Jking47591's Blog

Too Cold!

jking47591 — Wed, 09 Dec 2009 06:40:05 +0000

My friend and I hunted together this past Saturday, and boy was it cold. Cold weather is just part of coonhunting, but we can’t let it stop us from doing what we love. I would like to share a few things I have learned to stay somewhat comfortable. The first thing is a good pair of waterproof boots. I use what are called froglegs, essentially rubber boots with nylon chaps sewn onto them. If your feet get cold and wet you will be miserable the rest of the night. Under my boots I wear 2 pair of socks (depending on the temperature), the best socks to wear are wool. I then like to wear flannel p.j. bottoms with loose pants covering them. Up top I choose to wear a thermal undershirt or underarmor, you want something to wick away moisture, yet keep heat in. I then use a loose shirt with a hooded sweatshirt over. I am not too fond of coveralls or bibs because I feel they are too bulky for coonhunting. I must be able to maneuver easily. The key to staying warm is loose layers to trap all body heat produced. I will take my hunting coat with me, but I carry it while walking, otherwise I will get sweaty and then be really cold. I like the handwarmer packets available also. The best thing I use when it gets cold, and the reason my kids love to go, is hot chocolate. I always take a thermos of the chocolaty goodness along in the winter months, although it usually doesn’t last past the first drop. Well these are my tricks to stay warm I hope they help.

Lost!

jking47591 — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 22:03:31 +0000

On a recent trip to the woods I thought of another topic to write about, getting turned around. Nobody likes to admit they are lost, including myself. A few years ago I took my wife and two nephews for a quick drop in Minnehaha State Park. As always, I looked at my compass before entering the woods. We walked about 10 minutes to the tree, found the coon, and decided to head out. I followed my compass toward the truck. After about a half an hour I knew something wasn’t right. Upon closer inspection of my compass it wasn’t working. The temperature on this particular night was roughly 15°, and the fluid inside the compass had frozen somehow. After a few hours we made it to a road and found my truck. This brings me to a great tool I have recently found, the Bushnell Backtrack. It is a GPS device that virtually eliminates getting lost. You simply put in your starting point and the device will direct you how to get back to where you came from. Although this is a great tool, I wouldn’t trust it completely as batteries can lose their charge or it can get broken while hunting. Therefore, I would recommend the use of a traditional compass along with any electronic devices. Even if you have no formal training with a compass they are relatively easy to understand. My routine is to listen for the dogs and with my back to the truck observe which direction the arrow is pointing. This is the direction to return to the truck. The woods look completely different at night, and even a place you are very familiar with is different at night. Getting turned around at night is a terrible feeling and I hope this will help prevent the sick feeling accompanied with it.

Deer Breaking

jking47591 — Sat, 05 Dec 2009 08:49:17 +0000

Since it was too cold to hunt tonight I’m adding another entry. This entry not only pertains to hunting dogs, but any rural dog. This installment deals with breaking dogs off of deer. There are many dangers of a dog running deer including: getting ran-over by a vehicle, getting lost, and possibly getting shot by unruly land owners. The easiest way I have found to break a dog off of deer is with the aid of a shock collar. I like to take the gland off of the back of a deer. I then drag the gland along the ground making a trail or “drag.” I wait about 10 minutes and turn the dog loose, while it is wearing a shock collar. I try to appear as if I don’t notice at all what the dog is doing. As soon as I’m sure the dog smells the trail I made, I give him a little “tickle.” Some dogs learn quick, but if they don’t I wait a few moments and increase the level on the transmitter. I continue to do this until the dog no longer wants anything to do with the deer scent. I will give refresher courses occasionally. You know if the dog learned his lesson if he doesn’t run the track again. If he smells the track it is fine, but if he even starts to go the direction of the track, tickle him again with even more intensity. Hopefully this can help save someones dog.

An ethical outing

jking47591 — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 06:47:11 +0000

Recently I had the pleasure of hunting with the best hunting buddy I could ever ask for, my oldest son Gage. Gage loves to do anything outdoors, and I must say he gets it honest. On our most recent outing we had a very productive night. The first drop my pup treed a decent coon, and we harvested it which is very rare for me. I really can’t remember Gage ever being with me when I actually shot a coon out, it is something I really don’t enjoy doing. The first lesson he learned was if you do decide to harvest game of any kind, we as hunters have the responsibility of making the process as humane as possible. I told him the importance of one well placed shot to prevent suffering. We turned my pup loose after gathering up our quarry and proceeded to walk through the woods and along the fresh-cut corn and bean fields. While walking we happened to see another coon sitting atop a very large maple tree. We observed the masked bandit for about ten minutes while listening for my hound. After a while Gage asked me if I was going to shoot the coon out. I then told him if the dog trees it we might, but I probably wouldn’t. He said ,”but dad he’s right there,” thats when I realized I hadn’t had the ethical talk with him. I explained that just because we see what we are after we don’ t have to kill it. The best part of hunting with dogs is the chase, listening to the dog or dogs work a track to the end. If we were to kill every coon we saw there eventually wouldn’t be any more to hunt. Hunters also have a responsibility of respecting the game they are after, meaning if the hounds can’t find the coon, then the coon wins. He caught on real fast, he is a very smart kid. To make a long story short, my dog didn’t tree the coon, so he will be there to run again next time. A few days later we had the priviledge of hunting with my very good hunting buddy Craig Lehman and his dog ‘PR’ Lehman’s Stormy. On this particular night Gage was fortunate to see some impressive hound work. Stormy treed an average coon and it too was left to run another day. We again told Gage that dead coons can’ t run and tree anymore, so he is safe for now. Here are some pics of the coon we left, Stormy, and Gage and myself with our harvested coon.

Understanding pedigrees

jking47591 — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 09:47:46 +0000

This first pedigree belongs to the dog I lost last year. It is from the United Kennel Club. It contains practically all technical information about a dog. Included are titles earned, # of pups produced, # of pups with titles, birth date, registration #, and breeder and owner information. This is only a three generation pedigree, but up to 7 generation pedigrees are available. The next pedigree I would like to share is from Professional Kennel Club. It contains basically the same information, but instead of titles it lists money won. Pay close attention to some of the amounts won by these dogs. If you really pay attention you will notice this particular dog was “line bred” which is basically a polite way of saying inbred. She was an uncle/niece breeding. She is heavily bred with the “Clover” line, which I will discuss later. The PKC registration also verifies that the dog is “super stakes” nominated and eligible. This is a special hunt available only to dogs under 2 yrs old. I believe the super stakes has a purse of $17,ooo for 2yr. olds and $10,000 for 1yr. olds.

Bench Shows

jking47591 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 08:13:11 +0000

When a coonhound is entered in a bench show it is not competing against other dogs, but rather a standard for it’s particular breed. Each breed has a “standard” which is a written description of the perfect dog of that particular breed. There are several different classes that dogs will compete in. Just because your puppy doesn’t win “King of Show” doesn’t mean he can’t win. He could possibly win “best male puppy.” This gives a handler many chances to earn a title for their dog. Judges will look for any disqualifing faults with the structure of the dog being judged. Some people only “show”their dogs and many only hunt their dogs. I belong to the latter group of people. I feel that hounds are a working breed, and should not be judged based on looks, but rather ability to do what they were bred for.

Coonhound Competition Hunts

jking47591 — Sat, 07 Nov 2009 00:29:52 +0000

Most people that hunt coonhounds have, at one time or another, been to a competition. There are three main types of competitions nite hunts, bench shows, and field trials. In this entry I will discuss nite hunts. There are numerous rules that must be followed to determine which hound is superior on any particular night. Before I get into the general rules, I would like to point out the two main rules that must be followed. Absolutely no drugs/alcohol or firearms are allowed on the property the hunt is being held or on personal property while attending any sanctioned event for that matter. All coonhound events are geared toward a family atmosphere; therefore, drugs, alcohol, and guns have no place there. The winner of the hunt is determined by a point scale. Contestants are awarded or deducted points depending how they “call” their dog. All registries are basically the same, with only minor differences. All are awarded points based on the position they “strike” their dog in. Striking a dog in is essentially telling the judge when your dog first barks in pursuit of the coon. Each position is awarded a specific point value, ie. 1st 100, 2nd 75, 3rd 50, and 4th 25. Each group or “cast” has a maximum of four dogs competiting. After a dog is struck in members of the cast wait for the dogs to “tree” their quarry. Once treed they “tree” their dog, telling the judge their dog has finished the track. Members are awarded “tree” points the same way as “strike” points. If a coon is seen the points assessed are plussed. If an animal other than coon is seen the points will be minussed. If no animal is found the tree is circled. The dog with the most points at the end of hunt time (usually 2hrs) is the cast winner. In UKC the cast winners are then compared to other cast winners in each division to determine the “night” winner. UKC gives plaques, dog food, and performance points to the winners, while PKC gives away cash. The performance points earned in UKC are calculated at the end of the year and a check is sent to the owner of the dog. This is a basic idea of what happens at a nite hunt. More information is available on the links provided in my blogroll.

$27,000 World Champion

jking47591 — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 06:45:28 +0000

UKC World Champion "Bellar's Handsome Deamon"

This years PKC (Professional Kennell Club) World Champion is Rat’s Magic Trick, a treeing walker male owned by Burkholder, Groves, and Proulx. He was handled by Jeremy Kollek. The trio of owners were awarded a large cash prize of $27,000 for their efforts. Thats right $27,000 for following a dog through the woods. After four rounds of competition Trick proved he had what it takes to be a world champion. This years UKC World Champion is Miami River Big De(Pkc) or Bellar’s Handsome Deamon(UKC). Deamon is owned by Russ Bellar and Randall Myers and was handled by Brian Whitted. UKC doesn’t hand out cash prizes, but the title of World Champion is a treasure in and of itself. In my next installment I will discuss in more detail the specifics of the world of competition coonhunting. Congratulations to both hounds for winning the title of World Nite Champion in each respective registry.

Dog food and supplements

jking47591 — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 04:03:49 +0000

In this installment I want to briefly touch on dog foods. When choosing food for your pet, don’t get cheap. If you feed quality food you will actually save money by feeding less. Here is an example: when I started hunting I fed my dogs a certain cheap brand that Wal-mart sells (approx. $15). A 50lb. bag would last me about 2 weeks feeding 1 dog. I then switched to purina, then to pedigree with the same consumption, but better overall health. Then I tried Diamond from Rural King. At approx. $25-$30/40lbs. it was considerably higher. After 2 weeks my dog had a bright shiny coat, more energy, and much less clean-up of #2. All while feeding almost half the amount of the other brands. The thing about dog food is, not all dogs do well on any particular brand of food. The number one thing to look for is the first couple ingredients. If corn is in the top 3 ingredients, don’t buy it. Dogs do not digest corn very well. Diamond may not be for everybody, but it is what works for me. Purina and Pedigree also make a quality product, but didn’t work well for my dog. There are also other brands that do not advertise, passing on savings to consumers, these include: Blackgold (a very good product not available where I live), Ultra Advantage, and The Pride to name a few. When it comes to supplements, I do not care for dog-specific products. Instead I use cottage cheese, eggs, and yogurt. I have just recently started using yogurt with excellent results. Cottage cheese and eggs are excellent for making a dogs coat shiny, while the yogurt helps maintain the correct bacteria in a dogs digestive system. If you have a white dog with stains on its coat try a product called “blue lotion”, it is a purple shampoo for horses, but is great for making a stained white dog white again.

Parasite removal and prevention

jking47591 — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 13:28:30 +0000

I would like to share some tips I have learned for treating parasites such as worms in dogs. Coonhunters are notorious for keeping their dogs in top shape, and to do so requires them to be in excellent health. It doesn’t matter what brand of dog food you choose to feed, if your dog has worms it won’t get the nutrition required to stay in top shape. The best practice is prevention. Every dog should be on some form of heart and intestinal worm prevention, it is relatively cheap insurance. Anyone can treat their dog for worms from home. I am not saying that veterinarian care is not needed, all dogs should have at least yearly check-ups by a qualified vet. Here are some quality products that can be used. Although not labeled for dogs, they have the same ingredients and strength as their k-9 counterparts. Many have heard of Heartgard for dogs, its active ingredient is Ivermectin 2.72 mcg/lb. There is a cattle wormer available at most farm stores called Ivomec 1.87% injectable, this is the product I use. I give 1/10 cc per 10 lbs monthly. Do not use this if your dog currently has heart worms, this will kill the worms too fast, causing them to clog your dog’s heart resulting in death. I have been told by many vets that this is an acceptable protection routine. For intestinal worms I give Safeguard for goats. It’s main ingredient is Fenbendazole. I give 1cc/ 4lbs of body weight. I am not a vet and assume no responsibility for any results that occur from the use of these products, but they have worked well for me. The Ivomec is around $40 for 50ml, but 1 vial has lasted me almost 3yrs. When you figure if you have a 50lb dog, you will have 100 doses of the medicine. This equals out to around $0.40 a dose. I have treated friends and family’s dogs, as well as my own with no ill side-affects. The Safeguard is around $15 a bottle. Again consult a vet before administering any kind of medicine to your pet. I enjoy treating my animals, as I feel closer to them as a result. I hope I can help some of you save a little cash keeping your dogs healthy.