caging coons for dogs

[Pagosa]

Does anyone in states where there is no restrictions on coon hunting, catch coons in live traps, lie a scent trail and pull the cage up in a tree for the dog to tree? I don't the want the dog gething used to sight running game. And I don't have any experienced hounds to train with. It seemed to develop the treeing part which is what my dog needs. She can run a track fast but has problems barking on tree, only runs around pulling bark and yelping. Any helpfull tips would be appreciated. Thanks

[northwoods]

This is a loaded question bud, and you are going to get all sorts of opinions on this. The fact is the hound needs to be taught what to chase. Some dogs need more help than others, and people write books and go round and round on proper introduction to game. I trained mine the wick way (John Wick). If you can order it. Cost you about 35 bucks and will give you 40 years of an accomplished houndsman experience that you know knows what he is doing. You are right that it is not something you want to do more than a few times. Depending on age and maturity the rate of progression will vary. Set the hound up for success, when it succeeds praise and baby step up the difficulty, after some successful training runs its lots of time in the woods that's needed. That's general, but a lot of individual specifics that will differ with age,maturity,dog,ability,and what you are looking for in your dog. Just remember "unrealistic expectations are a road block to success. Don't judge your dog by what you expect him to do but by what it's ready to give". -Tom Solberg

[northwoods]

Sorry I didn't read your post well enough. The book by John is walk with wick and it sounds like your dog is doing what she is going to do at this point. If you have questions to get specific shoot me a message

[Pagosa]

Northwoods thanks for the help. I will checkout the book and read. Her trailing ability is amazing just need lots of help in the treeing locating part. She only seems to bark when she sees game, is that normal for younger dogs about an year old? This is first walker (had plotts and b&t) , but It seems to me this walker is going to develop later in life, she has lots of puppy in her still.

[northwoods]

An experience I had was similar with a hound I have now. When he was about a year and a half he tracked well and made it to the right area but lacked the confidence to nail it down and really let it go until he saw the game. he kind of whined and was really anxious to know right where it was at. If I released a coon for him to track he would do the same thing. I knew he had the tools and a loud booming bawl, why wasn't he using it.This was really discouraging thinking he was never going to just do it. I then read one of the Q & A's in the book which described a similar situation. John said the dog was on the right track and when he was ready, he would let you know. Same rang true with my dog. He didn't want to fire away until he was sure.(this is a good thing!) I kept working with him. But now i just released coons and let him track them,no more drags. When he tracked and located the area I helped ensure and encourage him to the right tree and praised him. When he knew he was doing it right it fired him up and he really blew the tree up. Night after night I took him to the woods with no success, until it finally happened he must have hit a pretty hot track and was blowing up, I went to him and two coons lay up looking down at me. Halleluiah! The main issue was getting him to an area that had coons and letting him keep at it. He kept progressing and he is my most accurate and best dog. If he opens I know there is coon in the area and if he is silent and other dogs are opening I know it's not coon. Morale of story is the dog is young and sounds like it likes to hunt and wants to hunt. Like John, I think you should continue doing what you are doing and once the confidence is there, will let u know where the coon is regardless of the way it trees. The key is that it wants to hunt, and enjoys it. When he does things right keep up the praise and it will drive him to keep it up. As long as he continues to progress, keep up the work and patience. My dog was started at about a year and a half and didn't really finish until 3. He will provide me with years of good work and teaching pups the right way! Another Wick quote is it doesn't matter how they start, but how they finish. People will talk a big game about how early their dog treed game, don't be discouraged by the stories of others prodigy dogs that most likely don't exist. You have a good prospect, keep up the good work!

[northwoods]

Where are you located?

[huntinwyo]

I am new to hounds as well and my dog did exactly what your dog is doing. I never showed him a coon in a cage, just woods time and one released coon when he was ten months. He is now almost a year and a half and just tonight he tried 4 coon, by himself. The cool thing about itis I got to see him progress this whole time. It took many trips to the woods but he's getting better and better. Don't worry about your dog being a super star right away, just keep hunting and as long as that dog is hustling and hunting, it'll catch on in my opinion. But than again this is my first dog I've owned so its a small sample. Good hunting, Joe.

[Pagosa]

Thanks for the help. Just got the walk with wick book and plan on getting some tips. Not going to run any since they have little kittens right now until around early summer. The state I'm currently working in has a spring squirrel season so I will be getting her hunting in May. I thank the reward of training a pup into a hunting hound is a great and rewarding challenge. Glad to hear from others.

[Pagosa]

I took this young hound out twice this week, 1st night she hunted pretty hard even through it was about 70, but she never barked on a track. Last night we hunted until midnight, and she didn't want to hunt too hard, I lightly scolded her and she hunted out further, maybe a 100 yards, and never opened on a track, but did lots of trailing for about 15 minutes in one spot.
We head home and I see a coon on my neighbors property, which I have permission to hunt. I get her on the trail and she takes off, I only hear her yelp one time and she hunts hard in this patch of trees for 20 minutes, hot trailing back and forth, but again never barks. So I don't know what to think, I go back to the truck and grab my light to see what's she doing down there in the woods. She comes back to me still hot trailing, and goes away towards the neighbors house. After about 5 minutes of running I hear her open and barking treed or baying something. She is barking every breathe. I'm thinking alright she has one treed, but she sounds like she is right beside the chicken coop, I'm like she is going the piss beat of her if she barking at those chickens.
I walk down there and she's baying a coon on the ground, that had been trapped by the landowner in live trap. I praise her up, even though it was in a trap. I encourage her and lead her away. I guess the method for having Walkers tree is to trap the coon first! Lol
She has been hunted about 12 nights and has run two coons in the past couple months. I seen the 1st one running on the ground and she was about 2 minutes behind it. I don't care if she trails silent, but she really needs confidences to tree. I just plan to get her out more hunting and hope she figures it out. I'm reading the Wicks book and this sounds common and at least she is not slick treeing. Preston

[Pagosa]

I took my Walker hound out before daylight this morning and she hunted and treed like a seasoned hound. She still doesn't open on track, but barked solid on a coon she ran into a base of a hollow tree. The coon was only in the tree a few feet and growling ever few seconds. The second she barked on tree for about 15 minutes but my light was dead and she gave up when I yelled for her. Im confident with more hunting she will turn into a good hunter within a year or two. It just took lots of hunting on a fairly regular schedule. Preston