Long nights sore legs and young dogs!

[North Ga Plott]

I sold my whole pack of mostly finished bear and hog dogs last year and moved to Eastern Montana. I brought 2 pups out of the same stock up with me because they would give me time to get my bearings with where I'm living. I wanted to start them on the ring tails to learn to trail and tree before bobcat season starts. They've done decent with that but this is a different world. I've found droves of 10 or more coons in one area but after a couple nights they move on from the area. Then it all starts over. I hunt 4 to 5 nights a week and walk every step of the way with my dogs and I'll go 2 and 3 weeks without finding another coon. I've learned a valuable lesson and have grown tremendously as a houndsmen this year. You really don't know your level of patience until you're trying to hunt 2 1 year old dogs in an area like this. I've wore out some boot leather and have hunted every kind of terrain this place has to offer but when you're lucky you're lucky when you're not you're not haha I think every houndsmen should go through something like this just to prove to yourself how dedicated you are to this way of life. I've quit 100 times and probably had 7,000 conversations to myself wandering through the dark. For some reason I still put my boots on every night and take em on a journey I just hope they learn enough come cat season to catch 1 or 2. Situations train a dog more times than not in my opinion. Just putting them in the right situation is all it takes to engage those instincts they're all bred with. Happy Hunting to you all!

[lawdawgharris]

What line of plotts did your dogs go back to? I could see where a tarting from scratch in new country could test a persons want to. I coon hunted some here in eastern central Texas and enjoy it but it just doesn’t do it for me like the hog hunting. With 30 years of my own hog dogs, I don’t know that I could have the drive to start completely over. Lots of time and all invested in what I have dog wise as well as being super picky. I have buddies with coon dogs and cat dogs. When the urge to want to do that starts creating an itch I just call them. I wish you luck and hope cat season goes well for the young dogs.


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[North Ga Plott]

They go back to heavy Stiles and Roark breeding. Yes sir its been a challenge to say the least. It's always easy to tell what's a cull and what's not when you have something to compare it to and when there's plenty of game. Honestly, my biggest fear is spending all this time and effort with them for them to not work out. I have 2 dogs if they don't make it I'm starting it all back over and that would really test my dedication. Big game is and will always be my passion no doubt and I hope to get back to that with these two. Again I'll be pounding bear tracks next spring and cat tracks this winter just in hopes 2 years from now I have 2 sound dogs that I can catch the game I want with. Good luck to you as well and thank you!

[lawdawgharris]

On the plus side you are familiar with the family of dogs you’re hunting. You probably already know most of their tendencies and have seen enough of them to know what short comings are prevent them from being what you want. Odds are, if they have you feeling optimistic, they will probably make it. Just do like so many of us have done and set unrealistic expectations on then. Being that you’re no rookie, you know the hiccups young dogs can face and it will be worse to some degree not having a veteran there to straighten them out. Sounds like fun to me though and the reward will be twice as big when they do make it.


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[Cajun]

When I saw your title I thought you might be hunting some of Wayne Allens stock of dogs. He started the No. Ga, Plott line and had some impressive coon dogs.
I hunted with Roy Stiles back in the 90's and Roy has always had good bear dogs and have always heard good things about the Roark line.
You might want to put some feeders out for those young dogs to be more consistent on getting on more coons.

[Twopipe]

This sounds exactly how I started bobcat hunting in the early 90’s.
What you are learning doing things the way you are about the game, the country, your dogs and yourself is priceless.
One essential trait to possess as a bobcat hunter is perseverance.
All the best to you in this adventure and as lawdawg said, “the reward will be twice as big when they do make it

[SASS]

I sure did enjoy your first post, as I went through the exact same thing when I went from hunting hogs to big game and tree game. Lots of gas and boot leather and lots of discussions with myself lol. I then finally started catching game then I moved, and started all over again hahaha.

What lawdog said I would second that as well since you really know your family of dogs and have a lot of experience you will get it figured out and I bet those dogs make it for you if you are thinking they will now.

You have good timing as well when moving to Montana as I think they will be having their first bear season. Or maybe they just had it or something like that but I look forward to reading your reports on how you and your dogs are progressing. Good luck!

[North Ga Plott]

Well I've got some coyote running rascals if nothing else!! I've had coon feeders out for 2 weeks nothing but field mice have hit em haha we're still walking 4 nights a week. I'm thinking just hang it up until cat season starts and start my focus on that. They did do a very nice job cold trailing a bobcat the other night to being met head on by a fox. It went from a nice cold trailing job for pups to red hot fox tree lol you win some and you lose some!! I think I have some really good prospects here and all I can do is build from that. My male is stone cold silent and of all the plotts I've raised I've never owned one, so that's a learning lesson all in itself.