Registered: Feb 2015
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 1111

I have a pretty nice young dog that just has to tree a possum about every 20 hunts. I'm working on it but the question I asked myself last night was "Why do I care so much?" At my age I just pleasure hunt so does it make that much difference? I guess us old dogs just can't change. Just don't like it.

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Tom Wood

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Registered: Nov 2011
Location: north ala.
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I feel the same way, I guess it is just the fact that I want it to be done right by the dogs and a possum just ain't right! Lol

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Registered: Apr 2005
Location: Barnesville, Ga.
Posts: 409

I just go to tree game. I guess I'm a varmint hunter instead of a coon hunter. They sound just as good freeing a possum.

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If It Climbs, It Ain't Trash

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Registered: Apr 2015
Location: church hill tn
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Lol. I am old school and back in my younger days we always had combo dogs, dogs that treed coons and possums. Coons were scarce in my parts and possums were thick, had a lot of fun treeing possums that we would have missed by only treeing coons. NIGHT HUNTS were the cause of possums being considered trash, take away the Night Hunts and possums sound just as good as coons being treed. These days with more coons to tree, I prefer my digs do not mess with possums, but one every now and then does not upset me. Dave

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

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Location: north ala.
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quote:

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Originally posted by Al Medcalf
I just go to tree game. I guess I'm a varmint hunter instead of a coon hunter. They sound just as good freeing a possum.

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Registered: Jun 2014
Location: Louisiana
Posts: 3370

Oh the dreaded possum. He is so much more hated than the slick tree.

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Donald Bergeron

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Location: NW Arkansas
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quote:

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Originally posted by shadinc
Oh the dreaded possum. He is so much more hated than the slick tree.

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Tom Wood

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Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Chattanooga, Tn
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What about those small empty trees that you know they can see that there is nothing up there. Their eyes are a lot better than ours but they keep right on treeing. Or sometimes they will look at you like, "oh well I tried" and leave when you walk up. I think that they just want to see if you will walk in to them.

Or what about when they know that they have treed a possum and they know that they aren't supposed to? They leave and go on when they see your light coming to them. That is what gets me.

How about when 2 males will fight over an obvious slick tree that they have to know is slick? Do you think that they are just frustrated because the coon put the slip on them?

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Registered: Feb 2015
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 1111

Richard I have seen everything you mentioned and I still don't know what they can be thinking or even if they are thinking. How can dogs look so good, even amazing and then look so stupid.

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Tom Wood

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Tried a dog once that treed up a short corn stalk another one treed up a Polk berry stalk! Some things just can't be explained!

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Did anyone ever see a dog that was straight on possum, wouldn't tree a coon?

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Tom Wood

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quote:

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Originally posted by Preacher Tom
Did anyone ever see a dog that was straight on possum, wouldn't tree a coon?

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Registered: Jun 2014
Location: Louisiana
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In 1970 I had a female out of House's Chief. I bred her to Gann's Finisher, I'm sure most of you think that's pretty well bred. My hunting buddy got a male pup (prettiest one in the litter) that would only tree possums. He hunted hard and wide, but when he treed he ALWAYS had a possum. He wouldn't tree a coon with another dog. He was the straightest dog I ever hunted, only on the wrong game. I won't put on here the things he did to try to break him. Nothing ever worked and he kept him 5 years. And I might add he was a natural. He started at 6 months.

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Donald Bergeron

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Donald it just makes sense that if we have a dog occasionally that is straight on coon that somewhere, sometime there should be one straight on possum,lol.

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Tom Wood

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quote:

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Originally posted by 2ol2hunt
Tried a dog once that treed up a short corn stalk another one treed up a Polk berry stalk! Some things just can't be explained!

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Now that is true and I have seen it. I actually saw one dog back another on a corn stalk during a hunt. All you can do is laugh. It is just too much to get mad about. It just brings you back to reality and reminds you that they are just dogs. What else can you say.

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Registered: Aug 2004
Location: Chattanooga, Tn
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quote:

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Originally posted by Preacher Tom
Donald it just makes sense that if we have a dog occasionally that is straight on coon that somewhere, sometime there should be one straight on possum,lol.

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Now that is something to consider. You could think about that for days. Why do some dogs tree possums and some dont? Now we know that possums and coons smell different and dogs can tell the difference. Why do some never want to tree a possum, some will tree only possums and there are dogs that are every degree in between. Some are easy to break, some are hard to break and then some are just impossible to completely break.

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Registered: Nov 2011
Location: north ala.
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Had a nice hound that would tree a possum about every 3 months or so and we tried everything you can imagine to break him but I never got him to where I could trust him. It got to where I was ashamed to discipline him. Finally got rid of him and as far as I know he never changed.

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Registered: Feb 2015
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 1111

When I get in from Church tonight, I'm gonna take this "pretty nice young dog" out and see if he wants to tree coon or possum tonight. Betting on coon. He likes to put several hunts between the possum, lol.

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Tom Wood

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I’d rather have ‘em tree a possum than a porky! Usually when a dog trees a porky it’s soon after it grabbed the thing.

An old friend who is now long gone, had a bluetick he thought the world of get in one so bad he put the dog down right there in the woods. The porky was barren of quills when that dog got through with it! Never before or since have I seen a dog so covered with quills. A hound with any brains won’t get into them more than a time or two a the most!

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Dan

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Just be thankful that you like him most nights! Since my male dog got killed on the highway ive had a hard time finding anything i like to hunt! My male wasn't one of the better dogs I've had over the years but I have had a hard time finding a good pleasure dog that I can enjoy!

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Registered: Feb 2015
Location: NW Arkansas
Posts: 1111

Well I turned him loose at 8:00, went 500 and struck a working track. Moved it about 400 and treed in a big tree in a bunch of big cedars and briars but I found it with the AGM TM25 (that thing is great) and was able to knock it down to him. Big boar, First one he's had in about 2 months. I don't kill many coon. Back in the truck at 8:42. Went home.

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Tom Wood

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