Kathryn Baxter of Mississippi is a Plott owner I’ve known for several years. She has rich family traditions, education and experience contributing to her enjoyment of Plotts. Here is Kathryn’s story:
“My father’s family had Walker hounds as early as the 1920′s. They possum hunted on a regular basis. Walker hounds were part of our family way of life until my grandfather, W.F. Baxter, died in 1945. My dad, Mack Baxter, and uncle, Dan Baxter, started the Beagle kennel in 1946 and it remained very much a part of our lives until my uncle’s death in 1994. I still have Beagles, one 13 inch, Hottex Rowdy Bobo and a 15 inch Beagle named Hottex Jake.  “I became involved with American Foxhounds in the summer of 1994 when I showed my first foxhound pup, Kelly Mt. Carolina Lady. Caroline was the daughter of CH Kelly Mt. Prime Time, who was owned by James and Judy Rea of Clarkesville, Georgia. As I became more involved with the foxhounds, I was fortunate enough to breed a litter in 1996 and obtain my first homebred Champion. Foxpaws KBAX Missouri Peach began her show career in May of 1997 as a six month old pup and became a Champion out of 9-12 month Puppy Class in November of 1997. In March of 1998, Miss Peach went into the top ten American Foxhounds at #4 and never looked back. When I retired her in 2002, she was # 7 and still going strong. She was an absolute joy in my life and in the show ring. We wore out a Bronco II and two Dodge vans showing all over the South and Midwest. Peach was a great traveller and we had many conversations while travelling. I miss her every day and still see her sweet, intelligent expressions in my mind. She certainly turned heads and attracted attention when she entered the ring.

“I acquired my first Plott in August of 2007. AKC CH/UKC GR CH Whitedeer Texas Playboy, also known as The Bobbster came into my life as a three month old puppy. He took over my heart and my life from the minute I first saw him. “Bobby” has been everything that I could have imagined and more. He is extremely intelligent and a very no nonsense hound. He means business in the ring and on the bench. His puppies are big, well built, smart and also no nonsense.
“I also have pups out of Neimeyer’s Plott Justine who came from Christina Officer’s kennels. Jussie’s pups are hunting hogs in North Mississippi and doing an outstanding job. Robin Nolan is their owner and trainer and is pleased with their progress at such a young age — 10 months.
“I have been very fortunate to have wonderful mentors for all of my dog breeds. My father, Mack Baxter, and my uncle, Dan Baxter, taught me what I know about Beagles and horses. Thanks to their early involvement in dogs and horses, they provided a foundation that has served me well for almost 61 years. My mentors in American Foxhounds are Mrs. Judy Rea and the late Mr. James M. Rea from Clarkesville, Georgia. The combined total of experience in the Rea family with the American Foxhound exceeds 100 years. The Reas have made a tremendous contribution to the foxhound breed and are to be commended for their persistence and hard work over the years. In the Plott breed, I could not ask for better mentors than Joe Burkett and Sonia Yearwood. Both have been a tremendous help over the past five years and I look forward to many more years of their help and friendship. I turn to them for all of my questions and clarification on coonhound history and details that I sometimes forget. Jackey Jones from Byhalia, Mississippi is a neighbor, UKC Bench Show Judge, and Master of Hounds. He is my judging mentor and neighbor as well.
“I am currently working toward becoming a UKC bench show judge and eventually expanding to include UKC multibreed judging. Plans for Plott hounds in 2012 include starting the young four month puppies on the bench in May and finishing their dam UKC/AKC CH Whitedeer KBAX Seven Spanish Angels to Grand Champion. My older pups are ten months old and have been shown on a limited basis, but once the summer approaches, they will be showing more also.”
My soapbox spiel continues. There is no possible way to totally illustrate the influence and power of wealthy “charities” operating at taxpayer expense. But donations from the “Hysterical Society of Uninformed Simpletons” continue to fund the Animal Rights (AR) campaign against pet and livestock owners as their lobbyists line the pockets of our legislators.

I attended a seminar in March at Paris, Texas hosted by AKC and Royal Canin. The information on breeding and nutrition was excellent, but the finale given by AKC Rep Stacy Mason was chilling. She is a former AKC Inspector and very familiar with federal, state and local laws regarding the breeding and owning of dogs. Her message emphasised the steady encroachment of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and their “sidekick” the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) as they continue to receive millions of dollars in donations from pet owners unaware they are contributing to the demise of ALL domestic animal ownership and a forced vegan diet. The animal rights (AR) goal is no meat, fish, poultry or dairy on menus worldwide. They use legislation pushed by AR lobbyists with deep pockets to create costly expenses for owning, maintaining and breeding pets and livestock.

“We have no problems with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding.”
Wayne Pacelle, CEO Humane Society of the United States (HSUS).
Animal People News, May 1993. www.HumaneWatch.org is a valid site for information about the AR activities and promotions. But I also recommend www.hsussucks.com. www.petakillsanimals.com and www.exposeanimalrights.com.
Hope to see y’all at competition events with your brindle hounds as I travel with Harley or judge bench shows and UKC multibreed shows.

By Sonia Yearwood, PO Box 894, Center, TX 75935, skybluplotts@yahoo.com

yearwood_sonia_unofficial_plott PDF

1. How to learn the fundamentals of coon hunting.
I ran into a couple of kids the other day on the parking lot at the local Walmart. They drove up in a Ford Ranger pickup with a beat-up dog box in the back. They saw my dog box and wanted to say hello. I walked over to the truck and greeted a pair of genuine country boys, evidenced by the faint smell of wood smoke on their camo clothing. I asked if they were coon hunters and they said yes. The next logical question to them was, “what kind of dogs do you hunt?” They told me they had an old Walker female and a young Bluetick. I kidded them by asking, “why a Bluetick?” The smaller of the two kids was sitting on the passenger side and answered, “Cuz that’s better than a Black and Tan.” We all laughed and they asked me the same. I told them I was probably worse off in the dog department than they were in that I hunted a Plott. I told them I had my dog in the box and they wanted to see him. Of course that gave me a chance to show off my training skills as I let my three-year old male Hoss out and put him through a few obedience paces; sit, stay, down, come, and kennel. They were impressed and said they had never seen a dog handle like that. I told them that all it takes is patience and time and they could have their dogs handling like that, too.
Our conversation turned to places to hunt in the area, inquiries about other hunters that they knew and wound up with the smaller fellow asking me how much I would charge him to train his young Bluetick. I jokingly said, “I’m 65 years old. I seriously doubt I’ll live long enough to train a Bluetick,” and we all laughed. I then told him, no, I wouldn’t take the dog for training but I would be glad to go along with him and show him methods that have worked for me in starting young dogs. I gave him my phone number and I’m waiting for him to call. I hope he does because there’s nothing I like more than working with young people in this sport. The thing that makes this opportunity so appealing is that these fellows are totally innocent and haven’t been spoiled by many of the current approaches to training that are out there, methods that are supposed to make instant coon dogs out of six month old pups. This was supported by the fact that neither of these kids had ever seen a coon hunting magazine.
I was fortunate to be the son of a real woodsman. I learned at an early age where to go to find a coon track in an area where coon ere extremely scarce. I learned what feeds coon were on at certain times of the year and how to distinguish the type of game my hound was running by the sound of its voice, or by the way in which a track traveled. A hound running in short circles in a weedy or thick place was probably running a rabbit. A hound trailing cold and then hot alternatively up a creek bed was probably running a mink. A hound cold trailing in a circle without treeing was likely to be working a grey fox. A wider circling running track that went in and out of hearing and crested the ridges was likely to be a red fox. A hot track that rapidly went out of hearing and headed toward a body of water was most likely a whitetail deer. Skunks and possums were obvious.
I learned that coons feed on sweet corn in July but rarely touch hardened field corn until midwinter after the fall acorns and other mast crops are gone. I learned that coon will flip cow pies over in search of beetles in the summer, will work a branch for spring lizards (salamanders) and crawfish about any time, love blackberries around pasture fields and old roadways in July and August, love the fence rows where wild cherries are ripe in August and September and will be storing up winter fat in the oak woodlots and on the ridges where the wild grapes strangle the trees in October and November.
I learned that coon will “lay up” for hours feeding on acorns and wild grapes and that it takes a dog that can wind them laying up there without smelling a track on the ground to tree them accurately. I learned that some dogs can trail a cold track and tree a coon off that track that cannot figure out which way a hot track is going, lacking the brain power to put “direction” to the track. I learned that some dogs open quickly on scent, even scent they cannot make forward progress on while others can cold trail with precision giving very little mouth in the process. I also learned that some dogs bark a lot on a cold track and “shut up” as the track warms, hoping to catch the coon.
I learned that the coon sitting higher in the tree is usually the boar, that when treed on a steep hillside the coon will usually be on a limb on the downhill side, that a coon sitting with its nose pointed toward the moon will rarely look no matter how much you shine and squall unless he happens to be sitting on a vine you can shake. I learned that in extremely hot weather a coon will likely come down for water in the hot afternoon and lay up until the wee hours of the morning when things cool down to stir and feed. I learned that on the coldest, snowiest nights of dead winter, if I just have to go hunting, the best place to strike a coon is along a body of water. I learned that moonlight nights usually produce coons treed in dens or in evergreens and that trash tracks are more abundant on these kinds of nights than are coon tracks.
I learned that a hound develops into a better cooner if permitted to learn at its own pace. Attempts to “fast-start” some hounds fail and those pups are culled when a little time and patience, exposing the pup to opportunities continually without “pushing” often results in a better hound. Dogs are like kids. The ones that are permitted opportunities continually but are allowed to develop a love for learning usually make better students in the long run.
Stud dog ads are largely responsible for creating the need for pup buyers to push a pup beyond its ability to process the training. If he’s not a six-month wonder like the other pups in the ads, he’s a loser. If nothing else in this article clicks, please take this one to heart. Remember the Ernest and Julio Gallo commercial – “We will sell no wine before its time?” Apply that philosophy to pup training. Don’t cull that pup until you are sure he or she is mature enough to process the opportunities you are presenting them.
2. How to find places to hunt.
Most coon hunters will agree, the most severe threat to the sport of coon hunting is the decline in places to safely run our hounds. The current economic downturn has somewhat stemmed the tide of building that was the case a few years ago. Urban sprawl is taking a breather for now and with the decline in building the demand for hardwood timber is somewhat diminished. A downside to the poor economy for coon hunters is that land owners, including the big timber companies with hundreds of thousands of acres across the south, and small farmers alike are looking for tax breaks. They have learned they can offset their tax burdens by leasing the land. Leases usually involve deer and turkey hunters that generally hold dog hunters in disdain. Combine that with hunting seasons that exclude dog hunting, like Mississippi’s spring turkey season for example and you see that finding opportunities to run dogs can be a challenge.
Many states now have recreational trespass laws that require written permission. Many landowners will give permission to hunt but don’t want to put it into writing for fear of repercussions should someone get hurt on their land. When I lived in Michigan I devised a written permission statement and carried copies in my truck. When I approached a land owner about hunting I showed them the form that stated that I would not hold them responsible for injury or death incurred while on their property and that if my dogs or I were responsible for damage to his or her property while engaged in hunting or training dogs, I would be fully responsible. I signed it along with their signature allowing me to hunt their lands. I never had a landowner refuse to sign the form after I had signed it in their presence.
Your demeanor when asking for permission has a lot to do with the answer you get. I usually went on a Sunday afternoon. If possible I took my son or my wife with me. I washed my truck before I went. I put on presentable clothes. I wanted to present a wholesome look. If I appeared with a three day growth of beard, dirty jeans and t-shirt and drove a vehicle covered in mud the landowner was likely to draw many conclusions, one of which could indicate that I had been up all weekend digging ruts in some farmer’s field with my 4×4. I usually make the point that my dogs don’t run livestock and chase deer and that I have the means, via the GPS unit and the Tri-tronics to control them at all times. I ask if it’s okay for me to come at any time during the night or would the land owner prefer early evening hours before he goes to bed. I assure the land owner that I will not climb his fences except when absolutely necessary and then only at the post, I’ll close all gates behind me that were closed before I arrived, that I won’t drive across his fields and that I will not leave anything behind me that was not there when I arrived. I have to continually remind myself that I am a guest and that I must behave on the landowner’s property just as I would behave if invited into his home. Learn this lesson and develop this attitude and you will find that most farmers will let you hunt.
3. How to select the right kind of gear
We’ve often joked about the guy at the hunts with the $40,000 truck, the $1000 tracking system, the $800 dog box, the $500 shock collar, the $400 light, the $200 boots and the two-dollar dog. But there’s no denying it, the equipment you choose will not only enhance your enjoyment of the sport but will also improve your odds of having a successful hunt, whether for pleasure or in competition. Here is my list of fundamental gear items that I have with me on every hunt:
First, you need a quality light source. I am absolutely sold on the new, lightweight LED lights that are on the market today. In my view there is no longer any need to carry the weight of a battery box or pack on the belt. Secondly, in order to have a comfortable hunt, a good pair of well-fitting rubber boots with water resistant chaps properly sewn to the leg of the boots is essential for wading briars and nettles and for crossing creeks. John Wick once said, “When your feet get wet, the fun’s over,” and I agree. Thirdly you will want to invest in a Garmin GPS-enhanced tracking system and learn to use it. It will help you recover your dog, keep the dog out of harm’s way and take you to the truck at the end of the hunt. If you are a young hunter, electronic gizmos offer no problem to you and you will catch onto the use of the Garmin quickly. If you are a geezer like me, ask one of the kids at the club to show you how. Next in order is a Tri-Tronics Trashbreaker trainer. Read all you can about the use of this trainer and never turn your hound loose without it. Its applications are too many to list here but trust me and don’t leave home without it. Of course you will need a 4×4 pickup and a dog box to round out your list of essentials. I would add a good quality coon squaller such as the Zepp and a good pocket knife. For some of you, a stop at the corner store for some chew is also an essential. I’ll pass on that, thank you very much.
4. How to buy a coonhound without getting burned.
Coon hunters are human and humans by their very nature will lie. I have a friend that teaches in public schools. I have heard her tell of watching kindergartners doing some type of negative behavior and when asked, “Johnny, why did you do that?” Little Johnny says, “I didn’t do it.” The teacher replies, “I was standing here watching you do it,” to which Little Johnny says, “It wasn’t me.”
If there’s one thing that brings the urge to prevaricate to the surface in the human race it’s this thing we call coon hunting. Coon hunters, like fisherman can’t resist the temptation to lie. Do you think that’s harsh? Consider this scenario, one I’ve witnessed many times over the years.
Time out has been called or the hunt is over and a dog has not been handled. The owner employs the tracking device and leaves the cast to retrieve his or her dog. Upon return, what does the handler say? You go to the head of the class if you get this one right and get to wear the dunce cap if you miss it. I’ll bet you a dollar against a donut that the handler says, “He was treed and had the coon.” I have never heard a handler in that situation say, “He was treed slick.” Why does the handler think he has to lie? Unless lying is that hunter’s best friend, the answer lies in one word; pride.
When we put our nameplates on these coonhounds they become extensions of ourselves. An average dog becomes a “number one coon dog” because to admit anything less would be to admit that we either don’t know how to train a coon dog or we were dumb enough to buy an “average” dog when the world knows we hunt nothing but the best. This type of lying is generally harmless to our fellow hunters (I’m not going to venture my thoughts on what the Lord thinks about it) unless we employ it to help us sell the dog to the unsuspecting buyer. This is where lying becomes larceny and unfortunately for us, there are a lot of folks out there that are making a living by it.
There’s only two ways to keep from getting burned on a dog deal. The first is to go and hunt with the dog, not one night but as many nights and under as many different types of conditions as you can. The second is, if you do not know the owner of the dog personally, and have not had previous dealings with the owner of the dog to the point that you know that you know that you know that man to be absolutely honest, don’t take his word for it. In case you missed that, I’m saying: “Don’t take anyone’s word as to the ability of a dog unless it’s a guy you would send to Vegas with your credit car andd the deed to your home.” Get the point? Why? Because when it comes to dogs most coon hunters just can’t help but lie. If this offends you, you either are absolutely honest or the truth hurts.
And as a footnote to this item, a new coon hunter should buy a veteran cooner as his or her first dog. You will be surprised in this world of “pups” how many good coonhounds, many of them with Grand Nite Champion titles are for sale once they graduate out of the pup-hunt stage of their lives. Buying an older, finished coonhound will serve to teach the young hunter more about coon hunting that all the articles like this in the world and they represent the best buys in the coonhound market. Then, once you have the “feel” for the sport, find a good-blooded pup of your liking and train it with your veteran cooner. That’s probably the best advice you will read in this article this month.
5. How to breed, buy and train a coonhound pup
Coonhound magazines are full of stud ads and all proclaim to be the best since sliced bread in terms of “reproducing” themselves. The rule of thumb when looking at a prospective stud is this: “You don’t get the stud, you get what he produces.” That’s true but to put all your eggs in the stud dog’s basket when deciding to buy a pup is just half the equation. Any prospective pup buyer should remember this. There are no 100% guarantees in terms of what a cross will produce and there are no absolute “proven crosses.” Yes, there are crosses that have produced outstanding offspring but there is no guarantee that when that sire and dam are bred again that the pups will turn out like the previous ones just as there is no guarantee that the title the dog holds indicates the type of coonhound you will want to hunt and feed. The dam of the pup is vitally important, too. Here is my advice to anyone looking to buy a pup that will hopefully be a good prospect and with proper handling and training, will become a winner or a pleasure dog you will be proud to hunt.
Look for a “family” of dogs that carry the traits that you prefer in a coonhound. Almost all purebred coonhound pups of today will tree. A well bred pup should possess the treeing instinct as inherently as the desire to eat, drink, sleep and poop. Most well-bred pups will tree before they run track. Once I’ve found the family of dogs I like I would try to get a pup from a 12.5% inbred cross from within that family; uncle to niece, aunt to nephew, grandsire to granddaughter, granddam to grandson, or half-brother to half-sister crosses are key. I would avoid family breeding of the 25% variety meaning sire to daughter, mother to son or full brother to full sister matings. Lloyd Brackett, called Mr. German Shepherd for his success with that breed, selected his stud dog and then bred five daughters of that stud to him, daughters that most resembled the stud, and produced astounding results in the show ring. I’m not advocating that kind of intense family breeding because most of us don’t have the stomach to cull when inbreeding brings faults to the surface as it surely will.
Let’s say there’s a stud out there and you’ve gone out and hunted with him. You like his looks, his genetic background and the way he gets in there and gets the job done, finishing with that classic loud tree bark you have been looking for. Of course he needs to have the coon. The next thing you need to do is to try to find a granddaughter or niece to that dog that looks, acts, and hunts as much like that stud as you can. If the stud owner doesn’t have that bitch, then your job is to either persuade the owner of that bitch to breed to your chosen stud or to buy the female and breed her yourself. That’s the quickest route to getting the type of pups that you want with a word of caution repeated from the open words of this item. There are no guarantees and there are no 100% proven crosses. I have witnessed, on several occasions repeat matings that produced pups that were nothing like earlier matings of the same cross. I have also witnessed some astounding results when breeding coonhounds in this way.
Like the young hunters mentioned in the first item in this piece, many of us lack the knowledge to train a coonhound pup. For me, training means teaching the pup basic obedience, house breaking and displaying the best of manners when with people, other dogs and livestock. I look to nature to provide and develop the basic elements that a coonhound requires to become a top hound. My job is simply to expose the pup to learning opportunities that will allow his breeding to surface. Here are some basics:
a. Expose a pup to a caged coon once or twice just to let him know that’s what you are after. Tie the pup back, place the coon out of his reach and use another dog to bark at the cage. If the pup shows no interest, drag the cage back and forth just beyond his reach. Never lead a pup up to a caged coon and try to force it to react to the coon.
b. Once the pup is barking at the coon, take it away. The next step is for another training session. Take the caged coon and place it in an open field. Go back and get the pup and turn it loose, walking in the direction of the cage. When the pup finds the cage and barks, go to it and tie the pup back. I use one of the screw-in stakes for this purpose. Turn the coon loose toward the woods, preferably 50 to 100 yards distant. Let the pup watch the coon until it is out of sight. Turn the pup loose. It will sight-chase the coon in the direction it went but when it gets to the woods it will have to use its nose to find the coon. Usually the coon will go up the first tree it comes to and the pup’s natural treeing instincts will surface. I would do this a couple of times max, each in a separate session and then take the pup to the woods at night where it will encounter wild coon scent.
c. Too much sight work on caged or “hang-up” coons, either on the ground or in a tree is detrimental to producing a coon dog that will locate and tree off scent. Many hunters shoot a coon and drag it for the pup, hanging it up on a low-hanging limb. If you do this, do it sparingly, once or twice and that’s it. You are only trying to trigger the pup’s instincts. If you persist, you will produce a dog that wants to tree by sight.
Of course there are many other elements to training a coonhound pup, most of which involve keeping that pup in the woods once he starts but that’s a whole book in itself.
6. How to develop a lifetime network of coon hunting friends
I once talked to a fellow that told me he had worked hard for everything he had attained in this sport and that no one ever gave him anything. I replied that I was very proud of the fact that many of the treasures I had gained in this sport, including many tangible ones, came from others. The “I am a rock” attitude displayed by this young man, if carried on through the years will no doubt result in many lonely days when age and time takes its inevitable toll and he is no longer able to get the personal high from winning that is so important to him now. I have been fortunate to do many things in this sport, things that some of you will never get to do. I’m not bragging about that, I’m just extremely thankful. I’ve presented World Champion trophies to, and taken pictures of no less than 30 World Champions in my days with the registries. I’ve witnessed the unveiling of priceless oil paintings and witnessed firsthand the joy on the faces of the winners of 15 Purina Outstanding Nite Hunt Coonhound of the Year awards. I’ve helped to crown National Champions and National Grand Champions and I’ve traveled the length and breadth of this country attending coonhound events. I’ve shaken the hands of thousands upon thousands of coon hunters over the last 35 or more years. These experiences are priceless to me and I list them here simply to say that in the midst of all this activity, the network of coon hunting friends that has been the result of all this is indeed my most valued treasure.
Because of my network, I am able to pick up the phone or shoot an email to any area of the country and inquire about virtually any subject related to the sport and I know I will get the information I need quickly and accurately because of my friends. This network has been invaluable to me both in my career and in my personal life. My network contains vendors that have come to my rescue when I needed products for a special event. My network contains knowledgeable dog men and women that will meet my needs when I need a well-bred pup to train or as recently was the case, when I wanted to buy a well-bred cur pup for squirrel hunting. My network provides information on where to stay when in a certain area hunting or what kind of boots and chaps will best suit my skinny legs and narrow feet. Anything I need to know is available to me because I know the right people to call and you can develop that kind of network too.
I realize that coon hunting has not been a career for many of you but there are means available to you today that don’t require thirty years of time. The coonhound message forums, classified sections and social-media sites like Facebook provide the opportunity to meet people in this sport. When you go to an event, take your game face off and go over and talk to as many people as you can. If you find you have a common interest, exchange phone numbers or email addresses. Breed association membership is an excellent opportunity to find friends that hunt your preferred breed of hound. Attendance at major coonhound events provides a virtually unlimited source of opportunities to meet people from all over the country in the span of two or three days. When you see a dog box in a pickup at the gas station on as was my case, at the local Wally World, make a point to talk to the owner. Leave your number under the windshield wiper if he or she isn’t around. Pick up the phone and call the numbers you see in the ads or if you are a cheap skate like me, send an email and get acquainted. The result will be a network of friends that you will cherish throughout your coon hunting career and especially in retirement when you will have the time to travel and do more than you ever thought you could.
7. How to make your mark on the sport.
We all know guys that have made a real difference in our sport. Some are breeders, some are handlers, some are innovators and some are known for their integrity under all types of situations. There are others, whose names appear in the barred lists of the various registries that have made a negative mark. I’m assuming those of you reading this would prefer that your mark be a positive one. Or, perhaps you are just a guy like my dad was that just wants to go out in the woods with his hounds and thoroughly enjoy the experience with no desire to be in the limelight of the sport. Regardless of whether we set out to make a mark in this game, we will make it in one way or the other.
One lesson I learned many years ago is that integrity is something very important to anyone wishing to make his or her mark and it’s strictly up to the person whether that integrity remains intact or is lost. Integrity is not something someone can take away from us. If we lose it, it’s because we chose to do so through our actions.
Over the years at the registries I learned more about some people that most others would likely know and it wasn’t all good. People have done some incredibly stupid things to “get ahead” in this game and it came home to bite them. Over the years we also went to court several times. It was usually because someone let the desire-to-win-at-all-costs get the better of them and they wound up on a barred list. Don’t be that guy.
If you want to go to the head of the class in this game, breed a better litter of pups by doing your homework, train a better hound that will win prestigious titles for you by studying the methods that have worked for others or by developing common-sense methods of your own. Have the desire and patience to really learn what makes a coonhound tick and apply that knowledge to your hounds to the point that others will see the results and come to you for advice.
You can also make a negative mark by lying about a hound you want to sell, “pitching” your dog on track or tree, looking for loopholes in the rules to ensure a win when you are getting your butt handed to you on a platter by a better hound in the cast, and by employing the big “I” in every conversation you have with other hunters. Doing these things will make you the subject of many conversations around the clubs, the kinds of conversations that will suddenly change or get quiet when you walk up to join the crowd. Again, don’t be that guy if you really want to make your mark in this sport.
8. How to handle your hound successfully in competition
Whether you are new to coon hunting or have never tried it, the lure of the competition hunts will entice you to get out there and try your hand at handling your hound. Americans are competitive by nature and especially when it comes to performance dogs like coonhounds. Competition within the ranks of coon hunters is as old as the sport itself. Competition hunts as we know them today began after World War II and have evolved into one of the most popular types of sporting dog events in the country.
After reading all the hype and seeing all the winner’s photos online and in this magazine, it’s easy to think that your dog is not capable of competing. That’s nonsense. Many of the winners you see in these pages are simply dogs like yours that will run and tree and are fortunate to be in the right place at the right time with a coon sitting above their heads that decided to cooperate and look at the judge’s light. Sure there are dogs that excel at the game but most of the dogs out there in the hunts are no better than yours and mine.
What can make the difference in winning and losing is how well you handle your dog in the hunt. The word “handling” in this case is a misnomer. We’re not talking about catching the dog at the tree. We’re talking about having a fundamental if not thorough knowledge of the contest rules to the point that you know when it is required of you to claim your dog and beyond that, knowing just how many points you need to win the cast. Good handlers know that and unlike Bubba, who at the all-you-can-eat-for-a dollar buffet, orders three dollars’ worth, they claim only the number of points they need to win or to protect the score they have.
Gary Hern, who has won World Championships in two registries told a young hunter in Michigan, “Everyone in the cast knows your dog treed first but that doesn’t mean you have to take every first tree.” That’s good advice. Without writing a book on handling I’ll simply hope that you remember these points:
a. Know the dog you are hunting inside and out. This is only accomplished by hunting that dog several nights, week in and week out.
b. Strike your dog on or before the third bark when it is opening honestly. Don’t be the guy that strikes his dog off the chain on a babble. It will come back to bite you.
c. Don’t pitch you dog on the tree. Recognize your dog’s locate and tree him when you are reasonably sure he will stay. You don’t have to be first. Sometimes, on a questionable tree it’s better to take last tree to simply protect your strike points from being minused if the coon is seen.
d. Be aware of the scores of the other dogs in your cast. If you are safely ahead, don’t make foolish calls. John Wick impressed me with his talk to the young hunters at the AKC Youth World Championship when he asked them to repeat the most important thing they should have learned from what he told them; “Don’t put minus points on your dog that it doesn’t deserve.” That’s good advice for any handler.
9. How to maintain the health you need to participate in this sport.
Although vigorous at times, coon hunting does not provide the degree of cardio-vascular workout activity that is essential to good health and a long life with the sport. I am a perfect example of that. I have never weighed more than 165 pounds and weigh about five pounds less than that now. I have never been a smoker, don’t drink alcohol other than an occasional glass of wine with dinner and rarely eat fatty foods. Nonetheless, I suffered a heart attack in 2006 while participating in a UKC Nite Hunt in North Carolina that resulted in double bypass surgery at Duke University Hospital. The villain was my genetic history of high cholesterol and triglycerides combined with too many hours sitting in front of a computer monitor at work. I was one of the lucky ones in that I did not die in the woods but the coon hunting history books are full of the names of guys that did just that.
If you are going to coon hunt, and you are not in shape, you are flirting with disaster. It is essential that you maintain a steady regimen of proper diet, daily exercise that builds and maintains your heart rate and an annual checkup with your family doctor. Walking to trees on an average coon hunt will not keep you in shape regardless of where you hunt. Consider the condition of your health if you want to continue to enjoy the sport, and your family and friends, into your retirement years.
10. How to avoid the pitfalls that many coon hunters fall into
If you have chosen coon hunting as your chief recreational activity you have not chosen an easy sport and that’s evidenced on many levels. It’s a given that you will lose lots of sleep, your patience and your bank account will be sorely tried and at the end of the day, or night as the case may be, you will wonder how in the world you of all people got into this crazy sport. You are not alone.
One to the chief pitfalls that young hunters make is that the lure of the woods at dark-thirty becomes all-consuming to the detriment of things that should occupy a higher spot on their priority lists. Many are the tales of once-married coon hunters that left a lonely girl at home too many nights because come hell or high water, when it got dark they were going hunting. I once sat in a breed association meeting in Illinois on a Saturday afternoon with a well-known hunter from Ohio that has since passed away. He said, “Steve, I’m in big trouble. My daughter is getting married tonight in Ohio and I’m not going to be there.” I’m still shaking my head at that one but with some coon hunters, that’s the way it is. Don’t be that guy either.
When we were raising my son, travel was an integral part of my job at UKC. I missed birthdays, important ball games and family gatherings because of the weekend travel. When I was home I always put family matters ahead of hunting, always. If the family wanted to do something on the weekend of a hunting trip I planned, I cancelled the trip. Family was vitally more important to me than hunting. Anyone who is thinking otherwise needs the proverbial check-up from the neck up.
Secondly, don’t make promises you can’t keep. It bothers me that coon hunters seem to get a pass when it comes to commitment. Just ask any hunt director on the night of the big hunt when it’s time to put the guides on the scorecards. Sure, clubs can be demanding, especially when they schedule big hunts, but if you tell someone you will be there, barring any emergency, you should honor that commitment. Otherwise you will be labeled a liar. Harsh, maybe but that’s the way I see it.
If you tell someone you will buy a pup and whether they require you to send a deposit or not, don’t blow it off when you change your mind. You told them you would take the pup, now take it. If you tell someone you will be there at a certain time, be there. I have been guilty of this. I’ve always seemed to have several balls in the air at all times and often have been 15 minutes or more late in meeting a hunting buddy for the night’s hunt. Now, if I’m going to be late, I call. It’s not fair to use someone else’s time because I didn’t plan properly.
If you put enough faith in someone’s stud dog or the litter of pups they are offering for sale to purchase one, don’t be a pansy and ask for a guarantee. You are the one that made the decision to buy the pup and barring any obvious health issues that were present in the pup when you bought it you should assume full responsibility for your decision in buying the pup. God only knows whether that pup will turn out. If you made the decision to buy, that’s your decision and you need to live with it. Some will disagree with me. I had one fellow in Texas that bought a pup from me tell me that he had bought 30 purebred coonhound pups and never had one that started. He wanted me to refund his purchase price because the puppy was aggressive in the food dish. I told him I would but he would have to return the pup in good health. I never heard from him again. I wonder what he did with all those pups?
Don’t be a slob hunter. Don’t hunt where you don’t have permission. Don’t leave gates open and litter behind. Don’t cut muddy ruts in the farmer’s field. Don’t shine your headlights into a farmhouse window when you turn in the drive. Don’t kill coon out of season. Don’t kill every coon out of a tree. Don’t bad-mouth your hunting buddy’s dog. Don’t brag on your dog to the point of making everyone at the clubhouse nauseous. Better yet, just simply follow the Golden Rule and that will help you to avoid all the pitfalls of this sport that may come your way. Thanks for reading.

By Steve Fielder

Steve Fielder – Ten Things Every Coon Hunter Should Know PDF Download

WORLDWIDE PLOTTS: SWEDEN. Hello Plott family. My name is Lena Laaksonen. I grew up in North Sweden, along the border of Finland. Growing up very few women hunted here because it was frowned upon. I didn’t care, nature and hunting was a big interest of mine that I would not give up. My boyfriend Per Persson grew up in the mountains and was taught to hunt early on in life. He mostly borrowed dogs to hunt until 2008 when got a dog of his own, a Plott. All of our Plotts are UKC registered and originate from Ursus Kennel, but they have different bloodlines. We hunt everything from big to small game. However, when it comes to hunting bears and lynx in Sweden, the numbers that are allowed to be hunted in each district is limited. When the quota is filled, the season is over. Since it’s a short and intensive period we make sure our Plotts are in top healthy condition. Plotts are the perfect match for us; we love their calmness, as well as their stubbornness, goofy pranks, personalities, and their unstoppable drive to find prey. They are well suited for the Swedish landscape and climate; they can track lynx in the deep snow for several hours as well as trail brown bears for several kilometers since they tend to run rather than stop. Please check out our kennel’s website huntingbyplot.wordpress.com. At request, I will send you the English versions.
Finally, remember these final things: Fully support all of your Plott Associations and keep Plotting those hunts!

By Jesse Howell

howell_jesse_western_plott

Howdy, folks. I hope you and yours are well. Come on into camp, get comfortable and let’s talk Plott dogs!
It’s hard to believe it is June already, I can’t recall a milder winter or a hotter spring, and the weather here continues to get stranger by the day. Snow in the mountains last week, hail storms and cool weather the rest of the week, 80 degrees and sunny yesterday, cool and cloudy with more thunder storms today. It reminds me of what an old-timer once told me – “If you don’t like the weather here, just stick around for about 15 minutes, because it is sure to change.” That has certainly been the case recently.
Before getting on with other topics, I am saddened to begin the column with some bad news. Plott hound legend, Mr. Gene White of Knoxville, Tennessee, passed away on April 18, 2012 after a long illness. Mr. White was survived by his beloved wife Helen and daughter Jean, as well as two step children, and literally hundreds of friends and admirers in the Plott dog world. He was 76 years old.
Mr. White leaves a legacy among modern day Plott hunters and breeders that will likely never be surpassed. His White Hollow Plott Kennels have sold dogs around the world and deservedly share the reputation as being some of the premier big game Plotts ever known –and they have continued that reputation for over half a century!
There are too many illustrious White Hollow Plott dogs to list them all, but a few deserve special mention. And for those of you not familiar with Mr. White, these dogs should give you an idea of just how important he was – and still is – to modern day Plott history.
White Hollow Little Junior was one of his most famous dogs. Mr. White hunted Junior all across North America – from the Gulf of Mexico to deep into Canada, and as far west as Washington state, and as far south and east as the Dismal and Okefenokee Swamps. Little Junior had over 300 bears killed over him, and countless more that were treed and released.
Little Junior’s incredible lineage provides at least a partial explanation of his success. Everette Weems’ Plott’s John,, Clyde Bounds’ Black River Bolly, Kermit Allison’s Bear Creek Duke, as well as Mr.White’s own superb White Hollow Junior –among others—were just a few of the famous dogs that Little Junior descended from.
Another of his fine dogs was White Hollow Clyde, who Mr. White purchased from Bob Young. Like Little Junior, Clyde’s pedigree reads like a who’s who of Plott dogs –Everette Weems’ Plott’s Dan, Leroy Haug’s Swampland Star, Clyde Bounds’ Black River Bolly, Steve Mohr’s Ursus Rowdy, and a host of Cascade dogs –including Cascade Big Timber – are just a few iconic names behind this great hound.
Clyde treed or caught 33 hogs and 7 bears in less than six months in 1979. During the course of his career Clyde ran in front of such iconic hunters as Willis Butolph, George Ricks, Bob Young, James Brown, Ray Brown, Ron West, Ronnie Creasman, Arza Scott, Mike Beamis and Dick Freeman – most of who also hunted behind Little Junior.
And Mr. White was no slouch as a hunter himself. All of the above listed hunters –and many others –praised White for his hunting skills and his ability to run with his dogs to be among the first to the bear tree or hog bay. I talked with several hard-core Haywood County, N.C. bear hunters who often hunted with Mr. White in the rugged area along the Tennessee-North Carolina state lines known as “12 Mile.” They said that Mr. White was one of the toughest hunters they had ever been in the woods with –and these boys are not quick to praise anyone, so this is about the highest compliment a man could expect.
Not only was Mr. White a great hunter and dog breeder, but he also played an integral part in helping Oliver Smith III get the Cascade line firmly established on the east coast. Doyle DeMoss of course, is credited with starting the Cascade Plotts in Washington State, where they were famous by the early 1960s. Mr. Smith later bought Big Timber from DeMoss and combined the Cascade line with his already established pack that he had previously obtained from Hack Smithdeal. The end result was some of the finest Plott dogs the world has ever seen.
Mr. White and Mr. Smith hunted together often and regularly traded and bred dogs together, which led to the Cascade bloodlines being introduced to the White Hollow Kennels. It was also about this time that another of Mr. White’s close friends and hunting buddies –Berry Tarlton – made a dog trade that helped firmly establish two other renowned Plott lines –Tarlton’s Houston Valley Plotts and Homan and Steve Fielder’s Bear Pen Plotts.
Tarlton traded his Jap gyp to Mr. White who intended to use Jap for a brood dog. Tarlton later got a pup of his own from Mr White that was out of Jap. That pup was named Tarlton’s Roberta and she became the foundation of the Houston Valley line that is still producing top Plott bear dogs a half a century later.
Roberta was later bred to Cascade Big Timber –this litter produced Tarlton’s Big John and Bear Pen Plotts Bronco –both renowned bear dogs. Bronco was owned by former NPHA president Steve Fielder and his father, the late Homan Fielder. Bear Pen Bronco is now in the NPHA Hall of Fame.
I could go on and one –but my point is this: The dogs that came out of Gene White’s White Hollow Kennels are enough to secure his place of honor in Plott hound history. And just those contributions alone are more impressive than those of many better known breeders who will remain unnamed.
But when you factor that legacy in with Mr. White’s incredible hunting record, and the contributions he made to other illustrious Plott kennels such as the Houston Valley and Bear Pen lines –among many others – it is easy to see why he should be remembered and recognized as one of the great modern Plott legends of all-time.
Ironically, I mentioned last month that I missed Mr. White at Breed Days this year, and that I enjoyed talking with him when he was there last year. Little did I know that he would never return and that his name can now be added to the list of other legends that we have lost recently — such as Frank Methven and Lawrence Porterfield.
And just as I said last month, the good Lord broke the mold when he made men like that. No one will ever replace them. May they all rest in peace and may we all fondly remember them for what they did to perpetuate the Plott breed. We are forever in their debt.
But as sad as Mr. White’s passing is, we can take some solace in the fact that his “buddy,” his beloved daughter Jean will carry on his White Hollow Plott Kennels. I am sure he would be proud of that. Please keep the White family in your thoughts and prayers.
Let’s move on now to other NPHA news. I mentioned in our column last month that we’d have the results from the 27th Annual North Carolina NPHA Plott Sectional put on by the WNC Houndsman Association Inc. in Asheville N.C. on March 30-31, 2012. Thanks to Gary Cox and Gerald Chandler for sending the results to me.
By all accounts it was, as usual, a splendid event, greatly enjoyed by all in attendance. Space limitations restrict me from listing and including photos of the top five winners in every category – but rest assured that all of the winners and their photos will be included in the upcoming NPHA yearbook. But in the meantime, here are a few of the results:
— Saturday Bench Show Grand Champion Female, Best Plott in UKC Show, Best Plott All Plott Show: GR CH Melrose Mountain Jezebel Jett, owned and handled by Clint, Veronica and Owen Pace.
— Saturday Bench Show Champion of Champions: CH PR Black Rock Ivy, owned and handled by Henry Keefer.
— Saturday Bench Show and Friday and Saturday UKC Nite Hunt winner, and Grand Champion Winner & Best Opposite Sex UKC Show Grand Nite Champion Winner both Friday and Saturday, and High Scoring Plott Overall: CH GR NT CH PR Cody’s & Smith’s Carolina Scout, owned and handled by Robbie and Tiffany Cody.
— 1st Place One Dog Bear Bay: Anderson’s Windy Gap Butch, owned and handled by Lawrence Anderson.
— 1st Place Three Dog Bear Bay: Pete, Blue and Rebel, owned by Mike Cole and Kenny Shelton.
— Saturday Bench Show, Best Opposite Sex All-Plott Show: PR Jenkins Carolina J Bullet, owned and handled by James Jenkins.
— Saturday Bench Show and Bear Field Trial JR Class Male Winner and Bear Field Trial Line Heat Winner: PR Allison’s Bear Creek Amos, owned and handled by Amanda and Hunter Edwards.
— Saturday Bench Show, SR Male Class, Breed UKC Show: PR S7W Plott Sam, owned by Cassie Wallin and Kenny Shelton, handled by Gene Wallin.
— UKC Field Trial Line Heat Winner: PR Allison’s Bear Creek Emma, owned by Bryan and Hayden Edwards, and handled by Hunter Edwards.
— UKC Field Trial Winner and Bear Field Trial Winner: PR Chip’s Nabek Sis, owned and handled by Charles Moore.
— 1st Place Bear Treeing Contest: PR Carolina J Bullet, owned and handled by James Jenkins.
— 1st Place Coon Roll Cage: Allison’s Bear Creek Cricket, Owner Marion and Kaye Allison, handled by Hunter Edwards.
— 1st Line Winner, Bear Field Trial: Toby, owned and handled by Katie Croom.
It should be duly noted that all big game competition events were not UKC or NPHA sanctioned events and were held on a separate site sponsored and coordinated by the Mount Mitchell Hunting Club.
The NPHA Big Game Nationals were held in Hickory Grove, SC on April 20 and 21. The weather and location were both perfect and it was great not only seeing the events, but talking with friends such as Gene and Ann Walker, Kenny Shelton, Richard Hope, Paul Wagner, Steve Bradley, Marion and Kaye Allison, Katie Croom, Mike Bertrand, Les and Bill Daniel, Mike Mehaffey, Roy Clark, Moke Anderson, Steve Fielder, Johnny Gibson, Kevin Lundholm, Chip Moore, Gary Cox, Mike Cole, Scrubby and Delana Rogers, Gerald Chandler, and too many other folks to mention them all.
But I’d like to make additional special mention of two couples that attended the Nationals – Mr. and Mrs. Homer Pace and Mr. and Mrs. Dan Long. I had heard of Mr. Pace for years, but had never formally met the Pace’s until last year when they attended a program that I was doing in Rosman, N.C. I really enjoyed talking with them then, and it was truly a pleasure to get to spend some quality time with them at the Nationals.
It was also nice to see Mr. and Mrs. Dan Long again. I had talked with Dan—as I almost always do – at Breed Days this year, but his wife was unable to attend Breed Days due to a serious illness. She was greatly missed, as I always enjoy visiting with her as well.
I am happy to report that Mrs. Long is now recovering nicely and was a pleasant addition to the crowd at the Nationals. During her recuperation, Mrs. Long has been doing some beautiful paintings of wildlife scenes including a stunning painting of some Plott dogs baying a big bear. She had it framed and on display at the officers tent.
These two couples, as well as many other dynamic husband and wife teams such as Marion and Kaye Allison, Gene and Ann Walker, Scrubby and Delana Rogers – and too many others to list them all here – are truly the backbone of the NPHA. Like the old saying goes, behind every successful man is a good woman – and that is certainly often the case in the Plott dog world. Again, it was great seeing all these folks — and many others – at the Nationals. Club officers are to be commended for doing a great job in putting this event together.
All winners and photos of same will be included in the NPHA yearbook, but in the meantime here are some of the NPHA Big Game National winners:
— 1st Place Open 1 Dog Bear Bay: Sam, owned and handled by Carroll Allen.
— 1st Place Open 3 Dog Bear Bay: Smoke and Red, owned and handled by Dave Williams, Blue, owned and handled by Chad Rhyne.
— 1st Place All-Plott 3 Dog Bear Bay: Butch and Ruger owned and handled by Lawrence Anderson, Sam, owned and handled by Carroll Allen.
— 1st Line and First tree in Bear Field Trial: Clyde, owned and handled by Logan Chambers.
— 1st Place Bear Treeing Contest: Misty, owned and handled by Gene Walker.
— 1st Place One Dog Open Hog Bay: Betty, owned and handled by Logan, Jessica and Bryson Chambers.
— 1st Place 2 Dog Open Hog Bay: May and Dusty, owned and handled by Tony and Iszick Wynn.
— 1st Place Youth One Dog Bear Bay: Boss Man, owned and handled by Brandon and Hayden Hooper.
— 1st Place Open One Dog Bear Bay: Boss Man, owned and handled by Brandon Hooper.
— 1st Place All-Plott 3 Dog Bear Bay: Pete Pete, Blue and Dusty, owned and handled by Kenny Shelton and Iszick Wynn.
— 1st Place 2 Dog Hog Bay: Dusty and May, owned by Kenny Shelton, handled by Iszick Wynn.
— 1st Place 1 Dog Open Hog Bay: Buck, owned and handled by Mike Cole.
— 1st Place 3 Dog Open Bear Bay: Sam, Cash and Martha, owned and handled by Carroll Allen and Nick Redmond.
— 1st Line, 1st Tree Bear Field Trial: Maggie, owned and handled by Dickie McCall.
The First Annual Plottfest was held in Maggie Valley, N.C. on the same weekend as the Big Game Nationals. But despite the conflicting dates, the event got off to a great start with concerts, arts and crafts, the WCU Plott Exhibit, and plenty of good food and great fellowship. Best of all, all the proceeds went to Haywood County Head Start program.
Several Plott family members were in attendance, such as Shane Plott, his wife Carolyn, and their children Tyler and Jessie, as well as Johnny Plott, his son Monte along with Monte’s wife and son. My wife Janice, our son Jacob and I were also there enjoying the festival.
Shane brought along his pretty Pocahontas Plott hound, Caty, NPHA stalwart and master bear hunter Mike Mehaffey came by late in the day and had several of his fine Laurel Mountain Plotts on display for the crowd—beautiful dogs! Mike is such a great guy and truly a wonderful advocate for the Plott breed. And another real nice local family –whose name now escapes me –also had their nice Plott dogs there for the crowd to see.
It was good to visit with my good friend Rick Jenkins, his lovely wife Tomi, and his brother Randy — what great people! And Rick is a die hard Plott man for sure. He has some nice Plotts from the Cascade line and just obtained a really fine Crockett gyp. I always enjoy spending time with Rick.
The promoters of Plottfest have assured me that they want to grow this event and work with members of the local and national Plott dog community to involve us more in the future. They would like to have a bench show, a kid’s show, and maybe a night hunt if clubs will assist and sanction it.
I don’t mean to get on my soap box here, but folks, we really need to get behind this event. It is a wonderful chance to get our good names out in front of the general public to better represent us, our sport and our dogs.
This is a very unique opportunity – and one that we must take advantage of. And best of all, it is in the cradle of Plott dog history with scores of famous landmarks – such as the State and Blue Ridge Parkway Historical Markers, the homes of Von, John, Mont, Amos, Robert and Hub Plott all nearby – not to mention, fantastic restaurants, shopping, the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and many fun tourist attractions. This could be a family vacation and a superb Plott dog event. But it is up to us to make it happen.
Don’t get me wrong, our NPHA and APA events are great – and we need to fight to keep them going. But when we are together at those events we are literally preaching to the choir as like minded individuals. But here, we have a great opportunity to not only enjoy our usual fellowship among our family and friends, but more importantly we have the chance to expose and educate the general public as to who we really are and what we really stand for.
The promoters intend to start planning for the 2013 event in early May, and they are asking us to set the best date that won’t conflict with any of our events, and a date that will allow us to attend and support the event in large numbers. I implore the officers of both the NPHA and APA to contact me as soon as possible to get this done. If we miss out on this opportunity we have no one to blame but ourselves.
And I don’t mean to be rude, but please don’t waste my time or yours telling me why we should not do this –I know we can not have any big game competitions there, and I am NOT suggesting that we even try. That would be stupid. But we can do a lot of other positive things and best of all, be in total control of how we are portrayed. We don’t get many chances like this anymore, so I hope we don’t blow it. Again, I sincerely hope you will get behind this event. I usually tend to keep most personal opinions to myself, but this is just too important to ignore. Thanks for listening.
Now, on to the mail bag. As I have said many times before, I want this to be your column, so please keep those cards, letters, emails and calls coming. I still work a full time job, but I always do my best to respond to each of them, and make mention of them in the columns, so please send me your feedback, event results, opinions or anything else pertaining to the Plott dog world that you’d like to discuss.
Despite the efforts of Irv Corbin and other dedicated California Plott people, it looks like we can add California to the growing list of states that are outlawing hunting with dogs. We nevertheless want to thank Irv and many others for their efforts in fighting the passing of this law and for keeping us updated on their efforts.
Mike Mehaffery reports that all North Carolina bear hunters are asked to meet in Raleigh NC on May 2, 2012 at 10:30 AM to meet with the state wildlife commission to discuss their plans of considering the adoption of a black bear management plan. Obviously this meeting date will have passed before you read this, but it is just a reminder that we need to stand together and fight for our rights. Please keep an eye out for further updates and attend any future meetings that you can to support our North Carolina hunters.
I continue to get a lot of support for my earlier comments about the breed standard and the buckskin color in particular — though many have asked that your names not be used. I continue to be somewhat perplexed as to how this many folks – like me – are supposedly in favor of putting the buckskin back in the NPHA and UKC breed standards, yet the vote to reinstate the buckskin failed. I must be missing something here. But that’s a topic for another day.
I got another nice letter from Orville Mansholt from out in Illinois. Mr. Orville writes that he continues to take young folks coon hunting and included a photo of some youngsters that he started in the sport. Mr. Orville writes that youth are the key to the future of our sport. I totally agree with him and commend him for his long time service to the breed. I hope he will send me that photo of the coon with a white blaze; I’d love to see it.
It was, as always, nice hearing from Duane Smith up in Vermont. His letters as usual, are entertaining and insightful. I never fail to learn something from him. His friendship and insight is greatly appreciated.
I have not talked with Mr. Hoke Rawlins lately, but I finally did get to talk with his friend Dr. Richard Guill, who lives not too far from me. Dr. Guill is a dedicated Treeing Walker man and a true pleasure to talk to. He is almost 80 years young, still hunts, keeps dogs and enjoys spending time and traveling with his lovely bride –I believe he said they had been married for about 60 years and still going strong. I look forward to visiting with him soon.
I enjoyed talking with Randy Roy of Fort Butler, Florida recently. He is a former high school football coach and avid bear and hog hunter. Randy runs Plott dogs out of the renowned Kamphouse line and has enjoyed great success with them. He also lives near, and is friends with Ellet Bias and Bobby Joe Houston — two legendary Florida Plott men.
Speaking of Floridians, it was great to hear from my buddy Rusty Gill. Rusty and his wife will celebrate their 25th anniversary this month. Congratulations to them both!
I have not heard from Mr. Bud Lyon recently and missed him at Breed days, but I hope he is well and I hope to talk with him soon.
Glad to hear from David Williams who was just nominated for the presidency of the APA. The APA could not have nominated a better candidate; he will do a great job. And it is always good to hear from Jess Howell, David Jerigan, Chris Crotts, David Blanton, Jason Pounders, and Logan Sorrells – all dedicated and hard hunting Plott men.
I have not recently talked with my good friend APA charter member and NPHA member John Jackson, but I plan to do so soon. I have a Taylor Crockett print that I think he will enjoy. Speaking of John, I wholeheartedly agree with his recent comments about the “mysterious” Jonathan Plott who some people still mistakenly claim brought the Plott dog to America and later to Haywood County N.C. Folks, John is correct, that is simply not true.
I first explained this myth in my first book Strike and Stay the Story of the Plott Hound back in 2007 and I have since written two other magazine articles further dispelling this rumor. And in my latest book –Colorful Characters of the Great Smoky Mountains – I explain my theory as to how this myth got started. It’s too lengthy to get into here, but suffice it to say, there was never anyone named Jonathan Plott that had anything to do with the origination or perpetuation of the Plott breed. Enough said.
However, the last time I checked, I believe that the NPHA still credits Jonathan Plott as breed founder on their website. I hope they will correct that in the near future.
I usually try and include a little Plott history in every column, but I think we pretty much already covered that in our brief tribute to Mr. Gene White. However, I will add a photo of Herbert “Hub” Plott of Maggie Valley, N.C., and his Plott hound Rattler. Rattler was supposedly a very aggressive dog and notorious for being fiercely loyal to Hub.
Hub was born in 1893 and died in 1973. He was the son of Robert Henry Plott –who was the last Confederate prisoner released in the Civil War – and the great grandson of Henry Plott who first brought the Plott dogs to Haywood County in about 1800.
I visited Hub and his wife Nannie often when I was boy and greatly enjoyed their company. My Uncle got his Plott dogs from Hub and they were some of the first that I ever remember as a child, until later seeing Von Plott’s dogs in the mid-1960s. I profiled Hub and the entire Maggie Valley Plott clan in my third book – Legendary Hunters of the Southern Highlands. I am happy to report that Hub’s grandson, Shane Plott, has joined me as one of the few Plott family members still raising Plott dogs.
I have rambled on long enough. As I said before, keep those comments coming –I want this to be your column. Until next time, may God richly bless you, your family and your dogs. Good hunting!

By Plott Bob

National Plott Hound Association News By Bob Plott PDF Download

 I can remember when I was small, nipping at the heels of my Papaw, Janis Miller. I was waiting for the chance to tag-along on one of his coon hunting trips. Then one day it happened. He took me to town and bought me a  pair of green and tan waterproof boots. They were the first pair I had ever owned. I knew then he was preparing me to go with him. This was the beginning of the best years of my life.
He had a dog, a Walker, that he had bought from one of his hunting buddies. My picture of Papaw is with this dog. His name was Duke. Duke really had a mouth on him. Papaw could hear him when no one else could.
One hunt, which sticks out in my mind was with Duke. We heard Duke open up and Papaw said, “Something’s not right.” He could tell by the way Duke was barking. As we got closer, we could see Duke and thought he was baying at a  snake. It was striking at him so quickly that we could not see it. We ran to help.
Papaw didn’t want his dog getting hurt. As we got closer, we could see it was a coon. Papaw took his big walking stick out and struck the coon. The stick broke and the coon got away. Duke ran after it but the coon would not run up a tree. Duke finally killed the coon and he looked as if he had been in a war. We got out another pup that we had brought along and it began to play with Duke, but Duke didn’t want any part of that. He was too exhausted. I had many good years hunting with my Papaw.
I gave up coon hunting for about 10 years. I began wanting to get back into the woods but Papaw wasn’t for it. I could not figure out why he didn’t want me to go back. My buddy, Bill Stiltner, had told me about his uncle who had a Redtick hound. The first night Bill and I took it out I realized why Papaw didn’t want me to go. It happened again. I had the hunting fever back in my blood. That night, Red, the dog, turned my life back around. She treed one and we went to her under the tree. The tree was very leafy and all we could see was a set of eyes looking at us. We shot it out without knowing it was a slicktail — a possum. Looking back on that night, I still think we would have done the same thing. We were so happy we didn’t care if it was a slicktail.
From that night on, I continued to hunt. My Mamaw was very ill and I would take turns staying with her and letting my Papaw go hunting. The nights that Bill and I would hunt I would take the coon and lay it at Papaw’s door. It got to where first thing every morning after one of my hunts, Papaw would open his door to see if there was a coon laying  there.
All those years that he hunted he kept a good dog. The last one was a Black and Tan. I buried it last year. His name was Jed. You know there are two different types of hunters: A pleasure hunter and a competition hunter. If you looked up the definition of a pleasure hunter, you would see my Papaw’s picture. The most important thing he ever taught me about hunting is that I would rather be at a tree with my buddy with dogs barking and looking at a slicktail than to be by myself with dogs barking, looking at a ringtail.
Today, I am here taking care of my Mamaw and Papaw. We talk sometimes about hunting. He told me the only time he could remember that he didn’t hunt were the four years he spent on the banks of Okinawa, Japan during World War II. He will turn 82 on June 1, 2012. He stopped hunting two years ago. Thanks, Papaw, for leading me down a path which brought so many wonderful memories. Just remember, on some cool, dark night, you’ll find me in the hills of Eastern Kentucky waiting for the dogs to open up.

By Donald Griffith

Boy and his Papaw By Donald Griffith PDF DOWNLOAD

Interview with Zack Whitaker, Berry, Kentucky
Zack is 27 years old and has been hunting
since he was six years old
David – “First, congratulations on the birth of your little girl Wednesday morning. Is she doing ok?”
Zack – “Thanks. Yes, she is doing great.”
David – “Glad to hear that, Zack. Congratulations on making it to the Final Four. Tell me how long you have been hunting, who you started with, what kind of hounds, etc.”
Zack – “I started hunting Redbones with Robert Jones. When I was eight or ten, we switched to Treeing Walkers. Robert just hunted for meat, he didn’t competition hunt any. I started competition hunting at the age of seventeen.  Larry Toller took me to my first competition hunt. I’ve been hooked ever since.”
David – “Tell me about Cash”
Zack –  “Cash will be 7 years old the 22nd of this month. He is Buck Creek bred. I been hunting the same bloodline ever since I was a teenager. I hunted cash in the Nationals at Greensburg and made the top 16. I hunted him in the AKC World in SC twice. I made it to Thursday both times but couldn’t get any further.
David – “What about his mouth and how he hunts?”
Zack – Cash is not loose mouthed on track. He’s not an automatic strike dog. When Cash opens, he isn’t long from treeing.
David – “So he’s a little tight on track then?”
Zack – “Yes, sir, he is a little tight on the ground. But he has a good mouth you can hear him a long ways. He is chop on track and tree.  Good hard tree dog. He will get deep and likes to be by himself.
David – “So with what you two have accomplished I think it’s safe to say he’s pretty accurate.”
Zack – “Yes, sir, Cash trees a lot of coons. He’s pretty accurate.”
David – “You mentioned the Nationals and World hunts. I know that you and Cash have won a few hunts.
Zack – “Yes, we won the ACHA World in 2011. We have made 11 semi-finals. But this is only the second time making the finals.”
David – “Well maybe this one will be the one you’ve been waiting on. How did Cash do so far this week?”
Zack – “Cash won Thursday and Friday night by getting by himself and getting treed with a coon. Thursday he scored 125+ and Friday 175+. He treed only coon seen on cast.”
David – “Well I know the coons haven’t been cooperating too well, so one was enough. What about your competition? Have you hunted against these guys?
Zack – “I’ve never hunted against Jody or Justin. I have hunted against Kris. I have hunted against Pounder before with Terry handling him.  Think I’ve got some tough competition.”
David – “Yeah I think it should be a great cast. Anything else you would like to add, Zack?”
Zack – “I would like to thank Mark Jones for teaching me about competition hunting. I want to wish the rest of the Final Four cast. Good luck.”
David – “Thanks, Zack, and good luck to you and Cash.”
Interview with Kris Whitelock, Lawrenceburg, Indiana
David – “Congratulations, Kris, on making the Final Four. Tell me a little about yourself.”
Kris – “Thanks, David. I am married to Rocio. We have two kids Jared who is seven, and Jakob is three. I have been hunting about 30 years.”
David – “Who got you started?”
Kris – “I started hunting with my step dad, Mark Lunsford.”
David – “So have you always hunted Walkers?”
Kris – “Yes, pretty much.”
David – “So Kris is there any particular bloodline you like?”
Kris – “No, just as long as they will tree a coon and can win in the hunts.”
David – “I know you’ve had a pretty good year so far because I remember handing you a check for $5,000 in March at the Sportmix Championship. So tell me a little about your competition success.”
Kris – “Well I won the PKC Super Stakes in 1997, PKC Indiana State Race in 2009 and 2011, the 2011 AKC Indiana State Race and the Sportmix Championship this year.”
David – “Yeah, you have been in the winner’s circle a time or two that’s for sure. What about Pounder? What kind of hound is he?”
Kris – “Pounder is a good tree dog and likes to get by himself. He has a chop mouth mostly on the track and tree. He’s a good, hard tree dog, and he’s fairly accurate.
David – “Your score on Thursday was 175+.”
Kris – “He got lucky and treed him a coon and the others came in and covered him.  He treed again with 4 minutes to go and I didn’t have to tree him.
David – “What about Friday?”
Kris – “Friday night he scored 350+. He had the last coon by himself.”
David – “What about the other three? Have you hunted against them before?”
Kris – “I have hunted against Zack and Jody before but not against Justin.”
David – “Do you like the new format we have? Went to using the zones and allowing the Supreme Grand Nites to advance?”
Kris – “I do. I was supposed to be hunting Bobby (Sportmix Champion SGN Tar Nailor’s Bobby), but Dan forgot to send in the entry. When he told me he forgot, I was sick.”
David – “Funny how it worked out though.”
Kris – “Yes, sir.”
David – “Well, Kris, I know you aren’t a man of many words, but anything you want to add?”
Kris – “Hope to have a good cast and may the best dog to win. Thankful that once you get to this level you don’t have to worry about guys arguing, just let their dogs strike and tree.”
David – “Yes, that pretty much says it all. Thanks and good luck.”

Interview with Jody Jessup by Jason Cooper
Jody Jessup, 39 years old from Rural Hall, NC. He has been  married to his beautiful wife, Penny, for two years. Jody has a son, Christopher (9) and a daughter, Lydia (11). Jody is self- employed in the concrete business.
Jason – “Congratulations, Jody, on making the Final Four. This isn’t your first time competing so tell me little about your accomplishments.”
Jody – “Thanks, Jason. I  have enjoyed coon hunting for 24 years. I have a few notable wins including the 2003 UKC World Hunt in LaGrange, IN; the UKC Purina Race for the past four years  and in particular the 2011 Purina Race.”
Jason – “Yes, quite a few notable wins. Tell me about River. What are his chances tonight?”
Jody – “I believe River’s chances are good. River is a top end strike dog and likes to be by himself. I have owned River for about a year now.  River is daddy to the dog that just won the AKC 2012 World Show, which is also owned by me and Penny.”
Jason – “Have you hunted against any of the other handlers or hounds?”
Jody – “I have only hunted with Vance’s Pounder in the past.”
Jason – “Ok, well looks like a good cast.”
Jody – “Yes, I think it will be.”
Jason – “How did you get here, Jody?”
Jody – “I advanced to the World in the Friday zone round in Owensville. I tried to Supreme him out. I got 11 cast wins but ran out of time.”
Jason – “Yes making a Supreme Grand is work. How do you like our new format?”
Jody – “I really like the new format y’all are currently using.  It really helps with expenses.”
Jason – “Thanks, Jody. Good luck to you and River tonght.”

Final Four Interview with Justin Wyatt
Justin Wyatt is 28 years old and lives in Wise, VA with his wife and three children. He has twin boys, who are eight months old, and a three year old. He works at Radio Shack as a manager.
Jason – “Justin, you are handling for someone correct?”
Justin – “Yes, sir, I have hunted “Doc” for Stuart/Chambers on and off for two years. Doc is off Lovell’s Huckleberry and Hanna’s Hardwood Daisy.”
Jason – “Congratulations, Justin, for making the Final Four. Tell me a little about Doc and how you feel about making it here.”
Justin – “Doc’s chances are as good as any.  Doc is cold nosed, accurate and takes tracks as they come.  He likes to be by himself and will get deep. I don’t know much about any of the other dogs.”
Jason – “Tell me a little about Doc’s success.”
Justin – “Doc’s wins include 2011 AKC Tennessee State Leader, 2010 AKC Reserve Youth World Champion, 2011 AKC World Hunt 6th, and 2012 VA State Hunt.”
Jason – “How did Doc get here?”
Justin – “Doc earned his way to KY by being a Supreme Grand Night Champion.
Jason – “Great to hear. It takes a lot of work to make one a Supreme Grand. So how do you like our new format for making it to the World Championship?”
Justin – “I really like the new World Hunt format and feel that it helps lift the burden off all week travels and expenses.”
Jason – “Any last words?”
Justin – “I wish everyone good luck and feel like it will be a great cast. Everyone I have had so far has been.”
Jason – “Thanks, Justin, and good luck to you and Doc tonight.”

By David McKee

Final Four Interview By David McKee PDF DOWNLOAD

Some wins come easily and the victory is sweet, but sometimes the win comes in the least expected way and those victories are even sweeter because of the surprise. That is exactly what happened in the case of P CH Deep South Memphis and her handler Toby Miller. Toby never dreamed that he would be bringing the title of Walker Day Champion home to Louisiana and to owner and good friend, Roger Dale Carnegie.
As a member and now the owner of PKC, Roger Dale has dedicated much of his life to this registry and to have one of his own dogs and handlers win is as big of a thrill for him as it is for any other member of PKC. It is even more meaningful when it is with a dog like Memphis and with a young man that he has known for many years.
Toby Miller began his experiences in coon hunting with Benjie Morgan. Benjie lives close to Toby and the two worked together. When Toby was around eighteen years old, Benjie got him involved with the sport and gave him his first dog. “I guess I started hunting in 1997. I have always liked being outside. I also have always been a dog person and enjoy anything with them. I enjoyed being in the woods with the dogs and it gave me something else to hunt.”
As with many of our PKC members, Toby pleasure hunted for a while before he branched into competition events. He also started with UKC before trying PKC. “I hunted with Benjie about three years before I started going to any competition hunts. It was late 1999 when I started going to UKC hunts with one of Benjie’s Black and Tans. In late 2000, I started with PKC. I did it because Benjie did it. He told me that I could go win a dust collector or go win some money in PKC. I started hunting dogs in PKC for Benjie.”
It would be at those events that Toby would meet Roger Dale Carnegie. Roger Dale shared what he thought of the young man. “Toby was a good kid. He never drank, cut up and carried on.” That impression was why Roger Dale took Toby on as a handler back then. It was a short run though.
“I hunted for Roger Dale about a year before I quit hunting. I had gotten married and did not feel that I would be able to hunt and travel like I was. I was going a lot then, so I quit all together.”
Toby would have his son Parker with his first wife. Sadly, the marriage ended in 2007, but two years later things would improve when he met his current wife Laurie. The two had their first child, Paisley, last October. Laurie would also become Toby’s coon hunting cheerleader and push him to start up again. It would be a surprise visit from an old friend that would be the catalyst for Toby’s reintroduction to the sport.
“My friend Levi Perret came by and asked if I wanted to go hunt with him. I said, ‘No.’ He asked why. I said, ‘If I go, I will want to get a dog and buy all the equipment I already sold.’ My wife told me I should go and I told her she didn’t know what she was getting into it. I told her, “If I get back into it, then I’ll go full force.’ She said that was fine. Brody Roberts was also there and I told him and Levi that they were my witnesses that she told me it was okay.”
Toby was right about what would happen and his wife was correct in her support of it all. “I started hunting again in late January 2010. After I went, I immediately started looking for a dog. I hunted for Ricky Allen for about two months and that is when I met Whit Harvey. Whit was hunting Memphis for Roger Dale. I told him that I was looking for a dog to handle and he said he would talk to Roger Dale. It was April of 2010 that Roger Dale actually let me take Memphis to my house and start hunting her.
Memphis was the perfect dog for Toby to start back with. The six year old Walker out of Rankin’s Stylish Clint and Perryman’s Stylish Clint had been purchased by Roger Dale in March 2008. Whit Harvey had hunted with the locally owned gyp and liked her. He shared his thoughts about her with Roger Dale and it was not long after that Whit was handling her for Roger Dale.  Whit had much success with Memphis and when he decided to step back from the sport, Toby was in the position to take over. Toby liked what Memphis had to offer.
“Memphis is just one of those special dogs. She is really well-mannered and easy to control. I can turn her loose in the yard and she will be a pet during the day and play with my boy, but when it gets dark, she gets ready for business.”
Like Whit, Toby has also done well with Memphis in the hunts. “I got Memphis into the semi-finals of the 2010 Nationals. Then we got into the Final Four of the Breeder’s Showcase and the Winter Classic. Memphis was second in the Female Race finishing behind Karma. She has made the Top 16 of the Walker Breed and won the Louisiana State Race. We won over $7,000 last year.
This year, Memphis was $625 short of being a Platinum Champion. This win gave us almost $5000 for this year and made her one. This was the biggest hunt that we have won though.”
The win was not an easy one either. Memphis and Toby had some major highlights and lowlights on their casts at the Walker Championship. Toby and Memphis would start off drawing the dog that edged them out of the Top Female Race last year. “On our early round I had Slim Pickens and Karma. We turned loose and Memphis struck for 100 points. Slim then struck for 75 points and Karma for 50 points. We tightened up on the dogs. Karma treed for 100 points and Memphis split treed another coon for 100 points. When we pulled off, Slim had treed. It was a circle. We recut and at that time I was in the lead by 50 points.
Then Karma struck in for 100 points and Memphis for 75 points. Karma then treed for 100 points and I treed Memphis for 25 points. We walked into them and they had a coon. That put Karma with 350 and Memphis with 300 points. We pulled off and recut. As soon as we recut, Slim struck and treed for 100 points. Karma then struck for 75 points and Memphis for 50 points. Slim had a coon in his tree.
When pulled off Slim’s tree, we were a long ways from where we last heard Karma and Memphis treed. Then I made a bad call; I heard dog a dog treed, so I treed Memphis. I knew it was a mistake when I did it, we walked 50 yards and stopped and I could tell that it was not her. I told Robert Raxter, who was the judge, to minus me. Just as soon as I said ‘Minus’, he said, ‘Tree Karma.’ As we went into Karma, Memphis treed to the right of her. When we went into Karma’s tree, she was one tree over where she had treed the other coon.
We recut Karma and went to score Memphis. She had a coon. I am good at math and keep everyone’s score in my head; I knew that we were now tied, but that I had Robert on tree points. Karma came in and backed Memphis on that tree after it was dead.
After we pulled off, Slim struck for 25 points and treed for 100 points. Karma and Memphis were now leash locked with 27 minutes left in the hunt. We started walking to Slim and the whole time that we walked, I knew I would win if we stayed leash locked. I was hoping that the hunt would run out by the time we got to Slim’s tree. Robert thought that he had the cast won, so neither of us were hurrying. When we got there, Slim had a circle tree and he decided to withdraw.
We now had four minutes left to hunt and Mr. Robert said, ‘You are not going to make me recut with four minutes left are you?’ and I said, ‘No.’ So we start walking again and he says ‘I can’t believe you are not going to make me recut.’ I told him, ‘I have it won on tree points.’ Then he made me recut. Karma struck for 100 points and Memphis struck for 75 points, but they never treed. What saved me is that we both treed two coon solo, but when Memphis backed Karma, I had those 25 points that he had forgotten about.”
Memphis and Toby had made it through the early round by the skin of their teeth. Now he would be seeing what the Late Round held – just in terms of competition it was going to be quite a round! Toby had drawn Mike Carroll hunting Blaze, who had just annihilated his competition at the Nationals; Jeff Travis hunting Homer, who made Platinum Champion by the age of two; and John Lively hunting Little D, who has also made quite a name for himself. Toby knew it was not going to be an easy win at all!
“When we cut loose, I struck for Memphis for 100 points, Blaze was struck for 75 points, Homer struck for 50 points and Little D for 25 points. They went around the edge of field and Memphis acted like she was going to tree. Then she located and I don’t know if it was nerves or what, but I treed her for 100 points. She left!  Here it is two and a half minutes into the hunt and I am already 100 points in the hole.
The dogs crossed the road and got to a creek. Memphis and Homer went down the creek and the Little D and Blaze went up it. John treed Little D, but he left. Now we both have 100 minus and the other dogs had zero. We tightened up on the dogs and John treed Little D again for 100. Blaze got treed in for 75 points and they were split about 25 yards apart. Both dogs had coons.
We pulled off and Blaze was sitting with 175 plus and Little D had 25 plus. When we recut, Memphis went back across the road toward where we turned loose. Homer went down the creek to the east.  Blaze and Little D both struck for 25 points. Homer then came back in and came up to us. He took 50 minus. Then Little D gets treed for 100 points, but moves and takes 100 minus. We keep tightening up on the dogs and Memphis was steadily going the other way. Right before we got to the road, Blaze got struck in for 25 points and trees for 100. He now had 300 plus. Little D crossed the blacktop onto posted property and just as we get ready to call time, Homer comes back in and took another minus on strike. With one hour and eight minutes left in the hunt, the score was Blaze 300 plus, Memphis 100 minus, and both Homer and Little D have 75 minus. We called time.
As we were gathering up dogs to go back to where we turned out to start and cut them back loose, we were joking around. We talked about letting Mike and Blaze have first, so they could go back to the truck and then the rest of us could hunt for second, third and fourth. None of us thought we were going to catch him.
When we cut loose, Homer struck for 100 points, Memphis for 75 points, Blaze for 50 points and Little D for 25 points. They went in there and split. Little D went to the right, Blaze went up the middle, and Homer and Memphis went to the left. I was behind Jeff going up a hill, as soon as we get to the top, Jeff treed Homer. As soon as I got up to the top, I heard Memphis and treed her for 75 points. We started in toward those two. Then Blaze came in and took 50 minus on his strike. When we got to their tree, they had a coon. Now that put me at 50 plus, Homer at 125 plus, Little D  holding 25 strike with 75 minus, and Blaze now had 250 plus and was restruck for 25 points.
We pulled off that tree and recut. As soon as we did, Mike treed Blaze for 100 points. We started into him and got about 150 yards from him when he shuts up and the two catches him. Now Blaze was back down to 150 plus. We started walking back the field to split the distance between the dogs when Blaze came in again and took minus. Blaze and Homer now both had 125 plus. Memphis had 50 plus points and Little D had 75 minus points.
Then we walked over the hill and Jeff treed Homer for 100 points. I sat back and waited because I never heard Memphis. Then Homer moved just enough for the judge to tell that he moved. Now Homer was at 25 plus points. As soon as he minused, Jeff retreed Homer for 100 points and I treed Memphis for 75 points. We walked in and it was a den. When we pulled off, there was like nine or ten minutes left in the hunt. At this time, I had 50 plus points, Homer had 25 plus points and Blaze had 125 plus points. John treed Little D, but he left so now he had 175 minus.
With about eight minutes left, they put the stationary on Blaze. He was in the same area where the two caught him. Mr. Mike had to tree him with three minutes left, so he treed him for 100 points. Memphis and Homer struck in for 25 points and are going to the left. We walked toward Blaze and as soon as the hunt was up, Blaze shuts up and they put the two minute on him. That catches him and made me the winner.
That is about as lucky as you can get. I did not think I had a snowball chance of winning this cast. Blaze dominated his casts at Nationals and for the first hour he made fools out of us too. We really don’t know what was going on with him in that area that caused him to minus.
What I do know is that I had gone from being fourth to being third for a long time, then Jeff made a call that bumped me up to second and I was thinking, ‘At least I have second.’ I know that when he treed Blaze and the time was working, it was the longest two minutes ever. When it caught him, they turned to me, looked and said, ‘You need to go to the casino because you were so lucky!’
I made a bad call to start with and that had to do with nerves and being anxious for 100 and 100 points on strike and tree. After that, I decided to hunt like it was a $25 hunt. If you know its right, tree; if not, don’t. I knew Memphis was not right on that one tree that Homer took 100 minus and that is what saved me.
This was not a typical win for a Top 16 Breed Hunt and really was more like a $25 win. I told Mike that I hated that it all happened the way it did because Blaze really did look better than the rest. I hate to take the win that way, but I will take it.”
Roger Dale was not in the woods watching how it all happened, but he was thrilled to hear how it ended. “I was tickled to death. This is the second time that I have ever won Walker Days and it was the first time as a solo owner. The first win was with Cindy that I co-owned with Kevin Turner.”
Toby Miller may have taken a break from coon hunting, but since his return, he has been truly ‘re-making’ a name for himself. Toby knows that this is only possible because of the people who have been there along the way. “I owe a lot to Benjie Morgan for getting me started.  Then when I got back into it, I appreciate Whit talking Roger Dale into letting me hunt Memphis. I really want to thank Roger Dale for allowing me to handle for him and helping me do all this. Without him, I could not push and run a dog.
Most of all though, I have to thank my wife for letting me hunt the way I do. She knows that I love it and does not have a problem with me going. Even when our baby girl was born October 13th last year right before the World Hunt, she said, ‘I know you have it planned, just go. My mama will be here.’ She said that she would support me if I started going again and she meant it.”
Roger Dale is very happy with this hunt and his handler in it. “The hunt went wonderfully. I am glad that Toby started back hunting. He and I have had a special bond since he was a youngster.”
Walker Days is over and though Toby could not have predicted how it would all work out as it was going on, he and Memphis brought the honors home to Louisiana. It is all about timing and even when Toby could not picture returning to coon hunting in his life, you never know what time holds. Sometimes you don’t event know after the first hour of a hunt! Congratulations Toby and Roger Dale on being in the right places at the right times!

By Amy Thomas

PKC Treeing Walker Champion By Amy Thomas PDF DOWNLOAD

On July 13-14, we hosted a UKC hunt and show and had a nice turnout even for the hot weather we are having. We had 14 dogs on Friday night, seven in the show on Saturday and 10 in the hunt on Saturday night.
Friday night winners were:
Nite Champion: Ruby, Bluetick female, Roy Clifton, Pleasant, KS, 200+
1st. Banjo, Bluetick English, Pat Mierer, Lexington, MO, 275+
Saturday night winners were:
Nite Champion: Stylish Joe, Rick Keele, Walker male, Sedalia, MO, 125+
1st. Whiskey, Walker, Brad Baker, Houstonia, MO, handler Larry Hicklin, 425+
Congratulations to all the winners and thanks to all of the hunters who hunted in the hunt. I am still in shock. I picked up a form to register a litter of pups and I can’t believe the way the prices have gone up. It used to be a breeder got a break on his pups that he wanted to register at the time. The price of the registration for a three generation pedigree has gone up to $20. Now if the breeder wants to register a pup they pay the full $20 to register it. The breeder is not getting a break for the hard work they put in raising pups. I don’t know who is making the decisions for all of these changes but they are about price the poor man out of the coonhound business and the hunts.
It seems as though all of the registries are making changes that only benefit the registry and not thinking about the hunters and breeders. This year ACHA has made the decision that dogs have to be registered with their registry if they want to hunt in their hunts. Are we making progress or just making somebody rich? Are they driving the poor person out of coon hunting? This is a dying sport with cities expanding and farms changing hands. The younger generation not having a chance to get hooked on coon hunting. I remember back in 1953 when I started hunting in these hunts all you had to do is bring your dog and pay your entry fee and go out and hunt and have a good time.
All registries put so much in their degrees, so what can you do with them after the dog has made them? Most have cheated to get the titles and some are made more honest than others, but in the end, they are just an ego filler and I like to fill my ego too. When I say they are made dishonestly, have you ever been on a cast when the dogs tree and you know there are no coon there and you circle the tree. This is a mild form of cheating and everyone has been on a cast like this including myself.
In all the years of my hunting in these hunts I have only been with two guys who said “minus my dog” when everyone else said “circle.” We need more hunters like them.

Mayview Coon Hunters Ass’n. by By Travis Benton PDF DOWNLOAD

My experiences with the Clifty Creek Coonhunters Association in Dupont, Indiana began many years ago as a teenager.  Back in the spring of 1979, a few friends and I traveled to Dupont for a Coonhound event that we had seen advertised in Full Cry magazine.  We had no intention of competing in the hunt, but we were all Hide Hunters and wanted to see what these hunts were all about.
We arrived in the late afternoon and the parking lot was jam-packed; we had to park along the county road.  The treeing contest was in progress with about 75 entries and the winner’s pot and calcutta were worth several hundred dollars.  We sat and watched a bench show with over 50 entries and stayed until the club put nearly 100 dogs in the woods for a three-hour Nite Hunt.
The Dupont club is also where I first got my taste for PKC hunting.  In the late 80’s I was hunting a little female called Salt Creek Ann II.  I entered her in her first PKC $25 hunt at Clifty Creek.  There was a large entry that Saturday night and I was lucky enough to land a spot in the final four.  Unfortunately, for Lee Ballard and Patch, their scorecard was back, but they did not make deadline.  With the remainder of us splitting first, second and third, it turned out to be a great payday.  I won about $158 plus jackpot money and I was hooked!
Many things have changed since those early experiences at Dupont, but one constant remains; this club knows how to put on a quality event.  For about the last fifteen years the Clifty Creek CHA members have been hosting the PKC Labor Day Classic in North Vernon around the last week of August.  It has been a top-notch event that many members look forward to each year.
On August 03, 2012 the PKC Blue Ribbon Pro Hunt tour made a scheduled stop at Dupont.  This hunt was to be no exception to the club’s excellent track record.  Clifty Creek has an exceptionally nice clubhouse with an outstanding kitchen and a very welcoming atmosphere.  Bobby Wilson, Denny Wilson and all the club members went out of their way to ensure a good, quality hunt for everyone involved.  If someone asked for anything, they provided it!
Thanks go out to a great group of judges!  The full-time judges that stayed in the woods for two rounds each night were Clay Young, Jonathan Merritt, Darrell Eads and Dustin Troutman.  Those helping out the club and judging one or two rounds were Rick Shafer, Dudley Jones, James Tirey, Steve Burkholder, Dustin Kern and Kevin Cable.
The Dupont guides did and outstanding job keeping the casts in good hunting.  They are as follows; Allen Maschino, Austin Tungate, Calvin Royce, Chris Braley, Dalton Davis, Jerry Lemaster, Ki Roberts, Kyle Short, Lance Laymon, Larry Wahlman, Shane Stoner, Shawn Seals and Spencer Seals.
Congratulations to the Top Sixteen Semi-Finalists making it to the early round on Saturday.  Cast one consisted of Youth Dakota Stephens hunting Eric Caudill’s Mo, Clyde Osborn hunting Ted Blaker’s Rueger and Dave Lawson hunting his dog Cobb.  Ronnie Smith came out on top with Jerry Frazier’s Pack with 175+.
Cast two held Ladybird owned and handled by Ryan George, Homer owned by Travis/Axford and handled by Jeff Travis, Box owned and handled by Keith Husband.  The eventual winner was Smirnoff Ice owned and handled by Nickey Hale with 450+.
The third semi final cast involved Kirk Reitz hunting Reitz/Axford’s Lady, Scott Allen hunting Allen/Allen’s Rocks, Kris Whitelock hunting Carmack/Bellar’s Purdy.  Besting this field was Tyler Steury hunting Burkholder/Steury’s Bell with 325+.
Rounding out the Top Sixteen, cast four included; Hoss owned by Ronnie House and handled by Sluggo Payton, Barney owned by Ted Blaker and handled by Doug Bice, Jesse owned by Rory Cowles and handled by Jason Reisert.  The leader at the end of two hours was Dandy owned by Charlie Ammerman and handled by Dennis Hensley with 250+.
Now it was time for the Final Cast.  There were four good hounds and four good handlers with lots of nervous anticipation.  Clay Young was the final cast judge with Ki Roberts doing the guiding.  The panel in the woods consisted of Darrell Eads, Jonathan Merritt and Dustin Troutman.  Jeff Travis was reporting from the woods to Tony Secoy doing the Play By Play at home.
The hounds were released at 2:54 AM EDT, Noff struck shortly after for 100 followed by Bell for 75.  Pack went in for 50 before Bell treed for 100.  Dandy is struck for 25 with a line while Noff covered Bell for 25.  Dandy was found at the tree also and his 25 strike was deleted.  It didn’t take long to find Bell’s coon, her and Noff are plussed up!
After the minute was walked, the six was applied to Pack and it got him for 50-.  Bell, Noff and Dandy are released under a new set of strike points.  Strike Pack for 100, Noff for 75 and Bell for 50.  Pack is treed for 100 and Noff behind him for 75.  Bell is treed for a quarter and Dandy is struck for 25 with a line.
Pack and Bell are handled in the ground, circle them up.  Noff’s is found nearby split from Pack and Bell and is handled.  Dandy is also handled at Noff’s tree, his strike is deleted and Noff is circled both ways.
All hounds are loose again and competing for strike points.  Noff is struck for 100, Dandy for 75.  Dandy is treed for 100 and Noff backed him for 75.  Bell is struck for 50 with a line.  Plus up Dandy and Noff Up!
Tree Bell for 100, making her 50 strike points live ones.  Noff is re-struck for 25 with a line and treed behind Bell for 25.  Pack is struck for 25 with a line.  Circle up Bell’s strike and tree, delete Noff’s 25 strike and circle his 25 tree.  Dandy was also handled at this tree, but was not struck in.
After the trio is released, Pack is treed for 100.  Noff and Dandy struck for 25 each with a line.  Pack’s raccoon is quickly spotted, plus him up!
Dandy’s 25 strike is minued just before the hunt expires and Noff’s 25 strike is deleted.  What a great hunt.  Here is how they finished.

First Place 300+
$4,000 Winner
Smirnoff Ice
Nickey Hale-O/H

Second Place 175+
$1,600 Winner
Blue River Miss Bawling Bell
Tyler Steury/Steve Burkholder-O
Tyler Steury-H

Third Place 150+
$800 Winner
Crooked Creek Dandy
Charlie Ammerman-O
Dennis Hensley-H

Fourth Place 75+
$400 Winner
Power Pack
Jerry Frazier-O
Ronnie Smith-H

Thank you to all who participated or helped out in any way to make this a great event!

By Jerry Moll

pro_hunt_dupont by Jerry Moll PDF DOWNLOAD

Howdy, folks! I hope you and yours are well and surviving this endless summer heat wave. It has proven to be unrelenting here in North Carolina, with six straight days of over 100 degree highs – and it seems like a month or more since we have been lower than the mid-90s. Several mornings I have fed the dogs before going to work and it is already in the 80s and incredibly humid with the sun barely even up. Our only respite has been brief, but violent thunderstorms. However, instead of cooling things down, it just leaves us even more humid and muggy.  Some people like this sort of weather —not me!
Again, I remind you and your dogs to be careful working, hunting and training in this weather. Heat stroke is serious stuff and is often fatal, so take extra precautions to avoid it if at all possible.
By the time you read this NPHA Plott Days will be history. I hope those of you that were able to make the trip to Indiana had a wonderful time there. The competitions are always fun and highly anticipated, but to me it is the family reunion feel of these events that truly makes them special.
Seldom will we have so much living Plott history at one location. It’s always wonderful to visit with old friends and make new ones, but it is also a unique opportunity to learn from many of the legends of our sport – folks like  Harold Pace, Gene Walker, Orville Mansholt, Marion Allison, Wayne Allen and too many others to mention them all.
And it’s also a good time to reflect on all the missing breed icons – like Gene White, Berry Tarlton, Frank Methven and Lawrence Porterfield – that have recently passed away or that may have been be too ill to attend. We should never forget them and what they have done to perpetuate the Plott breed. Keep them forever in your thoughts and prayers.
Sorry to digress, but it is my sincere hope that you were indeed able to attend this great event and that you and yours had a wonderful time in the process. Congratulations and thanks go out to all the NPHA officers and for the Perry County Coon Club for putting on such a stellar gathering.
I know that my friend Danny Scoggins of Rock Island, Tennessee was there, and I believe that he picked up a couple of pups from Bill Harrell – another man well-known for his fine Plott dogs.
Danny has raised and hunted Plotts for over a quarter of a century, and his foundation stock originated with none other than other than the legendary Berlin King. The Harrell Plott hounds combined with the Scoggins/King dogs should make for a dynamic cross. I wish them luck in this process.
Speaking of pups, Charlie Markham sent me some more pictures of the first registered Finnish Plotts. I told you that story last month and thought that you might enjoy seeing some more of these photos. Thanks Charlie, for sharing them.
My buddy Rusty Gill of Old Town, Florida, reports that our newest litter of Von Plott pups is doing well and will be weaned from their mama by the time you read this. I bred Rusty’s gyp to my Bud Lyon bred Von Plott dog on March 31 and the pups were whelped on June 2, 2012. We are excited and honored to carry on this great tradition that was begun with Von Plott and continued for nearly half a century by C.E. “Bud” Lyon.
I think the hot weather and the fact that many folks are either on vacation or preparing for the trip to Plott Days has resulted in a slower than normal month for both mail and phone calls. And it makes sense as this is not only a busy time of year for most families, but as I said, it has been too hot to do much of anything but search for a shady, cool place to relax.
However, several folks did take the time to call or write and I wanted to mention a few of you in particular, as well as several that have been ill.
I hope that my friend Duane Smith continues to recuperate from his recent illness. Duane, you are in my thoughts and prayers and I hope we can talk or write again soon when you are feeling better. The same applies to Mr. Hoke Rawlins, and Bud Lyon as well. And I am happy to report that Bud is indeed doing much better – so that’s good to hear. I hope we can visit soon, Bud.
I heard from my friend Rick Jenkins, of Asheville, NC this week. Rick is a hard hunter and dedicated Plott man. One of his fine Plott dogs has been experiencing some serious health issues of late and I hope they are resolved soon. I saw the dog at Breed Days when he was just a pup a couple of years ago, and I was really impressed with his looks and performance. Good luck, Rick!
Steve Zimmerman of Wilmington, NC and me have been playing phone tag of late, but I hope to speak with him about his Plott dogs soon, and the same applies to Jim Wanta of Michigan and Oren Midzinski of Utah –both of whom I owe phone calls. I also enjoyed talking with Lynwood Jackson of Asheville, NC about his new Plott dog too. And it’s always a pleasure to hear from my old buddy Roger Bryson of Cashiers, NC –a  guy who is continually willing to work hard to promote the Plott breed.
I had a delightful email from Jack Dobson recently. Jack is an avid coon hunter originally from Surry County, NC. He shared some great stories with me, as well as a lead on a living piece of Plott history that I recently contacted and interviewed. There will be more on that topic in upcoming articles. Thanks Jack, I hope to talk with you again soon.
In an earlier article I had commented on getting an email from Sgt. Larry Plott who is currently serving our country with the US Army in Afghanistan. And Jose Gardner –a hard core Alabama hog hunter and Plott man – is now out of the Marines and going to college after doing a combat tour of his own in the Middle East.
Jose is the son of Dan Gardner who has been a tireless supporter of the Plott breed for years. And Jose has followed diligently in his father’s footsteps. I think Jose is now attending college at Auburn and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.
Today my friend Gene Walker sent me a great photo of a young friend of his — Chris Smith – who is also serving our country in Afghanistan. According to Gene, Chris is a native of Indiana and an avid coon hunter.
Chris is also a strong supporter of Gene’s Pocahontas Plotts, and owns a dog that came out of Gene’s famous Cody II female, and Gus. He and his army buddies are pictured in the Afghan war zone with Chris proudly wearing his Pocahontas Kennels cap. I have sent Chris an email myself, and hope to learn more about him soon. But in the meantime, I would like to thank Chris, Jose, Larry – and all our American veterans past and present –for their service to our great country.
My dear friend Bill Carter of Fuquay-Varina, NC, surprised me with a gift this week. He sent me a book called War Dogs. It is the story of all the dogs that the U.S. Military has used in combat since World War I. It’s really a great book and I truly appreciate Bill’s kind gift and friendship.
Bill is a retired Special Forces Colonel who served in Vietnam. He owns a Plott hound named Robert that is out of my deceased Archie dog and John Jackson’s Sweet Pea.
Robert was one of the Plott dogs featured in the TV show that we did for the History Channel last year. He is a beautiful Plott specimen and extremely intelligent.
Being an army veteran, Bill is very patriotic and raises the American flag outside his home on a daily basis. He also taught his dog – Robert – to salute the flag when it is being raised. I know this may sound like a tall tale, but you can go to my website – www.bobplott.com – and see a short video of Robert doing this. Robert and Bill will be special guests at Plottfest next year, so please make plans to come out and see them.
It’s always great to hear from folks that like my books, and I was especially pleased to get a message from some members of the Orr family a few weeks ago. I had written about Will Orr, a famous western North Carolina hunter, in my second book and the Orr’s had enjoyed the profile.
I hope to meet with them soon to learn more about their family and particularly about their relative the late Andy Orr. Andy was a rough character from the mountains of Graham County who reportedly killed seven men and later died in the federal prison in Atlanta. He allegedly murdered four of his victims for hurting or insulting his hunting dogs. I hope to get the real story about him through the Orr clan and get a photo of Andy as well.
One of the great things about writing books – or any historical piece – is doing the research on the subjects in the story. I profiled another old-time hunting legend – Granville Calhoun – in my second book too. And I included a picture of him and some other bear hunters in one of my recent American Cooner magazine articles.
Calhoun was not only a great hunter and dog man, but he was a superb businessman and humanitarian. He lived to be 103 and I talked to him often as a boy in Bryson City, NC, where he told me of his early days as a hunter and fisherman on Hazel Creek. Calhoun was also a close friend of the illustrious writer and outdoorsmen Horace Kephart. Kephart wrote quite a bit about Plott dogs, local bear hunters, and all forms of hunting and fishing stories in his books and magazine stories.
Kephart is much more famous than Calhoun, and well known for both his literary work and for his efforts in the formation of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. But while perhaps lesser known, Granville Calhoun was an equally extraordinary man.
Recently an individual –who has asked to remain anonymous – contacted me to show me a collection of Granville Calhoun artifacts, photos and documents. I was a bit skeptical at first, but it turned out to be the real deal.
The collection included Calhoun’s pistol, hunting knives, fly rod, creel and other hunting and fishing gear, as well as his gold pocket watch (that still works,) along with too many interesting documents and photos to mention them all. Needless to say, I was honored to gain access to this collection and I hope to write more in detail about it in the future.
But let’s get back to the mail bag. It was good to hear from my buddy Johnny Mash last week. Johnny is a farmer in Ashe County, NC, and long time Plott dog enthusiast. Johnny hopes to add another Plott dog to his kennels in the very near future.
Thanks go out to Mike Mehaffey of Clyde, NC, as well as to Joe and Henri McClees of the NC Sporting Dog Association for their efforts in protecting the rights of N.C. hunting hounds people. And thanks also to Irv Corbin, Pat Alcisto, Marion Diotte, and a host of other west coast dog men for their efforts in trying defeat the California SB 1221 – a bill that basically will outlaw hunting with dogs in California.
That about covers the mail bag for now. As always, I encourage you to write and share your photos and stories with me to include them in this column. I have said many times before that I want this be your column – but I can’t do it without your help.
I will close this month with a bit of Plott history regarding weapons used by well-known Plott family members and hunters that are still owned by several Plott family members today. I originally wrote this article back in 2009, but have updated it as more weapons and artifacts have surfaced and have come back into possession of the Plott family since that time.
All of these items are special, but none more so to me than the weapons of “Little” George Plott and his father John. They were returned to the Plott family in late 2011.
And seeing the battered Winchester rifle of none other than Von Plott will bring chills down the spine of any true Plott enthusiast. Man, if these weapons could only talk—what amazing stories they could tell!
But I am getting ahead of myself. Here’s the article, I hope you enjoy it:

PLOTT FAMILY WEAPONS
By Bob Plott Copyright 2009
If there is anything hunting houndsmen love almost as much as their Plott dogs, it is their hunting rifles. And a fine example of this is the arsenal of weapons owned by the Plott family – many of which still survive today. Probably the earliest and some of the best examples of these guns are the .32 caliber and .50 caliber muzzle loading rifles once owned by David, Robert Henry, and Herbert Plott.
David Plott, the third son of Henry Plott was the original owner of these weapons and he passed them down to his son, Robert Henry, who in turn passed them down to his son Herbert. They are of particular interest in that they both were originally flintlock rifles, later converted to percussion, and both – especially the .50 caliber rifle – were probably originally built in the late 18th century. Considering that David was not born until 1807, it is highly likely that these rifles were originally owned by Henry Plott (1770-1810) and later passed on to David by his father. If this is indeed the case, we are looking at a gun, or guns, once owned by Henry Plott, the man who brought the first Plott dogs to the Great Smoky Mountains around 1800. What a piece of Plott history!
There is an original powder horn and shot bag, with shooting accoutrements – bullet mold, priming horn etc. – accompanying the rifles. While these artifacts are almost impossible to specifically date, they are nonetheless at least 150 years old and are treasured Plott family heirlooms. They were used by three generations of the Plott clan – David, Robert Henry and Herbert Plott – all legendary bear hunters.
The hunting rifle of David Plott’s brother, iconic hunter and guide Amos Plott was a more ornate weapon, and it too, is a valuable piece of Plott history. The name of Amos Plott is engraved on the patch box and clearly it was once a top of the line gun. Before it was found and salvaged by its current owners, the Amos Plott rifle fell on to hard times. It reportedly was being used as a fire place utensil to “poke” the fire when found and purchased by a family member. This rifle dates back to the mid-1800s and was carried by one of the finest bear hunters of that era – Amos Plott (1805-1865.)
In addition to his rifles, Robert Henry Plott (1840-1926) also hunted bears with a muzzle loading pistol. This .54 caliber hand gun was captured by Plott during the Civil War. It is not known how many bears he killed with the weapon, but it was no doubt a significant number as he was a prolific hunter. Plott also captured a .44 caliber pistol from a Union officer which he used for personal protection. It is interesting to also note that Robert Henry Plott was likely the last Confederate prisoner of war released by the Union during the Civil War. Both of his pistols remain in the Plott family today.
Of course, there is no more famous pistol in Plott history than the hand gun owned by Montraville Plott (1850-1924.) This pistol was probably built about 1860. Plott used this weapon to kill 211 bears during his distinguished hunting career.  And the Plott family still has the skinning knife that Mont used to skin many – if not all – of these bears as well.
Family legend maintains that Montraville Plott, or possibly his son Von Plott, traded a Plott hound for a Baxter Bean .45 caliber flintlock rifle. This may not be true as it probably was Mont’s father, John T. Plott, or even more likely his grandfather, Henry, who traded for the gun.
We make this assumption based on several facts. The rifle was a flintlock and was never converted to percussion cap as most early flintlocks later were. Since most flintlocks were not converted until 1822 and since a dog was so valuable, the gun would have to be of equal value to the dog. So it is highly unlikely that the Plott family would have traded an “antique” gun that was of little practical use to them, for one of their prized hounds. Therefore, it is safe to assume that the rifle was considered a high end gun worthy of trade, and that the trade was consummated in the early 1800s. In other words, a valuable dog would not have been traded for anything less than a premium weapon that was still highly coveted as a hunting rifle. And certainly a Bean rifle fits that description during this early time period.
The Bean family was some of the most renowned rifle makers in southern mountain history. William Bean, a hunting partner of Daniel Boone, first settled in east Tennessee in 1768. His son, Russell, was said to be the first white child born in east Tennessee in 1769. William Bean would later serve with distinction fighting the British at the Battle of Kings Mountain. He was the first of the Bean family rifle builders and he established a gun shop near Jonesboro, Tennessee in the late 1700s. The Bean family legacy of gun building continued until the late 1800s with a succession of prominent gunsmiths including Baxter Bean – who built the Bean rifle traded to the Plott family.
Baxter was the son of Russell Bean, and was born around 1790. He learned gun building from his father and grandfather and it is believed that the rifle now owned by the Plott family was built by Baxter Bean about 1820 –perhaps earlier. However, it is possible that the gun was traded at a later date with Mont or Von, and that the old gun was thrown in just to sweeten the deal as an after thought. But either way, the Bean rifle is truly a piece of Smoky Mountain and Plott family history. Due to its pristine condition and because it remains an original flintlock, the Bean rifle is extremely valuable and remains a prized possession in the Plott family today – along with several hunting bags and powder horns.
The favorite hunting rifle of Plott icon Von Plott (1896-1979) also still survives today and it is a testament to his hard hunting style. The rifle – a Winchester model 1892 38-40 – is battered and beaten due to extreme use. I have seen a lot of rifles, but few can match the battle scars of this historic gun.
The Winchester 38-40 was a favorite weapon of bear hunting mountaineers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. It was short, light, and easy to carry through rugged terrain. Moreover, it packed enough knockdown power to kill a bear—though not at long range. The lever action of the gun was very reliable and allowed for fairly rapid fire, while both pistol and rifle cartridges could be used as ammunition. This was extremely important as ammunition was often difficult to acquire back in those days and made the gun even more versatile and valuable.
Cody Plott, (1884-1948)  the son of Robert Henry Plott, was a notable bear hunter and game warden, who helped introduce Isaiah Kidd to the Plott breed. Cody favored a more “modern” Winchester rifle – the Model 1905 .35 caliber automatic. This was an automatic firing weapon that while popular, never really caught on in a big way with local hunters. Perhaps it was the cost of a newer gun, or maybe they preferred the older lever action models, or even in some cases ancient muzzle loading guns. But Cody liked the rifle and he is thought to have been the only Plott that ever had one. His grandson still owns it today.
Cody’s brother, James Robert Plott, (1879-1967) enjoyed using a Spanish American War Krag rifle and it served him well on many bear hunts. Their brother Herbert “Hub” Plott primarily used his father’s old muzzle loading rifles to hunt with as Hub enjoyed preserving the old-time ways. Hub’s wife, Nannie Plott also was a crack shot and kept a vintage 1901 .22 caliber rifle in her kitchen to shoot varmints with.
Speaking of Plott women,                         nd while on the subject of Plott family weapons, perhaps we should also include a frying pan to our list. Julia Plott, wife of Montraville Plott, supposedly once killed a wolf with a skillet. The wolf had made the mistake of damaging her laundry and she was forced to take action.
Other notable weapons still owned by the Plott family – though not hunting related – include a World War I sword and .45 caliber pistol owned by Big George Plott. Big George was a veteran of the border war with Mexican revolutionary Pancho Villa, as well as World War I and World War II.
Another Civil War era sword, once owned by Verlin Plott, brother of Amos Plott, remains in the family, as do several Civil War muskets and a shotgun, along with multiple pistols. These guns were likely later used as hunting weapons as well – though no one knows for sure. Unfortunately several vintage flintlock hunting rifles once owned by John Amos Plott were reportedly stolen from his home after his death. And these were reportedly early Bean rifles too — similar to aforementioned Bean flintlocks.
Also thought to be missing or stolen were the hunting rifles of both John, and his only son, “Little” George Plott. However, as it turns out, only the muzzle loading guns were actually stolen. Three of these precious artifacts resurfaced in 2011 and are now back in the possession of the Plott family.
These weapons include a double barrel H Model Stevens 12 gauge shotgun circa 1900. John Plott (1874-1959) used this hammerless weapon as his preferred bear hunting gun and loaded it with heavy slugs to ensure a clean kill. This is the shotgun that John is shown holding in the classic 1928 photo of the Plott brothers – John, Sam and Von – bear hunting in Graham County, NC.
Also included in this collection is an 1890 8MM German Mauser. It is a top loading, short barreled rifle that holds a five round clip. This was “Little” George Plott’s favorite hunting rifle and he is shown holding it in several vintage hunting photos taken at the famous Hazel Creek, NC hunting lodge in the 1930s.
He was said to prefer this short-barreled weapon because it was easier to handle in the rugged mountain terrain – plus it had solid knock-down power. “Little” George Plott died heroically serving his country while fighting in World War II on Christmas Eve 1944 – his story is profiled in detail in my third book.
This rifle is in fine shape and can still be fired – and it includes two original clips and a box of original bullets, though I would be reluctant to fire them. However, we are considering taking the Mauser on one last bear hunt to honor Little George in the near future.
The final piece of this previously missing piece of Plott history is an 1873 .32 caliber first model Winchester repeating rifle. It too, was originally owned by “Little” George Plott and he hunted with it often. He reportedly loved the rifle but did not like its weight or longer barrel. Like the other two guns, the Winchester is in mint condition and can still be fired today.  The Plott clan is honored and ecstatic to have these illustrious historical weapons back in the family fold.
Clearly the Plott family arsenal was as equally impressive as their dogs, and just as rich in historical value. We are indeed fortunate that so many of these weapons survive still today and that various Plott family members have allowed us to enjoy them as we imagine and appreciate their storied past.
I hope you enjoyed the article and photos. We’ll sign off for now. Until next month, may God bless you, your family and your dogs. Good hunting!

By Bob Plott

plott_bob_npha_news by Bob Plott PDF DOWNLOAD

Howdy, folks and Happy New Year! I hope you and yours had a wonderful Christmas and a great 2012 – and that your 2013 is off to a good start.  It’s hard to believe that another year is behind us, isn’t it? Seems like the older I get the faster time flies. But it’s a known fact that time waits for no one, and we must make the best of the time that we are blessed with. I certainly try my best to do just that and I intend to try even harder to do so in 2013.
But that’s enough of the New Year’s resolutions. Come on into camp, find you a place close to the fire, and let’s talk Plotts!
Before proceeding further, we unfortunately have some very serious news to discuss. Please remember Roy Howell and his family in your prayers as Roy is critically ill with cancer. According to Roy’s son, Jess, the prognosis is not good –six months at best – so please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. As you probably know, Mr. Roy is the founder of the famous Bayou Plott line and his son Jess continues to perpetuate his esteemed father’s legacy today.
To make matters worse, Jess Howell, who is also the president and founder of the Western Plott Association, has endured some health problems of his own of late. But we are happy to report that he is expected to make a full recovery from his recent cancer surgery. Please pray for his speedy recovery and ask that God gives him strength to be there for his father and their family during these difficult times.
Outgoing APA President Roy Stiles reports that his dear wife Ann is battling cancer as well. Mrs. Stiles was first diagnosed with breast cancer in July and continues to valiantly combat the dreaded disease. Please pray for a complete recovery for Mrs. Stiles and please keep the entire Stiles family in your thoughts and prayers.
I’d also like to extend get well wishes to Texas Plott man extraordinaire Jeremiah Johnson, who was seriously ill during the later part of 2012, but now is making a complete recovery. I hope you are back to 100% soon, my friend!
My condolences go out to my friend John Jackson who lost two of his best and favorite Crockett Plott dogs in 2012 – Angel, a female, and Hootie, a buckskin male. Both of them were outstanding dogs. I profiled John and talked about Hootie specifically in my first book Strike and Stay –The Story of the Plott Hound. Hootie is pictured in the book twice and Angel once.
Both canines lived very long lives – especially for such fine dogs that were hunted so often. And I know that John takes solace in that. However, it’s never easy to lose a great hounds –much less two –so my thoughts go out to John on his losses.
Let’s move on to other less serious subjects. At the time of this writing – the week of Christmas 2012 – bear season is winding down in my neck of the woods. As I reported last month, the season began at a record setting pace in many parts of the region. However, things seemed to have slowed down quite a bit since then –especially for my friends up in West Virginia.
Eugene Walker reports that the super storm Sandy dumped more than 44 inches of snow on his favorite hunting grounds. And as a result most of the bears there have holed up for the winter. Nevertheless, Gene isn’t a man who gives up easily. Despite those horrid conditions, he and his famed Pocahontas Plott dogs still managed to strike four bear trails and treed all four. Pictures of some of his dogs, and hunting buddies, along with a bear they harvested are included in this article.
The weather hasn’t been nearly as bad here in North Carolina, and as a result our second half of season has been a little better here than that of our friends in the Mountaineer State. But even so, by all accounts, things have slowed down significantly from the record setting pace set during the first half of the campaign.
However, with all that being said, several of my buddies have enjoyed banner hunting seasons –and none more so than Rick Jenkins of Asheville, N.C. In my December column I included a photo and story about Rick’s personal record setting bear harvested in the mountains of N.C. earlier in the season. But Rick recently joined a party of hunters down on the N.C. coast that eclipsed his previous record by a long shot.
Rick was hunting in Camden County, N.C. with a host of veteran hunters that included among others – Bobby Barry, brothers Rick and Gary Pritchett and their father Dale, William Landrum, and legendary New York state Plott man Desi Alvarez. The bear population didn’t stand a chance against these seasoned nimrods!
According to Rick their dogs quickly struck a hot trail and the race was on. After a spirited chase the dogs finally managed to bay the monster bruin on the ground. Retired Camden County sheriff, Bobby “Shooter” Barry lived up to his nickname and quickly dispatched the huge beast with a shot from his 45/70 rifle – and what a bear it was!
This hunting party was no stranger to big bears as 500 pounders are routine on the coast. And all of them had killed bears weighing 500 pounds or more in the past. But even these experienced sportsmen were shocked at the size of the animal. It weighed almost 700 pounds –685 to be exact – and measured seven feet around at the gut. Its head was more than two feet in circumference. The bruin was what N.C. hunters often refer to a “Volkswagen” for sure.
Camden County wildlife officials confirmed this information and added that it was the biggest bear ever killed in a county known for huge ones. Congratulations to all in the party, and particularly to Mr. Barry who harvested the record setting bruin. Check out the photos that Rick sent me – they are incredible.
Meanwhile my good friend Roger “The Defender” Bryson , along with his son Clay, both of Jackson County, N.C., along with our pal, incoming APA president David Williams of Vonore, Tennessee, continue on a record setting pace as they hunt the hills of southwestern North Carolina. Roger reports that this has been one of their best seasons ever and photos of their latest harvest are included in this article.
While only a few folks are skilled enough to match or exceed these record setting totals, I nonetheless hope that you and yours had a great bear season and that your dogs performed well without serious injury. And I hope that you are having great success in chasing and treeing the wily Mr. Ringtail as well.
After all, while records are nice, that’s not the primary reason that most of us hit the woods. At the end of the day –or the season – it’s more about enjoying the great outdoors with family and friends as well as the intense satisfaction of watching the skill sets and personalities of our dogs’ progress and improve. To me, nothing beats seeing a young dog that you have bred and raised grow into something really special. And I suspect that most of you feel the same way.
With bear populations at a record high and problem bears being a bigger concern to the general public than ever before, the importance of hunting with hounds is no longer just sport, nor is it just an integral part of our heritage, or simply a way to put food on the table –though all of those things are very important components of what we do.
But our sport now has become much more than that. It has become a necessity if the public wishes to remain safe from rogue bears and reduce the odds of bear-vehicle collisions, as well as providing an environmental service in maintaining a healthy, disease free, bear population. And don’t forget that animal borne illnesses run rampant in excessive animal populations and usually negatively impact the human population too. We have seen repeated examples of this in recent years.
Yet despite these facts, we continue to lose our hunting rights in many states thus jeopardizing not only our own hunting heritage, but that of future generations as well. Personally I feel that our best chance to combat this is by educating the general public –particularly the non-hunting general public. I try to do this in my books, magazine articles, and by doing programs in schools and various types of clubs and civic groups.
We have been fortunate to do this for several years now, and I feel like we are making a positive impact – though we still have a long way to go. Recently I was named to the Road Scholar Program that is sponsored by the North Carolina Council of the Humanities. Basically they will sponsor me to provide a program on Plott hounds and our history to any public group in North Carolina free of charge. You can get further details at their website nchumanities.org.
I tell you this not to brag, but to encourage those of you living in the state to contact the council and book a program for your local hunting club or civic group. The Wilderness Society –a group that contrary to popular belief – is a very pro-hunting organization has already booked six programs with us for 2013. And at least three of these programs will be hosted by local hunting cubs along with the Wilderness Society.
If you live in North Carolina – or near us – it is my hope that you will support these programs and schedule others in your respective areas to better educate the general public about our sport. Once they understand who we really are and what we truly stand for, it is my belief that we can win their support –or at least the rational ones anyway. And that’s a big first step.
For those of you living outside of the Old North State, I would encourage you to start your own educational programs. We have already done programs in six different states and we will be glad to assist you in any way possible. Again, I tell you this not to boast, only to inform you of ways that we can work together to educate the general public.
Moreover, we must find ways to insure that we can perpetuate our hunting legacy for future generations. This is of the utmost importance and it is something that can only be accomplished by working together. Think about it, before it is too late. And if you think it can’t happen to us, just ask our friends in California, Oregon and Washington – they can set you straight on that.
And while on the subject of promoting our sport and perpetuating our favorite breed, I’d like to commend and recognize Tennessean Jason “Big Un” Bickford for donating one of his prized  Plott pups to a young teenage hunter who had just lost his only hunting dog and had no resources to obtain another.
There are many adults that would have paid good money for one of Jason’s fine hounds, and as I understand it he often has a waiting list for pups from his kennel. So this was a very generous gesture on Jason’s part in not only helping out someone in need, but also in encouraging a youngster to participate in our sport. Thanks Jason for being a positive example that we can all aspire to.
Let’s get back on track and talk a little about hog hunting.  Hog season is also in full swing in Western N.C. and in most places in our state the hogs have become such a nuisance that they can now be hunted year around. But as serious as they are here in North Carolina, it pales in comparison to the hog problem in Texas.
I knew it was bad there as several friends –most notably Dr. Joe Burkett, of Fredericksburg Texas, originator of the White Deer Plott line – had discussed the problem with me in the past. However, I read an interesting recent article that I thought you might enjoy hearing about.
The state of Texas now pays a two dollar a tail bounty on hogs, and despite the fact that hundreds are killed weekly, they estimate that the feral hog population in the state is rapidly approaching three million. Worse yet, the hogs breed like rabbits and wildlife biologists project that their population is now growing at a rate of 20% annually.
State wildlife officers and private contractors are employed full-time to trap the pigs and even shoot them from helicopters. Yet, despite the bounties and the aerial assault, the hog problem is only getting worse. Crop and property damages are now in the millions of dollars and hog/car collisions are at an all-time high. And the problem isn’t just concentrated in Texas either –it now ranges from California to Texas and across the Gulf Coast to Florida and up the east coast as far north as West Virginia.
Rest assured that if you aren’t dealing with this problem yet, then it is probably only a matter of time before you do. It is similar in many ways to the coyote population explosion here in the south.
A decade ago there were few, if any, coyotes in North Carolina. Today they can be found in all 100 counties in the state including big metropolitan areas such as Charlotte and Raleigh. And like the hog problem, the situation worsens daily as coyote attacks on livestock and domestic pets are now common. It’s only a matter of time before their next victim is a human. These are the type of facts that folks need to know. And perhaps then they won’t be so quick to consider outlawing hunting with hounds and will be more supportive of our sport in general.
Enough of my preaching, let’s move on to the mail bag and upcoming events. The mail bag gets bigger every month and I am thankful for that. And I am continually surprised at the locations we get letters and emails from. Just this month we heard from folks in New York, Virginia, West Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Arizona, California, Washington State, Florida, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Maine, Michigan, Wisconsin, Minnesota, Utah, Idaho and all over the state of North Carolina, as well as international mail from Finland, Norway, Sweden and Canada.
Words are not adequate to appreciate my thanks for your kind words and support. Rest assured that I read and respond to all of them. And please keep them coming as I want this to be your column.
Too many folks wrote to include references to each of them individually, but I need to make special mention of a few of them. It’s always a pleasure to hear from Curtis Faulkner of Nova Scotia Canada. His beautiful Christmas card was much appreciated and I look forward to hearing more from him in 2013. Curtis is as dedicated a Plott man as there ever was, and like my pal Duane Smith, Curtis is yet another of those rugged northern hunters that I so admire.
My friend and mentor C.E. “Bud” Lyon sent me some great pictures of his famous old stud dog Balsam Major. Major is up in years now, and can no longer stand at stud, but he remains a healthy and vibrant hound, still capable of treeing bear –just like his master!
It was great to hear from my old pals, Rusty Gill, Steven Rich, Linda Mack, Tracey Jones, George Ellison, Russell Messer, Gene Walker, Roger Bryson, Rick Jenkins, David Brewin, Steve McAdams, Danny Phipps, Trae Murden and Leroy Elmore as well.
It is always a treat to hear from Tennessean Danny Scoggins. I really enjoy Danny’s articles in Full Cry and particularly his sense of humor. His kind words and support are especially appreciated, as is his long time dedication to the Plott breed. They don’t come any better than Danny, that’s for sure. And the same goes for my cousin Shane Plott whose friendship and support is also treasured highly.
Again, thanks to all of the above mentioned folks – and those not mentioned as well – for your kind words and support. You’ll never know how much that means to me. Now, let’s check the event calendar.
We have a few big Plott dog events just around the corner. The first of them is APA Breed Days at Hickory Grove, S.C. on March 14, 15 and 16. As always, I am excited about attending this awesome event in that it seems like a family homecoming or reunion to me. And I am especially excited about this year’s Methven Award winner that will be announced there. Obviously, I can’t share the winners name right now, but suffice it to say that it is very well deserved and has been a long time in coming.
The NPHA Big Game Nationals will also be in Hickory Grove, S.C. – just down the road from the APA site. It is a beautiful location and will be held on April 19-20. I look forward to that event too, and I hope that the turn out will be bigger this year..
There is still no official word regarding an APA sanctioned hog baying event in Georgia in 2013 –though David Williams and Roger Bryson are working hard on getting it done. And I commend them on their efforts. I will keep you posted as new details develop.
Finally, Plottfest will be held in Maggie Valley, N.C, on June 22-23. It will be a great family event with music, food, a sanctioned bench show, a kid’s show, a mechanical bear treeing contest and a tribute to Plott breed pioneers. More details on all this later.
Let’s move on to and finish the column this month with some Plott history. Several folks wrote or called wanting to learn a little more about Herbert “Hub” Plott, who I mentioned in last month’s column.
For those of you that would like a more in-depth profile on Hub, I would encourage you to read my third book – Legendary Hunters of the Southern Highlands – in which he and the entire Maggie Valley Plott clan are profiled, as well as “Little” George Plott – who we will talk about shortly. And several other folks that were not Plott family members are also profiled. But for now, I hope this brief review and photos will suffice.
Herbert “Hub” Plott was born in 1893 – the youngest son of Robert Henry and Martha Plott – in Haywood County, N.C. The area is now known as Maggie Valley, but until 1926 was referred to as Jonathan Creek, Ivy Hill, or simply Plott. The Plott family owned most of the valley from Soco Gap to Dellwood and ran a post office out of their home named after them.
Hub was a great-great grandson of Johannes George Plott who brought the first Plott dogs to America in the mid-1700’s, and the great grandson of Henry Plott who first brought the hounds to the mountains to N.C. in about 1800. Henry’s son David, was one of the earliest settlers along Jonathan Creek around 1825. David Plott was Hub’s grandpa, and along with David’s brothers, Enos and Amos, were some of the most renowned pioneer bear hunters in the region.
All three of the Plott brothers – David, Amos and Enos – kept large packs of Plott dogs – at least ten dogs each. They hunted so frequently that they had to rotate them to keep them fresh and healthy. Contrary to popular belief this was fairly uncommon back then as most folks simply could not afford to feed more than a dog or two. Only elite hunters kept more than a few hounds –and the Plott brothers were among the best of their time.
David and his wife Sara, had three sons who carried on the Plott family hunting tradition. One of these sons – a giant of a man named Robert Henry Plott, was Hub Plott’s father. Robert was the last Confederate prisoner released from captivity by the Union during the Civil War. His two brothers died at Camp Douglas, the infamous Union prison where Robert was held and tortured for two years. His extraordinary story is told in detail in my third book.
Robert returned home after the war and later became one of the wealthiest men and largest landowners in Haywood County. He also passed on his love of hunting and Plott dogs to his six sons –none more so than his youngest boy, Herbert “Hub” Plott.
With a lineage like this it is easy to understand how Hub quickly became one of the best bear hunters and dog men in the Plott clan – though not nearly as well known as the legendary Plott icons commonly referred to as the “Big Five.” Most Plott dog historians agree that the “Big Five” – consisting of Von Plott, John Plott, Taylor Crockett, Isaiah Kidd and Gola Ferguson – had the largest impact on what we now refer to as the modern day officially registered Plott hound.
However, a good argument can be made that Hub Plott could be added to this group, and that the “Big Five” should be referred to as the “Super Six.” But Hub Plott cared little for fame or notoriety. He preferred instead to stay close to home, and during the course of his long life never traveled more than 200 miles from the mountains he loved so well.
Hub’s priorities were simple and admirable: God, his family and his dogs, along with bear hunting and farming came before anything else. He married his soul mate Nannie Campbell in 1916. Together they raised three children and built a wonderful life together farming and running the local post office out of their home –the same house built by Robert Plott after his return from the Civil War.
Hub was a talented blacksmith. And in 1929 he hand forged.the parts and cut the sheet metal to make a water wheel to provide electricity for their home. The water powered electrical plant produced electricity for the Plott family for nearly seventy years and likely was the first home with electricity in the area.
Between his family obligations, blacksmithing and farming, Hub stayed busy, but he always made time for his dogs and bear hunting. He and his best friend Gola Ferguson hunted all over the region, but mostly in the rugged area along the Big Bend of the Pigeon River known as Twelve Mile on the Tennessee/North Carolina border. In 1952 he was quoted in a Saturday Evening Post feature article on bear hunting.
Over the years Gola Ferguson and Hub developed their own notable strain of Plott hound. Hub took the bloodlines passed on to him from his own family and combined them with Ferguson’s dogs, who carried elements of the Plott, Blevins, Cable and Abel lineage. The end result was a bang-up super aggressive bear dog that was second to none.
Maggie Valley native Charlie Clement – a fine hunter in his own right – remembered Hub and his dogs well. Charlie was 90 years old in 2008 when he told me that most of Hub’s dogs were safe to be around, but some of them were dangerous both to man and beast: “They were great dogs, one man dogs, loyal only to their owner, but boy, were they mean! Most of the time you could not even let them hunt with, or get near, other dogs or else they would tear them up and try to eat them!”
I personally can vouch for the excellence of these dogs as I visited Hub and Nannie often as boy. And my Uncle Cecil Plott hunted with Hub and often obtained dogs from him. However, I must say, the dogs I saw as a child were not overly aggressive. I was able to pet them and play with them from the first time I saw them as a boy. However, in fairness to Charlie, these were not the exact same dogs that he was referring to either. These dogs were from the same bloodlines, but a few generations later. But make no mistake about it –they were indeed hell on a bear trail.
Another thing that I remember about Hub was his great sense of humor. He had many stories about his adventures with Gola Ferguson. And of course, Gola, even more so than Hub, was widely known for his superb story telling abilities. Gola thought so much of Hub that when Ferguson died in 1962 he left almost his entire pack of prized Plott hounds to Hub Plott.
Though a staunch and dedicated Christian, Hub, like a lot of Plott men liked to curse. He was what we referred to in our family as “a creative cusser” in that he could curse for an hour and never use the same word twice!
That is an exaggeration of course, but he was a colorful character for sure, and one of the finest men I ever knew. And his wife Nannie was a saint –such a wonderful woman! I am honored to be kin to them and to have known them. Hub Plott died at the age of eighty in 1973. His beloved wife Nannie lived on at the home place until her death in 1992.
Hub’s better known cousins – Von Plott and his oldest brother John – lived on Plott Creek, right over the mountain from Hub’s Maggie Valley side of the Plott clan. Despite being close kin, and despite living in close proximity, for reasons known only to them, the Plott brothers had little to do with Hub, and they seldom, if ever, shared dogs or hunted together.
And it should be duly noted that Hub was evidently more than satisfied with this arrangement, so there was apparently little, if any, desire on his part to interact with the more famous Plott brothers either. (But it should be duly noted that Hub’s brothers Cody and Homer, along with Hub’s son, Herbert Jr., did participate in a well-documented hunt with Von, John and Little George Plott on Hazel Creek in late 1941.)
It is likely for these unknown reasons, as well as his preference for staying close to home and out of the limelight that resulted in Hub never getting the recognition that he so richly deserved. In my opinion that’s a shame because Hub Plott spent more than six decades chasing bears behind his Plott dogs and perpetuating his family legacy the right way. And his was a legacy as impressive as any of the other breed icons included in the Big Five – he just wasn’t as well known.
Of course, I suppose the same argument could be made for several other breed legends as well. That’s an argument that I don’t want to get into, nor do we have time to do so here.
And I can not emphasize strongly enough that the recognition bestowed upon the Big Five is very well deserved –no one admires these breed legends more than I do. I devoted an entire chapter to the Big Five in my first book and did an extensive profile on Von Plott in my latest book. So, this definitely should not be misconstrued in any way as being disrespectful to them – especially since two of them are related to me.
But perhaps it is time that we consider adding another name or two to that esteemed list. And if so, in my humble opinion, one of them should be Herbert “Hub” Plott.
Now, let’s wrap things up with an additional nugget of Plott history. It usually takes me several days or more to write a long column like this one. And keep it mind that even though you are reading this article well into 2013, I actually started writing this on Christmas Eve. So please bear with me as I share a brief Christmas story and another piece of Plott history that I hope you will enjoy.
Like many of you, we enjoy traditional family gatherings during the Christmas season, and this year we added a bonfire to our annual Christmas Eve festivities. There is nothing I enjoy better than making and setting around a campfire in the great outdoors. So much so, that I have built a primitive fire pit under a tree between our three dog kennels. If  I can’t be at a hunting camp deep in the woods, then this is the next best thing.
Despite the rainy, chilly weather, I was able to get a roaring fire going and was soon joined by beloved family members around the flames. We went around the circle and spoke of what we were thankful for and for our appreciation and love for each other. The dogs seemed to respect what we were doing and did not even bark or express their displeasure in not being able to join us by the fire. It was a special night.
Soon the rest of the clan retired to the warmth of the house, but I stayed by the fire alone to enjoy it a bit and quietly contemplate things. I have heard a camp fire often described as “cave man television.” I can understand why as it has always been easy for me to lose track of time as I study the ever changing colors and shapes of a fire while also enjoying the darkness and sounds of the wild that surround me.
Tonight was no different as soon there were no sounds but the crackle of the fire, the mournful hoots of a screech owl, our dogs bumping around in their houses, and a pack of coyotes howling in the distance. But yet tonight was indeed very different in that it was Christmas Eve. And as I focused on the flames I began to think about not only the living loved ones that had just went indoors, but also other loved ones who could not physically be with us that night, and especially those that had passed on.
The list of deceased friends and family members is a long one –and one that rapidly lengthens with age. Of course, in my family you can’t help but start with beloved family members such as my late father, a World War II veteran of D-Day who died when I was a teenager, as did my Uncle Cecil who took me on my first hunt, or a host of other illustrious relatives such as breed icons like Hub Plott and Von Plott –both of whom I was fortunate to spend time with as a child. I fondly remembered all of them as I warmed my hands over the fire.
But like every other Christmas Eve, my thoughts eventually circle back to a relative I never met, but one that I admire and think about almost daily – Captain  George Ellis Plott, better known simply as Little George. Thoughts of him are never more prominent than on Christmas Eve as 2012 was the 68th anniversary of his death. He would have been 100 years old this year were he still alive. As I stoked the fire, I wondered how different our family, and indeed our breed, would be had he lived to old age.
It is entirely possible that the aforementioned Big Five would have had to expand their roster to include him. But we will never know as he died all too young on that cold, December night in 1944. Little George was the only son of John A. Plott, and a nephew to Von Plott. He was killed in action on Christmas Eve, 1944, while crossing the English Channel on board the SS Leopoldville. Little George Plott was only 32 years old.
Many of you know the story of his heroism and it is profiled in detail in my third book. But here is a brief recap for those of you unfamiliar with it. George’s ship was torpedoed by a German submarine, and though he could not swim, George bravely directed the surviving members of his outfit to a rescue boat, as he stayed behind to go below deck and rescue others. He made at least two trips below the hull – rescuing comrades each time – before making a last valiant final attempt as the boat sank.
802 American troops – including soldiers from 47 of then existing 48 states died on that tragic night, including three sets of brothers and two sets of twins. Captain George Ellis Plott was among the dead. His body was never found.
Though only 32, Little George not only died a hero, but was highly thought of and renowned as a great hunter and Plott dog man long before he began his illustrious military career. There are numerous newspaper and magazine accounts describing him as a talented young man of high character with many valuable skills.
He certainly left a big impression on baseball hall of fame member Branch Rickey who hunted with Little George and his uncle Von Plott on Hazel Creek in 1935. Rickey rightly predicted in a 1935 letter to Von that George was destined for great things and “would make his mark in the world in whatever he undertakes.”
In a colorful family known for their family feuds, Little George always remained a bastion of integrity, seemingly able to bridge the gap between feuding clan members and always providing a positive example for the rest of the Plott family to aspire to.
He was fiercely dedicated to the perpetuation of the Plott breed and was a master of animal husbandry skills. Many Plott historians – and I am one of them – strongly believe that as impressive as the Plott breed is today, it would have been even more spectacular had Little George survived the war and lived a normal life span. But unfortunately we will never know for sure.
However, one thing is for certain: Captain George Plott died an American hero on Christmas Eve, 1944.  And for that reason alone, we are forever in his debt.
Regardless of what he might or might not have done had he lived, and regardless of the exemplary life he lived prior to joining the military, no one can ever dispute the fact, that like all of our American veterans –living or dead – Little George Plott was a hero of the highest order. And I always try and remember him—and all of them, including my late father –every day, but especially on Christmas Eve, the anniversary of his tragic death.
I looked to the heavens in salute to them and gathered a few more sticks of wood for the fire. The thought of all those brave Americans dying in the frigid depths of the English Channel sent a chill down my spine. I moved closer to the roaring flames, and thought to myself how it is strangely ironic, yet appropriate, that shortly before Christmas this year some new information surfaced on my hero, Little George Plott.
I think this research further validates what a fine young man he was and what a tragedy it is that he died all too young. And it includes actual quotes from the young officer. But before we get to that article, bear with me, as we need to provide you with a bit of background information to better appreciate the story.
By the early 1900s the Plott hound was starting to gain nationwide notoriety due in large part to writers such as Raymond Camp and Horace Kephart who extolled the virtues of these great dogs in their national newspaper and magazine art

By : Bob Plott

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     Nestled in the mountains of North Georgia is the Cohutta Wildlife Management Area. It is some of the best hunting to be found; that is, if one doesn’t mind hunting the mountains. I grew up coon hunting the mountains and feel there is no better hunting — period. Climbing the steep ridges is sometimes rough and there may not be the amount of game found in other areas or possibly the game is only spread out farther because of the vast amount of wooded terrain. The clean, fresh air along with the outdoor smells, hardwoods, evergreens and clear mountain streams invigorates one’s body. This is country that anyone would savor. The Cohutta WMA is open for coon hunting only several nights per year, and when younger, I tried to hunt it at every given opportunity.
On this particular hunt, my dad would be coming along. He had at one time been a hard hunter but at the time only occasionally hunted with me. He was a devoted Plott man, but he really liked JoJo, one of the young English hounds I owned and would go along just to hear him run and tree a coon. He said JoJo was probably the most powerful tree dog he had ever heard and every time he located a tree, it would make the hair on his neck stand up. My dad had taken me on my first coon hunt when I was barely old enough to walk. As I grew older, he made certain I had a top hound that I could tree plenty of coon with. He also instilled within my mind a firm belief that you can feed a good hound as easily as a worthless one. It cost the same to feed either.
On this hunt we would be hunting all English hounds, three males and a female. All four hounds would go hunting, get struck and treed and have game in the tree. They would also stay put once treed. As darkness approached, my dad arrived and I loaded Dual Nt. Ch. Nation’s Hardwood JoJo, Ch., Nt. Ch. Dutch Hollow Duke, Gr. Ch., Nt. Ch. Paxton Abernathy and Nt. Ch. Nation’s Tree Screaming Sheba. We had a good little drive to the place we planned to hunt, and as we drove, I thought about the hounds we were going to hunt.
JoJo was a two year old dark blue English hound that would go hunting and quickly get treed and stay put. He had one of the loudest mouths ever heard on a hound and was an exceptionally fast, accurate, one bark locator and a tree dog  hunters dream about. JoJo ran no off game and was a pleasure to hunt. He ran track with a booming bawl and treed with a hard, heavy chop. His sire was ACHA World Ch., Gr. Nt. Ch. Hayes’ Hardtime Speck. I purchased JoJo from Jack Cowgill of Illinois. The only reason I was able to own him was because he was not from Jack’s breeding. I finished JoJo to Dual Nite Champion after he came to my home. He was also campaigned in some of the money hunts of the time and did a lot of winning with Mike Seets handling him.
Duke was a one year old Redtick that was as good as they get at his age. He hunted hard and would get by himself and get treed every chance he had. Duke ran track with a loud, high pitched chop that could be heard with the loudest of hounds. He located with one squall bawl and immediately turned it over to a never ending chop. Duke was an accurate, stay put tree dog that would absolutely stay treed no matter what. Duke was sired by one of the overlooked studs of the time, a hound called Nt. Ch. Christopherson’s Roper by Boyd’s Little Joe. I believe Roper was only lightly bred but he sure sired some good hounds and could have helped the breed if he had been heavily used. I bought Duke from Steve Dorrough of Clifton Park, NY. He was a Show Champion and I finished him to Nite Champion.
Abernathy, called “Abner,” was a completely balanced hound, a top strike dog, a track dog and a loud, classy, stay put accurate tree dog. Abner was Redtick in color and one of the best looking Redtick hounds to ever breathe coon scent. He was a hound that went hunting well, ran track the right way with a big bawl, had an outstanding locate and was a hard, loud chop mouthed tree dog that could tree any kind of coon. Abner was sired by Dual Grand Champion Penny’s Kentucky Kojak, one of the many good hounds from Kojak in that era. I acquired Abner from Mike DeGraves of Wisconsin who had attempted to hunt him on bear but with poor results. Abner was a top coonhound but not much of a bear dog even though he would still occasionally run one. It was the only thing he ran other than coon and something I preferred he leave alone. I made no attempt to finish Abner to Grand Nite but he was hunted in some of the money hunts, handled by Mike Seets and I, and he did his share of winning and more.
Sheba was a small Redtick hound that went hunting in a run, quickly got struck and could really move a track in the right direction and put a tree at the end of it. Coming on the tree, she gave a screaming locate and was a blow-down tree dog that would not pull. Sheba ran track with a loud, high pitched chop, squall and bawl and treed with a rapid chop putting on a show at the tree. She was another of the good hounds sired by Dual Grand Champion Penny’s Kentucky Kojak. I bought her with intentions to raise a litter of pups. She came out of Michigan from Jim Baumbach, the Walker man and owner of the great Dual Grand Champion Baumbach’s Pulpwood.
As we arrived at our first drop I thought, “If we didn’t tree coon on this night, they couldn’t be treed.” We were hunting as much dog power as anyone. Driving to the end of a narrow lane routed alongside a clear mountain stream, we prepared to release the hounds up the hollow into what looked to be prime coon country. I had hunted JoJo hard in the mountainous terrain of the surrounding area and he was accustomed to it and knew where to look for a coon track. Duke had also received much hunting in the mountains of my area and upstate New York, so he also knew how to hunt the mountainous terrain and where to strike a coon. I had not hunted Abner in the mountains but was sure he had been hunted in much more mountainous terrain where he came from so he should also do well. Sheba had probably not seen mountains like she was about to be subjected to, so how she would perform was a question to soon be answered.
All four hounds were released onto the mountain stream and immediately split up. JoJo shot up the stream. Duke crossed the lane following a trail up the side of the mountain and Sheba and Abner entered a hollow running parallel to the road we had driven in on. I had hoped the hounds would stay together and quickly get a track going but they were too independent for that. A lot of walking would be involved if each hound struck a track of their own. As luck would have it, they soon were going in three directions. Oh well, sometimes hunting the mountains is tough.
JoJo was first to strike opening only two or three times before his big coarse locate was heard followed by the loud, heavy chops. He was going no further. As we walked in the direction of JoJo’s tree, Duke was heard high on the side of the mountain working a track. At precisely the same time, Abner and Sheba opened far in the distance and they were moving. We proceeded to JoJo’s tree which was only a short walk up the stream and he was leashed and a large hardwood shined. The coon was spotted quickly and was given to him. The coon was a large mountain coon that JoJo had practically ambushed, but many of his coon were treed in the same manner. He did everything fast and efficient. Walking from the tree with JoJo leashed, not another hound was heard as they had all gotten out of hearing range. Our next task was walking back to the vehicle to check the tracker and find their locations.
Duke was close. He had crossed into another hollow and was treed solid. Sheba and Abner’s location was another story as the tracker was receiving a signal from neither. They had traveled a long distance or crossed the mountain. In time we would discover which. Duke was high on the mountain and only slightly over a ridge in another hollow. He was treed on a large white pine. Sometimes the white pines are extremely large and the coon hard to find if it does not look at the light. This was not the case as the coon looked at the light almost immediately and was swiftly given to and was dispensed by Duke. We now headed back to the vehicle to attempt to locate Sheba and Abner.
We were still unable to receive a signal from either on the tracker but we drove in the direction they had departed, only stopping at intervals to check for a signal. A weak signal was finally received from the two hounds and we drove towards their general direction. It is sometimes hard to get very close to the hounds if they are deep in the mountains because there is only a road or two running through the area. We were still unable to hear the hounds but the signal continuously became better the further we drove. Several miles up the road we came upon a group of young people standing at a large blazing fire alongside the creek. We stopped and checked the tracker, then we asked the group if they had seen the hounds. The group began talking all at the same time. They had seen two dogs probably an hour before and they had also seen a small bear they were running. Pointing in the direction that the hounds were headed, one of the youngsters said he lived nearby and knew the area well stating the dogs were in a deep hollow at the back of his family’s property and happily volunteered to show us an easy way to them. The youngster crawled in the vehicle with us and pointed us in the direction we needed to go.
“Go through the gate up ahead and we can drive into the hollow where the dogs were going,” stated the young man.
We slowed to make the turn into the gated area and Sheba and Abner were heard treeing loud and clear. We walked in to the tree and both hounds were leashed and the small bear was spotted sitting midway up the tree. The young man quickly pointed to Sheba and said, “That dog was nipping at the bear’s heels when he came by us and the other one was not too close up on the bear. We thought they were going to catch it but were glad they ran it away from us. I’ve never seen dogs run bear before but it’s pretty cool. We have a lot of bear around here.”
“Well, we aren’t bear hunting and are not supposed to tree them, so we need to get the hounds and get out of here,” my dad and I stated.
I briefly scolded both hounds as I didn’t want either to run bear because I only coon hunted and that is all I wanted my dogs to run. We went back to the vehicle and the young man asked what game we were hunting and we showed him the coon we had caught. He asked if maybe he could tag along and see a coon treed. We had no problem with the request and he promptly said he knew a place where there were plenty of coon. A few miles down the mountainous road, we came to another gated area where the young man opened the gate for us to drive to a small field of unharvested corn. The young man said his dad planted the field yearly for the wildlife. It was never harvested and the wildlife was abundant there. We came to a stop and all four hounds were released. All went hunting and soon had a track going.
Abner was first to open with a loud bawl joined by the chops and squalls of Sheba and then the shrill chops of Duke and the thundering bawl of JoJo. Duke and JoJo peeled off up the mountainside and rapidly ended their track when JoJo stole the tree away from Duke before he could get his one squall bawl locate out of his mouth. That’s how he operated most of the time, tight and right, not what I really liked but hard to dislike. Abner and Sheba ended their track at almost the same time and my dad said if they didn’t pull to JoJo and Duke, he would be surprised. JoJo was surely loud and my dad partial to him but he wasn’t going to pull Abner or Sheba as they were hooked to stay. The young man had a big smile on his face just hearing the treeing hounds but the smile was nowhere near what it would be after seeing a couple of coon up a tree.
We climbed the mountain to JoJo and Duke and shined the tree spotting another large coon lying in a fork high in the tree. Both hounds had a coon out to them so the coon was left to run again. With both JoJo and Duke remaining on the lead, we walked along the mountainside to Abner and Sheba’s tree. We arrived at a large oak, shined the tree and two coon were spotted. The smiling young man asked if we were going to take the coon. Being that Abner and Sheba had not had a coon, I replied, “We’ll take one of them. Do you want to shoot it out to them?”
The young man said, “Yes, I want to shoot the coon out.” He stood back and shot the coon out with a single shit. I think it was at that moment that a future coon hunter was made.
We returned to the vehicle and the young man asked why I wanted to take only one coon from the tree. I explained, “That was how I was taught. Leave some for seed and you will always have coon to tree. The dogs don’t know how many coon are in the tree anyway so one is enough.” I was glad to hear the young man ask questions.
It was decided by my dad that we would make one more drop before calling it a night as he didn’t like to hunt all night. I think the young man and I were just getting started but I had to honor Pop’s request. Instead of moving to a new area, we cut the hounds back in the direction of the cornfield. Within minutes we had another red hot track going and the hounds were taking it straight up the mountain.
Abner once again had gotten the strike followed by Sheba, Duke and JoJo. The hounds took the track high up the mountain before dropping into another hollow out of hearing and thus our long climb began. After climbing partway up the mountain we were able to hear the echo of the treeing hounds and proceeded in their direction. Once we caught sight, we found all four hounds stretched high on the side of a large hardwood. The tree was shined and a large coon was spotted. The hounds were given a little praise and led from the tree and the coon was left to run again.
Back at the truck I told the young man that climbs like that  was the reason I hunted an accurate tree dog. Even though we didn’t take the coon, we knew it was there and were satisfied to leave it for another night. Hunting the mountains, one does not have to walk to many empty trees before they are ready to get rid of a slick treeing dog and get something more accurate. I have walked to a few of these and will never do so again. Walking to empty trees in rough terrain will make a person despise a slick treeing dog for life. The old timers didn’t walk to a lot of empty trees and there is no sense in doing so in this day and time.
Our night of hunting was complete and we headed for home. I gave the young man my information in case he wanted to hunt again and dropped him at his house. That night we made a coon hunter of him and he is still hunting today. The sport needs young people such as this to keep it alive. Give a young person the opportunity to experience this great sport and the sound of the hounds. You’ll be glad you did.
This young man hunted with many nights with me in the following years. He was thankful for the opportunity to hunt with good hounds just as I had been so many years before. My dad and I would still hunt together until I sold JoJo.
Duke and JoJo were sold at the same time and both were good hounds that treed all the coon one could ask to tree. Both were accurate and treed the tracks they struck and stayed put once treed. They were good hounds but I was looking for something a little more balanced and a little bit better. Both hounds were no aggravation of any sort and maybe they were as good as I was going to find but I never stopped looking for that hound with just a little bit extra. JoJo and Duke were replaced with one of the most powerful, completely balanced young Bluetick hounds of the time.
Abner and Sheba stayed at my home until the end. Sheba was killed by a bulldog while at a friend’s home and Abner did not live a long life but he was a good hound and the kind I liked to hunt. Sheba and Abner were only two of the many good hounds from Penny’s Kentucky Kojak at the time. The magazines were full of Kojak sired hounds being promoted at that time. I hunted with many good hounds from Kojak and felt that Abner was as good as any of them. LeRoy Penny, owner of Kojak, also said Abner was one of the better hounds  sired by Kojak but he also stated that Kojak’s Talking Tom was possibly the best of the bunch. I never had the opportunity to hunt with Tom but I later owned several good hounds sired by him and knew he reproduced some good ones. If given the opportunity to hunt with Tom and he’d proven as good as LeRoy said, I would have tried to own him if he could have been bought. Good hounds of the past are only a distant dream now but more will eventually follow.
I hunted the mountains hard in my younger years and will again in the future but only at a slower pace. I always tried to hunt my dogs in an assortment of different terrains to have them accustomed to different types of territory. Try a variety of terrains — it will help improve the dogs’ ability and performance. The extra work will pay off in the end.

By : Gregory Bart Nation

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