BigGameHoundsmen.com

Had a perfect night last night, no wind, cool, no moon, dew
came on early, had a rain the night before.
Had high hopes for a good cat race.
Dogs opened 2 min after I let them out, very hot race
It didn,t sound right, sure enough coon.
I put the heat on them & they were loaded pronto.
Funny a dog only has so much memory.
I send my dogs to coon school about every 3 or 4 months.
This happens when u are training pups.
Coon school will start here at my house tomarrow.
Takes about 3 days, then they are good for a while again.
I hate coon, they are very thick in my area.
O the life of a cat hunter

They dont bother me all that much for what I do but I still hate em. About a half dozen times a year or more they got to catch one. Never had them run one but they catch them every now and then. I think its most always the ground dwellin kind though so last weekend I got me a little black buddy who is gonna help me with my problem. Knew thing to me entirely but its gonna be fun.

Hipshooter We feel your PAIN!

Dad enjoys telling the stroy about being in the Everglades about 30 yrs ago.

There were several Cat hunters in Camp, most were running their Hounds together. One Real blowhard who claimed to have the Best Hounds ever! The most broke, his Hounds never ran anything but a Cat.

Dad had run his Hounds the night before so he left them at Camp this night. The Hunters scattered and one Radioed in that he had started a Bobcat. Everyone converged, tailgated their Hounds, and for Three Hours the "Oprey "played. Problem was there was never a check like you will have in aa Cat race. This was a constent roar.

The Hounds treed in a hollow snag next to the road. Dad encouraged the Hunters to get an axe from the truck and chop the Cat out. The Blowhard was bragging on how his Hounds had taken charge in the Race and His were the first to tree. Dad kept after them to chop the cat out, one of Dads friends said "Don't keep after them, they have been running a Coon, no Cat Race will last that long without a loose". Dad said I know but ole So & So just won't shut up.

An Axe was found and at the first whack a Coon poped his head out. At the second whack out he came. Ole Big Mouth, loaded his Hounds and went hone not to be seen again!

Good luck with the "Tri-tronic" Schooling!

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

John,
That is like the coon hunter that was showing his hound
& bragging how good & straight the hound was.
He was showing the hound in the woods to a potential buyer.
They started walking down the creek, after a short walk they heard the
hound baying back by the truck.
They walked back & the hound had a skunk bayed under the pickup.
Never brag on your dogs, sooner or later they will make an ass of u,
no matter how good your dogs are.

I feel your pain! I hate coons! I have never had problems with coons until this past year. The coons here are getting thick and are staying in the cutovers. My dogs have killed and treed a pile of them this past winter. I got fed up with it and was ready to get rid of them but instead I bought me a 6 collar tri tronics and went to work on them! I almost had them where they wouldnt hunt for a while because I was so hard on them but they are coming back around and striking the right stuff again. Those dogs of mine are like lions any way, they love a fight so the coons were just a easy target. But its hard for a dog not to mess with them if they are staying on the ground and not going up, just instinct to fight and kill. They are still a cats and a gray foxes nightmare tho.

Just a note on the shock collars.
Most hunters just starting out do not know how to use the shockers.
To really train your dogs u have to set them up with the non target game.
If u just try to train the dogs when u are hunting, especially at night,
u are not sure what the dog is doing, if u accidently shock him off of the desired game
u have made a great error. U need to know & see what is going on.
Older dogs that have gone wrong are harder to break than the young dogs.
If u just hit the dog with a short shock & he leaves the bad game & goes on hunting, this is not enough. U have to hit him several times & put the fear in to them about that non target game. Porkeypines & snakes are a good example of a half way job will not do.
After u shock him make him come get in the dog box, do not let him run on, make them mind. Staying in the dog box for a while will help him remember a little longer.
U got to put the fear into the dog that the non target game is wrong.
The younger dogs will not need as much, but still make them come & get in the box.
Training cat dogs is the most work of any hound, A cat dog has to be 100% broke off all game except the cats. If u let cat dogs run coons, that is all u will get done, run coons because they are so thick. I have seen guys that say they can hunt coons at night & cats in the day time, I do not agree, The coon runners will find coon in the day time if they are any good, just don,t work. Be ing hard on the dogs u will ruin a dog now & then, but that is better than having all your dogs be wrong.
Remember setting the dogs up in the best way.
This is my opion on training.

This is my opion

opinion noted, but if you have no coons where you cat hunt I dont see the problem of letting them run coons in the summer/fall to keep em on thier toes. And the bears are dened up by the time cat season starts here so again no problem spring bear hunting them in other states either, I think it just depends on YOUR hunting spots and what game is in said hunting spots when you chose to hunt them.

Doggie,
If u have no coons that is great, no problem,
I have no fox, so I have no problem there..
but coons are very thick,, Any kind of a coon dog can start a coon in my country in 5 min
Cat hounds will trip over coon when runing cats, so they have to be 100% broke.

Hipshooter wrote:Doggie,
If u have no coons that is great, no problem,
I have no fox, so I have no problem there..
but coons are very thick,, Any kind of a coon dog can start a coon in my country in 5 min
Cat hounds will trip over coon when runing cats, so they have to be 100% broke.

That's why i'm glad our coons are denned up before we start cat hunting.