I've been working Saturdays so haven't been able to go. Season's been open for 3 weeks in a different zone, and this is only the first time I got to go.
It didn't start off too bad. We left Friday night, and spent the night. Only to wake up at 2am and not be able to sleep again, as everyone started showing up. It never get's daylight fast enough on the first day of season. But by 5, everyone was there, and we were on the road rigging. We were the first in the line up, followed by 4 other rigs. Right off the bat, we almost run over a deer, with the dogs on the strike pad. Luckily for us, no one said anything about it. They watched it bound over the hill and got back down to their lean so far over, feet on the bumper, almost falling off the rig stances, with noses and tails at work. It wasn't to long before we got a strike, and turned em down.
Right from the drop things started off rocky.... Now it's been about 99 degrees this past week, and Saturday was no exception. We were sweating loading the dogs at 4 that morning. So it was warm. The area is all steep hills, with no trees, only brush. So turning loose here there's only about a 2% chance of treeing a bear in one of the 5 trees in the area. You just get em on the ground. So with no cover, no water, and high heat, we figured this woud be over fairly quickly. It'd sprint to the bottom into the thick stuff, and the hold up would begin - hopefully well enough for it to be taken on the ground... If not the dogs would drop out due to the heat and we'd try again Sunday.
We'll after we put ours down, they turned few dogs turned in that swung wide, almost like they we're going to start another track. A feww sounded bayed up on the brush... The first few dogs just took it straight down and around the hill. It didn't take to awful long before they stopped and sounded bayed. The other dogs by that time figured it out, and got over there to the others. Wasn't too much longer before they all started the silent bay. Out of 9 dogs the most that were barking at one time was 3. 7 of the 9 did thier fair share of barking, but they just could never get it all together at once. Two of them never made a sound the rest of the day.
Craig started in, only to have them break at about half way. 3 dogs got a good lead on the others, and it started to sound like two separate races from then on.... That bear never did stop again after that. He circled them, scattered them, and just plain ran them in the dirt, and made every dog there look like they'd never been in the woods before. The bear was seen 3 times by different people, with a clear shot, yet no one ever fired. We did manage to keep him from crossing the road though, he was pretty spooky of the trucks. At around 1 o'clock that day the bear was seen in an opening, actually sitting down panting - the closest dogs we're about 1/4 mile away - no one fired, and we had no fresh dogs, so he went on his way again.
Within the next our, 6 of the 9 dogs were out or on there way out. Where the bear had been seen "resting" was no more than 200 yards off the road, so we just waited there and most were happy to come out by the time they got to that point. One dog stopped short of there and called it quits for the day in the bottom - and is still down there wainting for someone to rescue him, LOL. The other 3 pressed on and he took them out of the hole and into the bottom of the river, where there are no roads... One was caught crossing the river by some rafters, and the other two - one of which is our redtick Butch - are still in the woods. I have work in the morning, but a few of the others stayed behind to look for them - hopefully they will be out this evening when it cools off.
I will be thankfull to go back to our regular hunting area as soon as it opens... Really gives you a reality check to see "bear dogs" turn into "fair dogs" in one race. LOL. But thats what you get for expecting to catch something the first time out, with some dogs that haven't even been off the chain since December.
But on an even sadder note - my Uncle lost one of his young dogs this weekend. Knowing it's not a place to turn in young dogs, he kept his little female from his last litter in the box. He brought her with him, just in case we might tree something, so she could be walked to a tree and see a bear for the first time. She was just over a year and did excellent this coon season. He actually had two the same age, but this one was just really impressing him.... He stopped at around noon sometime to let her out to cool off and go to the bathroom when a River Rafting Company Bus came speeding down the road and plowed her over - mind you a bus full of people - and the driver didn't stop... It left his pup in the road screaming with her back leg snapper in half, her front shoulder dislocated, and her head smashed and bleeding - she had to be put down on the spot. This same guy had ran us off the road a few times before that day, barelling down the road at top speed on little tiny dirt roads.My uncle talked to the owner of the company, and he agreed to pay for the dog and gave him a check in the amount he asked with no hesitation - but it's still very upsetting. I think had he known something as simple as letting her out to go to the bathroom would end her life - he would have rather let her take a chance with the bear.
Sunrise
Some Scenery
Hm, I think they're down here.
Hello there... Today is not your day.
What a waste of such a promising young hound....
-thats too late -
. Hummmm..... I'd be extracting my ouce of flesh, you could bet on that!