Episoder
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Steve’s guest is Tennessean T. L. Jones. Many of Jones’ friends know him as Tracey. Tracey is a third-generation houndsman and bear hunter. He is also an ordained Baptist minister and a newly-published author. He appears as our guest in this episode because he is a great speaker and an altogether interesting fellow on many subjects. Tracey has written a unique book titled The Old Men. Born in 1970 in East Tennessee, much of his boyhood was spent in the company of old men, farming, hunting, fishing and as he puts it, “loafering” in the Appalachian Mountains. Jones’ book consists of eighty-four essays representing conversations with the old men of his experience that help boys become men. Steve and Tracey are longtime friends. They share a love for the Plott Hound and much of the conversation in this episode centers upon their experiences with the special old houndsmen in their lives. For Steve, it’s the many years he hunted with his dad. For Jones, the experiences with his dad and his grandfather continue to inspire his pastoral work and his writing. Each attribute their attitudes and accomplishments to the good sense to listen to the old men. Whether you are young or old, you are bound to find something to enjoy in this unique episode.
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In this his final episode, at least for now, Corey joins Steve in recalling their memories of coon hunting in Michigan. Each served on the staff of Michigan-based United Kennel Club, albeit some ten years distant in times served, and they share, in this episode, many memories of hunting one of the very best states for coon hunting in the nation.
As summer winds down, what better way to usher in fall than stories of hunts under a harvest moon with corn shocks rustling and hound voices echoing across the fields, swamps and woodlots of Pure Michigan?
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Mangler du episoder?
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Jamie Estep is the busiest man in the coon hunting game. He's a sharp guy with boundless energy and a winsome personality. Not only is he a Field Representative for United Kennel Club, he serves as an official interpreter of UKC rules, anchors the annual YouTube broadcast of the UKC Tournament of Champions, is President of the West Virginia State Coon Hunter’s Association, the president of his local coon club, the principal of a Christian school and serves as a full-time pastor of his local church. Recently Estep was the overseer of a very successful West Virginia Championship which he and Steve discuss at length in this episode.
Being from the State of West Virginia, Jamie and Steve have a lot of common memories of hunts and hunters of the Mountain State. This one presents Dog Talk At Its Finest, Appalachian style It's a good one.
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The conversation moves to the topic of the Autumn Oaks shows. Currens is an octogenarian that was a hard hunter but remains very active by showing his Treeing Walkers in major competition.
We talk about the judges UKC has selected for “The Event Where History Is Made” and talk about Lee’s experiences having judged the event three times.
The “Dog Talk At Its Finest” mantra is well-supported in this episode as two veterans discuss many facets of the coonhound sport by way of their many years of experience, Steve as the manager and Lee as a major competitor. This one provides an enjoyable look at one of the nation’s most important coonhound events
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The boys engage in the usual “dog talk at its finest” in the opening minutes of the episode before cracking the lid on a can of mayhem and confusion centered on the age old “just who gives you the right” challenge. Triggered somewhat by comments on recent social media, Corey opens a discussion about who gets to decide what quality is in a given breed of hounds? And, beyond that, who has the authority to call the shots when it comes to breeding quality dogs? Does simply owning a great dog make the owner the be-all, end-all authority on the breed? Opinions in this episode are flying like starlings in the wind, the opinions no more authoritative than the flapping of wings yet no less passionate.
This is a lively discussion that’s bound to stir a reaction or two within every houndsman, color and conformation preferences aside.
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We’re taking about cheating. When Steve was with the registries he dealt with it on a fairly frequent basis. Determined to keep coon hunting in a positive light, he rarely wrote publicly about the subject, choosing to let the system deal with perpetrators behind the scenes. Now, unburdened by what was before, he and Corey spotlight the pencil crooks, the blind voters, the dog pitchers and catchers, and the movers and switchers in a sport that was built, and owes its very survival to the premise that honor belongs to whom honor is due.
You’ll enjoy this eye-opening look at the sport behind the scenes and, believe it or not, may come away feeling better about it in the process. There’s no substitute, no better remedy, for correcting the ills of dishonesty in competition than a good working knowledge of the rules of the game by all participants. The problems and solutions of keeping a level field are all here in this episode. We not only see the elephant in this episode, we skin it out and tack its hide to the wall.
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Steve and Corey touch on track dogs and tree climbers in this episode from the front porch on a dog day afternoon. Steve has some pretty serious views on the subject of climbing trees when training hounds and offers a strong admonishment to those tempted to apply the method to their training regimen in a single word, don’t!
Whether your drink of choice is sweet tea or a mint julep, pour a tall one and enjoy an hour or so with us, rocking to the Summertime blues
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Wes and Steve have known and have made many hunts with Heath over several years. It was on a Freedom Hunter’s Adventure with Heath that Steve and Wes became well-acquainted. This week the two come together to discuss some “Hyatt-style Adventures” that adequately spill the beans on the professional trainer. Woodyard credits Heath with bringing him into the hound sport and when he asked for the opportunity to give credit where credit is due on a podcast, Steve was glad to comply. The episode illustrates the importance of mentoring new hunters into the sport.
This is a feel-good episode that just goes to show that while bringing someone into the sport isn’t always easy, it can pay big dividends. Woodyard, formed in the Hyatt mold, is an extreme hound hunter that never shirks the hard stuff when it comes to hunting and harvesting black bears. Every hunting party needs one like Wes. You’ll enjoy this one.
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Hot weather is abundant and so are summertime tales in this episode. Recent exploits of the boys Plott dogs as well as the announcement of the upcoming nuptials of Corey’s female Goldie to Bill Shininger’s stud dog are front and center. The talk moves to the latest accomplishments of Steve and Mark Miller’s Plott Fever in field and water events and progresses to the realm of deep-thinking about how to decide when and to which stud to breed with an admonition to owners of females “not to wait too long.”
With Autumn Oaks less than two months away, the boys share some of their favorite humorous stories from experiences at “The Event Where History Is Made.”
This one is jam-packed with good information concerning how to improve club membership, explores the dangers of a once-common practice of climbing trees and culminates with a very interesting conversation on the importance of track dogs in the sport. The boys discuss the all-important question “which is more important, the track dog or the tree dog?” If you don’t listen to anything else this week, check out this portion of the podcast. It’s good stuff!
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Co-host Corey Gruver and Steve have been addressing various aspects of treeing in reference to coonhounds in previous episodes. In this podcast, Whatley joins in a discussion based on exploring the many aspects of trail or track dogs in our sport.
Whatley, in his competition days was well-known for following some mighty-good Bluetick hounds and Steve is not hesitant to explore with the man that fed them, the attributes of those dogs in regard to whether or not they could be identified as good track dogs. All the aspects of what it means to be recognized as a “track dog” are explored in this episode. Dex is very knowledgeable, can be extremely humorous and speaks with an accent and with the demeanor of one that is definitely Lone Star to the bone. Enjoy.
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Desiring to do something to stimulate activity and participation in coon hunting among Georgia’s youth, Riley approached Professional Kennel Club’s National Youth Director Chris Freiberger for ideas. The result is the Peach State Shootout series of qualifying events held throughout the summer that will advance the overall winners to a championship to be held in the fall.
This episode spotlights coon hunting from the perspective of a young man that totally enjoys and totally gets it. You are going to be energized by the demeanor and knowledge of a young man possessed of ways of thinking usually reserved for hunters much older than he. If you love the sport and I know you do, you are going to especially enjoy it from the perspective of Caden Riley.
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In this episode Steve picked up the phone on the chance that he talk with his longtime friend and was lucky enough to catch Moran before he headed to the woods. The conversation that ensued was vintage Moran with stories of hounds and hunts of the past, humorous antic dotes and amazingly detailed trips down memory lane that winds through virtually every states when raccoons are pursued with hounds..
As listeners will see, Moran’s mind is a sharp as a double-bladed axe fresh off the grinder permitting the vintage coon hunter to hone his stories, including names and places, to a fine razor’s edge. If you are a Moran fan, and we know you are, you’ll really enjoy this episode.
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In this, the second episode about tree dogs, the boys are dealing with problems that occur at the tree. Everything from tree jacking to chewing to guarding the tree are discussed in detail.
In their years of experience with tree dogs of all types, the pair has experienced and have attempted to correct all manner of issues that make what should be the sublime experience of walking up and seeing game in the tree at the end of the trail, a stressful and often worrisome experience for the hunter.
The episode is ripe with common sense approaches to dealing with tree problems and is a program most any tree dog enthusiast will appreciate even if they don’t recall as personal experiences. Admittedly, there may be more problems identified than resolved in this issue with a promise of more solutions to come. Tree problems are complex and the hosts don’t take them lightly, being careful to present only useful, commonsense remedies.
Prepare to hear discussions on milling at the tree, dogs that become jealous at the tree and dogs that become hunt sour after entering too many competitions. There’s a lot of information packed in this issue and it’s all intended to make the experience of hunting game with tree dogs more enjoyable. There is also an admonishment that if the listener is afraid to correct problems at the tree, he or she may well need to find another dog or at the extreme, another sport.
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“A brace of cane-backed rocking chairs invited the pair with oaken arms and soon the rough-sawn wood floor was creaking with the ebb and flow of their rocking.” Taken from “Too Old To Quit,” an essay from his Gone To The Dogs – A Coon Hunter’s Journey book by Steve Fielder.
In this week’s episode, Steve and Corey participate in some summertime front porch-sitting and the conversation turns to the core of the sport of hunting furbearers with the quintessential tree dog.
As sure as pointing dogs point birds and waterfowl dogs retrieve ducks, tree dogs tree game. Tree dogs come in all sizes, styles, mouths and a plethora of preferences by the hunters that follow them.
How long is long enough to stay treed? What is locating ability? Are layup dogs really just hot-nosed dogs that work air currents instead of scent on the ground? Which is more preferred, a chop-mouth or a bawl-mouth tree dog and is there really a difference are but a few of the subjects explored.
If you consider yourself a tree dog man, we’ve got the tree. We just need you to help us find what’s up it this episode.
We would like to thank those who support this podcast. Special thanks to Alpha Dog Nutrition and Double U Hunting Supply for sponsoring this episode. Want to learn more about Alpha Dog Nutrition? Check out the links below
https://www.dusupply.com/alphadog
www.dusupply.com
https://alphadognutrition.com/
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While he was gone, Corey joined the fund-raising ranks with his involvement in a charity called Wags for Kids. His plan involves raising money for deserving kids needing therapy dogs and such and it produced the idea of a coonhound stud dog auction. Thirty owners agreed to provide stud service on social media to the highest bidder with all proceeds going to the benefit. The plan is working great and the boys talk about that in this episode which naturally leads into a much broader discussion of the ins and outs of running a stud dog in today’s tree dog market.
The discussion runs the gamut of pros and cons and provides a lot of insight and information for anyone thinking of putting a nice hound up for public stud. Pull up and rocker, sharpen up your Ticonderoga #2 and let’s talk stud dogs with Corey and Steve.
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J.R. Gray, at 27 years of age, has compiled quite a coon hunting resume with his hounds. Prior to winning two world championships, Willy made the All- Grand Top 16 at Autumn Oaks and was named the UKC Male Performance Hound of the Year, both in 2017. Willy is also a PKC Platinum Champion having earned more than $20 thousand in that registry’s events.
As if Willy’s accomplishments weren’t enough, Gray finds himself basking in the limelight of one of today’s most prestigious wins, the UKC Tournament of Champions with a son of Rack Em Willy called Grand Nite Champion Gray’s Conor McGregor. Conor captured the coveted first place win and a check in the amount of $50 thousand at the second annual UKC Tournament of Champions in Greencastle, Ind., in April.
Steve catches up with J.R. to discuss his amazing career with Willy and Connor in this timely and extremely interesting episode. Listeners may be surprised at the perspective this young man has on the sport as he reveals what the sport means to him. This is a good one for the young hunter and seasoned veteran alike.
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When your dad’s the most successful Treeing Walker breeder in recent history with major money wins, World Championships and Hall of Fame inductions at every turn, it would appear that sharing the big stage, the limelight if you will, would be a long time coming in the shadow of dad Randy’s success. When you have the attitude, work ethic and the respect for the game of a seventeen-year old Troy Smith, being recognized for your own achievements seems as natural as summer rain.
In this episode, Steve heads up to western Pennsylvania to hunt with Troy and Randy and to record Troy’s story. The trip entailed two nights of hunting with a pair of Lone Pine yearlings, Lone Pine Phara at seventeen months and Lone Pine Phalse Profit at fourteen months. A total of nine raccoons were seen on as many trees on the two-night hunt. The second night was a short one as Steve respected the early departure time for his homebound flight.
This recording is worth your time for a number of reasons, especially if there are young hunters in your family or circle of friends. It presents the opportunity to view the sport and what it holds for young ones that indeed will inherit it and carry it forward. Refreshing is the word that comes to mind.
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Recently, Jamie Estep, who joins Sturgill and Bolen in this episode, designated the annual National Plott Hound Association’s West Virginia Plott Sectional the John Sturgill Tribute Hunt and Show. Sturgill was honored throughout the recent three days of hunts, shows and bear events. Estep invited Steve to judge the bench show on Friday, setting up the perfect opportunity for the friends to get together and recall old times.
This is a feel-good conversation centered upon hunting in the rugged West Virginia mountains with Plott dogs. Estep recalls Sturgill and Bolen as role models for his own career which now includes the title of Field Representative for UKC and anchor for the YouTube video coverage of the popular Tournament of Champions for coonhounds.
Steve is betting you will really enjoy this one.
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Florida coon hunter Mack Britt of Parrish, Florida, an unincorporated community in Manatee County near Sarasota on the west coast, began coon hunting with his dad as a boy. He was bitten by the hound dog bug at an early age and has remained true to his calling for nearly fifty years.
The reasons Mack was chosen as a guest for this podcast are manifold. First and foremost, he is a “good old boy.” I’ve never heard a disparaging word uttered about Mack among his peers within the community of Florida coon hunters. I’ve driven thousands of miles with him to PKC hunts, his hunt of choice, and have enjoyed every mile. I talk with him regularly by phone.
Secondly, Mack is a veteran coon hunter in an area the is not for the faint of heart, an area where the numbers of coon hunters has dwindled over the years. He knows Florida coons and their habitats as well as anyone and better than most. He isn’t afraid to brave the hazards of hunting alone in a jungle swamp and does so regularly. When a dog trees, his or yours, he will hack, crawl, and crash his way through palmettos, cat-claw briars and soft-bottomed, snake-infested swamps to get to the dog.
If you’re wondering what it would be like to hunt coons in Florida, here it is. It ain’t pretty, but if you are the adventurous type, there ain’t nothin’ like it!
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This episode will be Corey’s last for awhile as he and his wife Kayla welcome their second child, another girl, into the Gruver household. It could happen at any time. It’s an exciting time for sure and one that will demand a little more of Corey’s attention than usual. He’ll rejoin the show as soon as things settle down a bit over there in Greenville, PA.
In this, Corey’s parting episode, the discussion moves to observations on the recent UKC Tournament of Champions. We break down the hounds and the handlers of the finals and offer some pretty darn good arm-chair quarterbacking of the final three from the perspective of individuals that have seen their fair share of major events from behind the scenes.
At the center of this one is a discussion on why Walker dogs win when other coonhound breeds don’t. You can almost hear the porch boards squeaking as the motion tries to keep up with the spirited conversation. Grab a rocker and join in this “dog talk at its finest.”
- Se mer
