Great night!

[huntinwyo]

First thing ill say is this is my first coon hound I've ever owned. He's a redbone, ttop bred I got from Mark Bates up in Montana. I got him as a 8 week old pup and raised him the Wick way so to speak. I taught him basic handling as a pup and just let him grow. I would take him on hikes in the mountains and along various rivers and creeks whenever I could, during the day. When he was real good at getting around and venturing out farther and farther I started taking him every now and again at night. He's a super athletic dog and could get around with ease anywhere I took him at 6 months. He grew up in my back yard which is full of trees and started treeing squirrel at 4 months. He then had about 4 or 5 encounters with a coon that liked to come up to the back deck in the middle of the night! I'd have to crawl under there to get him! He'd be baying his head off! Lol! so at 10 months I went ahead and trapped that coon (mostly cause I was tired of having to crawl under the porch) and took it out and released it. I turned Boozer loose and he took that track screaming all the way! He ended up losing that first coon cause it hit the creek and fooled him. From then on Its been wild coon, no trainers. It took him a while to catch one but he's always hunted hard and deep! He's been casting out a good half mile and now he'll go as far as needed. The first probably 10 or so he caught were in wood piles and I thought for a while that Colorado coon wouldn't climb, but that was in the dead of winter so maybe that was why? Anyway I thought he might not catch on to treeing cause all we were doing was ground catches. Eventually he treed one (not with much style ill add) but I could see progress so I was happy. Since then he'll hit a track, trail it, and then lose it a lot of times and I know he wasn't locating the tree. But every couple times out he would tree, still not hammering away, but treeing and always with a coon! Well the last two nights out previous to tonight he hit a track, trail it, and tree a coon and gettin better both nights. Now tonight!
First drop I turn him loose and he's takes off like a bullet! Goes 300 yards and strikes! Takes the track for maybe 50 yards and turns around. Goods up the river pretty fast opening up every maybe 2 or 3 min. He trailed for just under a mile and lets out looong locate ball and starts in on a constant short ball tree! Nicest job he's done to date! I was pumped up to say the least. I make my way over and he's got a huge coon trees up a Russian olive. He crossed the big Thompson river 3 times on that track! Long story short, I turned him out 3 more times and he trees 3 more coon, all coon seen, all on the outside! He let out that real long locate on every tree and stuck right there! He's not a 100 bark per min type but he sure has a nice mouth!
I know this is a long post but I'm pretty excited, he's done all this by himself, no help from other dogs. Thanks for reading and good hunting, Joe.

[driftwood blue]

Sounds like you hit the Jackpot!
hang in there and enjoy the ride--- there will still be some ups and downs but you are well ahead in the game.

[Mike Leonard]

Great post and you are now hooked! Nothing better than doing it like this by yourself and learning the whole deal together.

My hat is off to you! Keep it up and take extra good care of that red dog.

[Dan Edwards]

Some folks give John Wick some hard times but I sure wish more would follow his books and learn it the right way. I was lucky enough to have folks for generations behind me that already knew the right way but if not I sure would have looked to John before most others. Great story and congrats. Keep after em partner.

[BAR BAR 2]

[huntinwyo]

Thanks for the comments, driftwood I don't know about the jackpot but he's made me happy so far! Mike, I am definitely hooked! Dan I did a lot of reading about hounds and training and handling (about 10 yrs worth lol!) but wick and others that think along his lines seemed to make the most sense to me. Bar bar yea I would love to run with ya sometime. I'm not sure where you live but I live in northern co on the front range. Good hunting, Joe

[redbonecurhunting]

Great story, I am trying to raise my pup the same way.

[bearsnva]

Huntinwyo,
You have made a tremendous accomplishment on your own, right along with your dog. You did things the right way and it seems with the right material to work with dog wise. I congratulate you on your success because you deserve it. Not all of your days or dogs will work out this way but the journey is well worth it. Enjoy every day of the journey and be glad you have the days to enjoy every one of them. You have a great future! Best wishes to you and your hounds.

[Dan Edwards]

[redbonecurhunting]

I suppose at this point you would be correct in stating that i have not done it the wick way. However i am doing the best i can without the books,(based upon what i have heard and interpreted.) I cannot yet afford the books, so i am saving every extra penny. I hope to eventually be able to buy both volumes. Thank you, I am sure i have made many mistakes, i just am not sure exactly how to go about following all the steps until i have the books.

[Dan Edwards]

[redbonecurhunting]

Thanks, i will take it slower

[lionslayer]

Glad the pups working out for you. Keep up the good work Mark

[Pagosa]

Huntwyo - great hunting trip. Sounds like Boozer is doing good. I really enjoy hearing your story of raising your hound. I live an area where I can let my hound and wife's dog roam around a bit and I think all the walks and trips to the mountains help develop a hound. Are you planning to run him on cats?

[huntinwyo]

Mark this pup is progressing real nice. I'm super happy with him. I'm headed up to billings for memorial weekend for a wedding and will be bringing him with me. I was thinking maybe I could hook up with the guy who was holding him for me but I forgot his name, or anyone else who would want to go run. Pagosa I would like to run cats, I've never done it but I'm pretty sure boozer would run one if givin the chance. I know a couple units in wyo that have lion areas open til August. I might go up and see what happens. I know the areas well I've hunted deer and elk in them a lot. Do you hunt cats in co?