Houndsmen

Alright, so you have made your decision. You are going to run with the raccoon hunters. You got your gear and your walking legs ready. Now, you need yourself a coonhound! But where to begin?

What exactly is a dog smelling when they’re putting that nose to work? It’s theorized that it is pieces of the game animal left behind that are being detected. Skin cells that naturally fall off, hair, feces and urine, pheromones, and sweat may all play into the smell being recognized by the hound.

While we spend a lot of time planning every detail of our hunting trip, it's just as important to spend adequate time ensuring you have everything you need and have a plan in place to ensure your dog’s safety and comfort. Being ill prepared on either of these can ruin your entire trip.

A beginner’s guide to hunting raccoons with hounds and 3 reasons to raccoon hunt written by Steph Lane.

Hunting with hounds is a controversial topic outside of hunting, and it’s disappointing to see hunters even tearing into these guys. Having now been around both bird dogs and hunted with houndsmen for bear, I have to say, most of the critics have no grounds for an argument.

All gun dog owners, myself included, hope their pup will be a hunting machine from the moment they first step foot into the field for a hunt. This is rarely the case. That reality is, your gun dog's first hunt and first hunting season is a learning experience for both of you.