I grew up in Pennsylvania waiting for my grandpa to come home so I could see how he did that night. Basically LIVED in the woods. Had a coonhound, but went into the service. Grandpa gave her to the Amish so she'd get to hunt. Great pet. Sweet, sweet dog. Until she could catch a coon on the ground.
Jeckyll and Hyde. Now I live in Palm Beach county, married with 5 kids. 8, 7, 5, 3, and 11 months. The wife decided the kids should grow up with a dog. :Rubshandstogetherwithevilgrin: "You're not going to believe this, but coonhounds make awesome pets." She's OK with it.
So, I need help getting started. I can train my dog, at least for the most part. I had my dog trained to track a coon, but I had to leave before I could teach her to tree. I have no doubt I could have, but I mention it to show I never got to hunt her, so I don't have any actual experience hunting these dogs.
I have no idea where to go to get the things I will need to take the dog out, or even what I will need. When I was a kid, I remember Grandpa had dogs, a 22, a license and a carbide headlamp. I wish I would have realized how much fun I could have had with that stuff at the time...... Now I read about gps collars and all kinds light systems and 50 million other things to spend money on. I'd like to keep the expenses down where I can. Remember the part about the 5 kids? So, what will I need to buy? I can easily get a coon skin and then a live coon to train with. Those things are everywhere around here.
I know everybody is going to say, "What? S Fla? Have you lost your mind?" No, I haven't. But I may if I don't get out in the woods, soon. My oldest is about old enough to go with me and have some serious time together. The others won't be far behind. So, even though the hides down here probably aren't worth much, that isn't really the profit I'm looking to get out of this. I want my time in the woods and some good time with my kids, one on one. And I wanna hear my hound bawling treed.
Anybody have any advice for the new guy? Also, how could I find people down here who like to hunt coon? I've heard a rumor of a few who hunt Corbett state game lands, but don't have any idea how to find them.
Thanks, and sorry for the book I wrote.