coon hounds

As they contemplate the trip and all it will entail in the coming days, they take time to recall the Autumn Oaks 25th anniversary event in Jasper, Indiana in 1984, 39 years ago!   Nubbin remembers well the years 1984, 1985 and 1986 when his Black and Tan Hank was declared National Grand Nite Champion of the Black and Tan breed in each of those years was overall winner in 1984. 

The boys talk about the upcoming trip to the White River National Wildlife Refuge in this episode and admit, with some remorse and no little trepidation that they are getting older and may be needing to seek younger hunters to join the trips going forward to assist in handling the dogs. They’re not there yet but that picture is obviously coming into view.

The Gone To The Dogs podcast is nothing if not a candid discussion whomever the guest may be and this one is no exception.  But true to form, the boys have a good time when they get together and that’s evident throughout the episode.  We’re betting you’ll enjoy the stories and the banter in this latest account of Fielder and Moore On The Road. 

Author of the "Beagle Tales" books series, Reverend Robert "Bob" Ford (The Beagle Bard) joins Bear to talk about hunting snowshoe hare in New York, Mountain Hare in Norway, and bunnies on the beach. Also discussed at length Bob's excellent books about beagles that also include God, and his new book "Bramble Rambles", a book about God that also includes beagles!

From the first episode in September of 2021, the aim of the Gone To The Dogs Podcast has been to reach out to guests from across the whole spectrum of the hound-hunting sport, competitors, breeders, trainers as well as forks of the creek practitioners that ply their trade on the creek banks and woodlots down home.The podcast seeks out the guys that know good hounds and always seem to have one at the end of their leashes to fill the guest’s chair in every episode. 

Troy Hoffman is that kind of guy.  A heavy equipment operator that manages the 500-acre family farm in western Indiana on the side, Hoffman hunts coons and coyotes with hounds, outwits big gobblers and trophy-class bucks with gun and bow and still puts up the occasional coon hide for area buyers to bicker over.    His appeal to Steve and hopefully to the listener of this episode is that our guest is neither enticed nor enamored by the spotlight of major league competition hunting.  He’s a tell-it-like-it-is kind of average guy that, if you listen closely, you’ll agree has an awful lot to say. 

We talk about his plotts, his new litter of plott crosses, his border collie herding plotts, MMA, epic beards and the rewards and challenges of striving for the best results with our hounds. This is one worth listening to!

Today's episode it the product of an awesome anniversary trip for Mike!  Many of you know Mike as he has been with DU for 10 years and is our Director of Operations and Service. To celebrate Buddy took him up north of the border for a very successful bear hunt.  But don’t think that it was all roses and sunshine, it wouldn’t be a “Buddy Story” if there weren’t a few trainwrecks or speedbumps.  Let’s just say that were just happy they both made it back across the border and back home.  

In this episode Steve Fielder recaps the history of his family's involvement in breeding and hunting purebred  Plott coon and big game hounds over a period spanning sixty-eight years, Steve discusses the crosses and the reasons behind the crosses of the effort that resulted in four hounds being inducted into the National Plott Hound Association Hall of Fame as well as Hall of Fame inductions for his father, Homon Fielder into the West Virginia Bear Hunter's and National Plott Hound Association's Halls of Fame.  This episode should serve as inspiration for anyone aspiring to make their mark as breeders, hunters and spokespersons  for their individual breeds of choice.  

When Steve’s brother Randy introduced him to the wit and wisdom of professional speaker Lee McBride, there was an immediate connection to the rotund comedian and pastor from the Land of the Crimson Tide.  Later, when Randy revealed that McBride had penned a poem that had spoken to his sportsman’s soul like none he had heard, Steve knew he wanted McBride on the podcast.

This episode introduces Lee McBride to the Gone To The Dogs audience with the promise that this will not be his last appearance.  McBride is a storyteller in the mold of Jerry Clower; down home, southern, and with an affinity for real life situations, many of them revolving around hunting and especially hunting with hounds.

This is a pop-a-top-on-grape-Nehi-and-take-a-seat-on-the-pop-cooler type of episode that anyone with a soul’s connection to the out-of-doors will love and appreciate.  Give it a listen and see for yourself. 

In this episode Steve talks with Corey Gruver of Greenville, Pennsylvania.  Steve and Corey have a common denominator in their backgrounds, each having worked for United Kennel Club, the recognized chief registry of coonhounds worldwide.  Furthermore, each worked with coonhounds and coonhound activities in what is now the Hunting Ops Department. 

Steve became interested in having Corey share the Gone To The Dogs microphone as he recognized Gruver’s wide interest in several breeds and combinations of breeds of tree dogs. Steve wanted to, and does, explore the reasons his guest has chosen to enjoy several breeds instead of being a single-breed hunter as most are. 

While at UKC Gruver wrote several articles that piqued Steve’s interest as well convincing the host that his guest would be an interesting speaker and he certainly doesn’t disappoint.  He’s a very interesting guy and has no difficulty expressing himself on several subjects of interest to listeners of this podcast. 

Sit back and spend a couple of hours with Corey and you’ll readily see why Steve invited him to join the impressive list of hunters that have shared the Gone To The Dogs Podcast microphone with the old coon hunter. 

Billy Dwyer of Slidell, Louisiana and Kesten Jessee of Lebanon, Virginia share a common goal; to finish a well-bred coonhound pup from scratch without help from other dogs.  Both are accomplishing what they intended to do and this episode covers their stories.

Billy’s hound Ruby is a Treeing Walker female and Kesten’s hound Clyde is a Treeing Walker male.  Both are less than two years old and each of them had their owners often questioning their future outcomes.  The boys discuss how they accomplished the goal of having each hound treeing raccoons on a regular basis and making their owners proud.

This is a short list of basic steps that enabled the hunters to realize their goals.  Each hound remains a work in progress but with more than one hundred coons treed to date, the plan is working to near perfection. 

This is an episode for the hunter that would rather have it his or her way than to purchase a hound created by someone else.  Don’t let the title of this episode fool you.  These guys know their stuff.  

Audible books, for many, are replacing hardcopy for many reasons but mainly for convenience.  Hunters particularly enjoy the ability to listen while logging windshield time to and from the hunt.  Testing the waters so to speak, Steve has chosen to read an essay from his book titled Time Travel.  The piece spotlights Steve’s physical journey to the land of 1950’s author and self-proclaimed “perfect” hunter/houndsman Samuel J. Hunnicutt who wrote the cherished Twenty Years Hunting and Fishing in the Great Smoky Mountains.  Steve read the book in the 1950s and it remains one of his favorites.

Additionally, Steve visits by phone with octogenarian coon hunter Fred Moran the Redbone Man to catch up on the night-hunting exploits of one of the sport’s oldest and most active hunters.  The visit is vintage Moran with hunting stories and humor to burn.   

Want to hear the rest of Steve's story?  Make sure to check out "GONE TO THE DOGS - A COON HUNTER'S JOURNEY" 

 Steve Fielder Books

Gone to the Dogs  (dusupply.com)

 They talk about the experience they bring to the table, the challenges keeping them up and running, and the responsibility we have as houndsmen to accommodate the dogs that have given us their all.

Is it possible to learn trust on a paddle board? Destiny Stephens did just that! All the training and patience paid off in the middle of a lake with her coon hound Argo. Does training and patience pay off in our relationship with our dogs and God too? Our Vision on God & Our Dogs is discovering a new perspective and rely on God the way our dogs rely on us.

Host:  Meg Grier - Stories@GodAndOurDogs.com

Website:  www.GodAndOurDogs.com

Recorded at Wheelers Western Outfitters

God and Our Dogs airs every Saturday at 9am on Boerne Radio 103.9FM - www.boerneradio.com.

Original Air Date:  10/08/22

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The episode includes an on-the-scene conversation in North Carolina with Mark Miller on the morning following a Saturday night pleasure coon hunt before Steve heads back to Florida to batten down the hatches before the storm hits.  The original plan for this episode was to interview coon hunters in North Carolina, Virginia and Pennsylvania and bear hunters in Virginia.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature had different ideas.  Thanks to listeners for understanding the brevity in this episode.  It simply couldn’t be helped.   

Title:  Episode 16:

Today, our guest is Diana Bertoldo, who is a dog momma to two hounds.  Diana is warm and so relatable. She has unique views that I loved hearing!   Be sure to listen for her very worth considering idea for a president - all in the name of loving our dogs. :0)   Her website is: http://dianabertoldo.com/.

Our Big News: a second weekly episode!
Coming on Wednesday, September 2nd:  Wednesday Wisdom episodes - for dog training tips and PLUS more dog stories!   I get many questions about common issues such as  barking and jumping up on furniture so I'll share how to deal with these unwanted behaviors and offer other useful help.

Join our free Facebook Group Community - Dogs are the Best Friends!  We are starting some little mini workshops and other informational sessions to help us all be the best dog owners we can be - from thinking about our dog’s health to keeping them busy while you’re working.. we’ll be sharing a lot.  (https://www.facebook.com/groups/dogsarethebestfriends/)


Last Week's Episodes -
14 (Monday) & 15 (Friday) :  CJ Puotinen, author and presenter shared about her reactive dog, Blue Sapphire along with great training tips to help others


About us:This podcast is for dog lovers to share and hear about dog stories, training tips, and other helpful bits of information. Please review and subscribe to the Dogs are the Best Friends podcast as that helps others find us! If you want to share a story or two about your dog(s), be sure to fill out the Contact Us form on the website: https://dogsarethebestfriends.com/