Registered: Apr 2014
Location: oakvale ms
Posts: 2007

Steve, I hope you, Scott and Mason are having a great time, Riding the river, catching catfish and coonhunting. Don't get any better than that. If you are going to Black Branch Swamp tonight I hope Scott finds him different clothes, because he is not going to make it in there in Tennis shoes and shorts. We will all be watching for you to tell the story of that hunt. Take care steve, we will get togeather soon for a hunt.

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2552

MR. Jack we have been having a good time. We have caught some nice fish. A few Bass Wednesday evening and this evening we caught 8 catfish and a white perch fishing with our rod and reels. This is a picture of a couple. We had 2" of rain yesterday and it has the river muddy and up, just right for cat fishing but not good for the Crappie. We got back to my pier I had tossed my line out and set it in the rod holder and before I could get through skinning the ones we had Scott hollered out for me not to put the knife up. My rod had went to jumping so he picked it up out of the holder and set the hook on a 3 pounder. He didn't want to stop fishing because as it got closer to dark they were really starting to bite those fresh worms we got off my trees but I told him I needed coffee and we were going back to the swamp tonight coon hunting. Been having some good hunts just haven't had the time to put them on here but I will get caught up in a day or so.

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Registered: May 2012
Location: Lucedale,Ms
Posts: 82

Have yall got anymore blue pups or know where I can get a good male pup looking for one 6 months or young?

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2552

Southern Miss, I don't have any for sale or know of anyone close by with one for sale. If you go on the board of Blueticks for sale and look for user name Kenny357 he had some real nice pups for sale out of his Traveler hound. Or if you want to wait I know of one fine gyp that was bred to Bocephus a month ago and a sister to my Stormy gyp that was bred to Boomer. I don't feel you could go wrong with a pup out of any of these fine males, take care and if I can help just shoot me a message.

Scott and I took BO and Briar back to Black Branch Swamp last night after we ate some of the fish we caught along with French fries, hushpuppies and salad my wife fixed for us. On the way to where I wanted to cut them the first time they blew up on back of 4 wheeler. We were about halfway up the swamp so I cut them right there. BO flew in about 70yds, opened twice and fell treed. Briar had grabbed a track and was rolling to the right. Went into BO's tree, blew the squaller a few times and had him look at me from 3/4 the way up the water oak. Briar in the mean time was moving his track on out. Petted BO up, loaded him up and moved on up the swamp and recut him up the branch. He went over 500yds and struck and was working the track back our way some when Briar threw 4 beautiful long bawl locates. He treed a minute then hushed. About that time BO treed over 400yds up the branch and Briar climbed back on his tree. He was almost 200yds the opposite way than BO and in the BAD, BAD stuff. I wanted him to settle and hammer it before I headed to him because it is brutal getting through that stuff. He treed decent a few minutes but never really rolled it over to where I felt like he was going to stick and he didn't. He hushed again and I told Scott lets go to BO. We rode up close to the tree and he was on a huge tupelo gum that went up a ways and split into several trunks. It was thick in there and I couldn't get him to look. Swamp was flooded everywhere from the 2" of rain we had Thursday and both of BO's trees were in a foot of water last night. I feel Briar is getting better every time out and not hitting that trash quite as bad as he had been. Also feel he did a good job moving his track in all that water for a pup just turned 10 months old today. Scotts tennis shoes were dirty than the hounds when we got out of that swamp but he enjoyed it. BUT, I don't think he will get on the list for a speckled blue pup anytime soon! Good Hunting!!!

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Last edited by steve bankston on 05-23-2015 at 11:13 AM

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2552

Fishing from the pier this morning and got this picture of Star as she came down for a drink. She is a active pup, always on the go exploring everything around the house. I got up at 3:30am and put some food on the smoker to cook. We had a big get together here today and everyone had a great time and we ate some good food. I caught 5 Catfish at daylight this morning from the pier and 3 more this evening. Getting ready now to go cut Briar loose by himself and see if he can get one treed.

Chris, my brother won't win the tough guy award as he didn't get off that 4 wheeler at all last night. He enjoyed listening to the hounds but not enough to hit that swamp.

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2552

Thank You to ALL the VETERAN'S, Past, Present and Future for your service. You are Americas Hero's, Thank You and GOD Bless!

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Registered: Nov 2005
Location: Iowa
Posts: 2961

Looks like a real fun weekend. Has me wanting to wet a line now that Bluetick Days is over. A good meal of channel catfish would taste great. Planning on getting down your way next year when Bluetick Days will be in Batesville, so make plans now to be there, so we can meet up. Take care, Ron.

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2552

Ron, I will be at Batesville next year and looking forward to meeting you, take care.

Took Briar by himself tonight to BO's Bottom. Cut him down the creek that comes out of the Beaver Lake and he went in a ways and struck a track but It wasn't a coon. He opened on it a few times and quit it, He's getting better on the junk and not fooling with it as bad. I am getting to know his different mouths and can tell now when I'm pretty sure its a coon or junk. He really opens out and puts volume to it on a coon, lot louder and longer bawl. On junk its a shorter more grunting bawl. Loaded him back up and road on into the swamp a piece and cut him again. He went in 183yds and struck a feeder track that he moved steady down the creek, brought it out of the swamp and into the young pines with all the black berries briars, got it really moving good then brought it out of the pines back into the swamp. When he got to 597yds I fired up the 4 wheeler and drove down a trail I haven't been down before trying to get closer. When I shut it off I was right beside him. He came out into the trail, picked the track up on the other side and back up the creek he went. He went another 117yds and got hooked on a big pine that was on the edge of the swamp and the pine thicket. He treed pretty good and I looked from the only side I could shine from pretty good but couldn't find him. Loaded him up and came on in. We have had almost 6" rain in the past week. Black Branch Swamp is flooded bad and BO's Bottom some but not so bad. I will keep putting him in the woods a few times a week until things dry out some and kitten coon start moving around. When that happens I will put more time in Briar and getting some coon out to him and hopefully have him going good by the end of the summer. We shall see, Good Hunting!

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
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Took Bo and Briar tonight to BO's Bottom. It rained another 2" today so that's close to 8" we have had in the past week. I looked back on this thread and the same time last year I was complaining about 5" we had just had so about the same weather pattern. Bo went in and angled left and Briar struck hot and went right. Trash again for about 10 minutes and he quit it. Bo struck deep, worked a good track a few minutes and came treed. I loaded Briar up and drove within 100yds of BO and walked on in to him. He was treed on a big cypress out in the middle of a slough and I saw the coon looking as I came in. Petted him up and came on out. Came home and got some feed for the feeder in Black Branch Swamp and rode up there. Man, was it flooded. The water was crossing the county road about 6" deep. It was a foot deep the whole ride into the swamp so I decided I wasn't even going to cut them loose. I filled up the feeder so maybe I can get Briar on a hot track next time I go in there. This trash running is getting on my nerves. I haven't had the E-collar on him because I like to get one treeing coon and hunting out good before I start to slow down the trash running but I might have to work on him and the swamp rabbits some as that is his worst habit right now. The swamp and trails are full of them so it won't be hard to set him up a couple times. I will be glad to see drier weather and the kitten coon get to moving in a couple months.

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Registered: Aug 2003
Location: SE indiana
Posts: 941

Hey Steve, you all have been trying to send that rain up here for the last month. However, it has been fading out before we get much. We are about 3" behind right now.

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2552

I haven't got to hunt since Wednesday night because of rain and work. Went in Friday and got home last night at 10pm. Over 30 hours with no sleep, I slept good last night. We had to shut down the 190 ramp in New Orleans 2 blocks from the Super Dome and take out that big cap beam you see in picture setting on that concrete column. We used jack stand towers with jacks to hold the spans of the bridge up on either side of the cap beam then took all the angles a loose and torched all the connections. Cut the bottom flange of cap beam where each girder was and pulled old beam out the top. We had to go in from the side with new cap beam which is 6' tall and 77' long. All this had to be done from Friday night through Monday 6am and open to traffic or we have to pay 45,000 per hour delay on this job. The men got it done with an incredible effort and determination, proud of them.

Chris I wish this rain would come up your way if yaw need it. On drive in last night it rained on me most of the way and was raining when I got home. Hoping I get to go hunting tonight after I watch Jimmie win the Monster Mile in Dover, take care and Good Hunting!

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2552

Coming out the top with old beam.

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2552

New Beam going in.

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Registered: Nov 2005
Location: Iowa
Posts: 2961

Love pics. Looks like a BIG job to get done in a short amount of time. Glad to see you can rest up now & get back to hunting. Take care, Ron.

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
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Thanks Ron, glad that job is behind us. They poured the few yards of concrete this evening up top where it had been broke out so we could pull the old beam. Just got word that the concrete cylinders broke at over 5,000 psi in 6 hours so all is good to open to traffic tonight. They will beat the deadline by 5 hours or so which is great considering all the rain we had today. I didn't go in today as I felt they were all good once we got that new beam in yesterday. Was glad to get the word they are opening to traffic now.

Took Briar tonight to BO's Bottom and cut him down the drain that comes out of the Beaver Lake. I had out a feeder in there about 100yds out and filled it up Wednesday night. Briar struck hot and the race was on. He ran that coon hard for 10 minutes or so and the coon took to the lake and that slowed Big Briar up some but he came out the other side and picked the track right back up and kept on rolling. Took him through the swamp about 500yds, across a big slough then the coon took to the pine thicket with the briars. That slowed Briar up a little more and he was giving more of a trailing bawl than a running bawl when he came out of the briars 10 minutes later and back around the edge of the lake. He hit one tree at 372yds with 3 long bawls and I was starting to head his way before he finished the last one but he didn't stick and went back to trailing. Coon took him out in the shallow water where its real boggy with water grass and cattails and Briar just eventually lost him. I hated that as he needed that hot track and a few good trees with some petting up and maybe a little fur in his mouth to get him coming around to where I need him to be for his age but you can't tree them all when your 10 months old and this running coon got the best of him. One night at the time, one track at the time, one tree at the time will turn Briar into a coonhound IN TIME. I keep telling myself this as its easy sometimes to get frustrated when things don't go as you think they should. Seems like when you need a few hot, easy tracks with a tree pretty quick to get your pup focused and clicking all you get after are bad tracks or Rocket the Racoon who don't know when to stop running and climb. Or when your pup is getting on the tree right and you want a good running coon so he can get the tracking experience all you get after are quick pop ups. Never completely happy or satisfied is what keeps us hitting the woods night after night longing for that perfect hunt with that perfect hound. Going to get up at 4am and go to the swamp and cut him again, never know when that perfect hunt is going to happen and everything just clicks and from that point on the young hound has it all figured out and starts making treeing them coon look easier and easier, Good Hunting!

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Last edited by steve bankston on 06-01-2015 at 05:45 AM

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Registered: Jul 2005
Location: IL.
Posts: 632

Hope springs eternal! Sounds like fun for a young man! Ed

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2552

Took BO and Briar to Black Branch Swamp tonight under the almost full moon. I cut them down the swamp near a feeder I had filled up last week and Briar struck but when he did BO did a U turn and headed North up the branch. Briar messed with the trash for a few minutes and quit it and when he came close I got my hands on him and loaded him up. I sat there on the 4 wheeler watching the Garmin and all the ground Bo was covering without a bark. In the picture when he was to the left as far as he went it was a little over 700yds. When he started to the right and went up as far as he did and his track looks like a mountain peek he was 928yds in. You can see one of my old tracks in the light blue/green where he treed 2 weeks ago and I rode to him then walked the last 100yds. In the picture where he is when I took it is where he first opened and he was 446yds and just fell treed working his way back to me. The picture of his track is pretty typical of how BO hunts. Goes about half a mile or so and starts a big loop back to me. If he strikes he goes as far as the track carries him until treed. Briar and I rode the 4 wheeler within 50yds of where he was treed and I went in and looked at the coon setting up in a tupelo gum, petted BO up and came on in. Getting up early to go to work. That picture shows you just how far these hounds in the south have to go sometimes to strike a coon even with feeders out.

MR. Ed, Hope does keep us going and when I'm on the 4 wheeler listening to a good race my mind drifts off and I do feel young, sometimes when a pup hits the tree just right it don't seem like my feet touch the ground all the way to the tree. But how reality and age hit home when you start to lead them out of these swamp thickets! Nothing in me feels young at that moment, lol! I told MR. B H last year that it seems everything in the dang woods jump up and trip me a lot more than it used to and his reply was to just wait until I got his age, not only would stuff trip me, once I hit the ground it would tie me up where I couldn't get back on my feet. I guess I will just crawl when that happens, already do some of that now in these thickets!
Hope all is good up your way with you and your family. Is Bobbie showing any signs yet of being full of BOCEPHUS PUP'S? Its been a little over a month now but probably to early to tell. I hope she took, those pups should make some shore enough good'uns with huge mouths. I have had a couple folks looking for pups so if she took and they aren't all spoke for I might can move a couple for you. Just make sure you save the Boldest, Hard Headest , Loudest one for me! Take Care and Good Hunting!!

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Registered: Jul 2005
Location: IL.
Posts: 632

Bobbie looks like she is more everyday. Time will tell! Hugger is really heavy with pup, These should be some nice pups too. Same cross as the Thunder dog that Wendell Mc Cool is hunting. (Blood Wise) Stay after old Briar he will quit those swamp bunnies pretty quick.

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2552

This Star pup we have here is another smart pup. She is off BOCEPHUS X BARBRA JEAN. She shows so much of the same similarities in her actions as BO does its uncanny. BOCEPHUS is sure leaving his mark on pups when bred to good females. This is video of Star getting her first " coon". Click to see. Didn't take 2 tosses and she was bringing it back every time. She gets a little bigger I will have her hitting the river to get the beaver sticks that Mason tosses in.

MR. Ed, glad to hear Hugger took. Wendell really likes that Thunder Hound he's hunting for Roger. Said he is Very Accurate and just a fine hound all the way around so pups out of Hugger and Boomer should be the same, super nice! I wish you were tight enough with your Vet he would do a quick, free Sonogram on Bobbie to see if she's with pups, the Suspense is Killing Me! lol!! If Briar don't quit the Swamp Bunnies soon MR. Frank is going to have a Overgrown Bluetick Beagle in his kennel! Just kidding, Briar has what it takes and very soon I'm going to talk a coon into walking down the tree and shaking hands with him, I think that's all its going to take to get him wanting to meet all the coons in the swamp. Take Care and will be talking to you soon.

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2552

This is a picture of MR. Jack Smith wading the swamp to the treed hounds, Tramp and Bo. They were treed on the tree just in front of and to the right of Mr. Jack. It was huge at the base but quickly tapered down as it went up. We didn't find this coon but they were treeing like they were looking at him. We did something last night I haven't done in years, hunted all night. I got home and it was starting to break daylight. We made several trees and looked at one big boar coon that Tramp treed. I had a great time and the only thing that went wrong was the time flew by to fast and left me longing for more time and better tracks so we could cut them " ONE MORE TIME " Good Hunting with a Good Friend, don't get any better.

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Registered: Feb 2011
Location:
Posts: 278

Wendell is giving me some good reports on Thunder, he really likes him, he went hunting in the swamps last night, he said he did a lot of walking, treed 2 last night, a friend of mine has a nice female had 8 pups so far this morning, they are from Thunder...... thanks Steve

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Registered: Feb 2011
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Posts: 278

Wendell is giving me some good reports on Thunder, he really likes him, he went hunting in the swamps last night, he said he did a lot of walking, treed 2 last night, a friend of mine has a nice female had 8 pups so far this morning, they are from Thunder...... thanks Steve

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Registered: Apr 2014
Location: oakvale ms
Posts: 2007

Thanks Steve for the pictures and everything. I really enjoyed the hunt. The coons were not stiring good and the moon was almost as bright as day, but its not always how many you tree.
the dogs did a good job, they had to work hard for everything they got. I liked ole Bo the first time I hunted with him and I like him better every time I hunt with him. Steve I hope you get rested up good before going back to work tonight and be careful I know its dangerous work out there on those highways. I'm looking forward to our next hunt. Steve those pictures are good. You have a real talent for taking those special pictures. No telling what you could do with a real camra.

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2552

Chris, yea Little Star is growing and your right, time flies and before I know it she will be chasing something around here and ready to start. Hope yaw didn't get all the rain Dallas and Houston got as those folks are in a bind from the flooding. Hope Wolf and your other hounds are making you proud, Take Care.

Roger, good luck on that litter of pups, Thunder has a lot of great hounds in his background and should pass on the good stuff to his pups. Take Care.

MR. Jack, thanks for the compliments on the pictures, I love taking them as you all can tell. I used to take a lot of pictures back in the day of wildlife. I had a good Cannon Camera with a 300mm zoom on it and took lots of Turkey, Deer, Coon Hounds, ect. Always dreamed of being a wildlife photographer and writer but always heard the term, " Starving Artist " and never rolled the dice and took a chance on trying to make a living doing it, so here I am on the side of I-10 working for Coastal Bridge. Got my bills where I want them now so you never know, might wake up one morning and roll those dice. I do have some good cameras and the new Garmin Virb Elite action video camera that I bought months ago and haven't used yet. I need to break it out and see what I can do with it.
We worked last night and I had a meeting to go to today at 2pm but it got canceled and so did this weekends work. Seems college baseball is coming to town and DOTD won't let us shut down one lane to work because it will cause a traffic nightmare. Good news for me to hear because weather is nice and drying out and Briar is raring to go. So am I. I will be hunting every night until Wednesday of next week so if you want to come wade the swamp over here some give me a call and we will go, Take Care.

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Registered: Sep 2013
Location: tylertown,mississippi
Posts: 2552

About to be race time here on the banks of the Bogue Chitto River. Truck race tonight at 8pm on Fox Sports One. Told my wife that we are watching it OUTSIDE, so happy to see the sunshine after all the rain we have been having. We put the jet boat in the river this evening and will be doing some fishing and coon hunting also. Took Briar to BO's Bottom last night and it isn't anything worth talking about. Struck one track I thought was for sure a coon as he opened with big, long bawls off and on and moved the track down the side of a slough for over 300yds, hit a couple locates and started treeing but I could tell the sound was muffled and thought he was in a den or hole in the ground. He was in a hole, hooked him up and came on back to 4 wheeler. I cut him twice more and no strike and he didn't want to hunt out very good so I walked some on one turn out but on next I had lost my patience and just loaded him up and came home. After the race tonight I am taking him and Stormy to Black Branch Swamp. Bo will be off duty for a week or so because he tore the back pad on his right back paw. I noticed the other night he was favoring it some. Cleaned it up with peroxide and put some antibiotic cream on it. Hope it heals without lingering on.

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