My neighbor caught a giant coon in her yard that I picked up and then I had to get another one over in Minnetonka. I drove them up to the kids place and we let them go in the field. We sent Pearl first and then Roy loose a few minutes later. Pearl took off after one coon and Roy after the other. Pearl treed before Roy got to the edge of the woods so he stopped his track and went to her. I think she might do well this fall.
Went to the river with Roy and walked the swamp strip. He ran one out across the road and down the ditch. He bogged down and I could tell the coon had crossed. I walked around and finally saw it on the other side. Roy was barking on the edge and I gave him a shove into the ditch. He swam across and treed.
Then I went to the gun club strip and put him on a hot one. While he treed that I looked around and saw two other coons sitting up where I parked. I went and got Roy off of his tree and cut him back at the truck. He finally treed after fumbling around in the brush for a while.
The water is very high this year and the brush is as thick as I've ever seen it.
Roy is pretty fat still too.
But by the end of the night he was hunting pretty well and even swimming down ditch when I decided to call it a night.
Man are there a lot of coons down there this year.
Took Roy to the river and walked both strips without getting a strike. Went to the old corn on the big curve and put him on a hot one. He treed that one in a little tree out in the open. I saw another coon sitting up by the river. I walked Roy up around there & he didn't catch any scent on the road. I made him get into the brush & then he started hunting around and finally treed & had the coon there too.
Took Roy to the rive and walked the swamp strip. He went east across the beans and into the rough stuff running a track. He went around for a while and them came back to the corn. I finally called him in when it sounded like he had just lost it.
Walked the gun club strip next & Roy struck a nice track and treed. It was the giant tree that leans out over the ditch with a couple of fallen big trees that cross. I don't know if the coon climbed or crossed but I couldn't find him. This is probably the 5th or 6th time I have lost this race. I've seen the coon sitting up on the other side once, I should have walked around and got him when I had the chance I guess.
Took Roy and put him on a hot one in the old corn. He treed nice & I thought he had it but I could not find eyes.
One of those nights....
I think I've finally stemmed the tide down on the river for now. Wow was there a lot of damage. Walked Roy through both strips and no strikes. He did tree on the ditch later. I thought it was slcik & then saw some eyes. Knocked it out & it was a possum. Bad dog...
I put him on a couple of hot ones in the old corn later. He caught one on the ground and then went on and treed the other nicely.
He sleeping hard today.
It will take a few weeks to get that fat off of him.
Dale came down & we headed to the river. We sent Ruby and Roy in by the gun club. They grabbed a tree after a few minutes but we didn't see a coon. We moved to the swamp strip and Ruby opened right away. She and Roy grabbed a giant tree. I didn't see a coon so I sent them on. Dale found the coon a few minutes later. By then the dogw were running another track. Roy sounded treed and then quit, Ruby came back & we let her tree on the first tree. Roy treed across the creek by the gun club. I went to him & he had a litter up. He also smelled from being sprayed by a skunk. Went back and knoceked the coon out of the frist tree and it ran into the swamp. We sent Roy after it but he bogged down in the jungle. Finally called him out and quit for the night.
Met Paul & headed down to the hot spots. Nitor took a track down the ditch and back out to wards the road so I caught him and moved. He took another track out of the corn and right to a sheer drop on the rivers edge. Luckily I caught him before he took the plunge. I went back to the first strip and he treed on a big tree. We enever saw a coon. Took him to the big curve and he ran a nice short track and treed with the coon. Nice way to end the night. Paul took him home so the house is kind of quiet today. I'll miss my buddy. Oh well, time to start working that lard off of Roy. I still need to clean up those hot spots on the river so I'll get him some exercise tonight.
BTW, some kids were partying down there Friday. One of them ripped the post out of the ground that the gate hooks up to. I left a message for Seever & am waiting to hear what if anything he wants me to do when I run into kids down there from now on. They've been partying down there for the past few weekends.
I stopped going down to the river because the deer hunters were getting anxious. I did warn Bert that there was a late strip of corn that was going to get hammered though & he should call me when it gets ripe. Well, he forgot and I got a call from Seever tonight. The little strip is getting ravaged. There is one more strip I thought was field corn but is really sweet corn. It's getting hit too. I took Roy down there to scout it out. He waddled off into the first strip and treed in about 3 minutes. He had a coon. I took him to the next strip and he treed pretty quick there too. It was a vine covered tree & very hard to search but I thought it was slick anyway. I walked him a few hundred yards & he treeed again and had a coon again. On the walk back to the truck he had to lay down and rest a couple of times. My wife feeds him so much that he looks like a sausage with toothpicks for legs.
Anyway, there are several more coons in these strips & I'll have to get on them again tonight. Paul may come up & we'll put Nitro in there. I know I shouldn't be gioving him easy coons but I can't control myself.
Talked to Marty Beard today. He said he'd breed Mary to Nitro but not til this spring. SHe's his main cat dog & will need her this season. Hope nothing happens to either of them til then.
Took Nitro up to the farm and let him and Pearl run a hot one. THey treed hard in a brushy section next to the swamp & had the coon. I had to drag them out on my hands and knees.
I amde a drop on the way home. Nitro strick an old track and grubbed for a few minutes. He finally located on a tree close by. I think it was slick. Just reinforced my fellings that he needs to sit until a few leaves are off.
He's not nearly as dumb as Roy so I think he'll get over pulling up short with a little common sense hunting.
I figure about the 2nd or 3rd week of October would be a good time to go back to work.
Took Nitro to the state hunt. Didn't do any good. He grabbed a couple of slick trees. Talking to Cliff later he wasn't surprised since he'd been in the sweet corn so much this summer. He knew the dog was good but needs to be disciplined now. And even though he pulled up short, it's obvious he's heads and shoulders above the other dogs in raw talent.
Anyway, Cliff told me a littermate to Driver is coming in heat and the guy wants to breed her. She's a real nice dog. I'll keep him calling til I get a hold of him and see if he'll breed to Nitro. It would be a dream cross for me.
As for Nitro, probably best to let him sti til October and then work on accuracy now.
Waited til about 1 am and cut Nitro at the vegetable garden. He struck after a few minute and grbbed out a track. He would be quiet move 100 yards and then open. THis went on for about 15 minutes then he layed into a tree. It sounded beautiful. He was on a big tree & I could see most of it. I really expected to see the coon but never could find it. It sounded so good, I'd be very dissappointed if this tree were slick. But he's been in a slump for about 2 weeks. I'll just have to keep watching him and correct him when I get a chance. State hunt is next weekend. I sure would like for him to have a good night up there.