Coon Hunting

[Machias]

I took the dogs out this past weekend, what a blast!  Saw EIGHT coons, which is a record for me here in WA, three were on the road on the drive in but we did tree 5 in 5 different trees.  Shot out one and the dogs got some chomp time in.  Also 4 quill pigs on the drive in, dang I hate those things.  Dogs did great, a ton of deer along the creek and no deer races.  Next time I'll take the camera and post some photos of the dogs working.

[ICEMAN]

Shot out one and the dogs got some chomp time in.....Next time I'll take the camera and post some photos of the dogs working.

Dogs getting some "chomp time in" is exactly why many folks voted to end hound hunting. 

[nwhoundhunter]

Good job Fred.  Sounds like your off and running on a good season.  Went down and caught a few bobs in Oregon, but it's been rough

[Machias]

Iceman, when a coon is shot out and hits the ground dead, the dogs get chomp time, fur in their mouth, same thing when a beagle mouths a rabbit you just shot or your duck dog gets some feathers in his mouth, or your pheaseant and quail dogs get feathers in their mouth.  Get off your high horse.  Folks voted to end hound hunting because of ...forget it, Iceman put me on your ignore list, I don't want to offend your sense or morality.

Thanks nwhoundhunter, if I don't draw a lion tag I'll be getting a non-resident hound permit for Roberts down in eastern OR.

[ICEMAN]

Having never coon hunted with dogs, your post sounded to me like you were letting one hit the ground for the dogs to destroy. Sounded to me like you were going to bring your camera to document it next time. I am on no horse here. I just remember the photos the antis used to wipe out hound hunting. Thats it.

I have been learning on this site to try to accept other hunters ways of hunting, to be ready to help other groups. IE: the canned hunts, hounds, bow, muzzle, rifle. A year ago, I could care less about the other groups, other than my sport, rifle hunting. Personally I am looking at it differently now.

[nwhoundhunter]

That was a great way to put if Fred, beagles and bird dogs all have something in common with a hound.  THE REWARD!!!!

[Machias]

The reason we MUST keep coon numbers in check!

[GoldTip]

I have done very little hound hunting and would love to someday accompany you Machias on one of your coon hunts as I would love a good late fall/winter coon hide, and I'd love to see your dogs work.  I have learned one thing after years of working my bird dog, he needs to have the reward once in a while or I will find he gets a little sidetracked on me and I would guess it is much the same for the hounds.  At least for my Choco lab, if he doesn't get to actually retrieve a bird, like on those days they all seem to be HENS, he will get a little lackadaisical in his efforts.  They need to have that reward to keep their motivation at 110% I believe.

Iceman, I am glad to hear that your views are starting to come around to all aspects of hunting.  I don't feel you have to agree with all forms of hunting and a person damn sure doesn't have to participate in that form of hunting, but all of us have to be ready to defend all forms of legal hunting or we will slowly be divided into little groups which will be far to easy for the anti's to conquer.

[Machias]

I shoot very few out, I have one young dog who has not had alot of game.  I usually knock a couple out in the beginning of the season.  After that not many at all since we have a sparse coon population here in eastern WA.  Occasionally the dogs will catch a coon on the ground and strech him.  I do not like to shoot them out unless they are dead when they hit the ground.  I don't want the dogs tore up in a coon fight, they can seriously get torn up if the coon hits the ground and is not hurt very bad. 

I probably shouldn't have such a short fuse.  I get wore out defending hunting in general and really get tired for defending dog hunting and trapping to the general population.  So when it happens on a hunting site, it makes my blood boil.  It's like folks saying the death of hunting is becuase we speak about the hunt, or the kill or skinning the game.  We didn't loose hunting with dogs and trapping becuase of folks talking about hunting and trapping.  We lost them because other sportsmen did not stand up for us.  That is why this will be the first state to loose bowhunting, but that is for another section and day.

[nwhoundhunter]

AMEN!!  Well said Fred.  I agree 100%.  People can go to thousands of websites and magazine articles and muster up enough to put up a fight against any kind of hunting.  I speak freely about what I do and don't seem to care most of the time (I admit sometimes I talk a little to much), but you can go to another site and see the same thing being said from some other joe blow.  If we all stick together then maybe we'll all have something to enjoy, even our kids and their kids.

Now with that being said, I'm off to catch a few.