Anyone running hounds chasing the ringtails ?! Only got out once last year but wife has instructed me we WILL be taking ol Tucker out this winter. He is a straight as they come treehound and a real pleasure to hunt , and a kill dog deluxe. He is oddly great in the house and with cats !
Sounds like a fun thing to do in the winter! Nice dog you have there. I have never hunted coon, other than shooting them as pests in the yard by flood light, or if close enough, even the light from from inside reflecting off their eyes allows me to center the scope of my single shot .223 between their eyes. Once shot ours go deep underground in the garden.
Oh it’s a blast !! If you have a good dog anyway. Something about it that settles that mountain man urge I guess.
We did this a lot when I was growing up. Dad always had a few hounds. Red bones, black and tans, treeing walkers.
Brings back memories, used to hunt when our son was little. We had blue ticks, red ticks, black and tan. Been to a few competition hunts. My cousin hunted just about every kind of hound. That's a beautiful B&T you have. Wish were closer
Thanks. He is a good one. We struggle to find land to run on anymore. We have 80 here but he can blow through that quick. Lot of land been sold close on the last 5 years and losing some hunting ground for sure. We have 168 acres a couple hours south but a lot of wild hogs there which adds a rival to hound and us.
Haven’t hunted in a few years but a buddy has a new dog, I expect we will get some hunting done this year if we don’t will get some gigging done.
Went out with friends a couple times and had fun. Seems a good Woofer is key to success. It used to be huge where I am when the pelts were worth something. Some folks could prettymuch live off fur trapping/hunting back then.
We trap nuisance raccoons on our property and I’ve added skinning and tanning to my to-do list of skill-building. We use Duke’s dog-proof traps and they definitely work. We trap the raccoons because they’re out of control around here - a problem that wouldn’t exist if the pelt market hadn’t been destroyed by know-nothing social warriors. Too much time on those peoples’ hands, for sure. We consider the raccoons nuisances because of their sheer unchecked numbers and the damage they do to our ground nesting bird population. So we manage them the same way we manage buckthorn - in the interest of restoring a balance to the habitat here.
I knew 3 avid fur catchers in the 80s. They all slowly gave it up when the money went away. Can't blame them. Who wants to go out every February morning to check traps that may yield $50 on a stellar day. We don't have a lot of good fur here. Fox, Muskrat, Coon and Yotes with the occasional Fisher. I think Muskrat used to be fairly profitable for no bigger than they are. Beaver very sparse, but coming back according to Dept. of Wildlife.
That’s a nicely built B&T! I still have one old dog (11/12 years old) that I run on coon. The rest I just use on coyotes and bear (which is a LOT more exciting to me). My son will be sad when the old girl goes. But with finding private land to get permission to hunt on and the price of fur, she will probably be the last coondog in the yard.
I have a beagle & black lab that fancy themselves as coon hounds. They have got 8 this summer so far, they will no doubt get more over the fall/winter as the crops come out & feed stocks get lower for the garbage pandas.
Well the old girl still has half a brain.. Season started last night. The boy likes the little Cricket .22 better than the full size Marlin he used last year.
First attempt at skinning - practice really. This was back in August. I was using a filet knife, which got the job done, but put a couple nicks. And I definitely messed the tail and nose up. Good practice though. I realized you really need the right tools to make the skinning process less laborious. I had the carcass hanging from old rope on a rotten white oak branch that was here when we bought the house. Thought it might come down on my head when I was putting downward pressure on the skin/carcass - plus I was being mobbed by yellow jackets. I have a healthy respect for people that have a dedicated tanning shed and all the right tools, that’s for sure. I have made a couple more attempts but they were even less successful, mostly due to the yellow jackets. The pelts were summer pelts anyways. I think the thicker winter pelts are better, and I won’t have the yellow jacket issue. So, the adventure continues…
thescratchylens look into a tail stripper it will make removing the fur a lot easier from the tail. They make fancy one, we always used a pair of hickory sticks with a small groove cut in them.
Yep it’s on the list! And a better skinning knife. Plus I need to set up a station using some spare 4x4’s I have around. For now, though, other matters take center stage. We have our wood burning insert being installed on 11-01. I have almost no wood ready. We’ll have to purchase some wood this year - and rely on the goodwill of a friend. We DO have alternate means of heating the house, but we earnestly look forward to using our own wood to do it. We pulled the trigger on a log splitter; haven’t even been able to get the oil and hydro fluid in it. Laid up by a kidney stone that requires two surgeries. It’s been a mental battle as much as physical - having all this potential to get the work done and get the three year plan going, but instead being in a ditch. I know it will come and this is just a season. Griping aside, God has been very gracious, good, and generous. My health is improving markedly each day. The wood will still be there. It will all fall into place. I just tend to be impatient.
They sure weren’t moving much last night with the bright moon. Treed one that made it to its hollow/den tree and then finally got this one a couple turnouts later.
