Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

I learned a valuable lesson last night... one of my dogs got out of pocket and treed deep in a river bottom, where I wasn't sure who the owner was, and it was late at night. I was really tempted to drive back an adjacent corn field, and just quickly "get in and get out". But instead, I decided to knock on the door of a nearby house. After I pulled back their long drive, and excited all their dogs, I saw the semi parked in the drive, and figured I made a big mistake waking it's driver at that later hour. I thought even more so, when this big guy threw the door open and came marching my way, asking what I wanted! I quickly told him I was sincerely sorry for bothering him at that late hour, when he surprised me and said, “no problem, what's up?"

I quickly explained where I was hunting and how my dog got behind his house. He then explained that he had moved from California to rural Indiana to get away from all the noise, and everyone but him in his family were hunters, but that he had never heard of chasing raccoon with dogs. And he wanted to know a bit more. So I explained “how it worked” and he smiled and said that was the craziest thing he had ever heard of, but that it sounded cool! I then asked if he thought I could hunt on his property in the future, and he said not only yes, but that he encouraged it, since the raccoon were tearing into his trash on a regular basis.

I exchanged phone numbers with the man, shook his hand, and left to hunt somewhere else. When I got down the road I received a text from this guy, thanking me for taking the time to explain coon hunting to him, and that he hoped to join me some time. He closed with God Bless, from him and his family.

Could I have “snuck” in and got my dogs… probably so, but I wouldn’t have made a friend and gained permission to hunt a 70 acre patch of river bottom!

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David Schmidt
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Very Nice

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: North GA
Posts: 14388

I thought you had moved to NC. You back in the land of plenty coon?

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Michael Ghorley

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

I can't seem to make up my mind! For now, I'm back in the land of plenty...

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David Schmidt
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Registered: May 2005
Location: Bellevue, IA
Posts: 1874

Dave,
that may have worked for you this time. I was hunting a 30 acre patch of woods this winter and the dog crossed the road and got treed behind a guys house. I knew this person don't like anyone hunting without permission. Beings the dog was right behind the house I went and told him what was up and the landowner blew up at me. He told me 30 acres was not big enough to turn a hound loose on that I shouldn't be hunting there and I respectfully disagreed. Long story short he never would have knew I was there if I "got in and got out" as he thought his dogs were barking at coyotes.

Needless to say he didn't let our group deer hunt this year. I wonder if that was the reason.

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Registered: Mar 2013
Location: Rover,Arkansas
Posts: 1133

quote:

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Originally posted by T Felderman
Dave,
that may have worked for you this time. I was hunting a 30 acre patch of woods this winter and the dog crossed the road and got treed behind a guys house. I knew this person don't like anyone hunting without permission. Beings the dog was right behind the house I went and told him what was up and the landowner blew up at me. He told me 30 acres was not big enough to turn a hound loose on that I shouldn't be hunting there and I respectfully disagreed. Long story short he never would have knew I was there if I "got in and got out" as he thought his dogs were barking at coyotes.

Needless to say he didn't let our group deer hunt this year. I wonder if that was the reason.

---

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YOU CAN'T POLISH A TURD !

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Registered: May 2015
Location: IN
Posts: 2760

Mr. Jeff, luckily a 30 acre woods around here with 15 or 20 dens and surrounded by corn hold a lot of coon, others wise we would be screwed. Hunting during rut is the real challenge, you never know where you will end up

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Registered: Sep 2014
Location:
Posts: 562

deschmidt27 , good story and i am glad you made a new friend and gained some new hunting land to boot ..

Jeff Prince , i have large tracks of land to hunt and some smaller tracks close to 20 acres , i find myself hunting the smaller ones as much or more than the larger ones because they hold game , if you have dogs that want blow through small tracks it will pay off to hunt them ''

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

Jeff - hunting up here is a lot different than down your way! I had a guy ask me to hunt his little 9 acre patch, because the coon were tearing things up in his horse barn. We hunted it over several nights and took 12 coon out of there! Now, that's not exactly the norm, but if I had a dog that couldn't get treed in that 9 acre patch, packed full of coon, then I believe he would be finding a new home!

T. Felderman - you know as well as I, that there are all kinds of folks. And not every apology is going to be met with kindness, much less permission to hunt their property, but it does happen. In fact it's happened to me on more than one occasion. So... I for one will keep trying!

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David Schmidt
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Registered: Aug 2008
Location: SE Ohio, Glouster
Posts: 2244

Dave, You absolutely did the right thing and for that I applaud you. You see we coon hunters get a bad rap from almost every direction. Even local game wardens have no clue what coon hunting is about, they simply base their opinion on what some other land owner has told them. As for getting screamed at, well that has happened to me to, but if you remain calm, and explain that you didn't intend to end up there, after a bit, that land owner will usually walk away with a different opinion of a coon hunter. Its just that we MUST remain calmer than the guy doing the screaming.

Not only did you find a place to hunt, but it also sounds as if you may have found a man with a yearning for the Lord. If that is true, then both of you received a blessing on that night. Take Care!!

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Registered: Mar 2013
Location: Rover,Arkansas
Posts: 1133

Wow I knew you had a better coon population than we do but treeing12 in 9 acres blows my mind. I've just started messing with a pup wish I could put her in coon like that for a couple weeks. You could find out what your working with pretty quick. I'd say on average my dog goes over a quarter mile and probably closer to a half mile to strike one where I hunt.

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Registered: Oct 2006
Location: mechanicsburg, Oh
Posts: 1184

Around here a 30 acre patch is a nice patch.. I had the same thing happen a few weeks back.. Only mine ended with landowner turning his getman Shepard out on me and calling the cops. I had to do what I should've done in the first place.. just went and got my dog..

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

Dave - you're absolutely right, with regards to the blessing!

Jeff - I think those coon were congregating because of the easy pickens in that horse barn! And what you described on distance to get a strike, is what I experienced in North Carolina... and boy am I glad to be back up here!

Bottom line, in my opinion, is that we can't let bad apples, make us bad apples! If a dog is treed in a strange woods with no house around and no signs telling us who the owner is, and especially in extreme weather conditions, then maybe "get in and get out" as opposed to risking your dogs health, is acceptable. But ignoring that house, next to the woods, just because you don't want an argument, is really no excuse! Would any of us, want someone else to treat our personal property, that way??? Maybe, just maybe that land owner is a jerk, because of their prior experience with other coon hunters???

I stopped and asked for permission, at a place a couple years ago, and the owner was polite, but explained how a couple coon hunters had walked through his yard, and shot a coon off his barn, that prior season, and now he and his wife won't let anyone on the property. Now, shooting that coon out, is more than just "get in and get out" but the point is, a couple of fellow coon hunters, ruined it for the rest of us! And I'd rather take a tongue lashing, before I become the guy that ruins it for my fellow hunters!

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David Schmidt
219-614-0654

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Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Willard Oh.
Posts: 1255

Dave you ought to stop by and ask that owner to go with you one night, might have a hunting partner out of it!

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Registered: Apr 2008
Location: sugarcreekohio
Posts: 1347

quote:

---

Originally posted by deschmidt27
I learned a valuable lesson last night... one of my dogs got out of pocket and treed deep in a river bottom, where I wasn't sure who the owner was, and it was late at night. I was really tempted to drive back an adjacent corn field, and just quickly "get in and get out". But instead, I decided to knock on the door of a nearby house. After I pulled back their long drive, and excited all their dogs, I saw the semi parked in the drive, and figured I made a big mistake waking it's driver at that later hour. I thought even more so, when this big guy threw the door open and came marching my way, asking what I wanted! I quickly told him I was sincerely sorry for bothering him at that late hour, when he surprised me and said, “no problem, what's up?"

I quickly explained where I was hunting and how my dog got behind his house. He then explained that he had moved from California to rural Indiana to get away from all the noise, and everyone but him in his family were hunters, but that he had never heard of chasing raccoon with dogs. And he wanted to know a bit more. So I explained “how it worked” and he smiled and said that was the craziest thing he had ever heard of, but that it sounded cool! I then asked if he thought I could hunt on his property in the future, and he said not only yes, but that he encouraged it, since the raccoon were tearing into his trash on a regular basis.

I exchanged phone numbers with the man, shook his hand, and left to hunt somewhere else. When I got down the road I received a text from this guy, thanking me for taking the time to explain coon hunting to him, and that he hoped to join me some time. He closed with God Bless, from him and his family.

Could I have “snuck” in and got my dogs… probably so, but I wouldn’t have made a friend and gained permission to hunt a 70 acre patch of river bottom!

---

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Registered: Jun 2008
Location: Burlington, CT
Posts: 1758

Cheyenne - I already asked, and he said he drives 3 out of 4 weeks each month, but if he's home, he'll join me!

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David Schmidt
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Registered: Mar 2011
Location: Union Point,GA
Posts: 264

So far this year me and a buddy have acquired roughly 800 acres of new areas to hunt Just by getting out and talking to neighboring properties. We let them know we were going to be hunting nearby and not to be alarmed if they saw us parked or see a dog. Most of them thanked us for letting them know and even got permission to hunt there property as well. My buddy even started doing some yard work for 2 of them.

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Matt Bryan/Thorn Creek

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

Jeff,
I think sometimes I take all the country we have to hunt for granted, but I cant imagine having that many coons in small wood lots. My dogs would blow through 30 acres before they stop to empty out. I'm gunshy about turning loose in a block that's only 400 acres...

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Registered: Jan 2016
Location: Coal Country, WV.
Posts: 165

It's the nature of the person. Some would rather ask for forgiveness than permission. I always go straight to a person's door if I have to go on their property. Corse, where I live everybody expects someone to be coming to a treed dog no matter who's land it's on. Been like that ever since I can remember.

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location:
Posts: 737

quote:

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Originally posted by Cory Highfill
Jeff,
I think sometimes I take all the country we have to hunt for granted, but I cant imagine having that many coons in small wood lots. My dogs would blow through 30 acres before they stop to empty out. I'm gunshy about turning loose in a block that's only 400 acres...

---

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