Once a crackerjack always a crackerjack?

[Mike Leonard]

I agree with John Wick and he is very astute at training coon dogs. I doubt seriously if many big game hunter on this forum hunt enough to really challend this perspective. And following you around in knee deep snow is definatly a challenge but unless that dog is pushing the track and straining for the lead it is just another walk in the woods.

Guys that throw 11 month or so old pups in a hard driving bear race are not stupid, they are just like the guys in Vegas. Throw that money spin the wheel and see what you get. Some days are diamonds and some days ain't so sweet baby.Don't get way out there ahead of yourself unless you can pay the fiddler and dance like a big dog.

Just set back and think about each dog as an individual..

[driftwood blue]

"I agree with John Wick and he is very astute at training coon dogs. I doubt seriously if many big game hunter on this forum hunt enough to really challend this perspective. And following you around in knee deep snow is definatly a challenge but unless that dog is pushing the track and straining for the lead it is just another walk in the woods."

I believe Mike hit it here!

I do believe more really good "crackerjack" pups are ruined than ever make it..
some due to just getting burnt out and some due to very poor handling.

I let a fellow have a littermate to Norman Johnson's great Tracker- that female would run and tree her own game at 5 1/2 months old this fellow hunted her all night ever night with his old dog and by 1 year would not even bark at a coon.. he gave her to Floyd Dutton who made a pretty tough coyote hound out of her.
My hunting buddy had a male from South Shore Drive RJ that would run and tree at 4 months old... I told him not to push him but he took him ever night anyway.. and by 14 months old was totally worthless.
I think that one that young surely can be ruined..a short hunt 4 times a month is plenty until they are close to 10 months old then like Mike said if they are ready----

[catdogs]

Right from Ken Duncans key board....

Yes young dog’s can be hunted too much, some dogs mature at a young age and other dogs don’t mature until three or more.

I had a buyer call me about his pup if I remember right it was around 10 months old he had been hunting 4 to 5 nights a week he said the pup had started well and been doing outstanding and now he just could care less after asking him how many nights a week he hunted I told him to put the pup up and not hunt him for a month, he did as I said and called me back and couldn’t believe the difference it made, he told me he went hunting and the pup struck in and tracked for some time then later the other dogs joined in and they treed a cat on bare ground. He said it done the trick.

A lot of dogs in the past went into what we called a two year old slump which meant they some what lost there desire to hunt at that age and a lot of good dogs were sold only to have the new owner end up with a good dog, in fact Cap Atwood the famous lion hunter in Colorado told me he bought all his dogs at 2 years old when the dog was in it’s two year old slump, most dogs have changed over the years and don’t do that now.

[Mike Leonard]

LOL! you mentioned old Cap Atwood now there was a character. He was as slick dog and horse trader as you ever saw and he seldom got stung on a deal.

Not sure on the 2 year old slump but could be with some. I have seen some that were really doing well up to that point and then they got a little more independant and started trashing a little more at that age.


I hade one strain of black dogs that was very slow to start and it just about drove me nuts and was one of the reasons I don't hunt black dogs anymore. I know some are earlier starting but these would just mope around until they were close to a year and half and never do anything very spectacular, and then all of a sudden Boom! just like a mule hit in the A$$ with a packsaddle they would just take off and never look back. So if I would have known that before I would have just sone like Cap and bought them all at 2 years old.

Sort of like the famous mule man who said all mules should be born at least 6 years old. LOL!

[coloradoultramag]

I did not mean to say that deep snow would burn every young pup out. Judge the dog as an individual and the conditions factor in. I tell you what it burned me out ! I had jeans on and worthless gators I was soaked. But I took Mike L advice and got some quality wool pants they make all the difference. Now if I could remember snow shoes!

Good post, lots of good info

Gabe