No Profanity *** No Flaming *** No Advertising *** No Anti Trappers ***NO POLITICS
No Non-Target Catches *** No Links to Anti-trapping Sites *** No Avoiding Profanity Filter


Home~Trap Talk~ADC Forum~Trap Shed~Wilderness Trapping~International Trappers~Fur Handling

Auction Forum~Trapper Tips~Links~Gallery~Basic Sets~Convention Calendar~Chat~ Trap Collecting Forum

Trapper's Humor~Strictly Trapping~Fur Buyers Directory~Mugshots~Fur Sale Directory~Wildcrafting~The Pen and Quill

Trapper's Tales~Words From The Past~Legends~Archives~Kids Forum~Lure Formulators Forum~ Fermenter's Forum


~~~ Dobbins' Products Catalog ~~~


Minnesota Trapline Products
Please support our sponsor for the Trappers Talk Page - Minnesota Trapline Products


Print Thread
Hop To
Page 1 of 2 1 2
Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) #7444735
12/29/21 02:39 PM
12/29/21 02:39 PM
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 271
MN
K
K9BeavCoon Offline OP
trapper
K9BeavCoon  Offline OP
trapper
K

Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 271
MN
Been raised with spaniels my whole life. Dad loved chasing pheasants. My current dog is a springer spaniel I trained up for upland and waterfowl. But I’ve always loved the thought chasing critters with hounds. I’m contemplating a coon hound of sorts but I have no idea where to start. Does a guy need multiple hounds or can you get by with one? I have a family with young kids, and I have no time for dogs with an attitude. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks

Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444746
12/29/21 02:53 PM
12/29/21 02:53 PM
Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 81
Central Upstate NY
Steve D Offline
trapper
Steve D  Offline
trapper

Joined: Feb 2019
Posts: 81
Central Upstate NY

Last edited by Steve D; 12/29/21 02:55 PM.
Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444752
12/29/21 03:04 PM
12/29/21 03:04 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 21,539
Sandhills Nebraska
G
Gary Benson Offline
trapper
Gary Benson  Offline
trapper
G

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 21,539
Sandhills Nebraska
I like quiet and can run around the country without worrying about a dog.


Life ain't supposed to be easy.
Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444762
12/29/21 03:20 PM
12/29/21 03:20 PM
Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 218
South Dakota
M
M.S. Pickins Offline
trapper
M.S. Pickins  Offline
trapper
M

Joined: Aug 2018
Posts: 218
South Dakota
LOL I guarantee you will think all hounds have an "attitude" if you are used to spaniels. They don't hunt for YOU, they hunt game for THEMSELVES and if you want to help them out all the better LOL. They will be considerably hard headed, slow learning, and independent compared to Spaniels. Make sure you have a lot of ground to hunt and are able to walk many miles, in my type of open country a coon can cover 3-4 miles before treeing. They also are very vocal and loud, not great for someone in town but it can be managed if you take a lot of time and energy. I have generally hunted coon and bobcat with one dog but a pair is ideal. When a coon is trying to drown a dog in the water its harder if they have 2 dogs to deal with at once. I have always loved hounds though and hearing your dogs baying in the distance is a wonderful sound. You will also want to invest in a shock collar and tracking collar so you don't lose them in the woods.

Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: M.S. Pickins] #7444776
12/29/21 03:45 PM
12/29/21 03:45 PM
Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 28
Iowa
B
bigboy Offline
trapper
bigboy  Offline
trapper
B

Joined: Feb 2021
Posts: 28
Iowa
Originally Posted by M.S. Pickins
LOL I guarantee you will think all hounds have an "attitude" if you are used to spaniels. They don't hunt for YOU, they hunt game for THEMSELVES and if you want to help them out all the better LOL. They will be considerably hard headed, slow learning, and independent compared to Spaniels. Make sure you have a lot of ground to hunt and are able to walk many miles, in my type of open country a coon can cover 3-4 miles before treeing. They also are very vocal and loud, not great for someone in town but it can be managed if you take a lot of time and energy. I have generally hunted coon and bobcat with one dog but a pair is ideal. When a coon is trying to drown a dog in the water its harder if they have 2 dogs to deal with at once. I have always loved hounds though and hearing your dogs baying in the distance is a wonderful sound. You will also want to invest in a shock collar and tracking collar so you don't lose them in the woods.



This is about the most spot on advice I have read on the subject and should probably be printed in the "coon hounds for dummies" book. That being said, there is nothing like a coondog, I am partial to blue ticks, but to each their own. They operate on THEIR timeline and desires, not yours, no matter the level of training. As a dog owner, handler, there are times they will make you pull your hair out when they won't come, or stay, or go, or whatever but when YOU learn that they are doing their thing it becomes easier. I promise they heard your command, they are just going to finish sniffing the last 15 trees before heading to the truck even though you are ready now. I always prefer a pair. One is great, but I like the security of a second dog. Watching the battle in the water isn't an experience I would wish on any pet owner, thankfully I haven't lost a dog but I've gotten wet many a time pulling the coon off the dog myself when only running one hound. The bark/bay is something that once it's in your soul, it never goes away. And the last bit of advice is fantastic as well. Shock collars are one thing, they never seem to phase mine, but the gps ability is something I won't hunt without. Like bird dogs, some hunt close and some range, well especially in the dark, that range can get long in a hurry if they're running a track or god forbid a deer. Being able to head the right way and have some idea where they are going is invaluable. I personally run the garmin alpha but I am sure there are other options to check out.

Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444783
12/29/21 03:53 PM
12/29/21 03:53 PM
Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 25,692
nm
A
adam m Offline
trapper
adam m  Offline
trapper
A

Joined: Feb 2014
Posts: 25,692
nm
X2 MSP and BB
Before I got a track and train system I had my hound 2 miles down the mountain chasing a bear. No fun trying to find a hound without one.

Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444787
12/29/21 03:59 PM
12/29/21 03:59 PM
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 16,951
OH
Catch22 Offline
trapper
Catch22  Offline
trapper

Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 16,951
OH
I do miss hearing a hound but once you hunt with a cur, it's awesome'er lol. They listen a lot better and are easier to handle imo.


I wonder if tap dancers walk into a room, look at the floor, and think, I'd tap that. I wonder about things.....
Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444812
12/29/21 04:29 PM
12/29/21 04:29 PM
Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 382
Northern Illinois
MuddyMike Offline
trapper
MuddyMike  Offline
trapper

Joined: Oct 2018
Posts: 382
Northern Illinois
love my walker dog with that said bigboy and pickins are spot on. mine if i dont hunt him regularly first night out is a crap show. gets gone opens on track ends up treed i get 30 ft from the tree he sees me and is gone i shine tree coon in tree. goes finds another track runs it trees i get 30 ft from him and he bails goes hunting again. shine tree guess what theres a coon. i think i hinestly ruined him this way. used to go out make a drop tree a coon and go home i think dog just wants to hunt till hes done not just one tree and we are done. unfortunatly i dont have a shock collar i need to get one otherwise this would have been resolved already.

i took a long 13year break from running dogs and when i brought this little pup home and trained him with my kids that first tree that he got it right on i can still replay in my head like it was yesterday and that was 6 years ago. next i think i am going to get a pair of plott hounds and run them together

Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: Catch22] #7444815
12/29/21 04:35 PM
12/29/21 04:35 PM
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,512
Oakland, MS
yotetrapper30 Offline
trapper
yotetrapper30  Offline
trapper

Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,512
Oakland, MS
Originally Posted by Catch22
I do miss hearing a hound but once you hunt with a cur, it's awesome'er lol. They listen a lot better and are easier to handle imo.


That's one opinion. We have a cur and a redbone, and I do like hunting with the cur, but it can't come close to competing with the sounds of the hounds running a track. As others have warned, once you hunt with one you'll likely never get it out of your blood.

I can't give any advice because the advice given above says it all.

I can tell you about my hunt last night for a indication of how it goes sometimes. I dropped her in a spot we hunt at least a few times a month. Almost right away she ran over the dry lake bed 0.7 miles to the east. Since the lake bed was not dry enough for me to walk across, I drove over there, but having to go around it was more like 3 miles driving. By the time I got there, she was 3/4 way back to where we started, lol. So back I go, and when I get back, she is now 0.6 miles to the west of where we started, treed, also across the dry lake bed I can't walk across. Another 3 miles driving got me to within 1 mile of her.... then a mile walk in, and another mile walk out. On the walk back, she almost got nailed by a cottonmouth I luckily saw just in time. Coon hunting with hounds is a blast... but it's not for the faint hearted, lol.


~~Proud Ultra MAGA~~
Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: Catch22] #7444816
12/29/21 04:37 PM
12/29/21 04:37 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,896
Oakland, MS
Drifter Offline
trapper
Drifter  Offline
trapper

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 11,896
Oakland, MS
Originally Posted by Catch22
I do miss hearing a hound but once you hunt with a cur, it's awesome'er lol. They listen a lot better and are easier to handle imo.
X 2

I have a mountain cur and the wife has a redbone. No comparison on listening. The cur I have is a close hunter and no way I would go back to a hound.

Before you decide on the breed you want do some serious research. There are a ton of breeds and bloodlines out there. A tracking collar is the ONLY way to go like was stated earlier.


Some individuals use statistics as a drunk man uses lamp-posts — for support rather than for illumination.

Andrew Lang (1844-1912) Scottish poet, novelist and literary critic









Life member NTA , and GA Trappers assoc .
Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444818
12/29/21 04:39 PM
12/29/21 04:39 PM
Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,866
Indiana
P
Providence Farm Offline
trapper
Providence Farm  Offline
trapper
P

Joined: Feb 2020
Posts: 8,866
Indiana
When I think hounds I think rabbit dogs. I love running rabbit dogs but have not had any for years. I dont have the time or enough places to run them like they need. I do like how my german sheperd and border collie listen vs hounds.

Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444834
12/29/21 05:02 PM
12/29/21 05:02 PM
Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 10,063
Marion Kansas
Y
Yes sir Offline
"Callie's little brother"
Yes sir  Offline
"Callie's little brother"
Y

Joined: Jan 2017
Posts: 10,063
Marion Kansas
If you have never hunted with hounds I would strongly recommend you go with someone that has them several times so you at least have some idea what your getting into. A lot of ideas sound good in the living room. If you get one and end not hunting very much for whatever reason you will probably wish you hadn't went down that road. They can trail for miles as already stated and you have no control over it when they hit a track. I use to hunt with some friends 30 years ago. We got in some tight spots with land owners once in awhile back then and I promise you land owners were a lot more understanding back then than now.

Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444850
12/29/21 05:24 PM
12/29/21 05:24 PM
Joined: May 2009
Posts: 3,009
ohio
T
tomahawker Offline
trapper
tomahawker  Offline
trapper
T

Joined: May 2009
Posts: 3,009
ohio
Gundogcentral.com is a place to look. Bought a bird dog off there myself and couldn’t be happier. Always do yer research though. Modern training collars and gps collars have changed the days of “where in the world did my dog go”. I absolutely love mine, tracks the dog and yourself, show dog up to 7 miles away. Marks the truck and anywhere else you drop a pin, like hotspots! Tells when on point or on tree. Good luck and go get em. Never mind any naysayers. You only got one life, live it like ya want it and still young enough to get after it.

Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: Yes sir] #7444857
12/29/21 05:30 PM
12/29/21 05:30 PM
Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,512
Oakland, MS
yotetrapper30 Offline
trapper
yotetrapper30  Offline
trapper

Joined: May 2011
Posts: 16,512
Oakland, MS
Originally Posted by Yes sir
If you get one and end not hunting very much for whatever reason you will probably wish you hadn't went down that road.


I also can't say I agree with that. Even if I never hunted mine, I would still want my redbone. She's my best friend and follows me around like a lab. (Until she finds a trail to run, that is.) I actually use her to hunt squirrels in the day more than I do coon at night. She one's heck of a squirrel dog, as is Drifter's cur.


~~Proud Ultra MAGA~~
Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444861
12/29/21 05:40 PM
12/29/21 05:40 PM
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 271
MN
K
K9BeavCoon Offline OP
trapper
K9BeavCoon  Offline OP
trapper
K

Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 271
MN
The two local guys I know that used to run hounds quit because there was no money in coons anymore. I might have to put out a wanted ad to find someone to take me out. I’ve been told houndsmen are a pretty tight knit group and shy to letting other hunters ride along, I get that, I’m pretty picky who I hunt with too. Know some guys who run coyote hounds, which I think would be fun as heck but I don’t have time during the day to run em.

Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444868
12/29/21 05:54 PM
12/29/21 05:54 PM
Joined: May 2018
Posts: 10,726
SW Georgia
W
Wanna Be Offline
trapper
Wanna Be  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: May 2018
Posts: 10,726
SW Georgia
Not sure if it’s classified as a hound, but we have a Blue Lacey coming from Texas in the next couple of months. One of the well known deer trackers in our area has been talking with my son, so I guess we’re getting in the deer tracking business. This guys dogs are 100% on gut shot deer. They’ve been doing it long enough he can look at an arrow or impact spot and tell you whether your deer is dead or gonna live to be seen again. They work on tips alone and travel some serious miles.

Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444891
12/29/21 06:27 PM
12/29/21 06:27 PM
Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 128
WI
WIFrost Offline
trapper
WIFrost  Offline
trapper

Joined: Jan 2020
Posts: 128
WI
I’ll warn you now…. They are ADDICTING!!!

[Linked Image]


My redbone female and Bluetick male treeing a bear last August.

Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444924
12/29/21 07:10 PM
12/29/21 07:10 PM
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 549
WV
R
redsnow Offline
trapper
redsnow  Offline
trapper
R

Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 549
WV
One thing that nobody has mentioned, hounds are good pets too. Good watch dogs too.

My first puppy was a Redbone, kind of partial to them. I had a Black & Tan, she was a good dog. Had a Walker, and an English, both of them were good dogs. An Elkhound and an Elkhound/Redbone mix, both good dogs. Had a beagle too, and she was a good dog. Most of them are hardheaded, once you cut them in the wind, you're playing on their time. And most of my dogs were housebroke and very good around kids and friends. They are smart.

But I kind of look at it like this, once you set a trapline, you've committed, you've gotta be there tomorrow. And the next day. For a guy with limited time, it's fun to just take the dog out, shoot out a coon or 2 and go home. I lost my dog in the road this past summer, boys I miss her. First time in my life that I've never had a dog.

I've been looking around, I'll wait till after trapping season, but I'll have a dog before the end of March.

Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: K9BeavCoon] #7444937
12/29/21 07:39 PM
12/29/21 07:39 PM
Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 269
West Virginia
W
WV Danimal Offline
trapper
WV Danimal  Offline
trapper
W

Joined: Jun 2010
Posts: 269
West Virginia
[Linked Image]
My "hounds" are still learning. Haven't had the cur on coon yet but he's hammering squirrels. The Garmin Alpha Pro was an absolute god send! Pricey but well worth it.


Trash your goals and plans for life. Just wing it and you'll never be let down!
Re: Thinkin of gettin a hound(s) [Re: Catch22] #7444951
12/29/21 07:50 PM
12/29/21 07:50 PM
Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 4,913
Idaho Falls, ID
G
Grandpa Trapper Offline
trapper
Grandpa Trapper  Offline
trapper
G

Joined: Nov 2011
Posts: 4,913
Idaho Falls, ID
Originally Posted by Catch22
I do miss hearing a hound but once you hunt with a cur, it's awesome'er lol. They listen a lot better and are easier to handle imo.


X2. I have a mountain cur. Very good listener.

Page 1 of 2 1 2
Previous Thread
Index
Next Thread