Registered: Jun 2007
Location: jacksonville, nc
Posts: 2856

I'm 72 and my dogs are getting old too. I road hunt and so my dogs have to stay in front of the truck. My 10 1/2 year old plott is now content to stay even with my door window. my 9 year old kemmer cur now runs in 2nd place, behind my 7 year old cur and 7 yr old red tick. It saddens me to see them age so fast. I'm conflicted about getting another dog. I don't want to die and leave an old to some one else to care for. No one wants someone else's old dog. I think when my plott dies I might get a grown dog to keep me going to the end. when you get old, you have life and not so much life expectancy.

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happiness is: being saved by the grace of GOD! i'm happy and hope you are too!

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5738

Thanks to each and everyone of you for the nice compliments, they mean a lot to me. I have always been healthy, but this fall and injury has opened my eyes, accidents definitely are not planned, but can happen anytime. I hope to better prepare myself in the future ( did not even have my cell phone with me ) Not being able to walk at all is more than scary, we ALL need to realize that we need our cell phones with us, just in case. I was lucky enough to make it back to my house, I could have laid there for hours until my wife got home. Yes, being Mr. Macho is a liability for each of us, I fired Mr. Macho yesterday and will never hire him back. Lol. Dave

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

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5738

Lol. Hunting does not improve a average dog ability, all that hunting does is get them in physical shape. You first have to have the metal that can take an edge and stay sharp, just like a good knife. If the metal is subpar, you can sharpen all day and the knife just will not hold it's edge or stay sharp. Average dogs are just like that, you can hunt them every night and they are still only average. Some folks think hunting will make a dog a top coon dog and that's WRONG. You have to have something to work with. If hunting could make top coon dogs, we would have tons if top coon dogs and the truth is, we have very few. Hunting is just practice and what we are hunting has to have all the tools to make a top coon dog or it's just wasted practice. A average person can practice every day and WILL NOT ever be Piano Master or superstar basketball player. Dave

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

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
Posts: 10790

Dave I sometimes talk aloof smack mostly just to stir the board lol. But take it from sombody that knows without good legs your coonhunting is limited. And sometimes you just can’t get through the pain to want to go. When I have a pain free day I bounce off the walls. It just mentally drains me sometimes.



Tar

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5738

I am one of your friend that know about your health issues and just how much effort you put into coon hunting. Lots of folks with your health issues would have done called COON hunting quits. Unless a man has walked a mile in another man's shoes, he does not know what the other man goes through. I realize that there are many folks who have way more health issues than myself and hopefully, my issues will be resolved in the near future ( at least I hope so ). Looking across a room and realizing how hard it WILL be to get across that room is not my cup of tea. Walking is something most of us take for granted ( I did ) and not being able to walk at all is definitely an eye opener for me. Call me after 5 pm when my wife's at home to answer the phone. Dave

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

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
Posts: 10790

Dave sometimes it’s like being in a fight with your hands tied behind your back. Only advice I got is when it happened to me I went through pain management they had me on so much stuff I was like a zombie I stopped it. You have to build up a tolerance for pain. Bayer back and body aspirin and hemp oil I order on amazon is all I take. You just have bad days that nothing helps. Coonhunting is just when I feel like it and when I can do it at my own pace. But I still want it amazing for the young folks and everything I do is for them. I will call you after while get some rest.



Tar

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Registered: Nov 2011
Location: Freeport,TX
Posts: 2003

quote:

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Originally posted by Dave Richards
Lol. Hunting does not improve a average dog ability, all that hunting does is get them in physical shape. You first have to have the metal that can take an edge and stay sharp, just like a good knife. If the metal is subpar, you can sharpen all day and the knife just will not hold it's edge or stay sharp. Average dogs are just like that, you can hunt them every night and they are still only average. Some folks think hunting will make a dog a top coon dog and that's WRONG. You have to have something to work with. If hunting could make top coon dogs, we would have tons if top coon dogs and the truth is, we have very few. Hunting is just practice and what we are hunting has to have all the tools to make a top coon dog or it's just wasted practice. A average person can practice every day and WILL NOT ever be Piano Master or superstar basketball player. Dave

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Training dogs is not so much about quantity, it's more about timing, and the right situations...After that it's up to the dog....A hunting dog is born...

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5738

Thank you for your kind words, I am starting to feel somewhat better as the swelling is going down, will see the Orthopedic doctor on Monday for a more ACCURATE assessment on my injury. I found out years ago that hunting was not the answer for having a top coon dog or top any kind of dog. Just like any craftsman can tell you, the better materials you have to work with, the better product you will produce. Old saying is that you can not make a silk purse out of a sows ear and I agree. Lol. Dave

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

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Registered: Nov 2009
Location: West Virginia
Posts: 117

Dave, not a youngster here either. Hate to hear of your injury.I am too far away or I would gladly put out the hay for you. Not sure how much longer I can put out my own hay.ha Stuff like that keeps us going, I guess.

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Registered: Nov 2011
Location: Freeport,TX
Posts: 2003

quote:

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Originally posted by yadkintar
I still got all but two of my teeth and most of my hair I just can’t remember where I put them.


Tar

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Training dogs is not so much about quantity, it's more about timing, and the right situations...After that it's up to the dog....A hunting dog is born...

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5738

I am starting to realize that ALL those things we were told when we were younger are indeed true, things like forgetting phone numbers, or where we put something. Things I thought would never happen to me, WRONG! My mind tells me one thing and the mirror tells me something else, gone are the days when I actually thought that I was bulletproof. My recent fall was a prime example that bulletproof I am NOT. Lol. Dave

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

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5738

Thanks for the kind words and the offer, lucky for me, I have local friends that have offered their assistance and help. Thank GOD for friends, a man can never have enough. Dave

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

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Registered: Feb 2015
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 1183

quote:

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Originally posted by Dave Richards
Lol. Hunting does not improve a average dog ability, all that hunting does is get them in physical shape. You first have to have the metal that can take an edge and stay sharp, just like a good knife. If the metal is subpar, you can sharpen all day and the knife just will not hold it's edge or stay sharp. Average dogs are just like that, you can hunt them every night and they are still only average. Some folks think hunting will make a dog a top coon dog and that's WRONG. You have to have something to work with. If hunting could make top coon dogs, we would have tons if top coon dogs and the truth is, we have very few. Hunting is just practice and what we are hunting has to have all the tools to make a top coon dog or it's just wasted practice. A average person can practice every day and WILL NOT ever be Piano Master or superstar basketball player. Dave

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Tom Wood

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Registered: Feb 2012
Location: airville,pa
Posts: 2078

quote:

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Originally posted by yadkintar
Dave sometimes it’s like being in a fight with your hands tied behind your back. Only advice I got is when it happened to me I went through pain management they had me on so much stuff I was like a zombie I stopped it. You have to build up a tolerance for pain. Bayer back and body aspirin and hemp oil I order on amazon is all I take. You just have bad days that nothing helps. Coonhunting is just when I feel like it and when I can do it at my own pace. But I still want it amazing for the young folks and everything I do is for them. I will call you after while get some rest.



Tar

---

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5738

I know that every dog must be hunted to develope their full ability, my comments are directed to the dogs that have reached their maximum ability and are just average dogs. Hunting can not change the genetic makeup, it just allows what us there to develope , at some point they are not going to get any better. We have tons if digs with average ability, but not many with exceptional ability. Dave

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

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Registered: Jun 2014
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 3464

quote:

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Originally posted by Dave Richards
I know that every dog must be hunted to develope their full ability, my comments are directed to the dogs that have reached their maximum ability and are just average dogs. Hunting can not change the genetic makeup, it just allows what us there to develope , at some point they are not going to get any better. We have tons if digs with average ability, but not many with exceptional ability. Dave

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Donald Bergeron

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Registered: Feb 2015
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 1183

Dave I agree with what you're saying. A lot of dogs just reach a place where that's as good as they are going to get and often even start back the other way. I really wonder if the difference in a good dog and a really good dog is not simply brains. The really good dog just keeps figuring out how to do it better. I doubt the difference in good and really good is nose, tree instinct or any of those things. I think it's just how smart they are. A special kind of smart for what a coon dog does.Hope you are doing better and get good news Monday.

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Tom Wood

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Registered: Mar 2016
Location: Central,illinois
Posts: 569

quote:

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Originally posted by Dave Richards
I know that every dog must be hunted to develope their full ability, my comments are directed to the dogs that have reached their maximum ability and are just average dogs. Hunting can not change the genetic makeup, it just allows what us there to develope , at some point they are not going to get any better. We have tons if digs with average ability, but not many with exceptional ability. Dave

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Registered: Feb 2010
Location: off the res.
Posts: 3422

I'm think it was a mistake to click on this thread. It's depressing for me. I'm older then anyone on this thread, have 3 dogs yet, they might all outlive me. Don't hunt alone anymore. Can't hear like I used to. Can't see as good as I used to. Don't go hunting as much as I used to, but Ill keep hunting for as long as I can. Count your blessings that you are still enjoy your dogs and buddies that hunt, I hunted competition until I was 75. Just remember old age ain't for SISSIES.

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Ignorance: the lack of knowledge, education, etc.
Stupidity: lacking normal intelligence.
Intelligence: the ability to learn or understand.
You can't fix STUPID!

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5738

Brains is the number 1 difference in average and really good dogs. My hunting partner calls it mastering coon treeing and very few digs reach this level. Accuracy, coon sense, etc is brain related and hunting can not put something there that does not exist. I have owned a few average dogs that were fun to hunt, they tried hard to please, they just had limited ability. When we can tell the difference is when we can improve what we are hunting and not waste time on a dog with average ability, it does not cost any more to feed a good one. Dave

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

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Registered: Jan 2013
Location: Marietta
Posts: 10790

quote:

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Originally posted by Bob Hennessey
I'm think it was a mistake to click on this thread. It's depressing for me. I'm older then anyone on this thread, have 3 dogs yet, they might all outlive me. Don't hunt alone anymore. Can't hear like I used to. Can't see as good as I used to. Don't go hunting as much as I used to, but Ill keep hunting for as long as I can. Count your blessings that you are still enjoy your dogs and buddies that hunt, I hunted competition until I was 75. Just remember old age ain't for SISSIES.

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Registered: Aug 2006
Location: Latta, SC
Posts: 1021

I know how you feeling Dave GETTIN OLD IS TUFF ,MENTAL PART AND RECOVERY IS A MONSTER TOO Hang in there ...Facebook,recliner, remote and comfortable transportation WILL BE YOUR BEST FRIEND WHILE YOU,RE DOWN

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Reedy Creek Kennel

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Registered: Jan 2016
Location:
Posts: 624

The way I look at it is we've really got two choices:

1. Complain about all that we can no longer do, complain about our failing bodies and in some cases minds, about all we use to have but no longer do, etc., etc.

2. Accept that fact that we've always known would come, choose to be thankful for all that we had and enjoyed, rejoice in the many fond memories made in our day, light the path that the next generation will one day follow us on, etc.,etc.

My father gave me two huge gifts in his life on earth:

1.) A life long love of the outdoors, hunting, fishing and trapping along with an understanding that all of these present so much more than just the harvest of the fish and game.

2.) That it is possible to age with dignity, be a blessing to those who help you through the final days/years of life and be thankful for the life you've lived.

If I can be half the man he was in the last 10 years of his life I'll be able to step into eternity graciously.

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Dan

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Registered: Mar 2016
Location: Central,illinois
Posts: 569

quote:

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Originally posted by DL NH
The way I look at it is we've really got two choices:

1. Complain about all that we can no longer do, complain about our failing bodies and in some cases minds, about all we use to have but no longer do, etc., etc.

2. Accept that fact that we've always known would come, choose to be thankful for all that we had and enjoyed, rejoice in the many fond memories made in our day, light the path that the next generation will one day follow us on, etc.,etc.

My father gave me two huge gifts in his life on earth:

1.) A life long love of the outdoors, hunting, fishing and trapping along with an understanding that all of these present so much more than just the harvest of the fish and game.

2.) That it is possible to age with dignity, be a blessing to those who help you through the final days/years of life and be thankful for the life you've lived.

If I can be half the man he was in the last 10 years of his life I'll be able to step into eternity graciously.

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
Posts: 5738

Excellent post with a message that came from the heart, a message that if followed will be priceless to all that accept the advice. Dave

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

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