Summertime Blues...and Tri-Coloreds

So this summer I'll be running my dogs at least bi-monthly, if not once a week. The trick is to run them from 11pm to 5am on a weekday night on the most remote land you can find. A nice cool night is ideal, so the dogs don't get over-heated, and track a little better. I prefer to run males and females seperately just to keep the dogs focused this time of year, and a cast of 6 max is golden. Too many dogs at night and the dogs will learn to follow a dog track, try to cast dogs in pairs or trios, save the big pack hunts for the fall when youn have extra hands to catch them up.
We wait until after does have weaned fawns because we never want the dogs to accidentally run a fawn. I've begun fishing for white bass and bream on the river and discarding the cull-fish to liven up the area for coons, that way I can run my bluetick without always relying on a caged coon, as she is still learning and has no older dog to accompany her. She has got the general idea after several caged coons, and has treed 3 in a row. I'm hesitant to hunt her with any other dogs until I know they won't reverse countless hours of training. I'm working extensively on her tracking, trying to get her to follow the trail and not the scent in the air. By using a dead coon I've been able to show her that she needs to follow the trail by dragging the carcass by a t-handle then hanging it 4-5 feet up a tree.
I've also started putting out my digital scouting cameras, overlooking a salt/mineral lick in a bedding area. We've already begun to count the does feeding in the food-plots, and the fawns are everywhere due to a relatively warm winter and wet spring. I've begun to re-fresh our salt/mineral licks with a few scoops of fine mineral stock salt from Tractor Supply. Not only does the salt attract the deer making them photographable, but the minerals consumed by the bucks supply essential rack building minerals during a critical time of year. The salt mentioned is relatively inexpensive and goes a long way. More to come....