This article is generated for the skeptics of coon hunting and an explanation of why we do what we do. I'm not here to change anyone's mind or opinions about hunting but to further educate people who are not knowledgeable about coon hunting and help people understand why we stay out all hours of the night with a bunch of old hounds.
Coon hunting is more than a sport or just a fun pastime, for most of us it's a way of life. Everything we do is directly affected by our hunting. Allow me to explain. First and foremost, a coon hunter must have a strong marriage and a very understanding wife. I can't count the number of times I've been chewed out for staying out all night with my hounds. Some folks are lucky enough to have wives who enjoy coon hunting as well, but I'm not one of them. I'm lucky to have a good woman who at least understands why I love it so much and doesn't say too much as long as I stay home a few nights a week.
Allow me to tell the story of how and why I got into coon hunting and the effect it had on my life.
As a teenager, I was a little on the rebellious side. Weren't we all...and the relationship between my father and I was less than desirable. We had a hard time bonding in any way and we fought over every little item. Of course now I realize that he was trying to make me into the man I am today and send me down the right path. That all changed with a phone call from my uncle asking us if we wanted his old walker dog "Blackie". Neither of us knew much about coon hunting seeing that Blackie was our first coon hound. My old man had been a couple of times when he was a kid but did not know all the little tricks that a coon hunter only finds out through experience. We took that old hound out and almost immediately we were getting along having a great time together.. something that hadn't happened for several years. Even today we still have that common bond and neither of us have gone without a coon hound since. I always look forward to hunting with my Dad and make every effort to do so as much as possible.
Our hunts are not about the kill as some may think. It's about personal gratification that your dog, the one you put hours of training into, is running and treeing the way you want and the way your training has taught him. We don't kill every coon we see but sometimes its necessary to take one depending on the level of training your dog is in. The end result of a coon hunt is not a dead coon but a coon being in the tree your dog says he's in. Lots of folks think that our hunting is wrong and everyone is entitled their own opinion, but some have crossed the line. We don't want to fight with a bunch of activists, we just want to hunt our hounds and have a good time. We treasure our hunting and we're here to stay! No one has to agree with what we do as long as they don't stand in the way of us dropping our tailgate and listening to our hounds run and tree. I hope this article has helped explain what our hunting is all about, not trying to change your mind just helping people understand our reasons.
Mark Vee of Valley Kennel, Speedwell, Tennessee
