Chessbum

I wanted a Beagle for rabbits and thanks to my lil girl I own a Walker Coon Hound now who she named "Flapjack". I thought he was a mutt but after meeting several coon hound breeders at Woods and Waters show in Imlay Michigan I find out that this is not the case and that in fact he has good lines. I also found out that I should not have had him nuetered like I did two days ago. I also discovered that he is extremly gun shy as he went bannas near the paintball shooting booth. Getting back on the subject I love to hunt rabbits and all the coon people I talk to say he is to fast and that I should seriously get Flapjack started on coons. I hunt with my longbow most of the time anymore which may be a good thing since he is gunshy. Any one here hunt with coon hounds as I have a ton of questions about bows and hounds.

LBR

No experience with bows and hounds here--I have shot quite a few rabbits, but it was "spot and stalk". Only racoon I have shot with a bow was a garbage marauder I popped under a security light. I can say this for the critters though--they are TOUGH! I double lunged it (bubbles from one end of the arrow to the other) with a two-blade broadhead. Never did find it though--not sure how far it got, or if it went up a tree and stayed. Lost the trail after only about 10-15 yds. I can also say from experience (used to go with my dad when I was a kid) that you do not want to mess with a 'coon unless it is stone cold dead. A big boar coon can (and will) whip a hound, especially an inexperienced one. They will drown a dog that follows it into a creek. Should be a challenge for sure.

Chad

Long Bows Rule!

Strongbow

A co worker of mine raises coon hound/greyhound crosses that they call "Field Trial dogs" here in Ohio. They race these dogs in the woods and have them swim across bodies of water to a caged coon. I can find out more information for you if you'd like. Unlike the thoroughbred coon dogs that can be whipped by big coons, these 60 to 80 pound field trial dogs kill coons with ease, they are very "hard" dogs. "Hard" meaning that they wont stay back and bark but will go in and kill their prey. From what I've been told about hunting coons with hounds, the coon is usually treed and shot out of the tree. It would definately be a fun and challenging new way to hunt with your long bow.

Neches

I am a coonhunter, I hunt English Redtick Coonhounds, for pleasure and competition hunts. I also shoot a recurve, but I have never even thought about taking it with me to shoot a coon out. These tall trees here in east Texas would be very tough to shoot a coon out. First thing is most of the time you can only see the eyes, and if you can see the whole coon you will normally have limbs in the way. We do hunt with very bright lights to see the coons but they can still be very hard to see at times. If you are going to try it, I would recomend taking one of those battery operated Q-Beams so as to give you as much light as possible, and most of all take plenty of arrows. Because when you miss they are either going to be stuck in the limbs or cruising thru the woods never to be found again. Any more questions feel free to ask. I have been coonhunting with hounds for about 21 years.

Man, you should have been here yesterday.

LBR

Yep--if at all possible, the coons will eventually climb a tree. We would shoot or shake them out on the hounds. That was back when the fur was worth the trouble--even possums were worth skinning for the hides. There are some folks around here that still run dogs for the sport, but usually leave the coons alone after the chase is over. I do know a few folks that eat coon--never tried it myself (I have an uncle that calls it "ring-tailed squirrel"--but he will eat dang near anything!).
I agree with Neches--would take a strong light and a lot of arrows. Lots of times you couldn't get an open shot with a .22. Maybe flu-flu's? At least you would be less apt to loose all of your arrows.

Chad

Long Bows Rule!

Chessbum

I just got back from Imlay City Woods and Waters Show here in Michigan. Jim Wale of J.W. Kennels was giving a demonstration for the Michigan Coonhound Assoc. showing how to hunt coons and dress for it along with a device to use racoons to train dogs. It was pretty neat as it was alot like those circle thinks that hammsters run in for exercise. Anyway he took my dog and had a canvas training dummy with a road kill racoon tail tied to it with rope and the dog went wild. I never heard him howling and having such a good time with it. In fact the noise not only drew a crowd to the area other hounds in the area started up. I can only describe the action as beautiful as in the month I have had Flapjack I have never seen him behave like this and make the noises from deep in his throat he was making like he was with that racoon tail and trainning dummy. He took the tail and tossed it in the rolling racoon cage and he just kept on chasing it around the fenced in dog area making more noise and really drawing a crowd of onlookers around. Anyway my daughter and her girl friends had a blast also and Jim invited us up to do some real coon hunting one night up at his place and I'm going to have to take him up on it as I never had so much fun in one day as I did with that dog and my daughter today. Looks like I may be missing some work time this fall because I plan on hunting some coon. Now I'm wondering how to keep him from running off into the next state when he gets to running? I know I should be posting this in the dog section but I do hunt with the longbow also.

Neches

We use tracking collars on our dogs so we can find them if they get out of our hearing, a trained dog in an area with lots of coons will run and tree a coon before it has to go to far. ANd from what I hear about MI. yall have plenty of coons. The worst thing is for a dog to start running trash like deer or elk of yotes, thats when they will leave the county on ya. Ya just have to break them from running fast game. Thank goodness for the e-collar. Carefull with the coonhunting, if you like to hear a hound work it can be very addicting, you will loose lots of sleep and maybe even a wife or 2.

Man, you should have been here yesterday.

JRW

Ain't the sound of a hound musical? We got Emmett, an 18" beagle about 14 months ago. Awesome dog, great with little kids and as gentle as can be. Took him running a lot to see if he'd get on a rabbit. Never had any luck. He'd catch a scent and follow it, but never howled or anything.

Earlier this summer I had him up in WI and he finally busted a rabbit. Broke loose baying, bawling, and howling. Tore tail after that bunny too. Man, I wish there was a place around here to get him rabbit hunting. Just watching him work and hearing him on the trail is worth the whole day.

Neches

JRW, if you check you may have some Running pens near you that you don't know about, they have pens built and stocked with rabbits that you can pay a fee to let your dog run rabbits. Probably would have to put in with another group of beagles, but that would even be better. You might go to WWW.prohound.com and look at the beagle page and ask for running pens in your area.

Man, you should have been here yesterday.

Chessbum

Nice looking dog JRW. Does he shoot that bow also? Neches, I was just down Texas way last Christmas at Rockport. My brother in law is a park ranger at Goose Island and we did some awsome fishing while there. If I can get down there again I'll bring my hound along (somehow). I was promised some javalina next trip but that 4000 mile drive roundtrip is murder. I have a guy at work that is going to get me in touch with a vendor who hunts with dogs.