How to Train Your Coonhound Puppy to Hunt Raccoons

Coonhounds were bred to hunt raccoons. Training them to do what they were bred to do will keep your coonhound happy and entertained. You do not need to ever shoot a raccoon to hunt your coonhound so truly everyone can enjoy this active hobby with their coonhounds.
This stage of training a puppy to hunt raccoons covers the ages of about 5 - 9 months of age.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Road kill raccoon (freshly killed and not mangled, please!) - skinned if preferable
• A live coon in a roll cage can be used instead of the road kill

1. 
   John training young pups on scent drag

   Follow the instructions on my first article to start a coonhound puppy who is under 5 months of age and then proceed with this article from that point. If your puppy is already 5 months or older, start with this article.

2. 
   Redbone coonhound puppy

   Spice up your drag routine to make things a bit more challenging for your coonhound puppy. One thing we enjoy doing is to run along a fence line while the dog is on the opposite side of the fence. Drag the hide as you run (or pull roll cage coon, more slowly of course as to not injure the raccoon). They will want to get it but can't. We then may hide the hide in the backyard or nearby woods (or hang live trap/roll cage in tree), come back to get the coonhound and release them to the area where the hide can be found while they are still excited about getting it. Remember to use a command of choice to hunt. We may use "find it" or "get the coon" .. whatever works for you. This will help when you go cold out into the woods to find one later.

3. 
   Redbone and English Coonhounds running daytime tracks set for them in woods

   If you have a puppy trainer, all the better, but now you must take the coonhound puppy out to the woods. You can do a daytime hunt a few times to warm them up to the area in which they will be hunting if you like. Many hunters also like to work youngsters when the kitten raccoons are out. Check your local laws before proceeding to free range your hunting dog. Most areas have exceptions for private property so you may want to use your own land or contact local farmers, etc.

4. 
   Raccoon mount (pic taken at Cabella's)

   If you find local farmers with raccoon hung up in barns, they may be appreciative of your working your dogs there. But do take an experienced hound with you as those raccoons can get downright nasty when cornered.

5. 
   Our english coonhound, Dutchess

   Begin taking your puppy out to the woods at least 2-3 times a week. The more you take the dog out, the better they will begin to work.

6. 
   Our redbone coonhound, Music, treeing

   If you intend on competition hunting eventually, you will want to take special note of your dog's sounds. How do they sound when they open up on track (find the track), when treeing, etc. You will need to be able to call your dog by their bawl, chop, barks when you aren't able to see them in order to get points towards your nite champion hunting titles.

Tips & Warnings

• Invest in a good tracking collar system.
• Put reflector material on your dog's collar and tracker antennae. More dogs are killed on the roads than you could ever imagine.
• Get an extra collar and put the extra one in your truck or at home so you can 'track' your way back if necessary.
• Buy an area plot map and know where you're at.
• Train your dog during walks to get off the road when they hear/see vehicles coming. I spend many, many tireless hours doing this and so far, none of my dogs have been killed on a road but I'm sad to say I know of NO other coonhunters who haven't lost at least one good dog to being run over.
• Advise your neighbor's that you have hunting dogs you plan to free range hunt with so you know their reactions as well as protect your dog from a neighbor shooting them thinking they are out feral running deer or such.
• Hunt in areas where there are no busy roads

Resources

• How to Start a Coonhound Puppy to Hunt Raccoons
• Our Coonhound Kennel
• Video - Our Black/tan pup trainer and 5 month old pup on day 1 of training
• ~~~~ eHOW eBOOK ~~~~

[SunnyStars]

on 2/27/2009 Really interesting article! I wonder if I could train my dogs to hunt. Just like me, they are really lazy! =) Thank you, 5 Stars! I'm going to check out the resources.