G.W. Harring
UKC Forum Member
Registered: Nov 2016
Location: Nebraska
Posts: 65 |
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Pat,
I can tell you are passionate about the sport and I respect that. I post very little, but thought I would share “my opinion” which by the way combined with a nickel might get you a 5 cent cigar. I’m an old, fat, broke down hay seed from Nebraska that never claimed to know anything, but like you, I enjoy coon hunting. I guess we both have that passion in common. Although I have been to a couple big shows in a couple KC’s I’ll tell you I’m a hide hunter at heart and that may be where “my opinion” comes from.
Without taking up 10 pages (as I’m surely not a typist) I’ll try to answer your questions. If I fail to explain “my opinion” to your satisfaction feel free to give me a call (402) 209-5053 as it may be easier for me to explain and I enjoy talking dogs anyway. You sure aren’t required to agree with me, last I checked this is an open forum and you are more than entitled to “your opinion” as well. We can’t all like the same things and that’s what makes the world go around. After all, neither you nor I are right or wrong, we’re just sharing opinions.
I said strikes should all be equal just to have a method for accountability if you are going to even give strike points(this covers your must prove open trail) But more on that later with a suggestion on what to do with strike points all together.
Yes, the dogs I have at this time are fairly quick to open. Why am I hunting dogs that are quick to open?? Because that’s just how they are?? I’d still hunt the same dogs if they were slow to open. Like I said, I put no weight in which dog barks first. One of my best dogs back in the late 80’s was a 3-4 strike dog and that was back when they would scratch a babbler, not promote one. He was also a 1st tree dog that had COONS in ANY company and he did because he was a good/fast track dog in a pack or by himself and he didn’t care which, but he got it done quickly. Some dogs open more when the track gets tough and most open more when it gets hot, he opened less and used his brain and nose and not his mouth. He also caught a lot of coon on the ground. I have a dog now that is quick to open and uses plenty of mouth, but also catches his share (the most was 3 in one night) The getting your head open quickly is the easy part, any dog can bark at coon scent or any scent or at NO SCENT AT ALL for that matter, but that doesn’t tree the coon and in “my opinion” doesn’t qualify you to be a coondog nor should you get an advantage over one that is. I’ve never skinned or sold a dog bark yet.
(You say) My answer...I disagree. Opening coincides with striking and yes some do open as soon as they get the scent A hard hunting get gone dog you are basically saying should have no advantage of points over the other three dogs in the cast lulling around that then cover the dog that did all the work? Then you say they should all get equal credit? That is just plain absolutely crazy.
Yes, I agree some open as soon as they get scent, but more often than not now days that scent is dirt and you nor anybody else but the good Lord can determine which one. It appears by your statement that you are assuming that a dog that opens quickly “is a hard going get gone dog” I don’t agree. Nothing ties those to aspects together. I’ve witnessed both extremes as I’m sure you have too.
I realize if you hunt in a KC’s hunt you follow their rules and if they gave points for the dog that pissed first there would be people pouring water down their dog’s throat and have them on an IV before every hunt and probably be breeding for smaller bladders. If your goal is to win hunts, then you better be hunting a dog that can win by that KC’s rules or you’re taking a knife to a gun fight because I’ll promise you the people you are going to compete against are and should be. After all, those are their rules right? If that was my goal you can bet I’d be hunting an accurate babbling loaner. Why not try to get them strike points, all you have to do is bark.
Let’s work this backwards. The end goal is what? TREE COON! That said, as “just plain absolutely crazy” as you may think this idea is, humor me for a little bit and imagine a hunt with these rules…….
Rule #1: Common sense and integrity shall rule out on all decisions. All ties will be broke with a coin flip.
1st tree – 100pts, tie the dog with 1st tree while scoring and cut the rest if any (optional), squall the full 3 mins, split pts if caught on ground. NO other tree points given, NO strike pts, NO circle pts, NO minus pts, NO leash lock (cut him in 1 second or leave him on the leash all night handlers decision) treat it like you were pleasure hunting with a rifle during hide season and keeping track of which dog treed the most coon in a set amount of time by the number of hides you held at the end. You could write the rules on the back of a match book cover and as crazy as those rules may seem to you, they make perfect sense to me. Why? Because a dog that could consistently win under those rules would be a coon dog in my eyes. If your haul’n a back packer you’re donating your entry to a coon dog. If you rely on first “bark” points to carry you, again donate. If you usually win by trying to get everyone else minused, donate. Slick tree’r that wins by circle pts,….donate. BUUUT first strike dog, last strike dog, bark at a fart, if you have a dominate track drive’n dog that trees real live coons faster than the rest in your cast, my gosh, you should win a lot!! And congratulations, “IN MY OPINION” you have a coon dog.
Safe hunt'n - Greg
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CORNERSTONE TREEING WALKERS
Greg & Marcia Harring
Syracuse, Nebraska
402-209-5053
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