Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Kalamazoo, Mich.
Posts: 6113

I would like to know how many people visiting this board would consider themselves strictly pleasure hunters. By that I mean someone who does not enter licensed nite hunts even at the local level. I would also be interested in knowing how long you have been involved in the sport. Obviously there is a faction of new people that are just not ready for the hunts even though that may be their eventual goal. But I'm curious to know how many have been involved in the sport for a length of time without ever going in that direction.

I'm thinking this forum is supported more by hunters who are in the loop as far as the events are concerned but I may be surprised. If you are strictly a pleasure hunter, please respond even if you typically do not repond to posts. Thanks.

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Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Mercer PA
Posts: 4837

Todd:

I have been involved more or less for about the last 5 years. I have attended two hunts as a spectator, but have never entered one. If I had the means, I would hunt a hound till it was as ready as it could be for a hunt and give it to someone else to compete with.

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Registered: Mar 2006
Location: Massachusetts
Posts: 19374

My situation is more complex but..here I go. Haven't hunted since 1979. Pleasure hunter at that point same as my husband Bob. Currently volunteer in B and T rescue and own a retired Bluetick and non hunting bred B and T. Once there is TIME and MONEY here Bob and I intend to coonhunt agin. We intend to Pleasure hunt Only. However, both of us competed in horse shows... SO, you never know. i did not know Comp stuff Existed until I bumped into this UKC site.
SO- You can catogorise us at Past pleasure hunters, currently nonhunters and future pleasure hunters.
Heather William

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Oakdale, Pennsylvania
Posts: 3753

competed only a handful of times in the 70's and early 80's. Didn't care for it.. Only pleasure hunt ever since..

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Registered: Jul 2005
Location: Sidney Oh
Posts: 178

I consider myself a pleasure hunter although Ive entered the last 3 local hunts I just do that to keep my dog in shape dont expect to win
I could probably get really envolved in comp hunts though they are kinda fun
Sat night was the first time I didnt minus out that was kinda cool

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Registered: Oct 2003
Location: mid-michigan
Posts: 4437

I've been coonhunting ever since I can remember.
My dad , Jack Brooks , was a UKC bench show judge back in the 70's.
Him and a few friends started the Laingsburg club in a friends basement. Dad's gone , but I still hunt with that friend today.
When Mort Kneff put a coonhunting show together for Michigan Outdoors , he came out to Laingsburg. Him and Howard Shelley taped a little of everything for that show. I was the kid laying the drag for the field trial. LOL
I grew up hunting with folks like Dave Dean , Frank Giddings , Larry Wilcox , etc. Don't know them real well , but do remember hunting with them a few times , so I do know what a good dog is.
Seemed like dad was always the guide or the judge and didn't hunt his dogs till after the nite hunt was over. Then we'd hunt with some of these guys till after daylight.
I tried comp. hunting , but it's not for me.
I get so serious and nerved up that it takes the fun out of it for me.
I've tried it several times over the years , but it's just not for me.
I just started going back to the clubs the last few years. Even though I don't hunt , I still try and contribute to the club. Whether it's just buying a burger and a pop or buying some 50/50 tickets.
I know it's not much , but I like to think I'm helping a little bit at least.

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Registered: Jun 2004
Location: wapello, iowa
Posts: 172

todd i mostly pleasure hunt year round but have entered a few hunts just to see how my dogs stack up against the comp. dogs. i sure have alot more fun pleasure hunting with good friends an there dogs its alot more relaxing to me. i've been around hounds since the early 70's an seems i've always had a hound or two in the kennel. hope this helps you out todd . mike loyd

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Registered: Dec 2003
Location: cincinnati, ohio
Posts: 745

Hi Todd,
I don't know if this is the correct place to post this but at least it will bring it back to the top. Anyway I am an avid competition hunter (I know you said pleasure hunters only) but I hunt 90% PKC because of the hunts they offer during the week. I enjoy hunting UKC and always have a great time when I get some free time on the weekends. It looks as if you might be hunting for some ideas on "How to increase the numbers of participants at hunts". I know you have touched on this issue in the past but I know several local guys just like myself who would welcome the idea of a UKC hunt on a weeknight. I'm not torn between UKC or PKC and enjoy hunting both. I believe if UKC could offer weeknight hunts they would draw a large percentage of the entries who would have went to a PKC hunt that evening. Just some food for thought. Tell me what you think.

Justin

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Albertson, NC
Posts: 438

Use to hunt a few UKC competion hunts in the 60's, and 70's, but was never as serious about it as the average competition hunter. I was always glad to see every one do well and enjoyed the fellowship. Have been to old for competition hunts for a LONG TIME. I STILL PLEASURE HUNT AND DO STILL GO TO THE TREE. I usually hunt 4 nites a week in winter and less in summer.
I am a Master of Houds for UKC, and limit my competition hunting to that now.

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Registered: May 2004
Location: Blountsville, Alabama
Posts: 1240

We are pleasure hunters. Lance competion hunted some in Highschool, about 20yrs. ago. He got me hunting when we were dating; we have been together five years. We have attended three bench shows with some of our pups, and hope to one day get into the hunts, but Lance's health just won't allow that right now. Amy

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Registered: Apr 2005
Location: Manchester KY.
Posts: 483

Pleasure hunter, its takes the stress out of my work week. tried comp. hunting a couple of times, first time was a local buddy hunt, same 4 guys hunted weekend before the buddy hunt, every thing went great, had a lot of fun, weekend of the buddy hunt, things got very heated between a couple of the guys. Second comp. hunt was in Stanford Ky. (dix river coon club i think was the name) anyway i got cast out with some real nice hunters, they seen i was green, but i do not believe they used that against me, i placed second in my cast,(i know that is not a win, but i thought that was good for me,) the man that won the cast placed second over all, ( he only beat me by 50 points. lol)
Will try again some night, but for now pleasure hunter.
thanks, Barry Hubbard

Since about 1985, my wife's dad and her brother-in-law got me into coon hunting

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Talala, Oklahoma
Posts: 5208

I have entered one hunt in the last ten years.

I have coon hunted since i was seven, and I am 36 now.

I consider myself a pretty serious hunter, and i raise a litter now and then.

My Dandy female is the third generation of these Blue females i have owned, and she is bred now. I would say I hunt fairly hard, but don't care for competition hunts.

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Registered: Mar 2006
Location: Indiana
Posts: 1028

we are pleasure hunters my hubby did goe to three liscensed hunts but at the last one LOL he could not keep up with the younger guys they are just to fast and our dogs are pleasure dogs they just do not quite stack up to the comp level maybe one day but that is the big ?

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Registered: Jan 2004
Location: stilwell, Oklahoma
Posts: 1175

i use to hunt a lot when i was a kid, got away from it after marrying, got back in to coon hunting about 3 years ago when my son got interested.

i am a pleasure hunter, almost exclusively, mostly due to the fact that i can't hear worth a crap, and do to the fact that i don't like to hunt my dog with ill, trashy dogs, and/or ill, trashy hunters.

my son does go to some youth hunts, and some big coon contest, but he doesn't like to comp. hunt much either for the same reasons.

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Registered: Dec 2005
Location: Ashtabula County, Ohio
Posts: 2494

I am 17 and i have been hunting all my lif only enterd in about 2 hunts. I am going to enter in a youth hunt this year becuse it is my last year in the youth program. that hunt is this saturday lol in Jefferson, Ohio

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Nashville, Indiana
Posts: 190

I personally have never been in a UKC hunt. I did several years ago win our club hunt for dog of the year. I have been hunting for about 15 years. have made two GR CH bench dogs.
My husband is a MOH and has judged more hunts then most have hunted but he has only hunted himself in about 3 nite hunts in 30 years. there was a time once when our club put him on a cast to judge for one handler owner was known to be not so honest and he withdrew when he found out Ken was going to judge his cast. He is a good MOH and has a great rep for being one.
He said he just cannot deal with the cheating,whinning and trying to stretch the rules for he would have to call them on it and before long no one would want to be on a cast with him LOL
He said it quit being fun when everyone started going for blood.
I have tried to change his mind but he said he was just to honest to deal with it. We also quit our local club do to just to much stuff going on with the few special people in charge he claims he will never be a member of a club again, to much of everyone wanting it their way and notfor the good of the club way.

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: North Carolina
Posts: 140

I would consider myself a pleasure hunter. I've been hunting a little over twenty years now and have been in three UKC nite hunts.

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Registered: Not Yet
Location:
Posts: N/A

I consider myself a pleasure hunter. I entered 3 nitehunts this spring handling dogs that I don't own. I entered a 2 nite hunt last fall with young dog of my dad's just because I had to guide I figured I'd enter a dog.
12 years ago I was in 3-4 hunts when I was 15 years old.
I attend almost all the local hunts but seldom enter a dog. I usually offer to guide if needed and have guided in most of our club's nitehunts.
I go to nitehunts simply for the cameraderie and fellowship of other coonhunters.
I think it would be a lot more fun if we could all get together and just go hunt without a scorecard.

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Registered: Dec 2003
Location: Mercer PA
Posts: 4837

quote:

---

Originally posted by brogy
I think it would be a lot more fun if we could all get together and just go hunt without a scorecard.

---

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Ron Ashbaugh
CROOKED FOOT KENNELS

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Registered: Apr 2004
Location: Mission. South Dakota
Posts: 151

All pleasure here don't care about titles just COONDOGS!

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Registered: Jun 2004
Location: Mid- Michigan
Posts: 71

Got started with a neighbor at the age of 9,We hunted Maple River Bottoms ,From Maple Rapids West to US 27,First time we cut lose dog was trying to bay in the water,WE got to him a big swamp coon was trying to drown him,sitting on the dogs head, My neighbor ran out and shot the coon off his dogs head,about waist deep water,the coon would have drowned him. Iwas hooked for life,now 48 yr.s old ,don;t hunt has hard has I used too, But love to go when I get a chance. Comp. hunt 2 or 3 times a year. I just enjoyto listen to hounds make music an put a tree on the end of it //////// J.T.Hale

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Registered: Mar 2005
Location:
Posts: 78

I personally don't care for the comp hunts. I think the comp hunts are not the way coon huntin was meant to be. Ill dogs, dogs that won't hunt with another etc. Haven't been in a comp hunt since late 60's or early 70's and don't plan on going to one in this century. Just my two cents worth.

Bill

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Registered: May 2006
Location: Southern Oregon
Posts: 1344

Been hounding for about 6 years now.. Of course I don't know if I count since I big game hunt along with coon hunt. I don't competition hunt for a few reasons. I think there is way too much, how do I put this nicely, crap, with competition hunt. I have seen people ripped to shreds around here about the nite hunts about stupid stuff...and I don't like the fact that a non registered dog is useless. Pleasure hunters mostly don't care about papers and I bet most of those non papered dogs are better than some of those papered dogs....Don't want to offend anyone with my little 'ol opinion.. but that is my two cents worth

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Registered: Jun 2003
Location: Reform, Alabama
Posts: 464

Pleasure hunter
I only enter about 2-3 comp hunts with the local club each year. I see way too many people that think winning is every thing any way they can. Now I have been hunting since I was 8 yr old and now 56 yr old, I just dont like all the slick handleing that goes on at the hunts. My wife likes to show dogs and that is fine, hunting is a pleasure and fun thing for family and friends , relax and have fun, not be on pins and needles trying to win a title. Tiltle just dont mean that much too me. Treeing the game I train my dogs for is they way I have fun, wheather it is a coon, or bobcat as long as the dog trees and I see the meat.
Have fun relax with family and friends and laugh when your dog screws up, falling in the creek when you are trying to get to the dog treeing, steping on a snake, boy I could go on , but the jest is I am a pleasure hunter
Gregg

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Registered: Feb 2006
Location: Maud Texas
Posts: 45

Seems like the ones being ripped to shreds is us comp hunters.Ive hunted for over 20 yrs comp and pleasure just a few bad comp hunts in 20 years some people get confused between trying to win or cheating.There is a difference you draw alot of people that really dont know the rules you try not to be the a$$ of the bunch but when you use a rule against them your cheating go figure.

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