ANY INTREST IN JOINING WASHINGTON STATE'S COONHOUND ASSOC.

[oregonblues]

well i live in idaho but i am intersted in saveing any hound club let me no the fee

[DEE POWELL]

Oregonblues thanks for your intrest. My new moto is " show up or shut up" very simple folks.

Dee Powell

[Libby]

http://wscaonline.com/id7.html

Big Saint, this page has links to Washington State Hound Council (clearinghouse for the clubs), NW treehound club and Olympic Tree Hound Assoc. The latter two hold purely grade dog events. WSCA was the ONLY club that did UKC and had gotten approval for AKC.

First off: Thank you Dee for trying so hard to drum up interest in pulling interested parties together at a UKC event to cobble together WSCA, and schlepping yourself down after just returning home from attending to your father's funeral. My condolences again.
Thanks to Mike, Mark, and Buck for coming down from WA Too bad 2/3 of you are shipping out by the end of the year...Buck, I hope you are hear to stay a while! It was super to finally meet you, Mike.

Now the rant:
I have a grade dog I prefer hunting, but both WSCA and MPHC have tried to juggle registered & grade events and frankly, there just isn't enough support to do it. Ya'll who haven't put on an event have no idea how freaking much work there is, and the summer blow outs with bear and UKC stuff WSCA held burned the hell out of those of us who did. Plus listening to everyone gripe about their event not happening quicker. Plus not being able to enter your dog in anything because you have to finish paperwork or line out the next event or judge, etc, because only 2 or 3 people showed up to help.

Thanks for the solidarity, oregonblues, but it isn't about the money, it's about the participation (this is not directed to you). Like Dee said, people need to show up or shut up. The road to hell...and no UKC club in WA...is paved with good intentions.

I understand most hunters out here subscribe to 'papers don't tree' and I agree with that. But hiding under your rock, futively looking over your shoulder to the next person who'll 'take' your hunting spot and shoot your coons out makes for an easy target for anti's to legislate against.

So at least get off your duff, truck-pool to Olymic or NW Treehound or MPHC events and get involved more than maybe tearing yourself away one weekend a year between this season or that season.

MPHC is having a money hunt (so it is not UKC and any dog can enter) in November. It's $25 to enter, not sure the pay out, and between MPHC and OUSDA the hound community donates a nice chunk of change to a children's hospital every year. Excellent PR to the public about hounders. http://www.bayingbriars.com/Event_Schedule.php

I'm just saying, it's one thing to think the world is against you but better to play nicely with others and not look surely and indolent.

[Bearkiller]

I could possibly help with a club house in the winlock area. It would probably need some stuff moved around but would have everything you need. You could do everything but the night hunts there. It was built to be a ceramic shop but has turned into a storage room, last time i was there. There is also good coon hunting nearby. You could have field trials and bear races or whatever else you wanted right there. It is surrounded by state land so there wouldn't be any neighbor issues.

[millerthehound]

Bear Killer if that is the case that could be of a huge help and would give a good location to start with.

[westernwahounds]

You are probably going to find that having a club that is "not about the money, and show up or shut up" is not going to drum up much for members. Personally I have no interest in dog shows and titles, but would support a club that supports hund hunting. When you tell someone willing out of state that your new motto is put up or shut up, I take that as you don't need any extra support or money to run your club. This club has a history of drama, and is why I chose to not continue my membership years back when it started turning into a junior high best friends only club.

[Libby]

Get over yourself westernwahounds...if you aren't involved it's because of you, don't blame others. So sick of hearing those kinds of comments. wah wah wah

Westernwahounds, I assume you are ssupportive of Mic and the group he's trying to assemble to advocate hounds and hunting in WA? Since you seem like a such a noble person.

[joshtee]

I have to agree that as someone from Washington, just getting into the sport, the "put up or shut up" moto is a turn off for me. I know I don't know the history of the club, so I understand that this "moto" comes from issues I know nothing about.

Having said that, I am interested in participating in this club. At this point I am just a newbie, and would probably not be joining anytime soon. I probably won't come to any member meetings, at this point, unless they were close to Tacoma. I would be interested in helping out w/ events, ect., though, as a gofer.

Right now I don't even have a dog to enter. I only have access to a grade dog that I have to borrow from my brother.

So, it is what it is. I might be one of the people that need to "shut up", but I thought I would give you my 2 cents, anyway.

[Bearkiller]

I am fully aware of the issues that plague washington. That's why I live in Utah. I was never a member of the coon hunting club when I was there. I did go to a couple events one in Onalaska at some lady named Brookes house. there were a couple problems. First of all, the coonhunters held a field trial on the same day as a hound council meeting, in a different area. This was during a time when there was ALOT going on with the hound council, legislatively. The second problem is that they were dragging a coon in a cage behind a 4 wheeler for the drags. The coon got beat up pretty good. There were also outside photographers. Just poorly ran, really.

Libby, I was a field marshal for more than one Olympic event so please don't attack me for not putting up or shutting up. I was also a drag boy for many events. I know you have a hard on for people who are tired of dealing with the drama and want to do their own thing but it's their right. I think people who post about their out of season hunts on coondawgs.com should watch how they criticize people.

I offered a meeting place. I am pretty sure my grandma wouldn't have a problem at all with it if you have insurance and you follow the golden rule about leaving a place as you found it. She has 50 acres and a heated building away from the house. She probably even has enough chairs for everyone. It's not a perfect spot like but it's 5-10 minutes from I-5.

[millerthehound]

Just so you all know the put up or shut up is pointed towards the people who yes I would like to have a club and yes i would love to do some UKC events but never show up to the ones that are put on and then complain about how the club is ran or just complain to complain. it also points toward other people saying they are gonna help but don't then its like 1-2 people trying to run the whole thing and it takes all the fun away for them and it seems like a job. I have always believed that you should never complain about something unless you have a solution otherwise your just adding to the problem.
Westerwahounds: if you thought it had drama then get involved to fix that every club will have issues but complaining about it and badmouthing people just makes people defensive and it then becomes you causing drama.
Bear: just you offering to let them use a building and have for there Club is putting up quite a bit and me being the newby is very much appreciated.

I went to my first event this past weekend and not once did I feel like i wasnt welcome there and I even took my 2 boys along and they had a blast, I got helped with showing and night hunting portion as I am a newby. Now I'm not a title type person, I just love hunting and listening to my dogs. however doing the show portion and hunting was an absolute blast and I had so much fun and Ill be able to understand and help much more next time.

Mike

[DEE POWELL]

Let’s clarify a few things folks, I live in Eastern Washington and its 7 hrs to EE Wilson in which we had a meeting set up between the bench show and night hunt and just a couple of us show up and 2 gentlemen that I think is now hooked in competition hunting and showing. With one winning on the bench and the other getting a 1st place in the night hunt with a score of 325...congrats gentlemen “job well done”.
Our problem now is that if we don’t get interest in Washington we will have to forfeit money that many of us have contributed over the Years to a club of its likening and I don’t want to see that happen since I have spent thousands of dollars breeding-training and driving all over the country to promote the American Coonhound. Just to give you an example of why I’m concerned is that I got 9 folks who either emailed me or called me and told me that they would be there and 2 show up “that’s very discouraging don’t you think? I for one did not want to show up since being across Country for two weeks to bury my dad and have to drive that distance but I said I would be there and I kept my word that’s why I’m very disappointed.
As it sits with EE Wilson being the only UKC Club around and having 2 to 3 UKC hunts a Year your dog will be a senior citizen before you could make him or her a Night Champion and or Bench Champion

[westernwahounds]

Hey libby, start off by reading what I wrote... then read your reply.

dee-I just believe that you need the support of all hound hunters to keep a club rolling along successfully... some may just pay dues yearly, and others may participate in every event offered. do you think ducks unlimited would post a comment to show up or shut up to someone who offered to join the club to offer their support? that is all I meant by my comment.
There is obviously another internal problem with the small goup of attendees showing up to do bench shows and night hunts, and having enough dogs entered to count for points and titles or whatever the problem is. But, you definitely don't want to bad mouth people who aren't actively involved or want to join is all.

[Bearkiller]

Dee, it's going to be hard to get people to go when people are worried about how many events it takes to "make him or her a night champion". People want to have fun. I personally don't go to any field trials or hunts anymore. I've been to 2 in the last 8 years and don't plan on going to anymore. I don't go to the ones that are held 5 minutes from my house. My biggest memories of the washington state coon hunters association are hunting with Keith Durkee and his rummy dog down in Boistfort one night when I was 16 or 17. I felt like I was being talked down to all night because I let my dogs run "off game". Ei: bears and cats. My dog treed 2 coons while none of the other dogs (7 or that were turned loose made those trees or any trees. That was the last time I hunted with those guys. The only other event was the one I described above in Onalaska. A mess. You guys need a change of attitude before people are going to want to come and give their money. You guys should be booming. You're the only game in town.

[DEE POWELL]

Hate you had a bad experience Years ago but were not the same people. We had 3 guys in 2 cast that had never been in a night hunt and they had a blast (fun). They asked alot of questions and we answered them as we all at one time did not know any rules so we understand what it's like being the new guy on the block. As to having fun vs making champions that's what these UKC events stand for anywhere you go in the Country " titling you dog out quick as possible so you can start on the next one.

This is what were looking for:

People intrested showing, field trialing, water racing and night hunting dogs in a UKC format.
A place we can use as a meeting place for these events to be held.
Need officers that will show up and make these events worth while.
People who share the goals of making a dog that you have raised and trained into a champion.

[Libby]

"You are probably going to find that having a club that is "not about the money, and show up or shut up" is not going to drum up much for members. Personally I have no interest in dog shows and titles, but would support a club that supports hund hunting. When you tell someone willing out of state that your new motto is put up or shut up, I take that as you don't need any extra support or money to run your club. This club has a history of drama, and is why I chose to not continue my membership years back when it started turning into a junior high best friends only club."
westernwahounds

"Get over yourself westernwahounds...if you aren't involved it's because of you, don't blame others. So sick of hearing those kinds of comments. wah wah wah
Westernwahounds, I assume you are ssupportive of Mic and the group he's trying to assemble to advocate hounds and hunting in WA? Since you seem like a such a noble person." Me

Yep..done, westernwa, your point? I addressed your issue of what you would be interested in supporting. So your point?

Bearkiller, frankly, I just hadn't addressed you at all. From what my mother taught me, I almost said the obligatory 'thank you for your offer' but I held my tongue. I can't just say thank you without an additional comment, so that mitigates the thank you, but since you pushed:
Thank you for your offer of a place for WSCA. WSCA needs not only a clubhouse to post in Bloodlines, but actual hunting grounds on which to hunt. I understand this is out of your control, but it is an aspect I am not sure everyone understands. A steady place to hold events and have hunts is what is needed along with people who know the hunting spots and to run the events.

UKC suggests not trying to start a club with fewer than 35 people. Really! That isn't a possiblity out here. We don't have as many hound hunters and can't have clubs every other county like east. So maybe it is not feasible for a UKC club to actually survive.

Bearkiller, I have never gone to an Olympia event (I don't go to non-UKC and I live in Oregon) and I never said "put up or shut up" so knock that crap off, everybody.

Ya'll talk about the jr high behaviour and such and I do not know what you are talking about...nor do I want to hear what it was...I have never been to anything in Onalaska and will only speak for myself to say at every event I have ever gone to from since I first started coming, I make it a point to go meet the newcomers. Primarily because the first few or more I went to, everyone avoided me like the plague.

(not specifically to either of you, but kinda to both) You might not hear it, but I hear loud and clear your holier-than-thou-biggame attitude. I have nothing against biggame hunters. I hate people who think they are all that...if when they are all that. Modesty is a virtue.

I do not have a dog in this fight. I am not going up to help run a club in Washington anymore and really don't care for competition hunts. Whatever happens to WSCA happens. I love coonhounds and coonhunting and meeting new people to hear their stories and share mine.

As far as people on the internet...ya'll who use screen names and not human names have no real bearing in my opinion anyway. You aren't real.

I stand by my statement you whiners need to get over yourselves. Something happened you perceived as wrong 5 years ago...get over it and let it go. How many people who were at that event in Onalaska or that NH spoken about are still around? Let it go. Ya'll sound too young to be bitter old men.