Took Roy up to the kids place. Clayton came along with Billy tonight. We sent Roy and Pearl along the corn on the west end of the schoolhouse section. Roy struck, ran a short track and treed whil Pearl was out in the corn. She came into him but checked the area pretty good before she treed. Two coons sitting up. Clayton tried his hand at skinning. I think I've finally found somebody slower than me.
I had a caged coon too, so we went back to the house and chased that before I went home.
I left a tracking collar with them. They might try hunting Pearl alonne tonight.
Took Ruby to Lawrences woods. She struck and was moving out. I figured it was a deer and gave her a warning. She shut up but I gave her a mild shock anyway. She was already in the middle of the section before I stopped her. I drove around and caught her and went to the vegetable garden about 11:30 now. I cut her and she fired out and treed on the ditch. She had one coon and another was up a few trees over.
Took Ruby to the vegetable garden, cut loose at 10:45.
She took oof into the corn and struck right away.
I had walked around the corner by the woods a couple of times to try and stay with her. The coon must have came out right where I walked and this screwed her up for a few seconds. She got into the woods and treed. I got in there pretty quick. I didn't see a coon but I didn't shine too long because it was close to the house. Took her deeper and set her loose again. She went deep and struck by a big pothole. She grubbed around til midnight and I finally just had to catch her. It was one of those nights when it seemed like the hunting would get good late but I had to go to work the next day. She didn't want to get caught and even though she couldn't finish this, I liked her attitude on this one. Reminds me of a dog getting ready to take it to the next level.
Dale wanted to hunt so I met up at Pete's. When Bronco came up to us Roy growled. I scolded him and took him back by Bronco. He kept growling even though Bronco wasn't even paying any attention to him. I finally just started shocking him when he showed aggression. He stopped after about a dozen times. I told them we couldn't hunt these two together though. Pete left Bronco home & we headed to Lawrences woods. Dale had a friend Mike with a redbone pup along. Roy struck, ran a nice track and treed. Big den tree, goo enough to give him the benefit of the doubt. We sent him back out. He struck & it sounded like junk. He quit after a few minutes. On his way back he came through lots of nice corn and woods but never struck. I think the coon population is down this year.
I took Ruby down to the river & I sent her into the last corn away from the road. She chased a hot one to the end and then it must have made a u-turn. She was coming back towards the road full speed. I was worried it might keep going. Lucky it climbed the first tree it came to. I shined around and didn't see anything else sitting up. I was kind of surprised, maybe I really got most of them this year? Anyway, that was a nice hot track for Ruby.
Dale & his friend met me up at the farm to hunt with the kids. We sent Roy and Pearl south into the corn. Roy opened and ran a track to the west. It was junk. He's run that same track about 4 times now. I could probably just shock him if he opens in that section. Anyway, I gave both the dogs a warning tone. I drove around with Charlie while the rest of the kids waited for Dale. Pearl was treed. We walked around the swamp 'cause I thought she was on the other side. Turned out she was in the middle. When we finally got to her she had two up a little tree. She could see them & was treeing hard. We got out of the swamp and could hear Roy treed. Dale drove up a road to him and he quit treeing. Too bad, he still hasn't quite recovered from being shocked off of slick trees. He's been staying when I walk into him but the combination of a warning tone earlier and the truck lights must have been too much for him. Still a long road to recovery for Roy. Anyway, the kids were sure proud of Pearl. She did a nice job.
Took Ruby to Lawrences woods. No strikes. Went to the vegetable garden and headed north. Ruby treed a possum. I scolded her and sent her on. About 20 yards ahead she treed again. This time she had a coon. Nice lesson I think.
Took Roy and Pearl to a big spot north of the kids place. Pearl barked a few times and went on. Roy opened deeper on a tough track. He just kept working it. Pearl was with him but not saying much. He finally located and Pearl joined in. They treed hard together. They had a big coon at the edge of a cornfield where it met a swamp. Nice job. We walked them around some more, they opened in a swamp. It was wet and by a road so I called them in. They both came with no trouble, very nice. Called it a night.
Had a couple of caged coons. One I caught over on Main Street at Evelyns. The other I caught on my street at Mary's. Mary is Evelyn's sister-in-law. Mary also grew up in the house I live in now. Small world. Anyway, I let them both go at once and then let Ruby and Pearl chase them. They treed one & I didn't bother to send them out looking for the other one.
Picked up Pete and went to Lawrences woods. I sent Ruby in and she hunted for about 15 minutes and then came back. I drove around to the birdhouse and sent her in there. She covered the corn & came back. I was really surprised not to get strikes in either spot. I could have walked her deeper but called it a night instead. Pete wan't dressed to go in the woods so he would have had to hang out on the road. I'll hit it a little harder Wednesday.
Took Roy up to the kids place. They have a cousin who lives next to a coon infested corn field. We drove up there with Roy and Pearl. I sent them down an edge and after a little while Roy opened up on a tree. Pearl came in but she had to go out in the corn and check the track. She came back in a couple of minutes and treed. The kids wanted to hunt more but I told them I'd rather come back another night. Roy is looking pretty good again. I won't get my hopes up about night hunts but at least it looks like I'll be able to hunt with him and have fun.
Was going to hunt Roy and Pearl but it was raining too much. I told Charlie I'd come back up Monday. Then I took Roy to the west woods. He made a loop with no strikes and I caught him. I went to Lawrences woods and sent him in. He struck a hot track. So hot there was hardly a changeover from the track to the tree. He had the coon, I left it for Ruby to tree later this week.
Went up to Gordies with Ruby. We sent Ruby and Lucky into the woods by the tee in the road. Ruby went about 15 feet and opened hot. Lucky never barked. I waited a few seconds as Ruby away, then I gave her a warning tone. She got quiet but a few seconds later she opened again deeper. I gave her a shock this time & she shut up. We backed out of the woods and walked the road towards her. As we reached the edge of the cornfield I saw something. I turned on my light and ran around in the rows & finally caught up with it. It was a big coon and he wanted to get by us. He jumped over a couple rows, ran out to the road and crossed into another big corn field. I turned around and there was Ruby coming back from her junk run. She struck in the first corn field, fumbled around on the road for a few seconds and then crossed to the big corn field. The race was on! This all happened in just a few minutes. This was a major league race for a puppy so I was glad when Lucky came in and started running the track too. There was a big strip of tall grass between the corn and the woods. The coon would get to the edge and turn back into the corn. I didn't check my watch, but I think they ran hot for somewhere between 15 and 30 minutes. Finally it got quiet, the coon must have made a break for the trees and the dogs were having trouble with the grass. We were walking the road and I saw Ruby, I figure she had lost it and was making a loop. I leashed Ruby and we walked the road towards the tree line which was about 1/4 mile away. About that time we heard Lucky open again and then she treed. I let Ruby go and she went in and treed nicely with Lucky. It was a nice big oak in open ground a few yards from the thick grass. Too bad I lost my camera, this would have been a great shot. I guess this is about the best night of training I've had in years. I couldn't have done it if it weren't for that old dog Lucky. Who would have thought that a Mabel pup could be a check dog. Guess she got that from Bud. Anyway, if I could get lucky and have a few more nights like this Ruby should turn into a real coondog.
Went with Pete and Dale to the vegetable garden. Ruby struck in the near woods and trailed a little then quit. Some kind of junk I suppose, maybe a possum again? Bronco popped up a coon on the north edge of the corn. Ruby went to him, I could tell she didn't exactly like covering another dogs tree. We sent them on from there along the ditch. Ruby opened in the swamp after about 15 minutes. It sounded like she was treed & I headed in. She was just fumbling around in the wet grass, I grabbed her and walked out. Bronco was doing the same a little to the east. He finally went west and treed. Pretty close to where I picked up Ruby. I guess I should have just let her work. It's a bad swamp there though & I didn't want her to get in there and waste the whole night. Anyway, time to start turning her into an adult dog. I'll have to hunt her with strange dogs and in different spots more. I've protected her pretty well so far, but I can't keep holding her back forever. This next 6 months is the part of training a dog that I hate.
Darn, my camera holster got ripped off of my belt while going through the swamp. I didn't notice til I was back in the field. Another $300 down the drain. I've lost about $1300 worth of stuff in the last year and a half. 2 phones, a tracker and now the camera.
Took Ruby to the vegetable garden about 9:30. All those caged coons have made her a little lazy. She hunted out but didn't go fast or deep. I actually like that right now. It's easy to be somewhat in control. By the end of the fall I'm confident she'll be firing out again. Anyway, she made it to the northwest corner of the corn and I heard her give out a funny bark. She went a little ways in the woods, located and treed. I think she might have actually bumped into the coon on the ground. Anyway she had one.
On the way home I remembered I had a possum in a cage in back. I stopped, took Ruby out and let her see it. When she went for it I gave her a warning tone with the shocker. Then I let the possum go across a parking lot. I walked Ruby behind it for a while and then gave her a warning tone when she started to pick up speed. She really responds to that tone. I may never have to shock her again.
Yet another coon on my street. I took Roy up to the farm and chased it with him and Pearl. The kids had fun.
Had a monster caged coon from the lady down the street. I went up to Wades with Ruby & we let it go. A few minutes later we let Ruby and Rock go. Rock still doesn't want to hunt with Ruby. She ran a nice track and treed. Rock came in with Wade.
I had another caged coon to pick up tonight. I took Ruby again. I let the coon out in a corn field and only waited a few minutes before turing Ruby loose. The coon had taken off on a pretty good clip but could have turned and headed out towards a road. Instead of folloing after Ruby I veered off to a position where I could catch her if she took off for the road. I heard her treeing after a few minutes and headed back to her. As I looked across the field, it looked like there were no trees in the area of her barking, I figured she was baying it on the ground. She stopped before I could reach her. Soon she was back by me. I walked her back into the general area and worked on getting her to go back on the track. She was hesitant, but finally took off and shortly thereafter was treed back in the woods.
This reminded me of Mable when she was young. Not a fighter at all, if the coon wasn't running away she didn't know what to do. I thought it would be a problem the first time I saw her fumble like this on a caged coon. It turned out that it never mattered. Caged coons and wild coons are different & I've learned not to put to much thought into screwups with caged coons.
Still, it's time to start hunting my normal spots with Ruby.
She needs to move on to harder hunting and working out tougher tracks.
All these caged coons are starting to be a nuisance.
Anyway, I love my little dog.
I'm commited now, she'll be my main dog for a long time.
I can't explain why I like her so much, it's just the way it is.
I had two caged coons tonight. I let them both go together at the vegetable garden. I sent Ruby in after a few minutes. She treed one and then went back out on trail of the other. She came back after a few minutes and treed again. I'm not sure if this was a good lesson for her or not.
Caught a coon on my street. Took it and the dogs up to the farm. Let it go and waited a few minutes then set Ruby, Pearl and Roy loose. Ruby opens all the way, Roy and Pearl have learned to run caged coons silent. They treed after a nice run. You can feel fall in the air. Time to start hunting in the corn and quit screwing around with caged coons. But... I caught another on my street this morning. What are they doing right in town?
Took Ruby to the river around 9:30.
We walked around for about 1/2 hour with no strikes.
Loaded up and headed home.
A possum came out in the road and then turned back as I was pulling up to the gate.
Gordy's daughter got married so I went up to the reception. I had a caged coon so I brought it and Ruby. Gordy was way too busy so Marne went instead and he brought a running/bear dog. They ran the track nice and then it blew up by the corn where it meets the woods. We were too far away to know just how the dogs screwed this up. Maybe Ruby treed and then left to follow the running dog, or the coon just gave them the slip in the corn, or even that they killed the coon in the corn without us hearing. I wonder if the coon wasn't just sitting in the corn too. We caught Marne's dog and let Ruby try to work it out. Ruby was just running around in the corner of the corn field, trailing a little and then once in a while just stopping and treeing like a 5 month old puppy. I gave her about 10 minutes to recover but she didn't so I just caught her.
Interesting to talk with Marne about dogs. He doesn't coonhunt anymore, it's all bear, bobcat and coyote. He trains dogs the opposite of the way I do. Tries to put young dogs in bad or complicated situations, sits back and won't help them figure things out. He's looking for an all natural dog. And he goes through a ton of puppies.
I will train a "pretty good" dog that "I like". I put them in easy situations, stay close and correct and help them as much as I can. At 2-1/2 to 3 yrs I start hunting more and training less. With a little luck, they will be solid by then and handle the tough situations.
I think either approach is fine, but they don't mix well.
If the two of us hunted together too much, we'd probably argue about how to handle the dogs a lot.