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11 Responses to “You ask, We answer”
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I’m ready to get started in coonhunting and have done my research and believe that a redbone would be the best fit for me. Can they adapt to being a housedog without hindering they hunting ability and what type of equipment do i need to buy to get the training under way and at what age do i start training for chasing coon?
The Redbone Coonhound will adapt very easily to family life. The dog is known to love children and also they love being around other people. The dog is very intelligent so you won’t have any problems with it. The dog won’t confuse the “family life” with the “hunting life”. The dog should be socialized at an early age and also the dog must be thought the basic commands. The dog needs to be exercised daily. You should start the training when the dog is around 9 weeks but don’t expect great results because the redbone is still a small pup. If you have friends who own redbone’s, talk to them and I’m sure they will help you train your dog. There isn’t any special training equipment you should buy, just the basics. Look for online shops as they offer a large variety of products.
From John Cunningham, Texas : “My moniker in my motorcycle club is “coon” I am looking for some appropriate decals for my bike.”
Answer : Hello John. We have a section with firms that deal with coon decals. You can view their services at the following address :
http://www.coonhuntinginfo.com/coon-decals/
From Jeromy Rhoads, Vivian Louisiana :
“Hi, I have a few questions. I just got two walker hound puppies. Their parents were great coon dogs and I was wondering if you could send me some good training tips on how to train them. I live by a lake so I know they have to be around water or marshy areas so I already have them where they need to go into the water so that is not a problem.
I have one more question, if I catch a coon and let it out in a field and let my dogs out on it and see what they would do would that be alright?”
Answer : The Walker hound breed has the tendency to be very stubborn but these dogs can be easily trained. Early age socialization and obedience training is highly recommended for this breed. These dogs don’t respond to harshness or heavy handed methods. Training should be done with patience, firmness and consistency.
For additional information check our web page: http://www.coonhuntinginfo.com/walker-coonhound/.
Regarding your second question, you shouldn’t do this because the dogs will be confused the next time you will be hunting. You need to teach them how to hunt, not to show them the pray without any prior effort from them.
From David Baldwin : “I own 4 patterdales and want to know where I can hunt raccoons. Thank you.”
Answer : ” Raccoons can be found everywhere from the wilderness to the largest cities. They are very adaptable creatures who are driven to all types of areas by their extreme curiosity. Raccoon tracks look similar to human baby hand prints and footprints. Follow these steps to learn how to find raccoon tracks.
1. Familiarize yourself with what raccoon tracks look like. You can find pictures in books or on the Internet. Bear-tracker.com has some pictures and sketches of raccoon tracks.
2. Look for raccoon “scat.” This is the feces of the raccoon. These animals choose a place as a “latrine” and visit it frequently. You can often find tracks near the scat if the ground is moist or impressionable.
3. Search for raccoon tracks near water. Raccoons are known to “dabble” or dip their food in the water before eating it. This is to separate the inedible portions of their food from the edible.
4. Find muddy areas. Mud is a good medium for studying raccoon tracks because it captures and retains the footprints perfectly. You can often find mud close to riverbanks, lakes and ponds where the raccoons would dabble.
5. Scour areas near trash cans or where pets are known to be fed for raccoon tracks. Raccoons are scavengers that will eat anything they can get into.
6. Hunt for raccoon tracks in the winter time. Animals leave tracks in the snow when they’re hunting for food.”
From Shane Newsome, West Virginia : “I have a walker coonhound and the last couple times I had him out he has treed a possum. How can I get him off of that ?”
Answer : “Hello Shane. The problem is that he got used to the wrong scent. What you must do is start training the dog again using a coon scent and after a period he will stop confusing the coon scent with the opossum one. Don’t give up, repeat the training procedures for a couple of times, it will surely work in the end.”
From Nick Adair, Memphis TN : “I was wondering, I own a male redbone. He is great at picking up scents around the woods and neighborhoods and you can’t keep him from running a squirrel up the tree. I have always been interested about getting him to coon hunt but I haven’t had the time to train him until now. But I’m afraid it’s too late because he is almost a year old. Do you think it’s too late and if not what do you suggest on getting him trained? Thanks.”
Answer : “Hello Nick. No, it isn’t too late to start training him. Usually they can be trained until 3-4 years old. If done properly, your dog will be very efficient at this type of training. For information regarding the redbone breed, check: http://www.coonhuntinginfo.com/redbone-coonhound/. For training tips, check: http://www.coonhuntinginfo.com/coon-dogs-training-info/. “
Question from Donald Fazenbaker, Lonaconing MD : “Hi what is the best way to trap a coon and fox. And about how much
does the pelts go for ?”
Answer : “Regarding the placement of the traps, these should be put as close to the den as possible where damage is occurring ( for example : at the corners of gardens, breaks in stone walls or along obvious animal trails ). To get the optimum results set traps in a number of different locations. Due to the fact that these animals are most active during the night, traps should be checked every morning, preferably twice a day. Also traps should be checked in order to spot and release non target animals. To make traps stable, a cement block should be placed on top of the trap because raccoons have been known to flip traps over attempting to acquire the food or the lure situated inside. If using a trap indoors, nailing it to the rafters or planking works well to stabilize it from movement.
For more information, check : http://www.coonhuntinginfo.com/raccoon-traps/
For fox, the trap should be concealed in a bed of ashes/leaves/chaff, making sure the trap is well-smeared with blood/bee’s wax. Fasten to a clog so that he can move about when caught.
To make the allurement doubly sure, obtain from the female of the dog/fox/wolf, the matrix, in the season of coition and preserve it in alcohol, tightly corked. Leave a small portion of it on something near the trap; also, when you plan to visit the traps, you should put some on your shoes. Make a visible trail in different directions around the trap.
A piece of raw flesh may also be dragged about. Make sure that you will leave everything around the trap & vicinity as natural as possible. Another good plan is to get some earth from a kennel where a tame fox is kept. Set the trap in it.”
Question from Carlye Capel, Chesley, Ontario : I have 2 Catahoula Leopard Dogs. They make great coon dogs and have flushed many out of our hay loft, but I would like to transfer that drive to the woods. They scent and track pretty well, but I would like to refine it so that they don’t get distracted so easily. Can you give me any tips on how to accomplish this?”
Answer : ” Hello Carlye. Our advice is to take the dogs more often into the nature, let them get acquainted with the environment. It is advisable to take the dogs for long walks, once they get used to the wilderness they will build their self-confidence which will result in a greater efficiency. Try purchasing some scents/lures from a shop and use them into the woods so that the dogs will know what they must and mustn’t hunt.”
Question from Jake, Wisconsin ” Hello, I live in Wisconsin and I am relatively new to coon hunting. I do not have a dog to hunt coons with nor do I plan on getting one. Do you have any ideas on how I could be successful in hunting them? Would it be possible to walk through the woods and shine one when I
see it, or would they scatter long before I could see them?
Thanks”
Answer : “You can hunt coons using predator calls.They sleep during the day but there are some chances you will see the occasional coon while you are still hunting. On a sunny day, you can spot a raccoon a goods ways off in a tree. The sun glints off their hair. If you can find a swampy creek bottom with lots of raccoon tracks, you might get one by sitting and glassing. Shining a light in the same area at night might also be efficient.”
Question from Scott, Pittsburgh, PA : “Any tips for calling raccoons at night?
What type of call works best?
What type of location?
How long do you call for?
Much appreciated.”
Answer : “Any tips for calling raccoons at night? - We recommend that you start with a Woodpecker distress tape and after 10 minutes, switch to a Raccoon fight tape
What type of call works best? - We recommend using an electronic tape caller and coon in distress tapes. Basically, you should just go out in the woods or around the water if you have any, put the caller a little ways away from you and hit play. Afterwards sit back and listen for the coons to come to the call. In most cases, the coons would climb in a nearby tree to investigate and that is where you normally shoot them. They can and will come and attack the caller so don’t put the caller right next to you otherwise you might have serious problems.
What type of location? - A raccoon’s diet is quite diversified
and includes : acorns, field corn, frogs, fish and others as well. Sweet corn is one food that they really like and seem to know just when it is ready. Hunt the areas where raccoon are known to be feeding.
How long do you call for? - For about 10 minutes. If you don’t have any success, keep trying and eventually they will come.”