New to coon hunting

[Plott1357]

Hey so I have been on this sight talking about mtn lions but I just moved to eastern mt and has a spot with a ton of coons. Took the dogs out last night and got one in a tree and one in an old house. My b and t had the one in the tree it was really thick in there and my plott was having a hard time treeing he had no idea where it was. Now a question with that many coons in the area is it to much coon scent for them to handle. Or should I keep running them where there are all these coons

[david]

It can be confusing for them. But just keep hunting them. They will learn every time you take them. I have owned dogs that would tree one and stay treed until you got there. Then the minute you are done with that tree, they go to another one they had noticed on the way, or located out of the air.

You kind of need to start treating one of your dogs as the lead dog, in my opinion. It seems like your B/T is volunteering for the job.

It is hard for young dogs, but when your B/T trees like that, and you see the coon, leash him to the tree, or watch him and correct him anytime he starts to pull to the other dog. Don't leave him there, stay there with him. Let him tree as long as he stays intense about it. If his attention starts to wain, either shoot the coon out, or pet him and praise him. When done at that tree, lead him away from the tree. Use a leash for now to signal to him that we are done with this tree. Take him out a ways and let him go, and don't let him go back to that tree.

In the mean time if the other dog comes in to that tree, leash him up and don't let him wander around.

This is awesome training and you need a "sucker dog" to do it with. Don't even worry about the other one at a time like that. Sounds like that B/T is a fine dog. Focus on him. If the other one figures it out, all the better. If not, use him to make your B/T solid as a rock.

Teach him while you are with him at the tree that the tone means "get back on that tree". So tone him and praise him when he gets back on it. On future trees, start delaying your arrival at the tree more and more, eventually, up to several hours when you have the time. you can sit fairly close if you are down wind of him. If the track he came in on is downwind, that is the place to sit. That way if he wants to leave you can correct him. The most common way to leave will be checking out the track he came in on. You will be there to correct him.

The other one will figure out where the action is, and will eventually learn to get there and stay there.

[Jeff Eberle]

[Plott1357]

O yes I saw the coon in the tree my black and tan was half way up the sucker trying to get him my plott was running around the general area barking and trying to tree it was so thick in there u could barely move. I ran them in a different spot and they both were barking at an ol house went in there and found the coon and some baby's under the floor board. I tried to grab dogs and get out but the coon ran basically into my plotts mouth. So needles to say I'm the father of 2 tiny little baby coons that I'm gonna try to keep alaive. This place I hunt is flat land and what I do is put one dog on one side of the canal and another on the other side. My b and t has her shit figured out she will open and tree. My plott if he's running with her will do the same but they were hunting there different spots. So I guess I'll just run the plott by him self until he starts treeing on his own. Or should I let the black and tan tree and bring him to the tree and tie him up

[Plott1357]

I'm not a big reader more hands on learner. When those dogs are on a bear they run right with each other I just think this spot has so many dam coons running every which direction they get very confused I will watch my GPS and they will work one spot about 30 feet around back and forth they won't open but they will just work back and forth

[macedonia mule man]

Coons must be different in montana, if my dogs did that here, I would suspect armadillo or rabbit and if they treed I would think squirrell. My dogs have treed equirrell at night.

[Kevin Jackson]

Doesn't sound like too many tracks so much as not enough tracking ability. I've seen dogs in a competition hunt one night go back and forth like that and bark and all of a sudden up flew a pheasant. Seen pups do like your saying and find out they're trying to run a rabbit. I've coon hunted all over the country and some places that have a lot more coon than eastern Montana and never seen a dog stand on it's head because there were too many coons. I'd suspect not enough nose, not enough experience, or trash. I'd bet if you keep hunting them they'll be just fine. If it was me I'd drop them alone until they get it figured out.

[Dan Edwards]

Exactly, Kevin!