Nite Hunting Is A Rush
Bear, lion, and boar hunters know well the thrill that comes when the hounds bring their quarry to tree or bay. There’s an adrenalin rush that’s overwhelming as the hunter slips quietly into a treed bear in the hardwood forests of the north, or climbs to a lion cornered on the rim rock of a western canyon, or hacks his way to the “catch” on a wild boar deep in a southern swamp. But, for those of us that love to hunt all kinds of game with our dogs, there’s a rush of another kind found in the sport of organized coon hunting called “Nite Hunt.” Picture this:
You’ve hunted five nights in a row and somehow, miraculously your hound, out of an entry of 600 at the start, is still in the competition. Five rigorous nights of hunting that began with sign-in at mid afternoon, an hour or more drive to the hunt club, and two rigorous hours of regulation hunting time with competition have finally ended as the sun paints streaks of orange and gray in the eastern sky. You have reached the mystical point we call the Final Four, a dream come true! At stake is a prize of $25 thousand and the title, World Champion Coonhound if you can make it through just one more cast.
All day long folks have been calling congratulating you and you’ve called every number on your cell phone’s directory to tell them that you’re “in.” Sleep has been impossible and the effects of five all night-ers have turned your now throbbing gray matter to mush. Finally the sun starts its westward move and you leave the motel for the drive out to the fairground for interviews, photos, and the most important coon hunt of your life. Managing the stress of the moment is almost more than you can do.
After the final cast ceremonies, you and the other three hunters, each of whom have had experiences equal to your own assemble in a convoy of pickups for the drive to the final casting spot. The lead truck holds the guides, followed by the judges with the trucks of the handlers falling in behind. The 30-minute drive to the woods will provide a few minutes of quiet time in which you give yourself a pep talk and try to sort out the myriad of situations that may occur and how you will process the information and make the right decisions. Thirty minutes is definitely not enough time!
The convoy leaves the blacktop and cornfields border the lane on either side. The white dust the convoy kicks up gives an eerie glow to the headlights of the truck ahead. Brake lights flash brightly and you realize that you’ve reached the battleground. The moment of destiny for you and your hound is at hand. You quickly mouth a prayer, “Dear Lord, you’ve brought me to this place for a reason. Now give me the presence of mind to do my best” as you switch off the key. This is it!
Four hounds, four handlers, two guides, and three judges make up the hunting party. The judges give instructions, the guides describe the lay of the land, and it’s handshakes all around as “Good Luck” wishes are exchanged. The territory is typical Midwestern coon country. A narrow creek winds like a snake through the narrow strip of hardwoods, bordered to the right from the cast’s view by a vast cornfield, to the west by 100 acres of soybeans. The September air has a bit of an edge to it and normally the light jacket you wear over a flannel shirt would be just right. Tonight, sweat beads line your forehead and trickle down your neck as the pressure begins to heat things up.
“Okay gentlemen. Collar your dogs. Are you ready? Cut ‘em!”
The hounds bail the creek dry as the horse race begins. The judge’s watch is ticking off the seconds until a minute has expired. Anxiety at this point is almost uncontrollable. “I don’t want to strike the wrong dog,” is the thought obviously going through each handler’s mind, “but I want the first strike!” Silence becomes deafening as the hounds sink deep into the timber.
Big game hunting is physical, it can be dangerous, and it requires a special breed of dog and handler to make it work. The same is true of competition hunting although the mental aspects of the sport are much more intense. Decisions come at the competition handler quickly. Do I strike on the first bark, do I tree on my hound’s locate, do I need first tree here or should I play it safe and take fewer points are typical of the questions we ask ourselves. The condition of the track, the actions of the other dogs, the sound of my hound’s voice are all signals that I must process and respond to correctly and often in a split second’s time. Anyone who has been in the pressure cooker of an important nite hunt cast can tell you just how incredibly intense it can be. If you are competitive, and all hound people are, don’t dismiss coon hunting as small time if you haven’t done it in the heat of big time competition. It definitely is a rush!