BigGameHoundsmen.com

Hi Guys,
What do you guys shoot your coons out of the tree with, they look a reasonable size compared to the Possooms I hunt here in NZ? Are they any good for dog food at all, the Possoms are the best food you can give a dog they do very well on them? We pluck the fur from Possoms and get $105 a kilo, it is blended with Merino wool which is a high qualilty wool that is very fine texture, making high quality garments. People still skin Possoms but plucking is so easy and quick and you do it when the animal is warm, if it cools down to much it has to be done using a machine.
Cheers Lurcher, NZ.

Well, the coon we shoot here in the center of the country, are usually about 15-25lbs on average (not sure about converting that to metric). We use mostly .22 caliber rifles to shoot them. I know very few people that actually skin them, but normally you just take the whole animal to a fur buyer and the usual price is $10 for an average sized coon. I have never feed a coon to a dog, but I know there are people that do and swear that it is the best dog food. I hope some of this helps you out and its nice to hear from New Zealand. Happy hunting.

Gidday Michael,

Your Coons are alot bigger than our Possoms, I'd say the biggest might make nine or ten pounds, but that would be a big one. They are a real pest here in NZ, there is an estimated 70 million although I think those figures maybe a little inflated to help the fact that the conservation department wants to 1080 the hell out of the place
Do your dogs kill many coons on the ground, possoms are quite tough but not that difficult to kill for a reasonable sized dog?
So is that Coonhound in the photo what you call a Black and Tan?
Cheers Lurcher, NZ.

no lurcher, these two below are black and tan hounds.

that poor thing at that time was a kennel dog. after a couple months of excercise it finally looks like a hound. you should see a pic today it doesnt even look like the same dog.