How offen do you "take" a coon?

[Dale T]

Looking to see how many of you take a coon one every time you go, every time you tree or if you let them just tree them and move on and leave them to run again, then do you think that your dogs need a kill everytime they tree or every once in a while?

[Gary Roberson]

I kill pretty much every coon I tree as the ranchers that I am hunting on, want them gone. If they found out I was leaving them in trees, I would loose my priviledge to hunt that ranch.
Adios,
Gary

[Redwood Coonhounds]

Depends on where we are hunting. If I'm hunting with someone at there spot, they decide. Myself, I don't care to take any. I wait until my young dogs are running and naturally start treeing on there own pretty consistant before I knock one out to them. They do happen to catch a few on the ground. If I do kill any it's one per night, no matter how many they tree that night.

Never seen killing them make any difference in the dogs.

[Tom A]

This is a touchy subject. It always seems to get in a heated discussion . I know because not to long ago, I was more of a trapper then a houndsman.

Harvesting coons will always be a part of coon hunting. But a well bread "coonhound" does not need kills all the time, the instinct is there. Make the tree the reward not chewing on fur.

When you hear a coon snarl in the briars just before your dog slaps it on the wood, is all it needs to keep a well bread hound full of drive. The dog thinks damb I almost had em, But that brair around my neck slowed me down, Next time I'm going to get em If I give more drive.

I think it hurts some dogs treeing abilty to shoot a bunch out. They might start getting loose on the tree, or shut up and listen for the safety on your gun and the coon to hit the ground, or come to you when you walk to the tree.

Its your choice to pull the trigger. But I owe it to my dogs to give em a track to run and dead coons dont leave tracks. Now that I'm not a hide hunter or trapper any more. I think I might have a few more slick trees, then the meat dog had. But I'm working on that, Hopefully every year I'll have a better dog on the end of my lead.

[dixiewalkers86]

i maybe take 10 percent of what i tree. and only if i know im going to skin em. but it does depend on where im at too. if the rancher wants em gone. they gone.

[Dale T]

I've heard some guys talk about taking a bunch of coon when they can and I was wondering if it they do it thinking it will make there dogs better at catching or is just ego?
I'm just getting back into coon and have been out 6 times since the first of the year and have caught 5 coon and a fox with dogs that have only been out about 3 time ever coon hunting, I have mostly hunted bears and bobcats in the past but with SB 1221 thing have to change.

[easttntrapper]

Once you get a dog going good you dont have to shoot them out. I shoot all the big ones I tree cuz I sell the hides. A buddy of mine trees hundreds a year and he may shoot 4 or 5.