Full Cry Magazine: April/May '24 by Full Cry Magazine

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

ANNOUNCEMENTS FULL CRY GIVES BACK! Published Bi-Monthly for the Coonhound & Treedog Enthusiast

EDITOR Dani Duby

dani@fullcrymag.com

ADVERTISING Jason Duby

jason@fullcrymag.com

GRAPHIC DESIGN Jaren Hobson

publish@fullcrymag.com

PUBLISHED BY Duby Family Enterprises LLC dba Full Cry Magazine PO BOX 128 Merlin, OR 97532

Starting with this issue, our club contributors will now earn points for each issue their content is featured in Full Cry.

HOW IT WORKS: News and Views Article: Earn 20 points per issue. Feature Spread: We pay out 100 points per feature article from a club. Redemption Options: Redeem your earned points in three fantastic ways: 1. Advertising: Convert your points into advertising space for your next big event at a rate of $2 per point.

This will be in addition to the 50% discount on advertising that we provide clubs. 2. Donations: Redeem points for subscriptions or swag for your next event at a rate of $2 per point. 3. Cash: You can also opt for a oncea-year cash payout at a rate of $1 per point. It's our way of supporting your club's initiatives in a meaningful way.

We're thrilled to give back in a way that truly supports those who support our sport. If you would like to add your club to our contributor list or talk about a possible feature spread, send us an email at dani@fullcrymag.com or give us a call.

USPS Identification Statement: Full Cry, USPS: 20802, ISSN: 00162620, is published bimonthly by Duby Family Enterprises, LLC. 1072 Plumtree Lane Grants Pass, OR 97526. Danielle Duby, Editor. Subscription $36 per year, 2 years $65. Periodicals postage paid at Grants Pass, OR and other post offices. Postmasters: Send address changes to Full Cry, PO Box 128, Merlin OR 97523. Full Cry Magazine is intended solely for informational and entertainment purposes. The opinions expressed by our contributors and within advertisements do not necessarily represent our endorsement. We hold no liability for statements made by advertisers or contributors. Safety should always be paramount, and we strongly urge readers to adhere to all applicable laws and seek guidance as needed. Reproduction of any content in this magazine is strictly prohibited without express permission from the publisher.

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

JUNE/JULY............................................5/1/24 AUGUST/SEPTEMBER......................... 7/1/24 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER..................... 8/30/24 DECEMBER/JANUARY...................... 11/1/24

This month's cover photo comes to us from Roger Hartzo in Northern Nevada with a lion caught by his three dogs; Django, Bubba, and Audi.

CONTENTS

VOL. 86 NO. 2 APRIL / MAY 2024

COVER STORY

08 08 Defining "IT"

A California Man in Pursuit of His Dreams by Jason Duby

12 Hunting in Ben

Lilly's Footsteps

Traversing the Wilderness of Tradition by Ed Barnes

18 Squirrel Hunting South Carolina

and the Craziest World Hunt Finish Ever by Clayton Stark

The Problem with G.O.A.T.S.

Navigating Unrealistic Expectations by Corey Gruver

26 Chasing the

Appalachian Ghost with Todd Lester by Teddy Simpkins

30 Lonnie Mears

The Mears’ Finley River Dan Strain by Don Nicely

Hat Trick Bear Hunt

Three Ways to Run Bear Hounds by Chris Ingram

42 “How ‘bout it?”

62 Joy Super Hunt

by Jason Duby

by Ben Sheets

A Mentor Story

44 Jake and Me A Mentor Story by Greg Parsell

45 Thanks Uncle Laverl A Mentor Stroy

by Eric K. Mecham

46 My Friend, Warner Glen A Mentor Story by Mike Parsons

48 Around the Campfire with Mark Zepp

Walking with Wick: A Mentor Story by Mark Zepp

Inside an Annual Tradition

66 Leptospirosis

Understanding the Silent Threat by Taylor Young, DVM

68 Strike & Stay

Independent Plott Dog Views & News From Across the Country and Around The World By Bob Plott

74 Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow by Tara Cardinal

75 Buckley Farm Kennels by Steve Buckley

52 Spring and the

76 Kids Corner

Passing on the Hound Hunting Tradition

78 Book Corner

Next Generation by Barry 'Bear' Siragusa

56 Remembering Avery Celebrating the Legacy of a Young Outdoorsman

by Jeremy Davis & Cora Parker

60 Longtails and

Yellowjackets

Battling Nature's Fiercest Guardians

Buffalo Hunters & The Last Hunt

80 News & Views 96 Classifieds 98 The Little Black and Brindle Poem

by Aubrey James

by Robin J Powell

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

From the Editor’s Desk Dani Duby - Editor, Full Cry Magazine

"What do you call a blue tick on the moon? A Problem What do you call two blueticks on the moon? A Big Problem What do you call all the blueticks in the entire world on the moon? Problem Solved." This joke is brought to you by my 6-year-old. He went off on a boy’s weekend trip to a field trial with his dad and came back spewing this nonsense. As a bluetick person at heart, I was not amused by this joke. As a mischievous middle child, he found it funny enough to repeat 5 times a day for a solid week.

As I write this, we are deep into the middle of banquet season for many, and we’ve enjoyed getting to be involved with quite a few of these. Somehow, I ended up buying a new dog at the Idaho Houndsmen Association Event. Our season had just closed in Oregon the week of their banquet, so the donor is graciously keeping him for now to get some miles under his feet at the right age. I’ll be picking him up this summer (hopefully under a tree). The heritage of our sport is a core value to us here at Full Cry and we have made it a mission to support that in any way that we can. This year we were able to give away 7 lifetime subscriptions to be auctioned off with organizations that we see doing big things to support the betterment of our sport. We have also created a points system to help clubs out in the future. 6

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

We are now offering credit to clubs that provide content for the magazine. It is a small way for us to give back to those that support us. There is a summary of how that works in the announcements, but I am happy to talk to you in more detail if you give us a call during business hours. This issue also concludes our mentor story contest and includes a piece my husband wrote on the most influential houndsmen in our personal life too. It’s a story that has come full circle in a way. When we were new to this game Tony was a constant source of encouragement as we stumbled through learning about training, dogs, and man’s ego getting in the way. Around 10 years ago we commissioned a custom carved

walking stick for Tony from Bob Plott as a small sign of gratitude for all he’s done for us. Tony’s house was the first place we ever saw a Full Cry magazine and he, being a Plott man himself, always enjoyed reading Bob’s articles. Now here we are 10 years later writing about him in the same magazine that he loves to read. I tell you this not to just fill space, but to encourage you to be a positive influence on the sport. The power of just being nice to newbies can have far more influence than spending your life chasing ‘that one win’ or ‘that one dog’. Until next time, I wish you happy hunting and encourage you to think about the legacy you want to leave.

THE BLUETICK JOKE MAKER WITH HIS DOG TWITCH

THIS OLD DOG HAS NEW TRICKS...

From The Pages of Full Cry A Full Cry Production Podcast Join us as we dive into the archives of America’s leading Tree Dog publication. We will look back at decades of stories, articles and more written by those bold enough to follow the echoes of a hound. These quick listens can be found on the Hound PodCast Network wherever you get your podcasts.

The Full Cry Archives So much history has been written in the pages of Full Cry, and now you have access to it! Sign up for our digital copy of our free vintage issue of the month to be delivered to your inbox. Is one issue not enough? You can access the old issues on our website… make sure to check back often as we are adding to the archives frequently!

Full Cry Merch is Here! call 1-866-FULL-CRY or order online at www.fullcrymag.com

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Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

1-866-FULL - CRY

ON THE COVER

THE DOGS IN THIS PHOTO: BUBBA (2) HAS A SHORT TAIL. DJANGO (11) IS THE MOSTLY WHITE DOG ON THE RIGHT AND AUDI.

Defining "IT"

A California Man in Pursuit of His Dreams

here comes a point in every dog’s life when it must make a decision. It’s not something that a dog is even aware of until that defining moment when it must choose. It is a moment in space and time that a dog will define itself from that point on. As a handler, there is no way to detect the specific time and place this deliberation will occur which makes it even more mystifying. 8

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BY JASON DUBY

Option “A”. Choose to stay with what’s comfortable. Be perfectly happy running with the pack. Fall into line and don’t break protocol. Know your place and stay in it.

Option “B” Break away from the pack, the comfort and the confinements of conformity. Take that chance to push yourself to a level that is set by you alone. Feed the fire that burns in your belly for your one true passion in life, the hunt.

As onlookers we have absolutely no impact on this process but those who have witnessed the drive and desire to stand out and claim what is theirs will not forget what it looks like. I have been fortunate enough to see a few of these “break away” moments in my life. Dogs that break the mold and are

truly running their own race. Not for me, not for the pack, not for any reason other than they have “IT”. Something different than the rest. A desire to push on, blaze their own trail and follow their calling. It is difficult to define something as simple as “IT”, but I can tell you that the couple that own the fine hounds on this issues cover are a true example of the word. Roger was fortunate to grow up with dogs and has been running hounds since the age of 12 with his family in California. Now, at the age of 32, he continues the tradition with his wife Shauntel and their soon to be born child. During their time in California, Roger and Shauntel started a life together centered around hounds, horses, and hunting but they wanted something more. Roger and

Shauntel took a chance and made the leap into their dreams. In their own break away moment- They have turned a love for dogs, horses, and the outdoors into a new life for themselves and their growing family. Moving from California to Nevada meant being able to pursue their love of lion hunting and getting back to chasing bears for the first time since the California ban in 2012. With a lot of time, grit, and dedication, along with a good pack of dogs, they set forth on their journey and didn’t waste time getting down to business. Roger started guiding lions and bears with his wife by his side. Shauntel always has a camera in tow and has quite the knack for getting some truly fantastic photos.

ROGER AND SHAUNTEL HARTZO AT A NEVADA LION TREE

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

One of those photos we are proud to showcase on this month’s cover.

This hunt was one that will not be soon forgotten as it was a true testament to a hound’s desire and drive. This big tom had no other option but to surrender and retreat to higher ground after the pressure became too much. Thanks to Bubba, Django, and Audi, a hunter was able to fulfill his dreams of a successful lion hunt. All three of these dogs are grade walker hounds either raised and trained by Roger and Shauntel or his longtime friends Matt and Daniel Davis.

Roger had caught the same lion in the days prior and let him go, knowing he had a paying client he could share the experience

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

with. Two days later, he returned to the original tree and found the tom’s track leaving. The weather had been pretty warm during the days and cold at night, but Bubba and Django worked the track through the frozen snow and muddy runoff. They all eventually ended up on a big rock bluff. The dogs were working the track and

"This hunt was one that will not be soon forgotten as it was a true testament to a hound’s desire and drive"

Roger was trying to keep up. As Roger stood at the top of the bluff the dogs began to open on the track in the dirt below. Peering over the rim he could see the dogs bayed up in the rocks. This warranted a better look where he came to realize it was the cat in a cave like hole in the rocks. By now the third dog, Audi, had arrived and the dog pressure became to much and he bolted. Things “got a little western” according to Roger and “the cat had no place to go but up that rock outcropping in Northern Nevada.”

Changing your life and chasing your hound hunting dreams for a moment like this are exactly what “IT” is.

CLIENT HARVESTING THE CAT FROM THIS STORY.

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

@tuskersmagazine @houndsman_xp_podcast

Hunting in Ben Lilly’s Footsteps Traversing the Wilderness of Tradition

hris Powell called me one evening in early September. I figured we would spend an hour or two on the phone, like we do sometimes, talking of the old ways and dreaming of a more simple world, or it would be a fast call about podcast business. Chris said, “I’m thinking of getting all the Houndsman XP staff together for bear camp. Pursuit with hounds opens September 25th, you in?”

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

BY ED BARNES

My mind went to an internal calendar and I immediately knew I was busy with some hog bayings right before then and after then. I told Chris I’d have to check some dates and get back with him. I called Chris back in just a matter of a couple minutes, “Heck yeah I am in! I can juggle some stuff around.” I got a hold of the Dogmen Podcast crew Tanner Herr and Cody Jenkins and they were down!

I have never ran bear, though it has been a lifelong dream. Bear hunting has always held a pretty high place in my mind, partly just due to the obvious awesomeness of it, and partly because my grandpa and one of my great uncles used to run bear. I have also read a pile of bear and lion hunting dog books, for fun and also because a lot of the information translates pretty seamlessly over to hog hunting I am primarily a hog hunter.

Giving the trip another level of coolness, we were going to the Gila National Forest in southern New Mexico - Ben Lilly’s old stomping grounds. I am a huge fan of the mythology surrounding Lilly, mostly due to the vast open ground and an era where hunting with hounds wasn’t so stressful. Pretty quickly it hit me that Ben was buried somewhere close to where we were going to be, I immediately had planned a trip to that grave in my head. The weeks sped past as I was trying to get my work caught up so I could take a week off, and not be stressed the whole trip about the work I had to do when I got home, and before I really had much time to think we were loading the truck. After driving literally all night, Tanner, Cody and I were almost to the pin Chris had dropped us at the campsite and the sun was up and we were

catching our second wind. The truck was winding through the mountains in what looked like a foreign land to us Okies. We were all eyes, but it looked like a desert? Finally the landscape changed enough to where it looked like it could hold a bear and not just lizards and snakes. We pulled into camp and staked some hounds out. Cody and Tanner pitched a tent and we setup our cowboy cooking rig. I unrolled my dirty bedroll under a large Ponderosa pine, in a good, soft lay of pine needles. We were bear hunting in the morning!

"The Garmins in our jacket pockets starting throwing that “treed” beep into our ears and our hearts were about to pop"

When the sun started easing up Monday morning it didn’t catch us sleeping. We loaded Chris’s dogs in the truck, with a couple up top to rig and we headed out. We eased around a very rough road, which we named Cody Rock Road. The land dropped into deep hollers on two sides. We were hoping for that updraft of scent coming out of the low land as the temperature rose, where one of the only creeks around lay that still had water in it. Chris had arrived at camp a couple days before us and he had been doing his scouting.

The dogs were very excited, and a little bit on the mouthy side. I would hear a change in their tone and look towards Chris, hoping

to see a smile, but his mouth was pretty flat. Finally we un-snapped dogs but it was apparent pretty quickly that they were just caught up in the excitement of the hunt and their noses weren’t really full of a bear. We snaked back out of Cody Rock Road and headed to the bottom to try and rig right off the creek. Before we made it to where we had planned to hunt Cajun’s tone changed and Diablo talked about it too, and it was obvious to hear. Sometimes when you hunt with dogs you don’t know, you are a little lost, you don’t know their ways and personality and it can be hard to pick up on those slight tones that give you clues to what is really going on. We knew it was real, those barks were plain as day. Chris smiled and we all knew to smile too. The dogs took a track up the creek. They looped halfway up a hill and fell into a draw that ran into the creek at a 90-degree angle. Each bark got a little more intense and we had packs on and were starting in a general direction. The Garmins in our jacket pockets starting throwing that “treed” beep into our ears and our hearts were about to pop. “600 yards up the draw,” someone said.

I was expecting more of a hump! We eased in, and though walking very slow and deliberate I was huffing and puffing. I am used to hunting in very hilly country, so it may have been the elevation but it was more likely a nervous anticipation. A couple times the dogs went almost silent on our hike in, and it was giving me a bad feeling, my hog hunter brain was saying, “It busted,” but we rounded a small crook in the holler and there the dogs were, Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

treed on a big Ponderosa pine and we could make out a black object far up the tree.

Chris acted nonchalant about the whole deal but I knew it was a huge weight lifted off his back, and his dogs’ backs. It must have been a lot of pressure. As we got closer Chris just kept repeating, “That’s a good bear! That’s a BIG bear!” His nonchalant tone was gone. We all circled the tree, getting a view of the bear and dogs from different angles, faces about to crack from the smiles pulling the skin tight. The bear was shot, and the work began. It was opening morning, about 10am. It was a good bear for the area, at probably between 325 and 350 but with a very large head. We couldn’t stop smiling.

Back at camp the adrenalin of the hunt was fading, and the missed night of sleep was weighing on our eyes. We laid around the rest of day, relived the hunt in our minds and everyone had to give the version they had soaked in. I always find it interesting how guys on the same hunt each get their own details of it. The land made better sense to Tanner, Cody and I know that we had gotten out and had a map of it in our minds. We all figured the factors of the bear, the wind, the temperatures, the scent and all such things. We calculated a strategy for the next morning that everyone agreed on. Cody cooked a cowboy chili with cornbread and we slept with full bellies and dreams of bears dancing in our heads. Tuesday morning again found us up before the sun, and despite my playful nagging the night before, Cody had not 14

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cooked breakfast! We all found something to eat, loaded dogs and headed out for bear number two. We had planned to rig dogs up the creek again. Monday the dogs had diverted the full plan of our strategy before we got it into action, but today we figured we would hash it out. That is what we figured, but again before we could execute it, the dogs interrupted and we un-snapped them. Everything looked and sounded very good! Cajun, Indy, Diablo, Girl and my dog Stinky were running a track up into the holler the creek ran through. As they went further up the holler though they were having a tough time of it and it sounded like the track was petering out.

The bear had gone right or left, up the hill to one of the sides but the dogs couldn’t figure where. Two or three would go up one hill halfway, waller the track, then come back down. After a bit of confusion Cajun took the track up the west facing hill. His voice sounded confident and we all exchanged looks without saying anything, but raising our eyebrows in that way that is interpreted as good.

We had caught up with the dogs at this point to where every so often we could get a glimpse of Cajun through the woods, but he was wallering on the side of the hill. The morning sun had the hillside lit up, and it was clear that Cajun had taken the track the right direction, but the sun had burnt off the track. We gave him time to try and pick it back up, but it was gone. We got back to the truck and regathered with a plan to rig them. The cool of the morning was gone though and before long

we headed back to camp with our tails tucked a bit. I cooked a hillbilly chili and we all sat around the fire and came up with the next day’s strategy once again. Seth Hall showed up at camp that night, fresh off a plane where he had been at a pole dancing contest in Los Angeles, strung out on coffee and rattling off the scientific names of every plant and animal in the entire state of New Mexico.

We relayed our plan and his head bobbed up and down in an agreeing fashion as he ate. We went to bed early despite Chris bringing out a bottle of Pendleton whiskey. Bear hunting was too new for us to mess up with a hangover.

Wednesday morning we loaded the side by sides and headed to the top of a little round top kind of mountain. It looked pretty barren to me, but I was trusting in the guys that knew the land, so I kept my mouth shut and my ears open. We rigged for a bit then roaded the dogs, and we got a little interest but no dogs blew the top out of it. We were atop of the creek we had struck on the previous two days. I have hog hunted with Tanner for about 10 years, and whenever hunting gets hard Tanner’s plan always involves him going on a walk-about in some rough country and me driving to either pick him up or walking in with a bulldog. I could see his gears moving in his head and he whispered his thoughts to me, as a question.

When you are a guest you don’t want to just grab the reins. I told Tanner, it sounded like a sound plan to me, and Cody nodded before spitting and giving his

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

usual low grunt of approval. Tanner brought up the idea to Chris, and after a bit of logistics it was a go. There was a very tight and steep draw that led to the bottom and it was a tangled mess of trees that had fallen in a fire I guess.

It looked very rough, but being hog hunters we always look at the roughest land with a smile. Chris and Tanner took off to the bottom with the dogs, while Cody, myself and Seth headed around in the buggies. We had no phone signal and no radios. I was a little apprehensive as I know how this lack of communication often leads to chaos.

Before we got very far away, I saw on the Garmin that the dogs had struck. We halted, listened and imagined the trajectory of what might happen. The dogs were treed, then running, then on “Point” then treed, then running. It was a bear, that much was clear but the rest was up to fate. I told Cody to gun it and we headed to our pre-determined meeting place in a hurry.

Seth didn’t have a tracker and just gave follow, trying his best to keep up with a flat tire. Soon we lost signal and we were just running on instinct, hog hunting instinct and imagining how a bear runs. We picked up Tanner and Chris in the bottom and we had no signal but our ears could pick out a faint bark every so often. We all stood silent, not breathing and that faint bark would come and someone would point to the sky where their ear had pulled the sound, with just the gesture upward and not a word so that their mouth didn’t cover up what might be another glimpse of sound. After a few minutes someone broke the 16

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

silence and cocked heads and came up with the idea to head back to camp and get the long range antennae off Chris’s truck and re-group. We did.

At camp we grabbed a dab of food and headed back to the top of that round top mountain. I was riding with Chris as he asked the very limits of his side-by-side up the snaky road, with my hand-held outstretched upward as we drove. Before we got to the top I shouted the words to Chris, “Treed!” He kicked it in another gear and I held on… tight! When my Garmin told me we were as close as we were getting, I gave Chris that double, or triple nod and he shut-er-down and we waited for the engine to wind down and cocked our ears. It was not the leaf shaker I had imagined.

The dogs were down about 700 yards, but it was rough and there was a big vertical drop. We could make out a faint bark every 20 seconds, but constant enough to know it was real. Chris backed the buggie behind some scrub brush and we hid and when Seth, Tanner and Cody finally caught up Chris jumped out and demanded their hunting licenses in his game warden tone. We chuckled a short bit then told them, “Treed” and we all took off down the same nasty twist of trees Tanner and Chris had gone down earlier. Of course, as we got closer the barking intensified and then all of a sudden we were there and the boar bear was treed in a pine at the base of a washout. At first inspection he looked to be small, and question was given whether to shoot or not. Coming off the unsuccessful

previous day it was decided to shoot him. When he hit the ground he was bigger than anyone had figured. Our second bear was about as big as our first, but with a smaller head. After taking care of the bear it was time to pack out and much debate was given whether to go back up the hill in the rough stuff or take the much longer but easier walking into the bottom. We decided to go down into the bottom although it was a little over a mile while going back up was just 700 yards. Tanner, Cody, and I took the bear down and Chris and Seth went back atop to the buggies to circle back and pick us up on the creek. It was a tough sludge down but we made it. Tanner and Cody kept giving me hell, forgetting or not caring that I am twice their age.

Wednesday night back at camp Tanner cooked his famous ribeye steaks with jalapeno poppers and sauteed mushrooms! We ate very good the whole trip, much better than I am used to as a bachelor. Again we devised a game plan for the next day, then Tanner, Cody and Chris hit the sack. Me and Seth stayed up a bit and drank some adult beverages and discussed his coursing dogs and hares. Thursday morning the pressure was off, as Tanner and I had filed our tags and Chris really didn’t care about filing his unless it was just a huge bear or a color phase bear. We got a little later start and again went up Cody Rock Road.

We called it a road but it was barely a trail. We rigged the dogs and this time the excitement had worn off and they weren’t nearly as mouthy. We made it almost to the crest before they sounded off,

but when they did it was serious! By this time we didn’t need clues and everyone baled and started unsnapping dogs and opening dog box doors. The two Plotts and two blue dogs were gone, but there was a Jagd Terrier, Tuff, right with them! The race was full cry the whole time. We immediately strapped packs and headed off down the face opposite of the creek we had been hunting. It was easily the most intense race of the week.

Before we hit the bottom the dogs were treed. It was a cinnamon

sow with a cub. We were all perched on the hillside getting video from different angles, smiles adorning all our faces. It was a perfect ending to our hunt, that cub looking at us, most probably the first humans it had seen. The sow was circling the tree and taking him higher. Of course New Mexico has a law against shooting a sow with a cub but it didn’t matter, no dogman would have thought of shooting. Ben Lilly would have but he was of a different time. On the ride home Friday, us three Okie hog hunters were

planning how we were going to start training a rig dog for bear. We don’t have a bear dog season in Oklahoma, but they regularly show up on our game cameras, and the Houndsman XP bear camp is now going to be an annual event we won’t miss!

Next year we will show up with at least one dog fit to be snapped on a box. I speak for Tanner and Cody, but we are forever grateful to Chris Powell for taking us on our first of many bear hunts, God willing and the creek don’t rise.

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

@stark_outdoors

Squirrel Hunting South Carolina and the Craziest World Hunt Finish Ever

t is always a great day if you get to spend it with great people following squirrel dogs. Every year towards the end of February I make the trip down to Whitmire South Carolina to meet up with some very good friends of mine. I was lucky enough about four years ago to attend a UKC World Squirrel hunt with Allen Franklin where I met the Nichols family. I have grown very close to them over the years and look forward to seeing them each spring.

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

BY CLAYTON STARK

This latest trip I went down to visit and film the NKC World Squirrel Hunt put on by the South Carolina Squirrel Hunters Association. It works out perfect too because it’s always the same weekend as the Southeastern Treeing Walker Days event. If you love coon hunting, squirrel hunting or both I highly encourage you to make the trip to check it out. You will have a great time, I guarantee it. If you are interested in seeing what it looks like I have made quite a few YouTube videos on both events of the years that you will enjoy. This year’s hunt had one of the most unbelievable stories I have ever heard in the competition hunting world. I went on one of the semi final casts that featured Jedi, Boone, and Reeses Cup. Jedi is owned and handled by Chad funk. Boone is owned by Danny Nichols and was handled by Mac Morrow. Reese Cup is owned and handled by Dwayne George. Squirrels weren’t really stirring

much and the cast ended up scoring on a lot of circle trees.

For those of you unaware what that means, a circle tree is when a dog trees on a den or nest where a squirrel could be, but is not visible. Circle trees are not plus points, but can be used as a tie breaker if dogs are tied on plus points. However on this cast Jedi and Reeses cup were tied and in NKC a tie is settled by a coin flip. Once hunt time expired we went back to the club to flip the coin to see who won the cast. Chad Funk and Jedi ended up winning the coin flip to make it to the final cast. The final cast featured a father son showdown. The two dogs competing were H2 and Jedi. H2 is a great dog out of Hummer and Shadow. Jedi is also a great dog out of H2 and Dixie. H2 was handled by ten-year-old Mason Nichols, the son of Jeremy Nichols who owns H2. Jedi was handled by Chad funk.

The cast was very intense starting with both dogs split treeing and having a squirrel each. From that point on for the rest of the hunt each dog split treed and had circle trees. Time kept ticking down and with under a minute left both dogs were tied. Josh Pressley was the judge and started counting down with ten seconds left in the hunt. Jedi let out a single bark with about eight seconds left in the hunt.

I think about everyone on the cast assumed we were going to go to sudden death. Five, four, three, two, TREE JEDI! Chad funk treed his dog with TWO SECONDS LEFT in the FINALS of the WORLD HUNT on ONE BARK. If his dog leaves or doesn’t open again he will be minused and lose the hunt. If he stays and trees he wins. Jedi still was not barking at this point so Josh started the two-minute timer.

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

If two minutes would have expired Jedi would have lost points and the hunt. At about forty five seconds in Jedi finally let out a few more barks in the same place, but then got quiet again. After a little bit Josh put the two minute timer on Jedi AGAIN. Those seconds felt like an eternity for me, I can’t imagine what it felt like for Chad and Jeremy.

Another thirty seconds or so passed and finally Jedi settled in and began treeing. Jedi and Chad won the cast on one of the most gutsy moments I have ever heard of in competition history. A coin flip to get to the finals, treeing a dog on one bark with two seconds left, having the twominute timer put on you TWICE as time had expired, only to win it at the buzzer was something truly amazing to witness and film. If you are a competition coon or squirrel hunter, or just a pleasure hunter like me I highly encourage you to take a little vacation to Whitmire South Carolina next year to see some beautiful scenery and great dog work. You will probably leave with some lifelong friends too.

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

as time, the legend they helped create grew. Like mythical creatures, their stories are passed down, generation to generation. Very few campfires are extinguished today without the tales of hunting adventures gone by with ‘that’ hound. They were undoubtedly “the greatest of all time”. JIM MEEKS WITH YADKIN RIVER CHAMP WHO SIRED 1,287 PUPS AND WAS NEVER IN A NIGHT HUNT OR BENCH SHOW.

The Problem with G.O.A.T.S. Navigating Unrealistic Expectations BY COREY GRUVER

very single one of us has a story to tell about a great hound. Hunting partners that, through their exceptional prowess, stunned our senses and shaped the reality we see today. Many of these hounds fueled the flickering flames that now burn deep in our souls. They gave us the push we needed over the edge to becoming sportsmen, houndsmen and advocates of this sport. It is all thanks to these marvels that we now enjoy hunting in some capacity. 22

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

Most likely, we didn’t own these “athletes”, however bad we wanted to. That hound was owned by a relative, maybe an uncle or a grandfather, or a good friend, or even a stranger. Perhaps in rarer instances, some of us were privileged enough to call them our own. We stood in awe at their cunning on the trail, the courageousness in their voices and their tenacity at the trail’s end. These hounds wrote the standards by which all that would “straddle a track” would be judged by in our minds forevermore.

Maybe we didn’t recognize how truly wonderful these hounds were in the moment, but

Throughout history, humans’ have often debated about such things as “who was the greatest of all time? Who was the greatest athlete of all time? The greatest musician?” and so on. Heck, I’ve even seen two grown men argue about the greatest coffee brand of all time. Many of these conversations take place in the realm of sports, for good reason I suppose. Man has always had an inherent need to define, assign and revel in glory, even chasing after it at times.

G.O.A.T’s by definition are rare. When we discuss different athletes in contention for the title, generally, the discussion only revolves around a handful of individuals. The best example in the modern day is the debate between Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers and Michael Jordan of the Chicago Bulls. Many sportscasters and analysts will take up the debate, defending the man, who in their mind IS in fact the greatest of all time. But the argument is seldom resolved, even provided the innumerable amount of evidence each debater produces. The fact of the matter exists that these athletes, while paralleled in their quest for greatness, competed along different timelines, under different circumstances, in completely different environments. They didn’t train the same way. They didn’t compete the same way. They

were not raised the same way. They didn’t win the same way. While we may draw upon the vast number of similarities between the two, they stand in staunch contrast of one another.

As enthusiastic hound hunters will know, the canine athletes vying for “The Greatest of All Time” title are just as rare as great basketball players or musicians. Throughout a man’s entire career as a hunter, he may only encounter one. It’s safe to assume then that G.O.A.T’s don’t come walking out of every single litter. Not only does that make them scarce, but they leave in their wake hunters, breeders and handlers who become “hard to please”. The problem with G.O.A.T’s can be summarized into two words, unrealistic expectations. Unrealistic expectations run rampant throughout the world of hunting tree dogs. It doesn’t seem to be exclusive to any branch of the sport either. They exist in the breeding pen as much as they do in training practices, which creates complexity around the definition of the title. For the sake of time, we might choose to limit this article simply to the subject of producing game. The ability to produce game is what levels the playing field amongst all hounds. Many people look at the accolades of a hunting dog to translate its inherent value. For every man that does, there are more than a hundred who would rather look to the owner or handlers game pouch, freezer or fur shed to tell the tale. To be considered great, hunting dogs must be able to stack the game bag in a fashion that is reliable and consistent. Even if game is only being “harvested” via a scoring system in a competitive event, hounds that produce real, live raccoons (or

whatever the game of choice) will be the ones who are put into a category that reflects ‘greatness’. If consistency is the name of the game, then all other factors that would influence the ability to successfully produce game must fall by the wayside. The real G.O.A.T’s must be able to do so in any type of circumstances, rain or shine, from swampland to farmland, at any time of the year. For most of us, this is simply an unreasonable request to make of our canine counterparts. And yet, some rise to the challenge. Even against all the variables, some hounds continue to shine. Call it luck, call it genetics, call it what you will, but these animals are exemplary in their work.

Even so, a substantial number of hounds are consistent with their contributions to the game pouch, even if they are never labeled as a great one. By and large, the hounds that would qualify for a title like G.O.A.T are few and far between. In larger concentration are the hounds that are considered “above average”, and even then, those considered “fair” game getters. What does this simple analogy imply about our chances of inquiring a hound of the G.O.A.T caliber? The truth of the matter is, G.O.A.T’s ARE very rare. Many a man has hung up his coon hunting light and boots, never to taste the midnight air again, trying to replace one. I’ve seen it firsthand, and it is always a shame to see it unfold. The most talented hound loses its edge, from aging or what have you, or fails to reproduce their exact likeness, and the flame dies out. The most dedicated and decorated houndsmen become nothing more than the legend of a ghost, all because of the

remarkable abilities and talents of one measly G.O.A.T.

Unrealistic expectations can and will eventually ruin the fun you can have while hunting with your hounds. Don’t get me wrong, we NEED high standards to ensure the integrity of our sport, our breed and our culture. However, if all these things stand in the way of retaining your ability to enjoy what you are doing, it is certainly all for not. Don’t get caught up in the hype of exemplary hounds, and certainly do not dictate how you enjoy your sport using one as your reference point. Let’s be reasonable, lets be fair and lets take these dogs and the game we play with a grain of salt. There are many fine hounds out there and each one can be as enjoyable as the next, if we lighten up a bit. Hounds are admirable in the fact that, against all odds, they continue to overcome. In a poetic way, I hope that we can pull this chapter from the hound dog story and extrapolate it into our own lives. Hounds endure the variables to do what they love, what they were made to do. Every hound is challenged with a unique set of circumstances that they must overcome, and I would say that a large majority of them have done it well. Hopefully, the hound dog will never lose its ability to adapt and survive. Hopefully, we will stop and reflect on how hard we are on our dogs and just enjoy them for what they are. Hopefully, we will all stand in wonder of the feats of such great hunting dogs someday. Until then, lets appreciate and revere our hounds for exactly what they have been and what they always should be, the greatest of all time. Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

WHO IS YOUR

G.O.A.T.?

Charles “Bunk” Edward Redden (1928-2001) and cur dog Smokey, Groveton, TX In the late 70’s, my dad loaded up the family and Smokey in the truck and took us to Illinois for a large coon hunting competition. We got some strange looks as Dad pulled up in a single cab truck (no AC and a dog in the truck bed with a frayed rope for a collar and burrs in his wooly coat) among nice rigs with their fancy dog boxes. By the end of the event, everyone knew who they were as Dad and Smokey took home the first place. They went on to win several other competitions and hunt all over East Texas until Smokey passed away in our arms from old age. This pic is not of Dad and Smokey but of the best litter of pups that Smokey produced- Sport, Midnight Lady, and Pretty Girl. Dad kept Sport and Lady, but gave Girl to his hunting partner, Doug Mark of Nigton, TX. - From Faris Williams

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

Her name was Bobbi and she was a little walker female who had a giant heart and no quit. The beginning of her hunting career was on black bear but she excelled at and took an incredible interest in bobcats. Owned by Jesse Walker, she is the best dog he's ever owned and what he calls his "Once in a lifetime" hound. Jesse lost her to old age last year. - Yvonne Anderson

GrNtCh PR Dean's Northern Blue Hammer II, owned by the late Mr Dave Dean of Dowling Mi. Hammer II was our National GrNtCh of The Bluetick breed in 1972.He produced many great's within our breed, producing tree dog's, for year's to come. Below is some he produced, National breed winner 1969 & 1970 GrNtCh PR Warson's Northern Blue Trapper,1973 National breed Winner GrNtCh PR Dean's Northern Blue Hammer III,1974 National breed Winner GrNtCh PR Dean's Northern Blue Hammer III,and first Blue to be overall Winner,1976 National breed Winner GrNtCh PR Michigan Blue Rebel owned by Mr Jim Rosenwald of Minn.. He gave his owner his all every time he was turned loose,a smaller hound with a huge heart. Hopefully today resting on the corner of North Avenue and Butler Rd Mr Dean can hear the echoes of all his great's. - From Ken Herman

Well, back in the late 1960's I hunted a lot with Warren Haslouer when he had ole Rambler. Then when he bought Diamond Jim, and throughout the '70's, I hunted with Diamond Jim and many of his offspring; like my old Fred dog and my NITECH 'PR' Combs Smokey River Jack. I later sold Jack to Warren in 1979 and hunted him in the hunts for Warren. I owned and hunted with several of Diamond Jim's offspring. I'm talking here about GRNITECH 'PR' Smokey River Bl. Diam. Jim. I didn't realize the influence he would have. But looking at his pedigree you can find many of the old Bluetick greats who have been honored in the BBCHA Blue Books. Those Diamond Jim ancestors included hounds like Welch's Blue Warrior, Mountain Music Blue, the old Jocassee Valley hounds and the Galoways, and ancestors like Vaughn's Warrior, Jr. It all seemed to come together in Jim. I remember by the mid-1970's, hunters down in Mississippi, like Kermit Carpenter, Judge Bramlette and B.H. Patterson were hunting Diamond Jim offspring. Same thing in Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Texas. In Texas you could name Harry Darby, Ralph Williams, Guy Ormiston....just a few of the good hunters who were behind offspring of Diamond Jim. Larry Bays was hunting Diamond Jim bloodlines down in Louisiana. Diamond Jim started showing up in pedigrees of hounds up North. Big game hunters out West began using his offspring. By 1980 the old hound had produced 1600+ pups. More than any registered Bluetick sire up to that time; a record he still holds! There were other great Blueticks of the same era who were prominent and influential. But due to Diamond Jim's widespread impact, to a big part of the breed's background, I choose him to honor. - Mr Jim Combs

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

@houndhuntingathlete

LESTER WITH A CAPTIVE COUGAR

Chasing the Appalachian Ghost with Todd Lester

t’s no secret Appalachia is haunted. Not by the ghost of the human soul as much as the memory of the supposedly extinct eastern cougar. It’s likely more believable to hear someone say they have seen a phantom rather than have someone tell you they have seen a panther. Yet, most people you talk to in rural Appalachia will tell you they have seen a panther, cougar, wild cat, or whatever word they use to describe the ghost cat.

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

BY TEDDY SIMPKINS

I am no exception. In 2004 I saw what I believed to be a mountain lion. My brother and I were on our way home from playing basketball and I was headed to get my hounds to go coon hunting. On a dark mountain road in Beech Creek, West Virginia, we saw a large cat emerge from the creek. It crossed the road in front of my Chevy Blazer, bounced onto the mountain side, and disappeared into the night.

I have noticed that most of these cougar sighting stories all have something in common. The person who saw the animal will try to convince you that they are an outdoorsman, a hunter, an avid hiker or anything that gives credibility and validation to their story. I’m no different. I feel I have a well-trained eye for wild game, especially in the night time. I have spent a large part of

my life finding game with a light. As time went on I doubted what I saw. It was a large tan cat with a long tail. But in the glare of my headlights mixed with the deep mountain darkness, could it have been something else? Did I really see what I thought I saw?

I had all but forgotten about the incident until I was recently doing some research for my column about the Hatfield family. I came upon a family story from 1811. Ephriam Hatfield was said to have killed a panther in the head of Mud Lick hollow. That’s the same area that I saw the cat almost two hundred years later. This really got the gears turning in my head again. Could I have really seen a mountain lion? To make it all make sense, we will have to go back a few years. Back to the time I met a man named Todd Lester, President of

the Eastern Cougar Foundation and one of the most interesting woodsmen I have ever met.

I met Todd when I was about 16 years old. I think my dad and I visited his home near Gilbert, West Virginia, on official black and tan coonhound business. Todd, like myself, is a black and tan enthusiast. But what I remember from meeting Todd was his meticulous note keeping. He had piles of pedigrees and stud adds on every black and tan hound that had been advertised in any publication all the way back through the eighties. Todd is a black and tan historian in which I have never seen an equal. I suspect his neat methodical note keeping may come from his military background. Lester served in the Air Force and

PENNSYLVANIA CAT KILLED BY FARMERS IN THE 1970’S

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

was stationed in Florida where he spent some time in the Everglades. He was able to bring hounds with him and hunt the river of grass. He even caught pythons before catching pythons was a thing. Todd was also a part of the Florida Panther Project. Todd’s interest in the eastern cougar was sparked by an incident that happened while coonhunting with Randall Cline in the eighties close to Pineville, West Virginia. Todd had lost his hound and spent the biggest part of the night looking for him. He was walking a road and at the fork he came face to face with the ghost. The same kind of ghost I thought I’d seen. Todd was face to face with a real mountain lion. After a brief standoff, the cat disappeared into Nancy’s Fork. Following this incident, Lester devoted a large part of his life to the eastern cougar.

Dr. Dave Mayer, leader of the Florida Panther Project, sent Todd to tracking classes and got other biologists involved to found the Eastern Cougar Foundation. Through this science based, non-profit organization, Todd has been able to investigate cougar sightings throughout the eastern United States. One example of a confirmed mountain lion presence came from a track found in 1996 in Wyoming County, West Virginia. The track was located by Lester and confirmed by two independent wildlife biologists to be, indeed, a cougar track. Lester has some intriguing records that predate his time with the foundation. In 1976 a male cougar was killed in Pocahontas County, West 28

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

Virginia. The cat was killing sheep when a farmer shot it. A pregnant female was captured at the same time in the same area and was ordered by the U.S. Department of Fish and Wildlife Services to be released in the Cranberry Wilderness area. This is all public record and wildly interesting to me.

Nicole Culbertson wrote a status and history report for the National Park Service of the Great Smokey Mountains in 1976. In this summary, she reported there to be three to six mountain lions living in the park at the time. She also wrote that there were fortythree reliable lion sightings in the park. The physical evidence was a 65-pound buck deer carcass found killed by a powerful bite through the spine, along with large cat tracks near the kill site. Any time a population of wildlife is present near human population, vehicle fatalities to the animal are sure to occur. Fast forward to 1997 Floyd County, Kentucky. A man driving a pickup truck hit and killed an eightpound cougar kitten on highway 850. The driver saw the mother and another kitten at the scene. Cougars were thought to be extinct from the east because of the loss of habitat due to large scale timbering. White-tailed deer were disappearing due to market hunting and cougars were being shot on site because of their threat to livestock.

All that has changed. Deer are abundant. Kentucky boasts the largest elk herd east of the Mississippi. Conditions for the return of the eastern cougar are favorable. Todd told me that in ten years he foresees an undeniable population of cougars in the

east. I couldn’t agree more. The food is here. The habitat is here. Some cougars are here or passing through and Todd Lester has proven that.

I asked Todd where he thought these cats came from. It is popular opinion that young males travel east looking for territory or mates. Florida panthers are thought to come north for the same reasons. Captive cats are sure to get lose from time to time. Small pockets of eastern cougars in extremely remote areas could have, and likely did, survive. Todd believes it’s a mixture of all these scenarios that breathes life into the modern-day eastern cougar. I have to admit I’m extremely envious of western houndsmen. All my life I have wanted to run and tree a mountain lion with hounds that I have raised. I have never taken the trip out west. Based on the vast amount of evidence Lester has showed me, I can envision a future to where a hound hunter won’t have to go west to tree a lion. It is possible and likely it could happen here. If not in my lifetime then certainly in my children’s.

I want to thank Todd Lester for the interview, the pictures and all his hospitality. Folks like Todd are treasures to Appalachia and the hunting and hound community. As for the ghost I saw in 2004, I’m not out here believing hair brained stories about big foot. For years, my brother and I have kept the tale between us. My wife will not have even heard it until she reads this story. With the abundance of proof I have witnessed I can say that the animal I saw was very likely a cougar. And I hope it’s not the last time I see the Ghost of Appalachia.

LESTER WITH A PYTHON HE CAUGHT IN THE FLORIDA EVERGLADES

POCAHONTAS COUNTY, MALE COUGAR KILLED BY FARMER

MCDOWELL COUNTY WEST VIRGINIA, CASTING OF A CONFIRMED COUGAR TRACK

LESTER WITH A COUGAR HIDE

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

FINLEY RIVER HAZEL AND LONNIE MEARS AT WALKER DAYS IN 2021

Lonnie Mears The Mears’ Finley River Dan Strain

he day after Thanksgiving is called Black Friday. Also now you hear that the following Monday is called Cyber Monday or Black Monday. For the fans, friends, and followers of Lonnie Mears and the Finley River Strain of Hounds Monday November 29, 2021 was truly a Black Day. Lonnie Mears passed away that morning. Lonnie Mears was a man that was loved by many. One of the things you hear people say about him is Lonnie Mears is a good man.

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

BY DON NICELY

If I may I would like to give some of the history and achievements that Lonnie was a part of in over 50 plus years of promoting the Finley River Strain of Hounds that had Grand Nite Champion Mears' Finley River Dan as the foundation for his strain of hounds.

In its own way the ACHA World Hunt was similar to the Old American Idol Show. It gave a huge platform for dogs and their owners to be introduced to the American hunting public. An unknown could become famous overnight by winning this hunt. Also just by placing in the hunt could give you the attention to prove to the public what you were. In thinking back on the ACHA World Championship in it's day when it was the one. And then the old American Idol Show. A show where people are introduced to America. Sometimes the winners become famous and very successful and sometimes they don't. Sometimes the people who don't win become more successful and famous than the ones that do win. In it's own way the ACHA World Hunt was similar to American Idol. It gave a huge platform for dogs and their owners to be introduced to the American hunting public. An unknown could become famous overnight by winning this hunt. Also just by placing in the hunt could give you the attention to prove to the public what you were.

Once you got the attention it was up to the dog or breeder to take advantage of that exposure. Winning or placing in the World Hunt wasn't a guarantee of success but it was a guarantee people would pay attention to you for a while and if you had something to offer and benefit the

sport, you could find success.

One of those times was in 1970. By placing 6th in the 1970 ACHA World Championship our sport was introduced to Lonnie Mears and Mears' Finley River Dan. Lonnie had advertised Dan a little but not much. He was just another son of many of Finley River Chief and not a lot of attention had been paid to him. In the fall of 1970 that was going to change. Another son of Finley River Chief was the World Champion, the second one since 1965 but also the 6th place dog was a son of Chief. By placing so high in what was at the time THE hunt everyone wanted to win, focus was placed on Grand Nite Champion Mears' Finley River Dan. The interest in this hound Lonnie Mears owned had increased very much after the ACHA World Hunt.

As Lonnie told me you probably wouldn't even know who he was if he hadn't placed with Dan in the ACHA World Championship. With the success Lonnie had that begin with Dan I don't know if that would have played out that way or not but for sure placing in the ACHA World Hunt gave Lonnie and Dan a chance to prove to the world that there was something special going on with this hound. With the interest in Dan growing more females were being bred and with that more pups on the ground from Dan to prove his worth in the stud pen. Most people that know anything about the history of the Finley River Strain and the hounds in it believe Mears' Finley River Dan is one of the best reproducing sons of Finley River Chief. Many think he is the best reproducing son of Chief. I have to include myself as one of those. In my opinion Mears' Finley River Dan was the

best reproducing male out of Finley River Chief. If there was better than their pups never had a chance to prove it.

With the platform that the ACHA World Hunt gave Dan to show his worth Lonnie started a breeding program that was based on Finley River Dan as the foundation and today 50 Plus years after that hunt the program was still intact on the basis of its foundation. This might say something about the man Lonnie Mears. Just a few months before he passed Lonnie got rid of his hound. Not because he wanted to but he knew his health wasn't the best and he wanted to make sure his last hound was in good hands. That hound still had Dan and Lonnie’s other hounds as his foundation. When I first heard about it I felt very sad about it, but I can only imagine Lonnie felt a greater sadness. After over a half a century and still have dogs that go back to your foundation. In looking back he made the right decision and he was thinking about his last hound, not himself. Which again brings back the statement you will hear so much. Lonnie Mears is a good man. But back to happier times.

From Dan came Mears' Finley River Dan III. A Dual Grand Champion plus a World Show Champion. Dan III didn't get the chance to breed as many good females as maybe he deserved because he was standing at stud along with his sire until he was past 8 years of age.

Another stud dog Lonnie offered was out of Dan III. His name was Jackson's Finley River Tom. Tom was a Grand Champion Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

Nite Champion that needed only one more win to be a Dual Grand Champion but met an untimely death in a dog box. He won a Hunting Dog World Show Title, so he like most of Lonnie's hounds was a looker too.

Also another dog Lonnie offered at stud was Dual Grand Champion Mears' Finley River Jeff who was also a son of Dan III. From the mating of Finley River Jeff to a granddaughter of Finley River Tom came a dog named Grand Ch. Nite Ch. Blue Mtn. Finley River Lonnie. A hound that would again put Lonnie Mears in the picture of the ACHA World Championship. But first let's visit the impact Finley River Dan had on the ACHA World Hunt and the Treeing Walker breed and other World Hunts.

In 1975 Grand Nite Ch. Finley River Dan Jr. placed 9th at the ACHA World Hunt. You will find Dan Jr. in many pedigrees but two places are Nite Ch. Kalal's Minnesota Cookie who produced some very good hounds when crossed with Dual Grand Ch. McCallister's Finley River Banjo who was a grandson of Dan. Also the 1998 UKC World Champion Daniel's Duke was a grandson and a great grandson of Finley River Dan Jr.

In 1978 Grand Nite Ch. Finley River Horse, another son of Dan placed 2nd at the UKC World Hunt.

Grand Nite Ch. Mears' Finley River Dan was bred to Grand Nite Ch. Magill's Lone Pine Jill. From that cross came Grand Nite Ch. Logan's Wild Julie. Julie is the grandmother of 1990 UKC World Champion Tony's Wild Joey.

That same year 1990 Lonnie Mears would enter the picture again with the ACHA World Championship with Blue Mtn. Finley River Lonnie a hound that was line bred back to Finley River Dan. The year before in 1989 Blue Mtn. Finley River Lonnie placed 27th in the ACHA World Hunt just barely missing the Top 20 because of a call that was made at the end of the cast. But in 1990 the two Lonnie's placed 3rd. Again in 1991 they were in the top twenty by placing 13th. One last time Mears took Lonnie back to the ACHA World Championship in 1992 and placed 5th. To place 3 years in a row at a World Hunt is a task that is hard to do and there is more than just luck working for you for that to happen. To place so consistently 20 years later with a hound that is line bred back to the hound you started with shows what type of breeding program Lonnie Mears had with Finley River Dan as his foundation. There are so many more hounds I could go into that go back to Mears' Finley River Dan but the few I mentioned will give you a

in 1980 Grand Nite Ch. Easy Goin' Eileen, a daughter of Finley River Dan placed 1st at the ACHA World Championship. At that same hunt a son of Dan, Hern's Red Eagle Dick placed 2nd. In the 1981 ACHA World Hunt Grand Nite Ch. Hern's Red Eagle Dick came back to win the hunt. 32

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

1990 UKC WORLD CHAMPION GRNITE CH. TONY'S WILD JOEY

number of threads to the different lines of hounds to give you an idea of the impact he had on the Treeing Walker Breed. One of the best crosses on Blue Mtn. Finley River Lonnie was with Grand Ch. Mears' Finley River Trap.

This cross produced numerous good hounds including Grand Ch. Nite Ch. Mears' Finley River Zoom. Now 20 plus years after those hunts Lonnie Mears was still active in the sport and the Treeing Walker breed. He was not able to competition hunt those days because of health reasons but he was still very active in showing the hounds and breeding these spotted dogs. He has gotten a bad rap of just being a show guy but if you are newer to the sport you may have only known him as that But that isn't a fair description. True he had World Class show hounds but he also had numerous World Class Coon Hounds before the health issues that were Grand Nite Champions and would compete in such hunts as the ACHA World Championship.

Lonnie Mears played a big role in the popularity of the Finley River Strain of Hounds. He probably never got as much credit as he deserved. He took his dog Finley River Dan and had dogs that were linebred back to him for over 50 years. As most will say, Lonnie Mears was a good man.

DUAL GRAND 1981 ACHA WORLD CHAMPION HERN'S RED EAGLE DICK

GR. NITE GR. CH. 1975 WORLD SHOW CH. MEARS FINLEY RIVER DAN III

NITE CH. GRCH. BLUE MT. FINLEY RIVER LONNIE

GR. NITE CH. MEARS FINLEY RIVER DAN

NITE CH. GRAND CH. FINLEY RIVER TOM

GR.NITE CH. FINLEY RIVER HORSE (2ND PLACE: 1978 UKC WORLD HUNT)

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

GRNITECH(2) GRCH ‘PR’ CASEYS MISSOURI BLUE PETE HTX

GRNTCH GRCH ‘PR’ HAMMERDOWN BLUE MISTER T

2020 Wins: BBCHA FALL CLASSIC, 1st Place & HIGH SCORING BLUETICK Missouri Coonhunters Federation Invatational Winner Split $1500

OUT OF HURRICANE FROZEN SEMEN

2021 Wins: TOC QUALIFIED RQE 2nd Place Black and Tan Sectional Cast Winner BBOA ZONE 1 Hunt Dog of the Year BBOA BLUETICK DAYS Grnitech Cast Winner Zone 1 World Championship Cast Winner BBCHA SECTIONAL High Scoring Bluetick & King of Hunt BBOA MAD DOG MEMORIAL HUNT Cast Winner & High Scoring Dog BBCHA FALL CLASSIC CAST WINNER BBOA RICHARD CASEY HUNT 2nd Place & King of Hunt 2022 Wins: RQE 2nd Place BBOA RICHARD CASEY HUNT 1st Place & King of Hunt BBOA MAD DOG MEMORIAL HUNT 4th Place Cast Win Missouri Coonhunters Federation Invatational Overall Champion ...GRCH GRNITECH ‘PR’ BLUE CREK GAUGE ..NITECH ‘PR’ WELLERS BLUE STONE ...GRNITECH ‘PR’ CROSBYS BLUE SNOOTER GRNITECH GRCH ‘PR’ CASEYS MISSOURI BLUE BUD HTX ...GRNITECH ‘PR’ CROSBYS SMOKING JOE ..CH ‘PR’ WHITE OAK MOUNTIANS STYLISH BELL ...’PR’ CROSBYS ROCKIN ROXIE GRNITECH(2) GRCH ‘PR’ CASEYS MISSOURI B LUE PETE HTX ...GRNITECH ‘PR’ SMOKEY RIVER MAD DOG JOHN II ..GRCH GRNITECH ‘PR’ MAD DOG MO BLUE SMOKE ...’PR’ MAD DOG NOODLES GRNITECH GRCH ‘PR’ MONITEAU CREEK BLUE CHARLIE HTX ...GRNITECH ‘PR’ MANNS WILD-N-Blue Pounder ..GRCH GRNITECH ‘PR’ BIG TIME SPANKIN BLUE WENDY ...NITECH ‘PR’ INDIANA BLUE SPANKY JANE

Richard Casey (816) 739-2486 Charles Wyatt (573) 864-0597 Tim Manning • Foster Caryl

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

NTCH ‘PR’ Casey’s Missouri Hammer GRCH GRNTCH ‘PR’ Casey’s MO. BL. Hammer II ‘PR’ Foster’s Blue Pepper CH GRNTCH ‘PR’ Goodtime Jackhammer NTCH GRCH ‘PR’ Casey’s MO. BL. Shiloh ‘PR’ Caseys MO. BL. Fly II ‘PR’ Crosgrove’s Blue Fly GRNTCH ‘PR’ Casey’s Missouri Blue Hurricane GRCH GRNTCH ‘PR’ Casey’s MO. BL. Hammer II GRNTCH CH ‘PR’ Casey’s MO. BL. Hammer III ‘PR’ Casey’s MO. Blue Waszy ‘PR’ Casey’s Missouri Blue Annie IV GRCH GRNTCH ‘PR’ Casey’s MO. BL. Hammer II ‘PR’ Casey’s MO. BL. Annie III CH ‘PR’ Casey’s MO. Blue Annie II GRNTCH GRCH ‘PR’ HAMMERDOWN BLUE MISTER T GRNTCH GRCH ‘PR’ Smokey River John GRNTCH ‘PR’ Smokey River Mad Dog John II GRNTCH ‘PR’ Mad Dog Two Gun Billy GRCH GRNTCH ‘PR’ Mad-Dog MO Blue Smoke ‘PR’ Mad-Dogs Blue Rooster II ‘PR’ Mad Dog Noodles ‘PR’ Johnson’s Blue Charge GRCH GRNTCH ‘PR’ Moniteau Creek Blue Charlie HTX GRNTCH ‘PR’ Manns’ Wild-N-Blue Spanky GRNTCH ‘PR’ Manns’ Wild-N-Blue Pounder ‘PR’ Lingo’s Blue Jill GRCH GRNTCH ‘PR’ Big Time Spankin Blue Wendy GRNTCH ‘PR’ Manns’ Wild-N-Blue Spanky NTCH ‘PR’ Indiana Blue Spanky Jane GRNTCH ‘PR’ Skyes The Limit

FOR SALE - PUPPIES AVAILABLE NOW FOR SALE - YOUNG HOUNDS AVAILABLE NOW BRED FOR COON, CAT & BEAR BEAR & CAT DOGS FOR SALE FROM TIME TO TIME

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

@chris.ingram802

@featherwind.creative

Hat Trick Bear Hunt Three Ways to Run Bear Hounds Why it pays to switch up your tactics to tree more bear

lthough I spent my formulative years of hunting chasing ducks and geese with retrievers and upland birds behind pointers and flushers, over the past few years I have become completely hooked on hunting with hounds. Here in the Champlain Valley of Vermont and New York, there is never a shortage of opportunity to chase fur, and I’ve been fortunate to connect with many welcoming houndsmen in my area. I’ve gone on a coon hunt, a few squirrel hunts with feists, several rabbit hunts, and even a few memorable bear hunts with some unforgettable hounds.

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

STORY & PHOTOS BY CHRIS INGRAM

There’s just something special about cruising the high-country forest roads with a loaded box in eager anticipation for the rig dog to break the silence of a still morning with a deep, guttural bawl. We have a long training season on bear here in Vermont, and on one hot and muggy August morning last year, I jumped in the truck with my buddy Derek Moy, to learn more about his dogs and how he likes to hunt. He leads a simple life, one based around hunting, and he’s regularly in the woods or working with his dogs several days a week, even taking an extra hour in the morning or after work to cut dogs loose. Little did I know, I was about to see several different ways to run bear hounds, and ended up with a first-hand glimpse of how this simple one-man show likes to keep his options open by adapting to any situation to put more bear on a limb. HUMBLE HOUNDSMAN BEGINNINGS

Derek hails from Upstate New York, and while many might think most of the Empire State is just the backyard of the big city, the rugged country of northeast New York is anything but a walk in Central Park. Derek spends most of the hunting season in the Catskill Mountains chasing bear and bobcat, travels to Maine to guide, and also likes to visit Vermont during the long training season. So, with an abundance of wild public land in the Green Mountain National Forest, we loaded up at daybreak to see what we could make happen.

As we drove up the mountain, Derek talked about how he got started with hunting dogs. “When I was growing up, a couple of my

family members had beagles and I got started running rabbits,” he reflected. “As my interest grew, I got into treeing dogs and started coon hunting.” As he got older, he discovered bear hounds. “I tagged along on a few bear hunts and met some great people, started travelling a little bit, and that’s how I ended up in Virginia. I met my good buddy, Brayden Guilliams, and that how I got started with my current dogs.”

It was six or seven years ago when Derek started his own pack of bear hounds. After visiting down South and feeling like the dogs he had weren’t quite what he was looking for, he got back home and started over with a dog from Bryaden. He’d bring on other dogs, lose one, pass on a few, and over time ended up with the foundation upon which his current pack is now built. His dogs originated from a halfPlott/half-Walker named “Runt” and a pure Ursus Plott named “Tarbaby.” Derek describes his dogs as line-bred Plott-Treeing Walker crosses that are majority Plott, which is easy to see in their brindle and red coats and Plottlike body compositions.

When I asked what he likes about his dogs now, he said, “What stands out to me the most is they’re above average smart dogs and catch game consistently. They’re also great reproducers. They may not be great once-in-alifetime dogs, but they are dogs that you can go out with every day and catch game and they’re very reliable.” He went on to detail other attributes that make this pack a dynamite bunch of hounds for the way he likes to hunt. Some of them cold trail well and some are good rig dogs, and each one of them is independent enough to tree game on their own.

RIGGED FOR SUCCESS

Although it was mid-August, there were the first hints of a fall chill in heavy morning air. As we drove higher up the mountain road, we would finally catch a glimpse of the bright, yellow sun as it broke over the mountains to cast its warmth upon the land and wake up the woods ahead of us. My excitement peaked as we finally exited the highway and turned down the gravel road to enter the seemingly endless lush green hills of the Green Mountain National Forest.

As we first got into the area we wanted to hunt, Derek parked and dropped the tailgate to air the dogs after the long drive and then outfitted each hound with a tracking collar. My childlike enthusiasm for running through the timber to view a bear on a limb seemed to be equally matched by each of the four hounds as indicated by their soft whimpers and whippy, wagging tails. Trip, the pack’s elder matriarch and a beautiful brindle dog, and Holiday, the young gun of the group and a dapper buckskin male, were hoisted onto the top of the box and clipped into rigging position. With the entire gang set to go, we jumped back in the cab and started slowly cruising the forest roads hoping to strike up a fresh black bear track. As we crept along, I asked Derek what it is about rigging that makes this type of hunting so appealing to bear houndsmen. “You can rig all day if you want to,” he asserted. “Especially where we’re at, during spring and summer bear are steadily moving. They move just as much during the Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

day as they do at night, maybe even more. With rigging, you can cover the most amount of territory in the quickest time.” This all makes a lot of sense to me and seems a wise way to start the hunt, hoping to cross any freshly laid tracks from bear moving around for their morning feed.

When talking about what makes a good rig dog, at least for him, Derek likes a dog with a cold nose and one that is able to accurately go to the bear off the road. “My Trip dog, if she barks, she’s going to get to that bear.” He believes that many hounds can make a good rig dog, but one that knows where to go to get on a bear from the box, is a hound worth their weight in gold. THE OPEN ROAD

After burning up a few miles and burning off the morning dew in areas where he had recently seen sign, Derek stopped the truck once again to switch up his tactics. He unclipped Trip and Holiday from the rail and dropped them onto the ground to road hunt and try to give them a better chance of catching any bear scent that might be around. I had heard about this method before, but wanted to know more, so while the dogs ambled along ahead of us, I questioned Derek about roading dogs.

“I can start a lot older of a track with my dogs on the ground than I can with them on the truck,” he affirmed. “The dogs are more able to pick up scent with their nose closer to the ground than they are up on the box.” He also mentioned that he’s had previous experience hunting these areas during this time of year, moving bear out of several of the berry 38

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patches that we passed on either side of the road. I can see why this method works and so long as you have ample room to road dogs, safety shouldn’t be a major concern. It’s a great way to condition dogs during the training season and when they do catch scent, they’re able to dive right into the woods and take chase. TAKE A WALK

After giving the dogs a chance to stretch their legs crisscrossing several miles of forest roads, we were coming up empty once again. When we came upon another convoy of houndsmen rigging their dogs for bear, Derek pulled out all the stops and parked the truck altogether and suggested we go for a walk. He knew there was a lush berry patch in a regenerating clear cut about a half mile up along a trail with a good chance bear have been in there gorging themselves on plump, juicy raspberries. He let out his other two dogs — Spice, a younger, dark brindle female, and Trump, the outcross of the pack and a handsome white and brindle male — to join the fun.

This last tactic paid off in a big way. As we put eyes on the berry patch, the dogs dove right in. As soon as we lost sight of them, they opened up with a few excited barks to indicate they had located a bear track. We looked down to the Garmin for more details and the screen soon showed all four dogs running fast and away from us out along a long, linear ridge. A few seconds later, the woods roared and rumbled as the dogs let out booming bawls, howls, and barks. There was no doubt they jumped the bear and now the chase was on.

With the dogs running freely through tens of thousands of acres of pristine public land, there was no telling how long and how far this race would last. We kept walking along the trail that soon turned into some tricky walking. Slash from fallen logs and sticky, boot-stealing muck slowed us down as the mid-morning sun beamed brightly down onto us. We kept tabs on the handheld and watched the dogs push southwesterly out along the ridge. Thoughts and recollections of what just happened were starting to sort out in my mind, and curious as to how this last method put us on the fast-track to get on a bear, I asked Derek a few more questions to get his take on walk-hunting. “Most of the time when you’re walk-hunting with your dogs and you strike a track, it’s going to be within a couple hundred yards of you depending on how far you let your dog’s range,” he said. “And I’m not talking free casting where you just turn a dog loose into the countryside and let them go hunting. I’m talking about dogs that will work around you and stay around you, within a couple hundred yards at most.” He added that walk-hunting gives a houndsman a lot of control over their dogs because they’re right there with them. With walk-hunting, you’re essentially pointing your dogs in a direction or bringing them into a likely area, such as a cornfield, a berry patch, or a wallow where you might expect to find fresh bear scent. Derek attests this is a great public land hunting tactic and a go-to approach when natural food sources are in good. “Whenever I run into hunting

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

at this bear. I tried my best to move the tightly packed trees out of my way and I felt like Tarzan swinging limb-by-limb through the jungle. It was not easy going and I thought to myself, ‘You have to be a little bit nuts to do this … and I’m loving it!’

pressure, I try to get as far away from it as possible,” he chuckled. “Nine times out of ten, when you run into other hunters on public land, they are not getting off the road. If you get off the road and walk-hunt your dogs into natural feed that bears are in, more times than not you’re going to find a bear.” THIRD TIMES A CHARM

As we finished our conversation, the dogs finally put enough pressure on the bear and it decided to climb up a tree. We peeked at the Garmin and saw the dogs were about a mile away as the crow flies — although I knew it would be at least two miles of hard going through the thick stuff for us. Derek and I took a bearing and got back into stride to head southwest down the long ridgetop to make our way to the dogs and get a look

We could hear the clamor of the dogs barking as we closed within a few hundred yards. Of all places, the bear chose to run up a tree that was about halfway down the steep side of the ridge. It wasn’t a complete drop off, but I could barely stand upright without hugging a tree for balance as I sidehilled it over to the dogs. Large, loose boulders of shale shifted underfoot as we fumbled over downed logs and slippery leafcovered soil making our way to the tree. After the long, grueling, thigh-burning walk, we finally arrived to observe a large male bear contently straddling a small limb about 25 feet overhead. I’ve been under a few bear trees now, and each time still brings about a genuine sense of wonder and respect for these beautiful and impressive animals.

The bear carefully watched Derek and I as we made our way around the tree checking on the dogs and seeking a place to peer through the leaf cover to get a better look. After snapping a few photos and giving the dogs their praises for a job well done, it was time to say thank you and goodbye to the bear. With the dogs pulled back and tied off, the bruin wasted no time, limbered over to the trunk and hurriedly descended the tree. The bark cracked and popped under the weight and pressure of his massive, sharp claws as he slid down. As soon as his back feet hit the ground he huffed, puffed, and bolted away, quickly disappearing back into the forest.

BEARING WITNESS

On the long walk back to the truck, I reflected on the day’s hunt through the overload of information I was trying to process. Seeing that big bear in the tree was the culmination of so much heart and hard work from the dogs, matched perfectly with Derek’s keen knowledge of how to effectively manage the hunt. The reward of the treed bear and seeing it all come together and experiencing several dynamic and different ways to run these hounds left me entirely energized. To top it all off, Derek mentioned this bear was the biggest one he’d seen all year. As far as I was concerned, this was as successful as any killing hunt I’ve ever been on.

This catch-and-release training season hunt gave me a profound appreciation and unique insights for the cherished American tradition of bear hunting with hounds. Although our time together was short, I know that everything I experienced that morning represented an impressive collection of numbers and figures in the dedicated lifestyle of one houndsman. This hunt symbolized tens of thousands of miles on the speedometer rigging and running backcountry roads across multiple state lines, thousands of hours training, feeding, and caring for dogs, endless miles of walking through bear country in challenging terrain, countless learning experiences, dozens of previous bears treed and freed, all for mere minutes to stand in the presence and admire a prime, healthy bruin black bear — a keystone species of the eastern hardwood forest and an admirable icon in any hound hunter’s narrative. Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

A MENTOR STORY

“How ‘bout it?” BY JASON DUBY

y father had baited bears in Oregon until we lost baiting and the use hounds as a legal method of take in 1994 with the passing of measure 18. At the age of around 5 or 6 my father had already lit a fire but I only remember one trip to the mountain to fill baits. As we started up the trail my mind was racing. Every broken branch, every bird, every figment of my imagination was a big black bear ready to devour me and the sack of not so fresh doughnuts and various other pastries I packed over my shoulder. It was like no feeling I had ever experienced while hunting deer and various other varmints or birds. 42

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I was nervous and curious at the same time. On one hand I wanted nothing more than to see a bear with my father. On the other hand it would be a lot less scary and just as enjoyable to deliver Mr. Bears next meal, slip on back to the truck and hit the local gas station for a Mtn. Dew and some jerky. Either way, this was it. I was convinced that from this point on I was a real hunter. Dad had let me come on what a six-year-old boy thought was a hunt for Americas most dangerous game. No bears were seen and I would venture to say that was mostly because I couldn’t contain my excitement. That hunt with my father was the start of my longing to hunt bear. Fast-forward 16 years. I received the most intriguing invite up to that point in my life. “Wanna go run dogs with us”. The thought never crossed my

mind to chase a bear with a dog, but I can tell you I knew it was something I wanted to see! I had no idea what to expect but ended up with some experiences that will never be forgotten.

California bear camp was something out of a movie to me. Dogs were tied out on gang chains or tie outs everywhere that was not occupied by either a camp trailer or the communal fire pit. At night it was dutch ovens stacked 2 and sometimes 3 high with the most gourmet meals a man could ask for after a long day in the mountains. And after the meal was done, there was always enough dutch oven cobbler and fat to chew around the fire to keep us up long into the night. The guys made plans for the next days hunt claiming their starting positions in hopes of finding the first track of the day.

The Green Gate Rd., the Cowboy Rd., the Gill Rd. and other routes are still etched into my mind along with the memories and lessons learned along their path. While I did not have dogs of my own, I knew this is what I wanted to do. During my time in Northern California I experienced an excitement that made me feel like a six year old kid again. Never in my life had I been that close to a bear or a true working dog. I was the outsider lucky enough to be invited into the circle and will always be thankful for that.

Seasons do come to an end. Snow gets deep, time runs out or tags get filled. That first season in California was all it took for me to move out of my current place to somewhere I could get my own dogs. I could not wait to dive headfirst into hounding and I was willing to do whatever it took. The guys were gracious enough to leave my invite open so I returned the next season with my own pack of dogs and tag-alongs. Having my own dogs made things feel even more intense and I knew I had made the right choice. But every high has a low. I learned real quick that this was not going to be an easy endeavor. Just getting a dog to go with the others at that point was clearly not as easy as I thought it would be. I had as many questions as frustrations that year. The worse part was that these frustrations were real and in the moment while the answers to those questions would not be so swift. That year I learned not all questions receive an answer, but when “Big Tony” takes the time to answer one you better pay attention! I think that most of us understand what it’s like to be a kid brother. You either had one or you were one and let me tell you,

after that first year of running dogs it became apparent that I was the “kid brother”. I was naive but had a desire to learn, and with that came lots of questions. It was obvious that while I may be part of the group, I was in my own section designated for newbies.

The guys would throw me a bone every once in a while and were very gracious in sharing the experience with me. I followed them around the mountains every weekend from the beginning of bear season until the quota was filled or the snow got too deep to retrieve our trailers. But more than the experience I desired the knowledge. It was not about killing bears for me; it was the chase and everything involved that made me tick. But what were the answers to all these questions bouncing around in my head. I knew what the finished puzzle looked like, it was a bear in a tree, but I needed some help putting all the pieces together. Heck, I would have been happy with just a couple pieces coming together! I would drive for hours just letting my thoughts run wild, questioning everything. Do I have what it takes? Can these dogs even do it? Do these guys even like me, or are they just putting up with me so I can fetch dogs? And every time I was about to let my mind run away with me a break in radio silence would pull me back to reality. “How ‘bout it Duby?” It’s

a question I will have etched into my memory the rest of my life.

A question that I have been blessed to hear countless times over the years, each time having the same impact as the first. I learned that while Tony was a man of few words those words were worth their weight in gold. The fact that someone always made sure to make me feel part of things was priceless. Those first few years were really tough, but the man behind the question and his kindness are honestly what got me through.

He has never made me feel like I did not belong. He may not have answered all my questions but in his defense, there have been a lot over the years. Tony Wytcherley is a huge part of why I am still in dogs today. In fact, this magazine would not be what it is today, or even in existence for that matter if it were not for his patience and kindness towards my wife and I all those years ago. His friendship and encouragement have resulted in a lot of great memories, some long nasty hikes and even a way for my wife and I to provide for our growing family. And to think that just a simple question and his acts of kindness would lead all of us to here. So in answer to your question Tony, things are going just fine.

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

A MENTOR STORY

Jake and Me BY GREG PARSELL

s a kid, I’d went coon hunting some. It just wasn’t something I’d had interest in. But years later, I met a man named Jake. When Jake got hired at the mines, he started telling me stories about him, his dad, and his brothers coon hunting. He was a big man with a big personality from a big family. Days of moving rock went faster when he talked about his adventures.

It wasn’t long before he asked me to go. I was a hardcore deer hunter then, but I agreed. The time came and we turned out at his family farm. We followed the dogs up the mountain, they treed, and we knocked the coon out. The whole time - from the first time they opened to the locate to the tree - something changed. Between Jake’s excitement and the frenzy of the dogs, it was like a hole in my heart got filled that night I never knew was there. After that, I was addicted. Jake taught me about dogs and everything else I know about coon 44

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

hunting. He helped me start my own dog. Jake wasn’t colorblind he liked any dog that would tree a coon. We hunted hard in kill season. He always joked that he’d never treed the same coon twice.

I have countless stories of our adventures together. My favorite story is about one night when we turned out at his family farm. We let the dogs loose and they treed for a minute. But then the dogs came off, hit another track, went 200 yards over the ridge, and slam treed. I walked up and saw a big sow sitting there. I hollered at Jake saying, “They got one as big as a bear cub.”

He came up the mountain as fast as I’d ever seen him move, mad as a wet hen. He was spitting and cussing. It wasn’t until he stomped by muttering something about a dog stupid enough to leave a coon treed and tree a bear that the light bulb went off. He had only heard “bear cub.” I died laughing, shined my light on the coon, and laughed even harder when it enraged him more. Jake had a passion for coon hunting I’d never seen before. We

worked together, hunted together. We became brothers. Then, in the summer of 2020, life changed. Jake found out he had cancer. During his chemo, I’d call him and tell him what the dogs did that night and how many I treed. He would get so excited.

The night after he got home from finishing chemo, he wanted to make a drop. After begging his wife and having strict rules laid out, we went out the ridge by his house. The dog took off and then got stone silent. For the first time ever, I prayed God would let us see a coon. After a few minutes, the dog came behind us and threw a big bawl locate. The coon was eye level with us and we actually saw it when I knocked it out. I helped Jake back to his house. He was worn out, but his heart was happy. We only treed one more coon together after that night. He was really sick by then and stayed on the UTV. He passed away that summer. Jake was a master at finding coons. He was a master at living life. At laughing all the time. At being a brother and a friend. He taught me everything I know about coon hunting. And he taught me everything I know about being a best friend.

A MENTOR STORY

et’s go back a few years to 1982. I was being a little rotten (my wife says I still am, LOL). My Uncle Laverl told my parents to “Get that boy a hound!” That winter of ’82 I hunted with him and his hounds. We treed 7 lions, and I was hooked! In the spring of ’83 I got my first hound. ‘Rip’ a 3-month-old black and tan walker cross. With my uncle and his dogs, ‘Blue’ and ‘Pacer’s help we ran and treed 14 lions as he taught me and my pup the ins and outs of having hounds and ethics of the sport.

Thanks Uncle Laverl BY ERIC K. MECHAM

He was a great teacher and inspiration to me and my pup. It was so fun watching Rip learn and get better each time as he followed Blue and Pacer over many miles, and now 42 years later, I still have the love and passion for the chase. I have not yet harvested a lion but have lots of pictures and memories of my life with hounds. My uncle has stopped chasing hounds, but I wanted to let him know how much I appreciate him and what he means to me. He gave me the gift of a lifetime of love and joy for hounds.

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

A MENTOR STORY

WARNER GLEN ON HIS FAVORITE HORSE, VIVIAN.

My Friend, Warner Glen BY MIKE PARSONS

his is a story about a great houndsman that has influenced me the most. Hope you enjoy it- I'm not much of a writer but I would like to tell you about a houndsman named Warner Glen in Arizona that influenced me more than anyone. I’m 78 Years old and have had hounds for 65 of those years. I feel very privileged to go to Arizona every year and spend 10 days hunting with 88-yearold Warner. 46

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

He told me he started hunting when he was 8 years old and keeps a journal of every hunt he’s been on. Up until this year he has been on over 1100 lion hunts. His father Marvin Glen was also a famous houndsman starting back in the 40’s. He’s a master in the art of Dry-ground hunting, and the way he picks up lion tracks in the sand on a fastwalking mule is amazing. He said while on a regular predator control hunt the hounds were acting differently and left the area and out of hearing really quick. When he got to the dogs a couple miles later, he couldn’t believe he was looking at a big male jaguar

bayed up in a rock pile. On another hunt his hounds did the same thing again on a different jaguar. He’s the only one I’ve ever known to do this, so when he us telling you these stories you just don’t want him to stop.

One thing he loves doing is saddling up his mule and exercising his dogs two or three days a week. I’ve been hunting with him many times and hope I still can for a little while longer. How can some like Warner not influence anyone. He sure did me, and still does. I hope you enjoy this short story. I hope all you houndsmen out there love these Ole Dogs as much as I do. Take Care Everyone.

WARNER GLEN AND MIKE PARSONS ON ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL HUNT.

WARNER GLEN AND MIKE PARSONS RELAXING AFTER A HARD DAYS HUNT.

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

A MENTOR STORY

www.markzepp.com

WITH

MARK ZEPP @Zepps_predator_calls

Walking With Wick

f all of my travels over the years in the coonhound world I am most often asked about John Wick and my time at Wick Outdoor Works (W.O.W.). I really don’t think of John without thinking of Linda and their daughter Monica as they made a great team and like all things in life it gets easy to take your teammates for granted. I will forever be connected to the three of them through the ten years and lifetime of miles and memories we shared.

of the various coonhound, beagle and bird dog events across the country. As I learned how to talk and deal with folks, he let me attend events by myself or a few of the other great guys form the WOW crew.

Other than my father, the greatest man I know, nobody had more of an influence on my life than John. We spent MANY hours together discussing everything two people could ever discuss in life, especially in my first year or two at Wick’s when he accompanied me to all

As I think back, we were polar opposites in many ways, but our feelings on the sport of coon hunting and many of the great people involved in our sport were 100% aligned. Both of us felt like, and feel like today, that the few dead beats and troublemakers should be punished or

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

We seldom hunted together as we spent a lot of work together, and hunting with John was another full-time job. It was an all-night, every night ordeal and he could function off of a few hours of sleep and I couldn’t live that way. We worked together while hunting and taking several world class photos of several of his dogs.

disciplined by the registries much harder than many of them are. Many outstanding people steered a course for me in the coon hunting game but no one impacted my career in the sport the way that John and Linda Wick did when they gave me an opportunity to work for them all of those years ago.

I tell folks all the time, “Even the Beatles broke up man.” Leaving W.O.W. was difficult as I had invested so much of my life and energy into the place but in the end, it was the right move. I have had a great life and much of it is due to this sport, the great folks I met along the way, and certainly John and Linda Wick and for that I say, “THANK YOU!”

John’s health is not the best these days. Please don’t try to call him or drop in to see him but if you’d like to send him a letter or card you can send it to his attention at 111 N. Spinsby Drive, Montgomery City, MO 63361.

JOHN WICK ON THE LEFT WITH KEITH SHULTUS NEXT TO JOHN AND RODNEY FANN NEXT TO ME AT THE 2015 SOUTH EASTERN TREEING WALKER DAYS IN SALISBURY, NC. THAT’S MY BUDDY LARRY WILCOX IN THE POSTER IN THE BACKGROUND.

I SHOT THIS PHOTO OF MY WIFE AND SON WYATT MANY YEARS AGO FOR GARMIN. I THINK JOHN’S CONSTANT OBSESSION TO THE ATTENTION OF DETAILS MADE ME A BETTER PHOTOGRAPHER AND PROBABLY MORE DIFFICULT TO BE AROUND AT TIMES. THE FACT THAT I STAYED AT WOW AS LONG AS I DID AND THEN LEFT AND MOVED ON IS THE REASON I HAVE AMBER AND WYATT IN MY LIFE. THAT IS A BIG, BIG DEAL. I CAN’T THANK THE WICK’S AND ALL OF YOU FOR MAKING MY LIFE SO SPECIAL!

JOHN’S WALK WITH WICK BOOKS ARE NOW OUT OF PRINT BUT HELPED EDUCATE THOUSANDS UPON THOUSANDS OF COON HUNTERS TRAIN THEIR DOGS

GREAT MOMENT FOR JOHN, BEING INDUCTED INTO THE PKC HALL OF FAME. I WAS GLAD I WAS THERE TO SEE THE INDUCTION AND SNAP A FEW PHOTOS. THIS WAS BETTER THAN A DOZEN YEARS OR SO AFTER I HAD LEFT WOW AND I WAS AT THE EVENT REPRESENTING GARMIN.

I WAS ALWAYS CRAZY ABOUT PREDATOR CALLING FROM THE TIME I WAS A KID. WHEN I LEFT W.O.W. I TOOK ALMOST TWO YEARS OFF FROM THE REAL WORLD. I SPENT SIX MONTHS IN HAWAII AND THE REST OF THE TIME LIVING OUT OF MY VAN OUT WEST CALLING COYOTES AND HANGING OUT WITH WOLFERS, OR BIG TIME COYOTE MEN. IN MY VAN, ALONE FROM EVERYONE AND WITH NOT MANY CARES IN THE WORLD, I CAME UP WITH THE IDEA OF ZEPP’S COON SQUALLERS AND ZEPP’S PREDATOR CALLS AND A LINE OF PREDATOR CALLING DVD’S. Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

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Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

@thehuntinghound

Spring and the Next Generation Passing on the Hound Hunting Tradition

t's happened again. March has arrived and winter has begun to lose its icy grip on the landscape. The snow has slid off the roof, threatening to bury the cats (again) who like to sun themselves against the foundation. The hounds outdoor exercise pen is a minefield of turds, deposited during the last snow storm and forgotten only to rise again like the proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes.

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

BY BARRY 'BEAR' SIRAGUSA

The spring birds are returning, giving the cats something to do to burn off the winter fat they have accumulated from licking the dog food buckets clean. Our driveway, a 860 yard steep affront to god and all that is decent, has transformed into its worst form. Think “final boss” in a video game. Endless depths of slush and mud. A quagmirishly hellish overlap of this world and the next. My Toyota Hilux (European Tacoma) struggles to make it up to the house, and my Subaru breaks down (literally) and cries (figuratively. The sobbing is coming from the driver) at the mere sight on the mailbox. Our hunting seasons are also coming to an end. The hare season with the beagles ended the 29th of February. The fox season will end in another month, but the pregnant vixens are already becoming heavy with next seasons quarry, so the races become shorter and less exciting. The bear season is long since over. The lynx season is over most places and the few hunters and hounds who are hunting areas that still have cats on their quota will be combating the poor scenting conditions in the crusty snow and slush as they try to remove the final animals.

Still, it's not all bad. The long winter nights become shorter as the sun slowly reclaims the northern hemisphere. I grew up in Maine, but it wasn't until I moved to Norway and began cozying up to the arctic circle that I understood why ancient cultures worshipped the sun. The warmth on my glorious mustache and the sting in my eyes from the spring sun feels God-sent. The garden beckons from under the snow with promises of potatoes, cabbages, turnips and tomatoes that grow so well in the

"The process of getting the boys bought in to the hounds and the lifestyle has been a road that is both winding and rocky. I have needed to temper my own desire to get game in the air with the desire to make it fun and accessible for my sons"

land of the midnight sun (bite me Alaska). Our hounds bask in the sun soaking up its precious rays. (Scientists looking to invent liquid solar panels need look no further than a hound.)

Our fox, bear, lynx, martin and all other non-treeing game (trash) has begun to replenish their numbers as the females give birth to next autumns quarry, while the males live the life of absentee fathers. Without the replenished numbers, we would quickly find ourselves without game to run with our hounds, and our beloved lifestyle would grind to a halt. Artificial drags, and mechanical bears are a poor substitute for the real thing. The same can be said for our own young. Without the next generation taking an interest in our lifestyle and carrying the torch we may find hound hunting sharing the same fate as chariot racing and mammoth hunting... Something cool and quirky that our ancestors did.

I have two sons. Eivind is eleven years old, and Odin is nine years old. After colliding with a puppy and getting a spiral fracture of his tibia and fibula, Odin is slightly more reserved than his older brother. Energetic puppies and baying hounds are not his cup of tea at the moment. His love of hounds is manifested in an affection for a elderly foxhound named Virpi who lays down and scoots carefully towards him to receive love and affection. He loves her, and she may be able to do what I can't do alone, and rekindle his love of hounds. Time will tell.

Eivind, on the other hand, is hound crazy. He saved his money from his seventh birthday until his eleventh birthday to buy himself a plott hound. He unfortunately bought a hound that had a single brain cell that was mostly occupied with keeping him breathing. This hound (who shall remain nameless) had the impulse control of a meth addict, and the hunt and drive of a chihuahua (plus, he was a rock eater). The lights were on, but nobody was at home. The whole endeavor ended in costly tragedy but, I suspect, Eivind has both gained enough experience, gained some grit, and may just be a natural houndsman, as the setback has done little to dampen his spirits and he is already looking for a new hound (albeit something with more sense than God promised a turkey). The process of getting the boys bought in to the hounds and the lifestyle has been a road that is both winding and rocky. I have needed to temper my own desire to get game in the air with the desire to make it fun and Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

accessible for my sons. When I first started running hounds and was alone with the hounds, a three-mile slog to a tree in the snow was par for the course. When my sons were with me, that three-mile slog may have been the last nail in the coffin of their enthusiasm for this whole business. I needed to set them up for success without sacrificing results for my inexperienced hounds and my inexperienced self. I would frequently drop hounds close to where I suspected the game would tree or den. We needed to bank on layups in those days when the kids were with me. The training on cold trailing, free-casting and the resulting long walks could wait for the days when I was alone to feel the burn. In this case, misery didn't love company.

I also found that, just as I bring different individual hounds into my pack to make the pack more complete, I also need to choose the right hounds when I brought my kids. Dan, the potlicking, gritty, cold-nosed phenom who would trail for days in sub-zero temperatures, was not the right hound when my kids were there. Buzz, the hot-nosed, speeddemon, who started thinking dinner and woodstove after 5-6 hours of trailing was my goto hound when the kids were around. With some deliberate planning from my side, he could get it done quickly, make some noise, and keep the kids engaged. I also made sure that I made ample time for hot chocolate and good food. A hungry kid is a miserable kid. Keeping them well fueled and warm was key to keeping them content and bought in. Another aspect of guiding our children towards an adulthood that at least appreciates hounds is being willing to have a 54

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

discussion with them about the ethics of what we do. There is a lot of faulty information out there about what we houndsmen do. Just go on YouTube and search for hounds and you will quickly find videos by people with enormous subscriber numbers who are aggressively against what we do (but are willing to yell at old men and couldn't train a livestock guardian dog to guard a hamburger... but, I digress). We need to be willing to have the difficult conversations with our young people. When asked “why do you do this?” our answers need to be better than “because we always have.” or “because we have the right to.” Both of those things are true, but it doesn't answer the question that I believe our youngsters are really asking; which is, “Why should WE do this.” There are a lot of answers to that question. I have told my sons that I hunt with hounds to control an otherwise exploding population of foxes. I discuss the risk of rabies. I

discuss the epidemic of mange that hit Norway in the 80's and the horrible death that 90% of Norwegian foxes died as a result of overpopulation. I show them foxes that I have killed that have been afflicted by mange. I explain that I do what I do to help manage a resource. The joy and excitement that I get from the management method is an added benefit. The cherry on top of the cake. We live in a world where we need to be aware of the next generation. Not just the next generation of the game we run but the next generation of the hunters who will carry on our legacy. I would like to bring me grandkids hunting. It would make me sad if my grandkids talked about my lifestyle with bewildered amusement. “(giggling) Granddad used to hunt mammoths!” I hope that they will understand and participate in my passion and lifestyle and that my personality and ugly face will ample enough cause for hilarity...

GONE to the DOGS Steve Fielder traveled the United States and Canada pursuing a thirty-three year career involving coonhounds and hound hunting. He worked for all three major coonhound registries; UKC, PKC and AKC. His work on behalf of hound hunters has been recognized on many fronts; Kentucky Colonel, Honorary Texan and Michigan Bear Hunter’s Association Sparky Hale Award winner are some of Steve’s numerous awards. Steve’s professional and private life have been deeply devoted to tree dogs. Ater retirement, he wrote the highly acclaimed GONE TO THE DOGS – A COON HUNTER’S JOURNEY from which the popular GONE TO THE DOGS PODCAST was derived.

THE BOOK THE PODCAST 200 pages, 22 chapters that capture Steve’s interesting and entertaining experiences with hounds and hunters Books are available for $25.00 (Free Shipping) at: STEVEFIELDERBOOKS.COM

A weekly program covering all aspects of the tree dog sports with interesting and informative guests discussing a wide range of hound-related topics each week.

You may also order with check or money order in the amount of $25.00 (includes shipping) at: Steve Fielder Books 11235 Rollingwood Drive, Port Richey, FL 34668.

The podcast airs weekly on the Hound Podcast: Double U Hunting Supply network or anywhere you get your podcasts online. Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

Remembering Avery Celebrating the Legacy of a Young Outdoorsman

have started this time and time again, but it just hasn’t gotten any easier. My mind stays in a million places lately but I want to thank Full Cry for offering to do this.

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

BY JEREMY DAVIS & CORA PARKER

I really don't know an exact date, but we are generational houndsmen and hunters. Avery was in the woods with us before he could keep up so I toted him on my shoulders a good bit. I remember a youth hunt out of Whitmire where I felt like his personal pack mule because he rode on my shoulders up and down those hills and they were slick because it was raining that night. Avery was solid muscle so he was heavy and it didn't take me long to start making him walk. I found the key to helping him keep up was a cupcake, chocolate, or sugar washed down with a Pepsi or Mt dew. That usually kept him jacked up long enough to make it through a hunt. Then in his last few months it wasn't unusual for him to be leading the way and be the first one to the tree. A few times I even had to tell him to “wait a minute son!”

You know I was raised running deer dogs with my dad and it was actually my uncle that took me on my first coon hunt. Most of our dogs were deer dogs until my early teenage years when I was able to have a coon dog. So my portion of the kennel was my pack of deer dogs and one coon dog. I got rid of my deer dogs prior to leaving for the military but still kept a coon dog most of my adult life. Then when life got busy with small children, I took a few years off from owning hounds but would still occasionally go with friends. As the kids began to grow I knew there was no better way to be raised than in the woods with dogs like I was. I wasn't going to deprive them of the fun I remember growing up so we got another coon dog. We coon hunted more than deer hunted because of our schedule. We had been making plans to get another pack of deer dogs because the kids were loving that as well. Avery was a true houndsman and outdoorsman. The kids and I had discussed getting more deer dogs

of our own because Avery was finally big enough to drive dogs and he loved it! We'd deer hunted Thanksgiving day with friends and I remember our ride home that night. I could tell Avery was nervous about saying it because we had spent more time coonhunting than deer hunting in his life but he said, "hey Dad, I think I like deer hunting more than coon hunting, is that ok?" I smiled because that was the definite answer to having a full kennel again and I was happy to hear him ask that! It just meant hunting we could enjoy together and I wanted him to have the same memories that I have from my childhood.

He explained to me that he still loved coonhunting but was basically asking me if it was OK to love both? Of course I was a proud smiling daddy that told him yes that was perfectly OK to do both and he didn't have to choose between the two. I guess in his 6-year-old mind he thought you had to pick one. Avery pretty much had been in the woods since 2 or 3 years old and there were plenty of nights me and him would go by ourselves. There weren’t many days that went by where he didn't ask specifically to go hunting or fishing. Even the last few months of his life he would be out in the yard with his BB gun hunting birds. I mean Avery was an outdoorsman and wanted to hunt it or catch it. He really had the fever and as a dad I couldn't have been more proud! Avery really loved all our dogs but there was one that was very special to him! It was a friend of ours' dog that we kept in our pen and Avery hunted. The dog was out of Big Money called “Money's Insufficient Funds” and belonged to one his best friends' dad. This is the dog that Avery handled in hunts and he would always introduce himself to everyone by saying my name's Avery Davis and this is Funds, he's my best friend's dog!

Another one of his favorite dogs were the two English puppies he is seen holding in his picture. The blue one was his and named “Carolina Pimp Juice”. Anna wanted the red one named “Carolina Spooky Red Devil”. These puppies were out of Anna's English female Lucy and 2023 Grand American Champion “BIG LEE”. This was an anxiously awaited cross and I have high expectations of these pups. They were born here and Pimp was going to be the hound that Avery grew up with as his own. Avery was a houndsman that was well beyond his years and I was excited to see what the future held for those two. As far as hunting stories go, I could talk for days making you laugh from his silliness combined with confidence. He was chased by a donkey across a pasture at the UKC youth nationals last year after telling the judge he was tired and ready to go. There was another time him and his friend River got wet crossing a creek so they decided to strip down and swim then proceeded to the tree barefooted in their underwear lol. Of course I didn't let them go all the way to the tree like that, so they swam and got muddy while waiting on Chris and Anna to get back from the tree.

I had a fun time watching those two boys just be boys. I remember we were deer hunting one day and I had River and Avery with me. The dogs were running a herd of deer up and down the swamp so I pulled up to a gate to listen and try to catch the dogs. Well Avery and River couldn't read at the time but they both loudly informed me we couldn't go past that gate because it said "no truck passing”. I got a good laugh over that because they couldn't read but recognized a no trespassing sign and knew what it meant. Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

There was also a time when the judge asked Avery if he was going to strike his dog and Avery held up his finger in a "one second" signal and told the judge he was going to take a drink a water then strike his dog which is exactly what he did lol. The same judge asked him later that night if he was going to tree his dog and Avery told him he was going let him bark a few more times and then tree him. He did just that. Funds barked a few more times and Avery said ok now tree him lol. Avery's personality was one of a kind and he was always cutting up in a comical way with a smile on his face! He talked a little funny so that just added to it. You couldn't help but love him and he was definitely going to make you laugh.

Avery never met a stranger and made friends all over the country. He was just that special boy that everyone loved and he made such an impression that folks always remembered him by name. You know how you can see someone and they look familiar, well Avery didn't have that problem because he made such an impression on everyone that they remembered him by name. Even at school and playing sports he had friends of all ages and everyone loved him. He was the 6-year-old version of the cool kid or popular kid and he was everyone's best friend. His closest friends that he spent the most time with were River, Till, Wyatt, and William. As far as who got him into hunting, that would probably be me. I grew up hunting and fishing with my dad and family. As a single dad raising my two youngest kids alone, we pretty much did what we wanted whenever we wanted and that included lots of hunting and fishing. My love for the outdoors was definitely passed along to my children and I do believe Avery had the fever worse than I did as a boy. 58

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

Some folks may not agree with life outdoors and full of adventure like we lived, but it's what I know and love and knew how to do so that's how I raised them. I feel like it's a blessing that my kids love the outdoors like I do and I'm thankful for the memories we make while enjoying it together. I mean we live in prime hunting land that is home to big deer and thick with coons. We're even really close to Santee that has great swimming and fishing. We even lived at the lake for a year. We are in the middle of what most hunters and fishermen see as paradise, but we just call it home! Avery was great at everything he did. Oddly enough for a boy that loved the outdoors, he loved school as well and also did very well with that. He played catcher on his coach’s pitch team at only 5 years old. He also played flag football for Calhoun Academy and he did very well in that too. I was always so proud of him because he was always one of the best even if he was among older kids. I was so eager to see what his future held because I knew he was going to continue being great at everything.

Avery was that son that every father hopes his son will be from the moment they find out they're having a boy. He truly was one of a kind and I was always so proud that he was mine. Avery was an avid fisherman as well and loved to fish anytime he could. We have a pond close by so he spent a lot of time there. Of course we would also take the boat out to fish and play when we had time. I farm and do skid steer work and Avery loved being in the tractor with me and always wanted to go with me. He was like my shadow, always wanting to be with me wherever I went. He always wanted to help and was always asking if he could do it. He was such a big help and did a lot of stuff on his own that kids much older don't even do. He was always eager to take care of kennels and spend time with his dogs every

day after school. I always got a kick out of Anna and Avery because they would often argue over who was going to take over Carolina Coon Hunters Supply and who was going to farm and get the Bobcat lol. Typical Sibling love and rivalry. They could fight like cats and dogs but those two had a bond like nothing else. No matter how much they wrestled or aggravated each other during the day, come time to lay down they would be all snuggled up or all of us would be snuggled up.

When we were traveling or out at a restaurant we would always tell everyone we were Davis, party of 3 because we did make it a point to live life to the fullest and enjoy every minute of it. I will always miss having Avery at these hunting events because he was always wanting to know what could he help with or what could he do next. He would help by laying stuff out on the table and he would walk around with our CCH Ricky making sure no kids pulled on his tail lol. I jokingly told Avery he wasn't allowed to sell anything anymore after he told a man a price of "thutty dollas" for a $900 dog box lol. Everyone wanted Avery prices after that! Our lives have been changed forever and there is not a minute that goes by we don't miss him. I'm sad by the memories we can't make now and I'm sad there are things as a father that Avery and I won't get to do together. However, I am forever thankful for the life that we lived and I'm blessed to have the memories I have with him. There were people in their 80s at his funeral that said Avery lived more in 6 years than they had in 80. He was a legend in the woods and at home. He had a heart of gold that everyone could see. He made a huge impact in more lives than I count. His life may have been taken too soon but I know he is doing big things in Heaven just like he did during his time with us. Until we meet again, we will celebrate you here and continue on your legacy, Avery.

EDITORS NOTE: Avery Davis passed away on 11/25/23 in a hunting accident. We have no doubt, if given a few more years on earth, you would have seen Avery in the pages of Full Cry one way or another. We wanted to allow the family the space to tell his legacy. Watching, as an outsider, the coonhound community rally around this family has been amazing. Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

Longtails and Yellowjackets Battling Nature's Fiercest Guardians

think it was 1975 when I wrote my first hunting story in good old Full Cry. I was 20 years old at the time, so it was a while ago. It seemed like everyone was family and everyone was welcome to contribute. I’m glad to see the magazine back on its feet again, hopefully for years to come or at least as long as our hounds are free to trail big game or a varmint across the countryside.

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

BY ROBIN J POWELL

This hunt took place on the first of October 2023, just before Deer season opened. Pursuit season was already going, and I had treed a few Bobcats but was wanting to tree a fox. My grandson and I were up early to head for a spot we had treed fox before. I collar the dogs up before I leave home so all I have to do is turn them out when I get to my hunting spot. We got there about daylight, and I told Liam to turn them out.

Romeo, Reba, and Rock fired through the good fox crossings without getting a strike. We got into some heavy timber that wasn’t particularly good fox country when they found an old track to work. They worked it around the road and up on the mountainside a couple of times but then trailed back into the road. One of the dogs found where the track had left the road and dropped into the canyon. We went from cold trailing to a jumped track in a flash. The race was on!

It was fast, furious, and short, but of course they made it to the bottom of the canyon. They started treeing and it was a roar but then we realized they were baying. I thought it might be a fox as they often tree low enough that the dogs can see them, in any case you could tell they were looking at him. Liam and I got our gear together and headed for the dogs. It was open timber, so the walking was easy but a little steep. The canyon was ringing from the baying of the hounds and our hearts were beating faster the closer we got. I thought I detected a note of fear in their voices. What in the world did they have? As we got closer to them, I was straining my eyes as I peered through the timber to get a glimpse of their quarry. I saw the dogs first, running up and down a log, and then I saw him. A Cougar, sitting on the end of the log, taking on all comers.

To anyone else who might have heard the dogs baying it might have sounded like the end of the world with the 3 booming voices of our hounds sounding like the last Trump of the Angels. Liam hadn’t seen it yet and I told him to come around to the end of the log. He did just in time to see the Lion jump, down the canyon they went. A few hundred yards and they were bayed again, not treed bayed! This time it was in a creek under another log.

The dogs were on top, but I was afraid they would fall in and get ate up. I got on the log with them, and the Cougar saw me and crawled further under the log. I quickly leashed up Romeo and Reba and was feeling pretty good until I heard Rock bellering down the creek. I yelled at Liam “Turn ‘em loose”! Down the creek, deeper into the canyon, they went. Another 300 yards or so and they were bayed up again. Why wouldn’t this thing tree? We climbed up to a ridge above the creek and followed the sound. I noticed where something had dug in the forest floor but thinking it was a squirrel or bird, I walked over it. Big mistake! I had just walked over Satan’s lair, and he was home! The yellow devils spewed from their den and once again I was yelling at Liam “Run Liam Run”! An old fat man and his 9-yearold grandson began running for their lives. LOL! I hadn’t gotten too far when I heard Liam screaming “Help me Papa, Help me”! I looked back and apparently Liam had veered off to my right and jumped over a fallen tree. He had snagged his shirt and couldn’t break free. I took my hat off and headed back into the swarm. The Demons were peppering him pretty good, but I was knocking as many out of the air as I could. I got to him, ripped

his shirt off the tree, pulled him back over and we started our run again. It was hand to hand combat as we fought our way down the ridge. Swing, yell, smash and curse. Our Coats were protecting our bodies, but they were stinging our faces and hands. Some had gotten under my coat and were going around the top of my belt stinging as they went. Finally, their attack began to taper off and we felt safe enough to stop and inspect ourselves for damage.

I was looking Liam over and turned him around only to see his back was literally covered with bees. They couldn’t get him through his clothes, but they were sure trying. I got great satisfaction in smashing them. After catching our breath and calming down a little we remembered why we were there in the first place. We were just above the dogs in the creek, and they were still preaching Fire and Brimstone to the Lion that wouldn’t tree. We slipped in on them, and the Lion was standing under a log in the creek but well exposed. The cat was facing Rock with Romeo and Reba baying from the rear. I got a leash on both without the Cougar even turning around and for whatever reason Rock came around to me and we had them.

The cat looked at us for a second and then turned and sort of walk/ trotted on down the creek. We kept a firm grip on the roaring hounds. I think all parties had had enough for one day. We rested for a while and then started the long hike back up the canyon to the truck. Liam assured me he was never going hunting with me again, but hey! That was several hunts ago now. LOL! Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

@treetalkinmedia

Joy Super Hunt Inside an Annual Tradition

he brainchild of Josh Michaelis, the Super Hunt is a hunt to find the one true champion each year. With multiple registries and multiple World Hunts it’s hard to say who is truly the best. So, Josh came up with a format to hunt the UKC World Hunt winner, the PKC World Hunt Winner, and the Pro Sport Dog of the Year against each other. The three hounds that achieved the highest point in each of the three main registries. Since three different registries are being represented the rules from each of those registries are as well.

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

BY BEN SHEETS

The first 40 minutes Pro Sport rules are used, then for the next 40 minutes UKC rules and then the last 40 are the PKC rules. Each rule set has some minor differences but are fairly similar. The problem with such a hunt was being outside of the 3 registries Josh needed someone to pay to host it as well as for the winner. Josh wanted the red carpet rolled out for these fine hunters and their top-notch coonhounds. When Josh started working for Joy dog food, he discussed the idea with Wade Graskewicz the owner and Wade loved the idea and the Joy Super Hunt was born.

Held in East Texas in February on a private ranch the red carpet is certainly rolled out for these hunters. They don’t pay anything to stay at the lodge, for food or even have an entry fee. The first Super Hunt was held last year in 2023 and Tyler Compton and his Treeing Walker female Get Gone Jenna won. The contestants this

"The hounds were unloaded and lined up not far into the woods and at the command of Jed to “cut ‘em” they left like they were shot out of a cannon"

year were Joey Craver with PKC World Hunt winner PCH WCH Wipeout Tank II, Cody Carter with UKC World Hunt winner GRNITECH(3) 'PR' Snookis Cookie, and John Strickland with Pro Sport Dog of the Year Lone Pine Lady. These hounds and their handlers are no strangers to the competition world and all have done their share of winning. Even with that being the case these handlers worked

hard to keep these hounds in shape to look their very best for this hunt. John said, “I usually only hunt from 7 till about 9 this time of year, but for the last 2 months I have been hunting from 7 till 2 or 2:30.” Upon arrival on Thursday February 22nd Joey and Cody both hunted their dogs. Cody also took Cookie out for a short hunt on Friday night as well. John opted not to hunt Lady after he arrived to keep Lady well rested and ready to go for Saturday night.

After a relaxing day all three handlers were ready for dark! They left the lodge at 7:15 right after the sun went down. Following the judge and guide Jed Finley on his side by side down a couple of gravel roads they were soon at their destination. The hounds were unloaded and lined up not far into the woods and at the command of Jed to “cut ‘em” they left like they were

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

shot out of a cannon. Tank and Cookie both opened quickly, and both were declared struck, Lady opened a few minutes later and was as well. These dogs were covering ground quickly so the cast tried to close the distance to keep within hearing of them. All of a sudden Jed stopped the cast and Cody declared Cookie treed and off they went. After searching the tree for a few minutes all they found was a hole and the tree was circled. John called Lady treed as the cast started to leave Cookie’s tree.

When they arrived at Lady’s tree as soon as the shine time started Wade walked up to a hole about 6 foot off the ground and found the coon tucked up in his den. That put Lady in the lead with 175+. The cast started walking in the direction of the other 2 hounds and right as John recut Lady Cody called Cookie treed again. At this point Tank was out of hearing but they were headed his way as they went to Cookie’s tree. Not

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

To watch the hunt, scan the QR code, or visit the Cane Stream Media YouTube page at www.youtube.com/ @CaneStreamMedia

long after the shine time started John declared Lady treed. The Pro Sport rules had ended and the cast was now allowed to split up. John along with a camera man and a spectator headed to Lady’s tree while the rest of the cast was still scoring Cookie’s. Unfortunately for Cody and Cookie it was another den

and it was circled just like the first tree.

As the cast was getting ready to head to Lady’s second tree Joey called Tank treed. Just like John before Joey went to handle his dog with a camera man and a spectator. Lady’s second coon was quickly seen and scored after the judge and cast arrived at her second tree and she was soon on her way looking for another. The cast couldn’t hear Tank so Jed called to see where they were. At this point the cast learned that Tank had moved and was trailing again. Within minutes Lady was declared treed a third time and just like her first two trees the coon was quickly seen and scored. There was approximately 35 minutes left and Lady was sitting with a score of 475+. As the cast walked off of that tree Joey and Cody both decided to withdraw. Both handlers knew the odds of making a comeback were very slim. John and Lady are the 2024 Joy Super Hunt Winners.

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

@treedogdoc

Leptospirosis Understanding the Silent Threat

5-month-old male Treeing Walker Coonhound presented to his veterinarian after a weekend of vomiting and lethargy. He wouldn’t eat or drink on his own. His littermate, kept in the same pen, died the day he started getting sick. He was extremely dehydrated, thin, and his gums were yellow. His blood work showed he was in acute kidney failure with liver damage on top of it.

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

BY TAYLOR YOUNG, DVM

He was negative for parvovirus on an in-house test. After going over the prognosis (very poor), his veterinarian recommended euthanasia. He presented to me for a necropsy (animal autopsy), where we found through laboratory testing that he had been infected with a deadly disease known as Leptospirosis (aka Lepto). Leptospirosis is a disease caused by the bacteria Leptospira. With a widespread distribution and ability to infect most mammals, Leptospirosis is a concern for most hunting dogs in the United States (and in many other places around the world). It can cause mild, nonobvious disease in some; in many, it can cause full-blown renal failure, liver failure, anemia, and death.

The problem with controlling Lepto is that the different types, known as serovars, each have what is known as a “maintenance host.” In the maintenance host, the Lepto bacteria can live in the kidneys for months to years, being intermittently shed in the urine. When the bacteria is shed into a shared area, food, or most commonly, a water source, the next animal to come along gets infected by taking in the bacteria through the mouth, starting the cycle again. Most domestic and wild animals have a host-adapted serovar they can maintain. Dogs, cattle, horses, rats, raccoons, groundhogs, and plenty more are all potential carriers. The bacteria can live for a short time in the environment, but is killed by weather extremes and drying out. An additional danger is that an animal can be infected not only with its own adapted serovar, but can also become an “incidental host” for a serovar from another animal. For example, rats are famous carriers of Lepto, even though they may not be clinically ill. If they crawl into the dog pen to eat or drink from food or water left out, they can

LEPTOSPIRA BACTERIA UNDER A MICROSCOPE.

shed the Lepto bacteria while they do so. When the dog comes behind them, they then become infected themselves. Being infected with an incidental serovar can still cause deadly disease; however, the good news is that, if they survive, the bacteria only survives in the animal for days to weeks.

Diagnosis of Lepto is sometimes difficult. Lepto can look like a lot of different diseases. If the animal is simply vomiting and lethargic, there is a very long list of potential causes. More specific signs would be kidney failure in a young animal, yellow gums or skin (known as jaundice or icterus) due to liver damage, or a combination of these. The difficulty is that Lepto testing is limited in a normal veterinary clinic, and most general practices may not stock a test for it due to low prevalence. This requires samples being sent out to a reference laboratory, delaying diagnosis. Even after being sent out, Lepto can be difficult to pin down. The bacteria may only be detectable for as little as a week, and can be found in different parts of the body depending on the phase of infection. It may require multiple different sample types being run to find it, such as urine or blood. If your veterinarian is suspicious of Lepto, they may go ahead and start treatment while waiting on lab results. Treatment relies on specific antibiotics that are capable of killing Lepto. It’s important to understand that at-home treatment is not recommended,

as type, dose, and duration of antibiotics are very important to a successful outcome, as well as to try and prevent your dog from becoming a maintenance carrier. In addition, supportive care in the form of fluid therapy, nutritional support, addressing nausea, or more, depending on the case. Depending on the severity of the infection, it is possible that even the best treatment is unsuccessful, as the organ damage may be too great to overcome. Fortunately, in dogs there is a specific and very effective prevention: vaccination.

Vaccination for Lepto is included in a “9-way” shot, or may be given as a separate vaccine. Unlike some vaccines, the effect is not long lived, and requires a two-dose series for initial vaccination, followed by an annual booster. Some of you in some parts of the West or Midwest may not have a high prevalence of Leptospirosis in your area. Talk with your veterinarian to determine whether Lepto needs to be on your list of concerns and if vaccination is recommended for your area. If you travel at all, or interact with strange dogs such as during competition hunts, consider vaccinating even if it is not a concern where you live. Hopefully, with vaccination and increased awareness, you can prevent your dog from getting ill to the point of death.

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

@authorbobplott

Strike & Stay Independent Plott Dog Views & News From Across the Country and Around The World

t’s been a cold, wet winter here in the Tar Heel state, not much snow, just a lot of rain and chilly temps. I am looking forward to spring—especially PlottFest, being held April 27 in Maggie Valley, N.C. This month I want to honor a true Plott breed legend. The late, great, Berry Tarlton. This will be the first segment of a two-part series featuring this iconic lawman, while briefly documenting his amazing life, which is truly worthy of a book or movie. Before getting into his story, let me preface it by explaining why Berry is pictured with me on my Facebook profile picture.

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

BY BOB PLOTT

Why did I first used this photo, taken at the Tennessee Bearhunter’s Convention more than a decade ago, and continue to use it to this day? The answer is simple, few people have impressed me more. Sadly, not many folks know Berry’s remarkable story—which needs to be told. Like most folks in the Plott dog world, I was very familiar with Berry Tarlton and his incredible life and legacy. But it was not until about 2010 that we met personally. Mr. Berry’s grandson Tracey Jones, another fine Plott man and bear hunter, agreed to meet me and have Mr. Berry spend the day with me. We had never met and you never know how these things will go but I am happy to report that it turned out to be a glorious day with the Tarlton-Jones clan. A day I will never forget. It would lead to several more great visits and wonderful phone calls, until Mr. Berry sadly passed away after a valiant battle with cancer. Tracey had warned me that Mr. Berry was critically ill, but he certainly didn’t look like it the day we met. He shook my hand with power, and clearly remained a force to be reckoned with, even at an advanced age and terminally ill. We hit it off immediately and he reminded me a lot of my dear friend and mentor Bud Lyon. Both Berry and Bud were retired legendary lawmen and Plott breed icons. Both had a firm jaw line, and while neither were big men, they both exuded physical powers with a twinkle in their eyes that indicated a dry wit and keen sense of humor. Moreover, both men had an impressive aura about them when sharing tales of their storied past. They could be laughing one minute then their face and eyes would suddenly harden as they wove a story of nearly being killed by an adversary or having to kill a criminal enemy in the Dixie Mafia.

Mr. Berry had literally survived at least two machine gun assaults by outlaw bootleggers who knew the only way to stop him was to kill him. Both Bud and Berry were oldschool lawmen and bear hunters of the highest caliber and would have fit right in fighting outlaws of yesteryear in a western movie. Clay Newcomb showcased some of my info on Mr. Berry and featured it in his Bear Grease Podcast (Episode 166: Pure Americana). As good as it was he didn’t scratch the surface of this man’s incredible accomplishments.

Berry Tarlton was born February 19, 1928 in a dark hollow on the edge of the Great Smoky Mountains in Greene County, Tennessee. Outsiders know the region as Houston Valley, but Tarlton recalled that locals called the hollow “Penitentiary Hollow.” He explained with a grin, “It was a rough place, and you lived there your whole life without ever getting out, sort of like a life sentence in prison.”

It is a region steeped in hunting and frontier history. The birthplace of the legendary Davy Crockett is nearby and the Tarlton clan, like the Crockett’s, were some of the earliest white settlers in the region. Arriving there in the late 1700’s and carving out a nice family farm there on the eastern frontier. Tarlton recalled that his was a blessed childhood, a life filled with beloved parents and siblings, but remembered it as a hard life too, growing up in a remote area at the heights of the Great Depression. Like most folks of that generation, his family grew, raised, hunted and canned almost all their food. It wasn’t easy but they never went hungry and there were plenty of good times too, with church socials, barn dances and other such fun communal events.

Berry wasn’t old enough to fight in World War II, but he was plenty old enough to be responsible for working the farm with his parents in the absence of his brothers who were combat veterans of the conflict. He also later worked at a local milk plant. Although small game was plentiful, Berry said there were no bears in the region when he was boy, as local hunters had long ago killed most of them out. However, after hearing repeated exciting bear hunting tales, Tarlton was determined to learn as much as could about the sport. When he was 18, in 1946, Berry found a renowned bear hunter living near Gatlinburg, Tennessee and immediately sought his advice on the sport. Berry remembered it like this, “All I knew was that he lived near the ski lodge over near Gatlinburg and what he didn’t know about bear hunting was not worth knowing. He was the expert to end all experts, so I knew that was who I needed to learn from. I packed me a couple cans of sardines to eat and headed over that way to meet him. Well, we hit it off pretty good and he agreed to take me out bear hunting. He hunted like a lot of old timers did back then, putting a hunter in a stand, and then trying to drive a bear toward the stand with dogs in order to kill it.”

Tarlton laughed before continuing, “I didn’t know squat about the sport or even what kind of dogs he had, but some of them were brindle-colored dogs, while others were black and a few looked like Walkers, but they could get the job done. I asked the old fellow what bears liked to eat, and he grinned and said, more than anything boy, they love sardines and they will do anything to get them some! Son, let me tell you, I ditched those sardines real quick. I couldn’t get rid of them fast enough.” Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

Berry remembered that they harvested one bear on the hunt, and that was all it took; he had caught the bear hunting bug in a bad way. He headed back home determined to get some dogs of his own and devote as much time as possible to becoming a master bear hunter and dog breeder—and he did exactly that, but not without a few bumps in the road. “I went out a looked at a bunch of dogs, read as much as I could and talked to a lot of people that were supposed to be experts on bear dogs. I bought several, tried a few different breeds, but just couldn’t find anything that suited me.” Berry paused again and recalled that the turning point in his search was when he started hearing about Plott hounds and first met Gene White and Von Plott. “Gene had that White Hollow line of Plotts and as I understood it, had obtained dogs from Doyle Demoss, most notably Cascade Big Timber, but I was even more impressed that he had gotten dogs directly from the Plott family too, specifically Von Plott, and he later introduced me to Von.”

“Von was a pretty rough character, but now, he knew his dogs—so did Gene. He told me, son, if you want to bear hunt, then you need to get Plott hounds, there are none any better.” By that time Berry’s brothers were home from the war they, along with his nephews, and later his sons and grandsons, all became avid bear hunters and stellar Plott dog men. If I recall correctly, Berry eventually got some dogs from both Von Plott and Gene White and had good success with them. But he was still determined to develop his own line of dogs to meet his specific standards. In about 1951 he heard of an outstanding Plott dog located in Millenburg, Kentucky and journeyed there to purchase a Plott 70

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gyp from a local sheriff’s deputy. He later bought a fine Plott stud from A.H. Duggins and bred the pair. The result of this pairing was the foundation stock of what would eventually become one of the most notable lines in Plott breed history; the Houston Valley Plott line.

Tarlton would later add two pups sired by Gene White’s legendary Plott hound, Old Junior. Berry believed in line breeding, but also firmly believed in regularly injecting top notch outside Plott lines to further refine his Houston Valley line. In his mind, the perfect Plott hound wasn’t too big, no more than 55-60 pounds and had to have superior nose, a high degree of grit, yet maintain a friendly demeanor and be easy to train. By 1955 Berry Tarlton had almost a decade of hard bear hunting under his belt and was well on his way to getting the Houston Valley Plott lines refined to meet his high standards.

For more than fifty years his education continued as his Houston Valley line gained worldwide notoriety. Females proved to be the backbone of the line, and aside from them losing hunting time when pregnant or in heat, Tarlton—like many old timers—preferred a female Plott, although he had many notable stud dogs as well.

Hector, a dog Tarlton obtained from breed legend Charles Gantte—another close friend of the Tarlton clan—was one of these elite males. Berry lists Hector among his top 5 dogs of all -time. But it was Buck who Berry’s all-time favorite: “I liked the females for sure, but Buck was the top of the list. He was a jealous dog and loved me. We were hunting in 1978 and they called me on the radio that Buck had been killed by a bear. I replied that if he was dead or alive, bring him out to me, I was taking him home either way.”

But Buck—although badly injured—was not dead, and Berry happily added that within a few days he was hunting hard again, better than ever. However, Buck’s reputation preceded him, and he was stolen from Berry in about 2004. “We found his collar in a junk yard and never saw or heard from again.” Berry sadly added. Tarlton credited his friends Gantte and Gene White, with keeping a lot of the old lineage of Plotts alive. “I really liked their dogs, because just like mine, they had keen noses, with plenty of grit and tree power too. If you can keep those traits in your bloodline you are going to have success in the woods.” As his fame grew, Tarlton began to hunt all over the United Sates and eventually planned trips to Canada twice annually in the spring and fall. He continued to line breed his stock, but never hesitated to inject outside crosses from across the nation. “I would go anywhere to breed to a top dog, and always looked for the best female to breed my stud dogs too, although sometimes I would breed one of my top gyps to an outside male too. It certainly seemed to work. We proved our worth in the woods, and over the years we shipped dogs all over this nation and around the world. We sent dogs to Canada, South Korea, Sweden, Montana, Idaho and just about every other state in the union.”

Another thing Tarlton loved about breeding top dogs and hunting was that it was a family affair. “We would have never gained the success we have enjoyed without my brothers, my nephew, Frankie, my grandson Tracey and his boy Ben. I am proud that it has gone on for multiple generations and will still be going strong when I am gone.” Next month we will share more of Berry Tarlton’s adventures hunting and

BARRY AND BOB IN THE PICTURE HE REFERENCES AT THE BEGINNING OF THIS ARTICLE

BERRY TARTLON AND HIS BELOVED WIFE

CONSTABLE TARLTON CONFISCATING A LOAD OF MOONSHINE

BERRY TARLTON ACCEPTING AWARD AT TN. BEAR HUNTERS CONVENTION CIRCA 2010

BERRY TARLTON WITH A YOUNG BEN JONES AND DOG.

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

breeding elite Plott hounds. But let’s wrap up this month’s installment with a brief introduction to his storied career as a lawman. Tarlton began his career as a law enforcement officer about the same time he was entering the Plott dog world. He was first elected as a county constable in 1954, and friends let me tell you, from that point forward, Berry Tarlton’s hair raising career as a lawman would put the legendary sheriff Buford Pusser’s career to shame. Pusser, as some of you will remember, had books and later a box office hit movie called “Walking Tall” based on his career as a sheriff in McNairy County, Tennessee. No offense or disrespect to Sherriff Pusser, but Berry Tarlton was right there at the top with him, you can trust me on that one. And he is deserving of a book or movie of

his own too. In 1955 there were not many places anywhere more dangerous to live, or be a law man than Houston Valley, Tennessee. Greene county owned one of the highest per capita murder rates in the United States and made and sold as much, or more, illegal liquor as anyone in the nation.

Worse yet, a lawman stationed there was pretty much on his own, because other local law enforcement agencies were all either too scared to assist Constable Tarlton, or else had been paid off by local crime lords to stay out of the fray. This was the situation that Constable Berry Tarlton found himself in in 1956 and he was only 28 years old! When young Berry wasn’t dodging bullets from local criminals determined to kill an honest lawman who could not be bought off, Berry was hunting bears as hard as any man who had ever lived.

PLOTTFEST Go to www.mountainmemoriesproductions.com for a complete sponsor list and additional info. Special thanks to Gary Bowen, Ken Ross, Joel Garris and Gary Baity for their support. Gates open at 9:00 AM. Dog events (Bear bay, Treeing competition, and UKC bench show) start at 9:30 AM and will run through early afternoon. Winners of dog events and other special award winners again, will be honored with custom made pottery trophies, all hand crafted by Cory Plott. Each award is truly a work of art, and no two are exactly alike. Best of all, they will be family heirlooms for the winners, and will really standout in your trophy case. And in keeping with all of our events, we strive for PlottFest to have the feeling of a true family reunion, where ALL Plott enthusiasts are welcome—hunters, non-hunters, club members, non-club members show people, and just pet 72

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Clearly, Berry Tarlton had no shortage of courage, and was in some ways an adrenaline junkie, as he loved nothing more than the thrill of chasing bears and crooks. We will have more on both these topics in Part Two.

Next month we will finish up our feature on Berry Tarlton.

Before closing I want to add one more thing. I don’t want to embarrass him, but I want to offer my special thanks to Brice Umstead, who has done as much or more for me and my family as any man alive. I can never thank you enough, Brother. Until next time, may God richly bless you, your family, friends and dogs in all that you do. Good hunting, my friends!

owners—ALL are welcome, as we feel it is very important to educate non-hunters in who we are and the value of our sport to the environment, as well as in wildlife management control. We also plan to do our regular Plott dog program and Breed legends round table discussion—this has proven to be especially popular with folks attending the event, and we might get Danny Long to do an entire program on his own in 2024!!! Admission fees to the event will only be 15 dollars per person in advance and 20 dollars at the gate. Event entry fees are as follows – 10 dollars per dog for one dog bay and tree events, 20 dollars for two dogs and 25 for three dogs. UKC bench show fee is ten dollars per dog. Please note that our admission fees and entry fees are CASH or check ONLY. We plan to handle credit card sales next year, but NOT in 2024, so bring cash or your check book. Check our website often for updates, and please make plans to join us this year! Hope to see you there.

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow BY TARA CARDINAL

hen I was just a little girl of 5... I'd wander barefoot thru the foot hills of the Blue Ridge Mountains pine sap on my long hair, imagining I was slaying dragons and rescuing fairies as I entertained myself growing up with brothers. Back then there was no preschool and those life lessons I learned exploring the woods instilled something in me that'd I'd revisit and desperately need to draw from as a rookie, middle aged woman going through a divorce and stuck in the rut of life that burdens us all. Through a cruel twist of fate...I met a newborn hound that profoundly affected my life and opened a perilous door to the world of hunting hounds, a hobby and sport that can nearly provoke an addictive drive to succeed in search of the tracking and killing machine that is THE ultimate hound. No matter what the color of dog you choose to fall in behind, your spirit must be tough, body 74

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must be in tune and mind must be focused on the task at hand to be a successful hound runner. This I've learned through a series of hard knocks and disappointment that have built a fire in me for success...at least improvement and positive progression which requires determination and let's be real here, a good amount of hardearned money.

What's it all for... as we fight to hold down ample land to run our hounds, to train and to safely harvest our prey of choice? Is it the possible big money and fame that comes with winning in the highly competitive Coon Hunting world now OR is it keeping the old traditions of running hounds alive? Hunting with hounds was a way of life that harvested useful furs, secured a fresh hot meal for large rural families while tapping on thy soul listening to those majestic creatures make that mountain music while getting the job done. It was what country folks back then knew...and were taught as children but sadly our new world

isn't shifting and changing in our favor. Our hunting spots are dwindling, being divided to build neighborhoods or bought by wealthy folks that would never consider allowing permission to locals to hunt. Modern children generally don't have time for the old ways as their lives are now filled with school, sports and the dreaded social media which I do truly believe is the blessing and curse of our time.

I've taken great care to try and see the big picture. From writing about very accomplished Coon Hunting legends with big earnings to old timers that never hunted a competition in their lives, I've been blessed with speaking with and learning from some of the absolute best. I appreciate that and have vowed to take, encourage and teach my children, Willow, 20 and Waylon,18 the best I can. Starting with learning about their coonhunting kin, and then becoming connected to the dogs I've been blessed to own and train... then learning the mountain here. Keeping yourself alive out there in those rocky, thick mountains can be the first challenge. Between possibly falling to your death, the extremely strenuous hikes and potential venomous snakebites, one sane person could easily be talked out of going on a raccoon hunt. Just to name a few challenges of being a nocturnal hunter in the mountain.

Thank God that both of my children share my adventurous spirit and have willingly added so much to my pack and will undoubtedly keep these precious memories alive while teaching the next generation and preserving these good bloodlines. This, I know in my core and that knowledge inspires me to keep pushing and learning so that I can use my voice and chance on this beautiful Earth to keep these hounds running their prey as it should be.

Buckley Farm Kennels BY STEVE BUCKLEY

any folks enjoy hunting and many enjoy to watch the dogs work. Squirrel dogs or more specific, Mountain Feist squirrel dogs are a passion for me. As I have mentioned many times they have been a way of life for me since a young boy. Today some 50 years later they are my addiction and something I take great pride in. As long as the good Lord allows me I will raise and hunt my Buckley Farm Kennels, Buckley Mountain Feist. Today, hunters are rediscovering squirrel dogs. For years deer hunting over shadowed the small game chase but things are changing. Squirrel dogs are helping facilitate that change. Once you go and get in on the excitement of watching the dog work and plenty of liveaction shooting, you will fall into the attraction of these mighty Mountain Feist dogs. These dogs

make wonderful companions and friends. If you get the chance or know someone with one, give it a try. I am willing to bet if you’re an outdoorsman you will quickly want one for yourself.

Reminiscing about a particular early 1980’s hunt with my late parents John K. Buckley and Evelyn Buckley. We had made the trip down into central Kentucky to a dairy farm owned by one of Dad’s WW-2 army friends by the name of Carl Bailey. When we arrived Dad began to setup camp and Bailey as we called him had come over to chat with Dad. They were very good friends and rightly so had seen the atrocities of war together and returned with their lives. In fact Bailey married a German girl and they raised a family together. In any instance me being a fourteen year old boy I was ready to hunt our Buckley Mountain Feist, Ole Pal. I looked at Mom and said go with me and she said lets go. We eased down to the timber line and turned Ole Pal loose.

It wasn’t long before we had a bag limit of fox squirrels and we had treed five ground hogs. With this load of squirrels and ground hogs we made our way back to the tobacco barn that we had set up camp in. As we neared the camp I heard Bailey say to Dad “look there’s Evelyn carrying two ground hogs bigger than herself”. Mom probably weighed 130 pounds at that time and was carrying two 10 pound whistle pigs. Dad came out and helped me clean the squirrels and the ground hogs. As I type this tears are beginning to fill my eyes, my parents were special people who loved the outdoors, their Buckley Mountain Feist and most of all their family. We hunted Mr. Bailey’s farm for over 70 years and I recently lost the hunting rights as it was purchased by an Amish family. As you can see the Buckley Mountain Feist that I hunt, raise and own are very special to me, they have been part of my life from the beginning. Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

Kids Corner To submit your child's hunt photos, short stories, poems, or artwork for Kids Corner send them to publish@fullcrymag.com One child each issue will be selected to receive a $25 gift card.

OLIVER YOUNG WITH A BIG COON TAKEN FROM THESE PETIT JEAN RIVER BOTTOMS OF YELL COUNTY, AR WITH A BLUETICK NAMED SUE!

KNOX, 5, AND FRIEND JILLIAN , 7, ENJOYING THEIR 2ND SEASON COON HUNTING

THERON, 7, WENT ALONG WITH HIS POPPIE AND WAS ABLE TO HELP OUT WITH THIS MOUNTAIN LION. THIS WAS HIS FIRST TREED CAT HUNT. BITTERROOT VALLEY, MONTANA

HAZEL (10) AND PAUL (7) AFTER A SUCCESSFUL DECEMBER HUNT.

HADLEY, 5 AND HER WALKER PUP, ALLY

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Nt. Ch. Lone Pine Eagle C843,820 GR. Nt. Ch. PR Robbins Finley River Eagle H447,533 Nt. Ch. PR Smith's Princess H313,837 Gr. Nt. Ch. PR Penna Hawker J229,981 Gr. Nt. Ch. PR Harrod's KY River Chief H223,600 PR Burns' Pennsylvania Ann H460,749 PR Rolling Fork River Ann H297,686 PR Lone Pine Dewey J757,763 Gr. Nt. Ch. Finley River Spike C772,715 Gr. Nr. Ch. Wolfes Tree Picking Bill C849,764 PR Duvall's Lone Pine Lady C673,910 Gr. Nt. Ch. PR Denny's Penna Jill H735,807 Gr. Nt. Ch. Gr. Ch. PR Spring Creek Rock H218,584 PR Beaver Lake Sandy H628,731 PR Beaver Lake Sally H431,009

I want to thank those who responded to the ad on Dewey in the FebMarch issue of this magazine. Dewey never had an impressive night hunt record, but his reproducing record made up for it. He reproduced hounds that were blessed with outstanding noses and could take a cold track, warm it up, and put it on a limb. More times and not you would end up seeing eyes looking down at you. I’ll be having some pups this spring out of proven reproducing females. Come or call anytime.

JOHN J. MONROE 16954 Johnson Drive, Glenwood, Missouri 63541 CELL: 660-216-1121 | HOME: 660-207-1668 Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

Book Corner

he American Buffalo, or ‘bison’, is now enjoying a steady growth of interest. It is as much a part of our wild west as Bat Matterson, Wyatt Earp, or the O.K. Corral. Two books about the great animals are now out of print but can still be found thru book locator services on Amazon. The first is Mari Sandor’s The Buffalo Hunters, published in 1954. Mari grew up in Nebraska in the 1900’s and knew many hunters and other characters

left over from the time of the great herds. Her book helped inspire The Last Hunt, by Milton Lott in 1954 about a fictional hunt for a remnant of these animals facing extinction. Dogs played a small, but important part in both books, and maybe they will be republished again. The Last Hunt was made into a gem of a B movie in 1956 starring Robert Taylor and Stewart Granger. Get a copy, you won’t be disappointed!

Title: Buffalo Hunters Author: Mari Sandor Original Publication Date: 1954 Availability: Used Hunting Location: Great Western Plains Game Pursued: Buffalo

Title: The Last Hunt Author: Milton Lott Original Publication Date: 1954 Availability: Used Hunting Location: Great Western Plains Game Pursued: Buffalo 78

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If you know a book on hunting with dogs that deserves recognition, please email us at publish@fullcrymag.com

Announcing the 2024 Annual

CHAD HOOVER MEMORIAL UKC YOUTH HUNT & SHOW JUNE 29, 2024 Laurel Highlands Coon Hunters Club 298 Mennonite Camp Rd. Mt. Pleasant, PA Games for the Children - 2:00 pm Bench Show - 4:00 pm Treeing Contest immediately following bench show Deadline for the Hunt: 7:30 pm All events are free - no entry fee Prizes for all the children who compete Call 724-422-5028 for information

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

News & Views

All American Bluetick Association Mark A Hauck 1231 State Route 321 Sardinia, Ohio 45171 815-275-4580 Markhauck58@yahoo.com Hello fellow Bluetick enthusiast. As some of you have heard we are a new organization founded on the promotion of the Bluetick Coonhound and through competitive events all breeds of Coonhounds. This organization was founded by several individuals wanting a new course for Bluetick Enthusiasts to pursue without the politics that follows.

Our President is Steve Burkholder, a 4 year Vice President of BBOA from 2000-2004, a Purina Points winner and winner of many major events. Our Vice President is Alan Bridges, owner of both Blueticks and English, and major player in the Georgia Coonhound Arena. I serve as the Secretary & Treasurer having served as a Director in BBOA Zone 5 for 4 years, then President for 8 years 2000-2008. My Wife Renae serves as our membership chairperson having served in BBOA as a Director Zone 2 for several years, Bluebook editor for many years and published many great books. Each month I will cover our Directors but rest assured we have a solid lineup with 4 former Presidents, 2 former Vice Presidents, a former Sec/Treas of 12 years from BBOA and many more Directors from National and State level organizations. 80

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First we would like to congratulate our High Scoring Male from the Winter Classic Nite CH Mann’s WildN-Blue Country Tyme owned by Mackie Mann’s and Paul Simpson handled by Paul. Congratulation’s guys and great success in the future. We had several inquiries about our sectionals at the Classic and had a great opportunity to talk with lots of folks about our organization and the future of coonhunting and clubs. It was a great trip and great time talking with so many folks. Hope to see you all there next year. A Special thank you to UKC for allowing us to set up a booth and if I dare say we had a classy booth.

We also did something different and raffled off a Kelly Storm Light and many thanks to Kelly Lights for helping us with this. This was an idea Dexter Whatley suggested and since he is a Director it was his call. Thanks to all who purchased a chance on winning this beautiful Kelly Storm Light. The winner was Joey Walters of Mississippi ! Hope you enjoy the light Joey and again thanks to K-Lights for their support of our organization. Special thanks to Allen Gingerich for giving us a few minute prior to the call out Saturday evening and for honoring us with the drawing duties. Very much appreciated. We are setting up several sectional events, be looking on our Facebook page for the coming ads and next article I’ll cover more Officers and some of our upcoming events. We want to thank Full Cry owners Dani & Jason Duby who I met at the Grand American for this space and wish them much success. They are great people folks. Well as I use to say many years ago “Our Stands … Set Standards” and it’s even more true now.

American Plott Association, Inc. News and Views John R. Jackson 1103 Tom Jackson Road Boone, NC 28607 Greetings! Good day Plott enthusiasts everywhere! Here's hoping this column finds you, yours, and your Plott dogs doing well. Here it is near March as I keyboard "News and Views." Perhaps you have wintered well. Right now, it seems as though we will be having an early spring; robins are ahead of schedule, and I have noticed that on the warmest days, frogs have been croaking in Grassy Creek's swamp. Temperatures have been seesawing. Some nights have been so frigid I made sure my dogs had plenty of bedding, then on the next day, I only needed a shirt to work outside. However, I can recall the deep snows we used to have, so Old Man Winter is not through with us yet. A dear uncle of mine would occasionally say we would surely be "set back on our dew claws" should things change dramatically. I am enjoying the warm days and moderate nights, but I am bracing myself for another blast or two of cold weather. When you read the forthcoming June and July issue of Full Cry, you'll be reading about our huge Breed Days event which will have been held the third weekend in March. Last year's event was absolutely bursting

at the seams. I have attended all our Breed Days, and I don't think we have ever had so impressive an attendance. So, I am gearing up for another good three days at the Oaks Retreat at Greenville, Tennessee.

I have to express my delight in seeing how preparations are being made. Our president, Sara Meinert, has been working overtime, and I am sure she has husband Chris and the rest of the family hard at work, too. She had been revamping our trailer, and things really look spiffy. I am really impressed! Lisa Johnson has been making sure that we are on schedule for our meetings and that things are well in order. Then, there are other ladies who have been working steadily, Tracy Woodruff, Katie Woodward, and Tricia Butler. What do they say about a woman's touch? We mustn't forget Shelby Silver, Justin Gurley, Mark Dufresne, Andy Blankenship, Gary Bowen, and Gary Beaty, among others, as their input and advice has been quite helpful. APA chatter-textingbetween officers and board members is ever present and ongoing which I see as a good thing. I haven't heard anything lately regarding our soon-tobe-published yearbook. I do know it is in the hands of the printer, and we were hoping that it might be mailed prior to our big event. Time is drawing near, so we'll just have to wait and see. Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

Lots of folks renew their membership at Breed Day; things are handy and other issues don't have to be dealt with. Lisa and Kati Johnson are always on hand to see that your membership is up to date. However, should you desire to renew via computer simply go to americanplottassociation.com or you can always go the route of "snail mail." Secretary Lisa's address is 3833 Brown's Creek Road, Marlinton, WV 249547048. Single memberships are $25.00 and family memberships are $30.00. We at APA would certainly enjoy your being part of us as we celebrate the Plott breed! Last issue, I spoke briefly about two outstanding cat hunters from out west, Olen Greer and Gordon Pace. If you will recall Dr. Max Blackham had interviewed the two and had written an article about them. In reading Blackham's article, one might learn a great deal about better breeding practices. Greer had taken 680 cats with his Plotts, and Pace had harvested approximately 200 cougars, so they must have been doing something right. Blackham said that Greer had developed a "sixth sense" when it came to understanding the talents of a dog and could easily bring these talents to the forefront. Olen referred to it as his 11Greer touch," and he was enabled to raise and train the finest cat dogs anywhere. Intelligence, a cold nose, and the ability to "drift" a track were traits which were paramount.

Pace also had developed a kennel of highly talented Plott hounds that ran tracks "heads up"-no track straddlers or nose-to-the ground trailers. Neither did they "babble" or bark unnecessarily, and having good feet to run on rough ground, they could easily tree their own cat. I am hoping that Dr. Blackham's informative article might find its way in an upcoming Brindle Book so that all might glean useful things from it.

Briefly, I would like to thank all who have recently written or called. It is always good to talk with Jim Schwinefus and Roy and Robert Stiles. I thank "The Mark Twain of Tennessee," Mr. Brice Umstead, for his many fine letters as well as Bernie Walker's phone message. Hector Ortero has been messaging from Spain. He is a hog hunter who uses Plott hounds and a sharp knife. My, how Plotts have become international! Our photograph this month has come internationally as well. Ms. Helena Suk Slabova of the Czech Republic uses Plott hounds to take European wild boar. If I am 82

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not mistaken, her Plotts are Hosker-bred.

Scripture this month comes from John 3:3-"Verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." Until next issue, good luck, good Plotting, and may God richly bless.

American Redbone Coonhound Association DAVE PELZER 8646 245th ST ST CLOUD MN 56301 pelzpuppypalace@gmail.com or 320-250-5499 This past month I got a call from Connie Gibson asking if I could help him locate some blood that would give him the nose he's looking for to run bear with. I checked with Justin Anderson on any litter mates to Chance with no luck. Justin just lost a really good 5-year-old male that had his lungs full of fluid and was unable to save. He is excited about his new female they have added to the kennel and said she has a “big old mouth” on her. Best of luck with her and hope you can keep it going. Really glad to see you get some of the old Zach and Rose blood I fed for a while in your kennel. Connie may call you in the future.

Members who did some winning at Winter Classic February 7-10, 2024 in Batesville MS: Feb 7th, GRNITECH PR Petes Red Harley, RED, Joe Lewis, Clark McElhenny, TN, had a cast win.

Feb 10th, Bench Show Male Ch Pr Foggy River Roscoe, William Billings Bench Show Female Ch Pr Stone Nickel Big Sky, Mary Bergbauer

Fri Reg Division Top 10, 1st PR Donald Trump, Robert Davis of AR. Was also a cast winner on Sat, had a double cast win and was the ARCA top male. 5th place was Pr Wampus Cat Red Dottie, Bobby Phillips and Charles Pudil of GA. She was the ARCA top female. Saturday Red Division Top 10 had Pr Take Your Guns to Town placing 5th, Trista-Robert Crowe of IN and TJ Bolin if IL had a cast win with NiteCh Ch Pr East Fork OK Red Penny B. Congratulations to you all and on behalf of the Association, thank you for your placings and may you keep winning in 2024.

I almost had the big one the other day. I walked into a pet store and there it was—a 40-pound bag of dog food for ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY DOLLARS. Now I’m going to guess that Taylor Swift doesn’t buy her cat food at a tractor supply store but I would have really loved to see who the heck would buy that bag. Because my first question would be, “How many hounds do you have?” Then my second request would be, “Could you please open it so I can see why it turns to gold as it passes through your dog?” Been following the ingredient prices of late and I would say we should see dog food start to come back down or maybe those 40-pound bags become 50 pounds bags. Everyone needs to make a profit but everyone also needs to be honest and fair to their customers too. People are funny though, some think that paying big bucks for something, dog food or even a pup, will make it better. Sorry to bust your bubble, but when that puppy is born it has no idea if it will be a $100 or $1,000 pup at 8 weeks old. But look at that pedigree!! Yep, what does it tell you? Sire and dam are GrNiteChs. Yep, but does it tell you how many hunts it took or how many others were in those hunts? How about their littermates? I can tell you of a big named stud in this breed that most of his litter mates were culled. That is maybe one of the biggest things that Red taught me the little time we had together, “it is better to get a pup out of a family of good hounds then to get one out of a freak that its litter mates were culls.” Had a nice visit on the phone this month with Jim Horn of OH. He hunts squirrels and raccoons with a feist at this time but would like to try a Redbone. He told of one of his dogs that would be silent on squirrels during the day but open on raccoons at night. His goal if he finds one he likes would be to start it on squirrels to be sure it was a tree hound and then with a little more age to hunt it on raccoon. Thanks for the call and good luck in your search.

Also had a nice visit on the phone with Terry Finder of MO this month. He was telling of one of his hunts where his Reds gave him a “little” exercise one night, which has happened to myself, had we stayed by the truck until they treed, we would have saved a lot of steps. It sounds like he will make it to Cole Camp and take in the activities in June. Thanks, and hope to see you down the road. As I write this at the end of February, the cities has set a new record high of 65 degrees. Linda and myself were raking up sticks off the lawn and the MN Health Dept has been warning us to be on the lookout for ticks. It seems this warm winter and the heavy cover of leaf’s in the woods have those wonderful deer ticks out already. Be sure that you have Red up on their shots and

on a good tick preventative for their protection. Until next month.

A couple months ago we lost what I called a true Country Songwriter-Singer, Toby Keith. I never got to see him perform live but I sure did enjoy watching and listening to him on the radio and TV. Not sure if we’ll ever have another Toby which will be too bad because of his faith, beliefs and his ability to put it in a song. I really like his last song I seen him perform when he got his last award--“Ask yourself, how old would you be if you didn’t know the day you were born?” RIP Toby. 2024 Sectionals:

May 4 Ausable River Coonhunters Club, Ontario Canada June 1 Central MN Hound Club, Long Prairie MN August 17 Top of MI Houndsmen, Afton MI

November 21-23 St Marks River CHA, Crawfordville FL ARCA Days June 5th-8th, 2024 Cole Camp MO

Wednesday June 5th will again be a YOUTH HUNT.

Please check your memberships and your last book to be sure that your address and phone numbers are correct. Thank you.

Send your dues to Secretary/Treasurer Sheila Lewis, 58 Lewis Road, Gates TN 38037 or if you have questions, her number is 731-413-9484 OR you can pay online by going to American Redbone Coonhound Association on FaceBook or the web site www.archa.us Dues for the American Redbone Coonhound Association are: $20/ 1 year single or family $50/ 3 years

$500/ Lifetime membership. $10 per year credit will be given for previously paid dues.

Redbook Editor: Lindsay Morrow 7030 N Lakeshore Drive, Shreveport, LA 71107 Phone 919-414-1034 Email ARCA.Redbook@gmail.com Hunt Chairman: Jeff Young 11567 Farmhill Dr, Fenton, MI 48430

If your club wants to put on a hunt for the association, please give Jeff Young a call at 248-207-6430 or e-mail Jeffrey-young@sbcglobal.net Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

American Treeing Feist Association Nicolas Gipson It is incredible how time flies by, so many things have happened since the latest issue. I’m not sure I can fit everything in this single article, but I’ll give it my best shot.

First things first, we have recently had two more hunts. The Herschel Coxwell Winter Classic in Gray Georgia and the Winter Rally Hunt in Montrose Mississippi. Now let's get to the standings of both hunts.

Herschel Coxwell Winter Classic P.M. 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Dog Handler Pine Belt Peanut Butter Keith Landrum JBC’s Scalded Copper Nicolas Gipson Hub City Rufus Keith Mitchel Jack Joey Thomason Philshaw’s Belle Randall Phillips

Winter Rally Winner Clint's Jesse handled by Clint Atkins Winter Classic A.M. Winner Pine Belt Razorback handled by Jaden Gipson

Herschel Coxwell Winter Classic A.M. 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th

Dog Pine Belt Razorback Jack Crossfire Scooter Coles’ Peggy Sue Coles’ Major

Handler Jaden Gipson Joey Thomason Loren Slatton Chuck Pool Taylor Farrow

Winter Classic P.M. Winner Pine Belt Peanut Butter handled by Keith Landrum 84

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Winter Rally 1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th

Dog Clint’s Jesse Hub City Rufus Coles’ Toby JD’s OCD JBC’s Scalded Copper Cochran’s Rebel Reedy Creek Lulu Coles’ Major Jack Landrum’s Labrador

Handler Clint Atkins Keith Mitchell Todd Coles James Day Nicolas Gipson Aiden Cochran Mike Powell Taylor Farrow Joey Thomason Keith Landrum

In addition to these two hunts, Bill and Jane Yawn’s Pinebelt Peanut Butter championed out in the evening hunt of the Herschel Coxwell Winter Classic evening hunt. Now Bill may say Peanut Butter is his dog, but we all know Jane is the actual owner of good ole Peanut Butter! Many people have handled this young dog, Lee Balliet, Keith Landrum, Jaden Gipson, and Bill Yawn. Nothing other than that of a dream team of trainers/ handlers. Congratulations to all of you on the success of this young dog. Also, we have an update on the dog of the year race. The standing has slightly changed!

1st 2nd 3rd 4th 5th 6th 7th 8th 9th 10th

Dog Handler Points JBC‘S Scalded Copper Nicolas Gipson 140 Pinebelt Peanut Butter Keith Landrum 130 Hub City Rufus Keith Mitchell 115 Coles’ Toby Todd Coles 95 Coles’ Peggy Sue Chuck Pool 95 Jack Joey Thomason 90 Crossfire Scooter Loren Slatton 90 Grier’s Rio James Grier 80 Clint’s Jess Clint Atkins 75 Coles’ Dixie Chad West 55

Now that we are all caught up on the hunt results, I’d like to take a few lines here and inform you all of an amazing event that was put on for the youth of Tennessee. The American Treeing Feist Association alongside of many many other sponsors, helped in the success of yet another year of the annual Grundy Youth Squirrel Hunt. This hunt was founded by myself Nicolas Gipson, my wife Deanna Gipson, and Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency’s Officer Brandon Selvog.

This year the hunt was hosted in the Pelham Valley and was fortunate to use all sponsored private land across the valley. Our attendance consisted of 29 young hunters, and 110 plus or minus volunteers, handlers, agents, land owners, and young helpers. To say that it was a great turn out is an enormous understatement. There was a 90% chance of rain for the morning, but it turned out that the good Lord was on our side as it didn’t start raining until 10 a.m. With the help of our sponsors, we were able to make sure that each and every child and handler walked away with a gift. On top of making sure that each child got a slingshot and other goodies, we were also capable of presenting them 6 guns, 3 air rifles, and 7 cur puppies.

It is events like this that I truly hope will spark an interest in each and every child that is able to be involved. Hoping that they will pass this passion down to their children and pass it along to as many as they come in contact with. This event was also filmed by TWRA’s Jason Harmon and will be featured on an episode of, “Drop the Tailgate”! So, if you have the chance, look it up and you can get a better idea of all of the things that we were able to accomplish. I would love to shout out a couple very important people that have helped us out from the ATFA by bringing dogs, recruiting more people to help, and even bringing gifts for the children. Marty Brown, John Carpenter, Dustin Hill, Loren Slatton, Mark Gouger, James Grier, Joey Thomason, Dale Martin, and Jamie Cooper. I would like to give a special shout

Joey Thomason and his dog Jack

out to my wife for doing all of the leg work in making sure that the event was appealing to the eye and that we all had a full stomach for breakfast. I don’t have enough space to call out all of our sponsors, but I couldn’t have done anything at all without each and every one of them. Thank you ATFA for helping these kids and thank you to Full Cry for allowing us to give all of these people a time to shine for their generosity. Until next time, “Hunt Hard and Stay Treed!”

Bluetick Breeders and Coonhunters Association International Column David A. Simons '2023'-'2024' BBCHA Publicity Director '2023'-'2024' BBCHA "Full Cry" Columnist Send info to david@crownfencedfw.com Greetings from the great state of Texas! As I pen this column (in February) the Pear trees are in full bloom. I don't think that "Old Man" winter is done with us. The temps overnight are still cool, and we've seen snow around here as late as the 1st day of spring (March 19th). Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

One of my historical Bluetickers 'spotlighted' this month is Mr. Al Womack. I'm sharing a photo taken at a BBCHA Fall Roundup (early 1990's) held in Hope, Arkansas. Al is surrounded by other BBCHA notables and friends. I'm also including a letter from Al to me that he sent prior to my family and I moving to Platt Woods, Missouri. I was fortunate enough to spend many hours with Al at his home/ kennel in K.C. Al held nothing back while he caught me up on the history of his Big Blue hounds. I'd really enjoy any feedback from other BBCHA members on their experiences with Al Womack. Doyle Uchtman and GRNTCH Uchtman's Blue Tyson

Al Womack and friends

Another of this month's historical 'Spotlighted' Bluetickers is Mr. Lonnie Uchtman. Photo and information supplied by Mr. Doyle Uchtman. Info From Doyle... And I quote; "Lonnie's dog being the start of six generations of the stud dogs bred, trained and campaigned by Lonnie. The only Bluetick breeder to have that accomplishment! Pretty good!" The accompanying photo of Lonnie and GRNTCH Bean's Ranger was also provided by Doyle! Thank you for your time and the info Doyle!!! I really enjoyed our conversation!!!

Doyle Uchtman and Jack Fields with me in Hope, Arkasas at the BBCHA Fall Roundup

I know that Doyle Uchtman didn't expect this 'Spotlight' on him, but... I dug around in some of my archived files and found these photos of him. One Photo is Doyle with BBCHA members Jack Fields and me at the BBCHA Fall Round up in Hope, Arkansas (1990's). The other photo is of Doyle and his GRNTCH Uchtman's Blue Tyson. Doyle finished Tyson to GRNTCH and won the Nationals with him at 2 years old. Tyson was double GRNTCH Uchtman's Blue Hawk bred and went back to Arkie. Thank you all for taking the time to provide inf for the BBCHA INT. COLUMN!!!

BBCHA members...this is your column, and platform to share with other BBCHA members! Please share your knowledge and experiences and photos of our Blueticks and members. Please send your information to me at the email address found on the header of this column. Lonnie Uchtman and GRNTCH Beans Ranger 86

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

Thank ya'll in advance for your support of BBCHA!

p.s Get your subscription to Full Cry Magazine now, and keep your eyes peeled for upcoming "FEATURED" articles on current BBCHA members.

Duplin County Coonhunters Association On March 2, 2024 Duplin County CHA in Kenansville, NC hosted their annual youth event. This year we had around 40 kids who came and participated in bench shows, a treeing contest, a coon squalling contest, and nite hunt. We greatly appreciate all who came together and worked hard to make this event possible and we especially thank all the parents who were willing to spend a Saturday letting their kids hang out with their hounds. Congratulations to all of our winners! We look forward to next year!” OVERALL SHOW CHAMPION OPPOSITE SEX Grand Champion Male Champion Female GrCh All American Western J Ch Big Swamp Maggie O: Megan Perez/Jordyn Brooks O/H: Leah Penny H: Jordyn Brooks

TREEING CONTEST WINNER Kade Hatcher with Massey

SQUALLING CONTEST WINNERS

NITE HUNT WINNERS 1st Place: Mason Wilson with Hoss (575+)

Elnora Outdoor Club Elnora Outdoor Club held the 2024 NKC Indiana State Championship hunt on Friday February 23, 2024 (11-17 Group Winner): Olivia Bleigh

(1-10 Group Winner): Isaac Kelley

IN State hunt 1st place TSB Miles Owner Chris Holthaus handler Tanner Holthaus Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

cers and Board members really did a nice job ensuring a smooth evening and a successful one at that! Our members are very loyal and our gratitude for that is genuine.

We hope that we can continue to grow and be able to offer them events that will satisfy. The sponsors and donators and their unwavering support for us and our hounds is second to none and we couldn’t do it without them. For this we will forever be thankful for and never forget those of you who have stepped up to stand with us.

IN State Hunt 2nd Place Taylor Ridge Humminbird Owner Darren Allgood

We also announced our 2023 award winners. Buckles are given to the contestants that accumulated the most points winning at our field trial and water race combined. IHA gives awards for the Houndsman, Lady Houndsman, Youth Houndsmen, Youth Lady Houndsman and Hound that won the most points at our events.

IN State Hunt 3rd place Jukebox Joe Dirt Mark Gaietto

Elnora Outdoor Club will hold the 2024 Midwest Cur & Feist Round Up on Friday April 5, 2024 with deadline @ Noon.

Idaho Houndsmen Association Rachael Kidd - IHA Secretary Oh boy! It’s that time year again to say goodbye to the cats and the snow and say hello to the bears and a brand new, spring and summer. Well, that’s what I’m going to do anyway. Cats are a lot of fun to catch and a good smart Bobcat is always a fun challenge, butttt there’s nothing like bear hunting for me. Too deep in my blood I suppose. The sun is shining a bit more every day and I don’t know if there is more anticipation coming from my family or our kennels. You can feel the buzz every time you enter the dog yard and you can see it in the eyes of the seasoned dogs that know it’s any day now! The young dogs are excited (to say the least) and even being brand new to this world they know that whatever those older dogs are excited about is what they are born to do. Every year is just as exciting as the year before.

The Idaho Houndsmen Association has also gone into full swing this spring beginning with our annual banquet. We had a wonderful turnout at our new venue location this year, which was held at the beautiful High Desert Station located in Star. The amount of support we have in our small group is so great and reassuring. I am also thankful for their patience towards me as I navigate my new secretary position with them. Our offi88

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

2023 Houndsman of The Year was Brian Shanahan 2023 Hound of The Year was “Dottie” owned by Brian Shanahan

2023 Youth Houndsman of The Year was Luke Kidd

Laurel Highlands Coon Hunters Club 2023 Lady Houndsman of The Year was Rikki Mark

Connie Diven The LHCHC held their regular monthly meeting on February 11, 2024 and new officers were installed. Old business included the treasury report, minutes from the January meeting, and the placing of the advertisement in Full Cry for the WTDA squirrel hunt on April 21, 2024. With no comments or questions, new business was introduced. The main topic of the meeting was the introduction of Pennsylvania HB 529 which proposes an amendment to Title 18 (Crimes and Offenses) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes. If enacted, this bill would impose penalties for transporting dogs in the external section of a vehicle. This would include dogs placed in uninsulated dog boxes. The president asked that we express our opinions to legislators. The club is also seeking donations of prizes for the youth hunt on June29, 2024, monetary or hunting related prizes are appreciated.

2023 Youth Lady Houndsman of The Year was Katelynn Kidd CONGRATULATIONS!

Our Spring Field trails are going to be April 6th & 7th at the usual location and our Water Races will be on a date TBD in August at the usual location, so be on the lookout for that date in the future. We would love to have you. We are looking forward to a whole new year of fun filled events with everyone. Until next time… hit it hard and I hope everyone catches a pile of bears and makes some fine hounds! Good luck boys and girls!

We hope you can attend the following events, April 5-UKC Show/Hunt, April 6-Beagle Club Meeting, April 7-Rabies Clinic, April 12-Club Meeting/Hunt 7:30 pm. April 21-WTDA squirrel hunt-registration deadline 8:30 am, bench show 1:00 pm (treeing contest immediately following), May 10-club meeting, May 11-Blairsville’s Little Mtn Music Hunt, May 18-PA State Championship hunt, June 14-club meeting/hunt 7:30 pm and June 29Chad Hoover memorial PA State Youth UKC Hunt/Show (this is always a popular one with the kids).

One last thing, supporting Full Cry Magazine is supporting journalism and preserves and promotes the sport of hunting with dogs. If you appreciate the articles in this publication consider renewing your subscription or gift one to a friend, relative or fellow hunter. Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

NATIONAL CUR & FEIST BREEDERS ASSOCIATION KELLY THOMAS PORTTEUS 713 E SYCAMORE ST JASONVILLE, IN 47438 Hello to all. Hope this finds everyone safe and well and enjoying the change to nicer weather.

The 2024 NKC NC&FBA Claude Thomas Memorial World Hunt was held Saturday February 24.

Pleasant Home Birdie handled by Audra Perkins

Thank you to everyone that was able to attend and thank you to everyone that help with the hunt. It was a good weekend with lots of good fellowship, hunters, and dogs. It is always great to spend time with the hunting family. The hunting results for the Claude Thomas hunt is listed below: 2024 NKC NC&FBA Claude Thomas Memorial World Hunt:

Pleasant Home Storm handled by Joshua Perkins

SQUIRREL HUNT

Dog Handler Champion: Pleasant Home Birdie Audra Perkins Reserve: Pleasant Home Storm Joshua Perkins 3rd: King’s Cowboy Roger King 4th: Georgia Drive Derrick Evans 5th: Jukebox Siri Ron Smith/Chuck Gaietto 6th: Flaming Little Bear Son Doug Marlow 7th: Evil Angel Derrick Evans NITE HUNT

Dog Champion: Taylor Ridge Jett Reserve: King’s Cowboy 3rd: TSB Miles

Handler Darren Allgood Roger King Chris Holthaus/Tanner

King's Cowboy handled by Roger King

COMBINATION King’s Cowboy - Roger King

Elnora Outdoor Indiana State Hunt was held on Friday February 23, 2024:

1st: 2nd: 3rd: 90

Dog TSB Mile Taylor Ridge Humminbird Jukebox Joe Dirt

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

Handler Chris Holthaus/Tanner Darren Allgood Mark Gaietto

Georgia Drive handled by Derrick Evans

Jukebox Siri handled by Ron Smith & Chuck Gaietto

TSB Miles handled by Chris Holthaus & Tanner

The Next hunt will be the 2024 NKC NC&FBA World Hunt. This hunt was normally held In the Fall but has been moved to the Spring due to a lot of our properties we normally use are being leased out and with deer season it is not safe for the dogs to be out in the woods. We had a lot of conflicts trying to work out the hunt dates. Flaming Little Bear Son handled by Doug Marlow

Evil Angel handled by Derrick Evans

Anytime a major change is made there is bound be to conflicts or issues and we have had to work out several things. We have finally settled and set the dates to Saturday April 6, 2024. Elnora will hold the Midwest Cur & Feist Round Up to be held on Friday April 5, 2024.

The weekend of April 5 & 6th is the weekend before the Solor Eclipse so hotels my be hard to get. If you know you will be able to attend, we encourage everyone to make their arrangements early There is plenty of room at Elnora Outdoor club grounds for campers to be brought in or tents set up. There are not electrical hook ups but if you have a generator, you can use them. I think we can all agree that it has gotten harder to pick dates that someone, somewhere does not have something going on.

The Midwest Cur & Feist Round Up will be April 5, 2024 with the deadline being Noon and single elimination.

The Annual Association meeting will be held Friday April 5, 2024 @ 7:00 p.m. at the Elnora Outdoor Club.

Taylor Ridge Jett handled by Darren Allgood

The World Hunt will be Saturday April 6, 2024 with deadline at 6:00 a.m. The Nite Hunt will have a deadline of 8:00 p.m. Format will be the normal 3 rounds, third round being the final round. The first round will be 90 minutes and the 2nd and 3rd rounds will be 1-hour rounds. Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

The Nite hunt will be 2-hours and one round only.

Pre-registration for the World Squirrel Hunt will be taken on Friday April 5th from 1 -5 pm.

Ads will be taken the weekend of the World Hunt so please try to have yours ready. We would like to get the book completed earlier and get it out in the mail to everyone. We appreciate everyone’s patience and understanding as we make the transition of date changes.

We hope to see you in April and look forward to seeing everyone and catching up. As I close, as always, please keep those sick, injured, or in need in your prayers.

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National Plott Hound Association Scott Rosson 855 E County Rd 2130 Nauvoo, Illinois 62354 217-430-7349 Hello Plott World. I first want to say that it is great to see the Full Cry going again; this magazine has so much great history and tradition in the hound hunt92

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

ing world. My hat goes off to the new owners keeping this great magazine alive for us to enjoy.

Well, I am going to be writing a column for Full Cry for the National Plott Hound Association so please bear with me at times getting information and trying to write the column. As you are reading this, we should be well into spring and I bet everybody is in some kind of mood like training dogs, getting ready for hunting of some kind, or looking for that next hound. I talked to several people who already have been gearing up for what they like to do with their hounds this year. What I love about the Plott hound is it is such a versatile dog in so many ways in the type of game it is used to hunt and some are used for other purposes. I have met so many great people since I've been in the Plott breed and some of these people are family to me and I know others are the same way. I would like to thank people for hunting, raising, and promoting this wonderful breed. Well, with it being spring, I know several NPHA Plott Sectionals have already taken place and I want to thank everybody that attended these events. Also, congrats to all that also placed at these events. Please send me a line or call to tell me about what you won and anything about the event.

The 2024 NPHA Big Game Nationals will be held on Saturday, April 13. This event will be held with help from Toe River Coon Club at 82 Graceland Drive, Burnsville N.C. 28714. This is the address of UKC Show at 7 pm deadline and a double header UKC hunt with deadlines at 8 pm and 12 midnight. The big game events will start taking entries at 8 am (2 dog bay, 3 dog bay, youth bay, treeing contest, and dash race). The bear events will be held at 107 Evergreen Road, Burnsville N.C. 28714. Please take notice of a different address for the bear events and for the coon events. For more information on bear events please call Jerry Chandler (828)682-7037 or Gary Cox (828)713-7509. For the coonhound events please call Lucas Tipton or Justin Girley (828)2842307. The bear events are not UKC sanctioned and all breeds are welcome. Special prize for high scoring registered Plott. Also, NPHA Plott Days will be in Flora, Illinois in June this year and it always is a great time. So, I am going to get on my soapbox for a minute here. I want to say if you’re a Plott owner and not a member of NPHA please consider in doing so and with saying that try to support any other Plott Associations that are out there or a State Association as well or maybe a hunt-

ing one that supports the type of game you hunt. Folks the associations promote what we do and are our voice and I truly believe we need them to protect our tradition of hounds and hound hunting. We are under attack so much anymore and we need to be out there letting our voice be heard. Also, try to introduce new people to our sport and breed and explain the tradition to them as well. That’s my two cents on that soapbox for now. Anyhow, please send me some information and a picture so I put it in my column. Until next time take care and keep those Plotts a goin’!

National Redbone Coonhound Association Harry Oumedian Well here we are at the 1st of February seeing some drastic cold hit not only the north country, but all the way down in Texas. Hope everyone is staying warm and cozy. I was able to attend the Grand American in Orangeburg South Carolina again, which was a very special time. It was great visiting with old and new friends. Without my trusty co-pilot Linda, I never would have made it.

The Purina Banquet and Awards Ceremony 2023 outstanding hunt and show winner was being awarded for their great wins. It was a very special year for our breed in the hunt with GR. NT. CH. PR Badger owned by Marlin Martin of Carson City Michigan and handled by Treah Clifford of Michigan. The show winner and another great win for the breed was Grand S.C.H. Push My Luck owned by Beth Jenkins of Cullpepper Virginia. Big congrats to all for their hard work and success promoting our beloved Redbones.

Looks like with the weather breaking in the southern states the hunts and shows are taking off to another year of traveling. I’m looking forward to seeing many of you at some of the events.

Also, the Redbone 2024 PKC Championship Hunt was a big success with a record turnout in Louisiana. The PKC Redbone CH winner was Take It To The Cross Dove owned by William Rohdeman and Billy Ray Stark of Arkansas. Wishing all the best and wishing all a blessed year! Get 'em Reds !

United Houndsmen Association PO Box 638 Healdton, Ok. 73438 info@uhahunts.com The 2024 UHA Competition Season is in full swing. Full results, standings, and a list of our upcoming events can be found at www.uhahunts.com

Results from the New Years Bash hosted by the Southern Oklahoma Coonhunters Association in Marietta, Ok. 01/04/24 $500 ADDED HUNT

1st: Crow Bottom Blue Bonnet - Jon Pass/JT Meeks 2nd: Rock – Ryan Crowson 3rd: Tuna – Kyle Banks/Bronc Banks 4th: Pecan Bottom Creek – Jason Tipton 01/05/24 YOUTH HUNT

Senior Division 1st: Raber’s Wipeout Lurch - Katie Raber

Junior Division 1st place co-champions were: Joon Bug – Lane Scogin/Tylee Thomas Backwoods Mighty Hercules – Jay Clark/Hunter Clark 3rd Dollar – Wyatt Flanagan The UHA New Years Bash $1000 added Main Event winners were: 1st and Queen of the Hunt: Pecan Bottom Creek – Jason Tipton 2nd: Joon Bug – Lane Scogin 3rd place and King of the Hunt: Tuna – Kyle Banks 4th: Lynch’s Hardwood Babe – Rick Lynch

A special thanks to Monty Caldwell, Jason Tipton, and all the guides that helped make this event possible. Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

Other results since Jan 1 were: 01/03/24 Zanies, OK Rudy – Michael Coyle, Wipeout Amazing Grace – Todd Miller. 01/27/24 Rutledge, TN Ike – Rylan Gray, Millie – Andy Lichlyter/Mel Raegan, Blue Flame Misty – Joby Potter

01/27/24 Thackerville, OK Tuna – Kyle Banks/Bronc Banks, Crow Bottom Blue Bonnet – Jon Pass/Dawson Pass 01/30/24 Zanies, OK Wild Eyed Clyde – Boyd Dominguez

02/09/24 Thackerville, OK Wild Eyed Clyde – Boyd Dominguez, Crow Bottom Blue Bonnet (early and late) Jon Pass/Mark Raber Jr 02/10/24 Zanies, OK Pecan Bottom Creek – Jason Tipton, Crow Bottom Blue Bonnet (early and late) Jon Pass/Dawson Pass 02/10/24 Rutledge, TN Roll – Mike Winstead Blue Flame Misty – Joby Potter

02/16/24 Marietta, OK Raber’s Wipeout Lurch – Katie Raber, Crow Bottom Blue Bonnet (early and late) Pass/Raber Jr, Pass/ Dawson Pass

02/23/34 Zanies, OK Superior Light Youth Championship Hunt Winner and High Scoring dog went to Pecan Bottom Creek – Jason Tipton/Wyatt Flanagan

Other youth cast winners were: Rabers’s Wipeout Lurch – Katie Raber, Dolly – Brody Chandler, Willie Makin Trax – Brandon Hughes/ Cayenne Hughes, Fish Creek Willow – Juston Stewart/Kassidy Manning. The Open Event winner was Salt Creek Dixie – Ralph Tullis/JT Meeks/ Monty Caldwell 02/28 Whitesboro, TX Jazz – Ballard/Martin/Presley Red River Shot – Terry Cason Red River Sis – Ramsey/Ramsey

Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to all that have attended UHA events.

Here at UHA we strive to help the youth. Hopefully you do as well. They truly are the future of our sport. 94

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

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Bear cat lion dog puppies for sale Mother is Out of Brice May high tan blood line, father is full Walker. I have mother and father a proven cross. $300 Born September 30th 2023

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Black and tan pups four months old. Parents used on bobcat coon and coyote. Male black & tan four years old. Cold nosed dog. Runs Bobcat and coon. 231-825-2085 *Editor's Note: This is a correction from last issue. Please note this phone number*

FEIST AND CURS

Hillis Ladner Black Mouth Curs in Texas: if you are looking for Black Mouth Cur contact us at 1-903-543 -3081 or email at hillispaul@aol.com Check our dogs out at www.hillisblackmouthcurs.com

TREEING WALKERS

Fish Creek Swampthing Hounds. Quality Treeing Walkers since 1966. Sid Underwood, Paris, TX 254-3962429. Tom Froese, Pawnee, OK 405410-4654. Greg Walker, Bogata, TX 469-834-7585. Payton Young, Granbury, TX 817-733-5052.

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LEOPARD HOUNDS

I have 59 years with this line of leopards. They are open trailing, track driving, and accurate tree dogs. The universal dog. They excel on bear, mountain lion, bobcat, coon, and wild boar. Dogs have to catch your game before they can tree or bay it up. They will work in swamps, mountains, and dry ground. Please call as I don’t get online. “Puppies most of the time”. $300 males or females. Lamar Meeks 912-682-3995

ENGLISH COONHOUNDS

4 year old English female. Outstanding coon dog, fresh tree dog, good about having a coon. $1500 Ivan Thornsbury 304-784-9542

OUTFITTERS/GUIDES

"HOUND DOGGING FOR BEAR" North Central Idaho, 8 Day Hunts more if you want. 100% successful.

Blueticks & Black and Tans It's a great time! SPRING: May & June FALL: Sept. 15 - Oct. 9 Weitas Creek Outfitters 208-9839267 www.idahooutfitter.com S GR SQ CH Rogers Cisco

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Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

Ed Rogers 989-445-0103 Alex Huyghe 989-863-0208

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

The Little Black and Brindle BY AUBREY JAMES

BY NO MEANS WAS HE THE LARGEST IN SIZE HE WAS SIMPLY A SMALL MOUNTAIN CUR WITH NO CHAMPION TITLE AS HIS PRIZE

LAW & ORDER WAS ESTABLISHED IN THE A.B.C. KENNEL AND IT WAS ALL BROUGHT ABOUT BY THAT LITTLE BLACK AND BRINDLE

THE FIRST TIME I SAW HIM STANDING IN THAT NORTH GEORGIA KENNEL I KNEW RIGHT THEN AND THERE I HAD TO HAVE THAT LITTLE BLACK AND BRINDLE

TO ONE HE RELIEVED OF SOME HIDE AND HAIR SO THIS BIG HOUND LEARNED HIS LESSON TO NEVER MESS WITH THE LITTLE BLACK AND BRINDLE CALLED BEAR

I LOVED HIS LOOKS SO WELL IT HAD MY MIND IN A FOG I PAID NO ATTENTION WHEN THE OWNER SAID HE WASN’T THAT GOOD A SQUIRREL DOG

I COULDN’T WAIT TO TRY HIM IN THE TIMBER BUT THAT FIRST HUNT TAUGHT ME ALWAYS TO REMEMBER TO FOLLOW THAT BOBTAIL CUR YOU NEED TO BE YOUNG AND LIMBER

I BROUGHT HIM HOME IN A CRATE THAT WAS WAY TOO SMALL BUT I HAD TO GET HIM BACK TO TENNESSEE BECAUSE IT WAS ALREADY LATE FALL

IT WASN’T BUT JUST A MINUTE HE BEGAN TO BARK YOU COULD TELL BY THE SOUND AND URGENCY IN HIS VOICE THAT HE WASN’T ABOUT TO DEPART

WHEN WE GOT HOME AND PUT HIM IN THE PEN WOULD YOU BELIEVE HE ACTED LIKE THIS IS WHERE HE HAD ALWAYS BEEN

I RUSH TO THE TREE AND THERE ON THE FIRST FORK SAT A BIG OL’ POSSUM GRINNING DOWN AT HIM AND ME

THE RACOON HOUNDS THOUGH TWICE AS LARGE SOON LEARNED A VALUABLE LESSON THAT THEY NO LONGER WERE IN CHARGE

AFTER ALL THESE YEARS THE FIRE IS STILL KINDLE BETWEEN MYSELF AND THE LITTLE BLACK AND BRINDLE

Full Cry | Apr / May 2024

Apr / May 2024 | Full Cry

100Full Cry | Apr / May 2024