faults. Some were minor and some were not, but took away from my satisfaction. Looking back I would not take anything from the memories of those 3 dogs, but have few good memories of all the rest. Now, I hunted and had fun with several dogs besides those 3, but it was definitely not the same experience, as I knew there were better dogs somewhere. I was always looking for that Top Coon Dog not good or average. If you have not seen or hunting with a Top Coon Dog you really tend to enjoy what you have. My best wishes to you, enjoy hunting what you have. Dave p.s. I spent a lot of time and money finding those 3 over a 50 year period, the last one belonged to my hunting buddy and we hunted together, he had a young dog coming on and I bought him under the condition we would hunt together. The other 2 were bought due to the amount of money I gave for them.

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Dave Richards Treeing Walkers Reg American Saddlebred and Registered Rocky Mt. Show Horses

Last edited by Dave Richards on 05-10-2024 at 11:22 PM

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I've been reading along with yalls conversation and was wondering if you had a dog that might not have been a very top dog but you just enjoyed it more than any other dog you hunted. I know my favorite hound was not the best one I ever went to the woods with but he sure pleased me!.......pardon my interruption

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quote:

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Originally posted by 2ol2hunt
I've been reading along with yalls conversation and was wondering if you had a dog that might not have been a very top dog but you just enjoyed it more than any other dog you hunted. I know my favorite hound was not the best one I ever went to the woods with but he sure pleased me!.......pardon my interruption

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Dave Richards Treeing Walkers Reg American Saddlebred and Registered Rocky Mt. Show Horses

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I absolutely had the experience of the dog your talking about.It was in the mid 70's. I thought i had a decent coon dog.I just figured there wern't many coon as i had treed very few. Then i went hunting with a dog named Sam.He was a walker dog, don't remember his kennel name.He was owned by a man named Dolan Bodenhaufer in Iowa. He literally embarrassed me and my mut. Since that day i have tried to have better dogs.

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quote:

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Originally posted by critter
I absolutely had the experience of the dog your talking about.It was in the mid 70's. I thought i had a decent coon dog.I just figured there wern't many coon as i had treed very few. Then i went hunting with a dog named Sam.He was a walker dog, don't remember his kennel name.He was owned by a man named Dolan Bodenhaufer in Iowa. He literally embarrassed me and my mut. Since that day i have tried to have better dogs.

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How we have “BETTER” hounds today then years ago, but it looks like the Top Hounds that most had were the 60s 70s models???

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OLD TIMER

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quote:

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Originally posted by OLD TIMER
How we have “BETTER” hounds today then years ago, but it looks like the Top Hounds that most had were the 60s 70s models???

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Donald Bergeron

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Most would tree more then 1 or 2 raccoon in a hour😉

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OLD TIMER

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quote:

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Originally posted by shadinc
Or maybe those hounds that that looked great 40 years ago might be average against today's dogs.

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Dave Richards Treeing Walkers Reg American Saddlebred and Registered Rocky Mt. Show Horses

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I'm often asked if UKC 2015 Grandmasters Gr. Nt Ch Klear Kry Deventers Penney is the best dog that I ever owned. People ask this because I competition hunted her. The best dog that I ever followed was Nt. Ch Clearwater Michelob. I put myself through college at KSU and took two poor quality hounds to college with me, because I grewup on a 160 acre farm at Adams, Ks which was 160 miles college at Manhattan, Ks. and my parents wouldn't keep them.
After graduation in 1971, i worked for Walnut Grove Products in Atlantic, Iowa, a animal feed mfg company. One of my goals after Graduation was to own a quality hound. I bought Michelob from Bud Ralls, a professional card player and Dog Jockey. Mick was a started dog, but I hauled him all over the Midwest hunting Mick with all the highly advertised breeders looking for someone producing the perfect dog that I read about in Full Cry and American Cooner while going to college. Mick continued to improve and I never found a better dog, but found one of his equal owned by Bud Keller of Collins, Mo. Gr.Nt Ch. Kellers Mike, a single registered english dog, was the only dog. Mick made Nt Ch with three first place wins and that was 3 hour hunts with 50 to 150 dogs in the hunt. He was a first strike and first tree dog that almost Never made a mistake. He dominated a hunt and after the first coon the other dogs would just quit trying and follow his lead.

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I know this is about coon dogs…mine was a hog dog out of coon dogs and a few bear dogs…I am a very analytical person and so at 10 weeks he was better than any 10 week old pup I owned, and that analysis applied in all stages of his life…at 4 months he was striking and running tracks for short distances and of course those accomplishments were very exciting to me and it was indicative of what he would be one day…another time one of my best dogs came running by and ran over a track that looked fresh enough to take and he kept right on going…this pup took the track and ran it backwards…I was very excited on what he had done…my buddy says, why are you so pumped up? He was running the track backwards…I said to him, yes he was running it backwards but he’s not even 5 months old and he was smelling what my best dog couldn’t smell…at 10 months old he was hard to beat…at a year old he was unbeatable…

His brain power was in a league of its own…as a pup his brain power was amazing…many times when I write it is not about ordinary hunting dogs…I write about what he has taught me…I’ve had 5 and 6 generations that go back to him that some were outstanding and would look good in any company but none like him…whether talking about pups or as grown dogs, he is the measuring stick…

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Loved both posts, a Top dog just stands out no matter what sport or hunting you choose. Once you experience a Top Coon Dog or other top dog in any type of hunting arena, you never look at dogs in the same way. Mr. Risley has owned some really nice dogs and definitely know what a Top Coon Dog is. I have much respect for Ken Risley and you too Rueben as someone who knows and cherishes a Top performing dog. Many hunters never get the opportunity to see such dogs perform and do not even think they exist. Seeing is believing, once you see such a dog you will never forget the experience. My first such dog was in my twenties and opened my eyes as I had owned or hunted with some pretty good dogs, but never one as good as he was. It took me a long time to find another top coon dog, but knowing they did exist made my desire that much more to find another one like him. 3 dogs in over 50 years of coon hunting and desiring the best shows that they are indeed rare and hard to find. I definitely would have liked to own the female Ken Risley owned that he mentioned in his post. Dave

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Dave Richards Treeing Walkers Reg American Saddlebred and Registered Rocky Mt. Show Horses

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GrNt Deventers Klear Kry Penney is still alive and in excellent. She was 13 years old in March and could still win. I have never seen a better physically active 13 year and she still comes in heat. She has extreme intelligence and the desire to please.
In 1980 Clifford Jones and I went to Autumn Oaks. It was in Michigan and we'd never been there. We didn't hunt. Duane Clark and Rock were there in the stud barn and there was a big crowd around Duane, Boone and Rock. I had taken my Mick dog and hunted with Duane, Boone and Rock the year after ROCK won the big PCA Money hunt. I was waiting for the crowd to clear to say Hi to Mr. Clark, when he came through the crowd and shook my hand and asked how Mick was doing. The only time Id met Duane was when I drove to Crane, Mo and we hunted all night and only treed three coon. One was across the White River, which was about 200 yards wide and we could see the coon in the tree from across the river. I was young green hunter and didn't realize how good Mick was, but Duane did! Mick had first and first on all three coon that night.

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I would feed Penny anytime, followed her when she won National and most of the post about her you have ever made, she is my kind of dog. Mick must have been special for you to brag on him as you do not brag much, a trait I respect in you. My 3rd top coon dog was still treeing coons at age 13 rain, snow, etc made no difference. He died at 15, still miss him. Dave

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Dave Richards Treeing Walkers Reg American Saddlebred and Registered Rocky Mt. Show Horses

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Ken, one of my biggest regrets was not coming up and hunting with Penny when she was in her prime and I was in shape to follow her all night. Dave p.s. I have always read good things about Deventers bloodlines, one being he kept it close to home and was picky as to who got any of his bloodlines. He was a true coon hunter first and foremost.

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Dave Richards Treeing Walkers Reg American Saddlebred and Registered Rocky Mt. Show Horses

Last edited by Dave Richards on 05-13-2024 at 05:48 PM

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quote:

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Originally posted by buff1978
do you remember his breeding by chance.

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Always be yourself because the people that matter dont mind and the people that mind dont matter.Rock River Plotts

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Guy I knew back then had a stephens cur that would get deep and alone.left a jacket where the truck was parked and come back and pick him up in the morning.this was before tracking systems.not my type of dog I would much rather have one that checks back in.

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quote:

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Originally posted by OLD TIMER
How we have “BETTER” hounds today then years ago, but it looks like the Top Hounds that most had were the 60s 70s models???

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I like your list of requirements to be a Top Coon Dog, except the 10 minute strike and tree. I would also, include that they should be able to tree coons that other good dogs can not even smell and be deadly accurate when they tree. I hunt in mountains mostly and some tracks take longer than 10 minutes to tree in this rough terrain. I have hunted a lot in flat ground and tracks there definitely tree faster than in these mountains. In flat ground you can tree a lot more layups than in the mountains. Thicker coon populations make treeing coons much easier than in thin coons. A top coon dog just operates at a high lever regardless of where you hunt. Dave

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Dave Richards Treeing Walkers Reg American Saddlebred and Registered Rocky Mt. Show Horses

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Dave Richards
I totally agree with you.
When I say averages less than ten minutes on coon that most dogs can't smell. It might take an hour to track the first coon, but less than five minutes each to tree the other coon that were traveling with the first one. Most nice dogs can't count coon.

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