Coon Hunting,  or ‘baying at the moon’

Scott Sanders moved in down the road from me several months ago. I stopped by one day to welcome him and we have since become good friends. He immediately became a key worker for our West Tennessee Youth Outdoor Jamboree. As our team saw the dedication he had towards introducing kids to the outdoors and warmed to his true Christian lifestyle, he soon became a pro staff team member. Scott is the regional distributor for Black Gold dog food. He offered a bag for my black lab, Shadow, to try. I told him it was of no use as my “third son” was spoiled rotten with table scraps and turned his nose down at any dry commercial food we offered him. To my amazement when Scott poured some in his bowl, my dog gobbled it down like he was starving. The only problem I have now is keeping our cat away from his bowl, as she also has developed a taste for this brand.

Scott is an avid coon hunter and retains a veritable encyclopedia of knowledge in his head regarding this age-old traditional sport. I asked him to cover the World Championship Coon Trials and give us some history on coon hunting for our readers, as I had never done on article on this sport. So strap on your head lamps , put on your snake chaps, and tie up a comfortable pair of walking boots as we wade through the swamps, and pursue the masked bandit we call a coon.

Not your ordinary, everyday type of hunter.

Coon hunters are a breed amongst themselves. Most of their techniques are contrary to the norm of our other regional hunters. For example, while other hunters sleep at night and hunt during the day, a coon hunter doesn’t even get ready until the sun goes down. While we use a mini-mag flashlight to locate our deer stand, coon hunters use high-powered flood lamps that could be utilized to call Batman to Gotham City. Once coon hunting gets in the blood, it becomes a passion.

The history of coon hunting and its dogs.

Many canine historians believe that huge, fierce, Molossian dogs, kept by the Ancient Greeks, were brought to Britain by Phoenician sailors in the Sixth Century BC and became the early ancestors of the modern day bloodhounds. These canine giants were used as dogs of war. Impressed by the ferocity and loyalty of these dogs, Romans took them back to their homeland and gradually the popularity of these canines spread throughout Europe.
Individual breeding transpires.

A Belgium monastery called St. Huberts began to breed dogs from France. The monks bred a dog of medium size, of black and tan coloration, which had a large head and was big-boned. This dog was known for its deliberate but efficient hunting and scenting ability and its melodic voice. Obviously this became the modern day black and tan, while variations became the Talbot hound and the white Southern hound.
These hounds were hunted in packs, so the breed dogs were selected for their sociable temperments and the desire and ability to hunt. Modern coon dogs are comprised of American English, Black and Tan, Bluetick, Plott, Redbone, and Treeing Walker breeds.

Coming to America.

In 1659, Robert Brooke brought the first pack of English foxhounds to the new country. Several of our founding fathers, including George Washington, were fox hunters that used this type of dog. He received seven French StagHounds from the Marquis de Lafayette. Many believe that the interbreeding of the English and French dogs developed what has now become the modern coon dog. Because of animals such as the mountain lion, fox, bear, squirrel and coon, all of which could and would climb trees to evade hunters, dogs began to develop the ability to “tree” their quarry. This was the way many early settlers kept meat on the table during frontier days. Hounds served as loyal companions, protectors, warning alarms and hunting tools.

My dog’s better than your dog.

A few years after World War II, wild coon hunts were established for sport and the prestige and bragging rights as to whose dog was best. Brook Magill, a breeder of Redbone dogs, became a major inspiration in judging these competitions. In 1948, at Wycliffe, KY, Magill and his cronies held the first world championship. Over 20 dogs participated in this first event.
Several coon hunters created a series of rules to govern the competition. There was a scoring system and time limit set in place. Now, rigid guidelines have been put in place and winners must prove consistent and excellent form during a five-day period. Let’s hear from Scott about this year’s hunt.

2002 World Championship

The Professional Kennel Club’s World Championship, Super Stakes Pup Championship, and Youth Championship was simply awesome. The largest contest of its kind, the competition was held in Aurora, KY, on the scenic shores of Kentucky Lake. This year there were over 2,500 entries and prize money of over $500,000.00. Hunters traveled from all over the U.S. and Canada to participate.

The youth championship was designed to keep kids involved in the sport and help preserve the future of it. Prize money of over $7,000.00 was awarded to these kids. Throughout the year there are over 8,000 competitions held across the states. But the granddaddy of them all is the World Championship.
RV’s, trucks, campers, and thousands of dollars exchanged hands as dogs were bought and sold. Talk about the campfire proved the fraternal bond that all coon hunters share. A full moon, a good dog, and some heavy timber are the elixirs that these folks thirst for. The actual harvest of a coon is not the reason a true coon hunter gives up night after night of sleep. It is the musical baying of his hounds, and the pride in watching them do their job after days of training that makes the coon hunter thrive.

I want to thank Scott for the information in today’s article, along with Edie Hawk of American Cooner magazine. Much of the information in this piece came from the American Kennel Club’s website, which can be accessed at www.akc.org

And always remember that our kids truly are our most precious natural resource. They are our future. See ya, Rob.