When the Tailgate Drops
- Jamie Pearson
- Dec 10, 2025
- 5 min read
On a crisp fall night driving down an old game management road in Edgefield County, we ease off to the side near a creek and shut off the truck. It’s quiet and so dark there’s not a star in the sky. Silence breaks when the coon dogs rustle around inside their dog box, excited about going to work.
We climb out the truck and walk to the tailgate to a pair of anxious hounds, a Treeing Walker (Molly) and a Black and Tan (Ellie). They leap from the tailgate and follow their owner, my daddy, Mark Hett. He walks into the woods several yards off the creek bed, unsnapping their leashes one by one before the dogs vanish. Daddy turns on his headlamp and sets his compass to where his truck is parked, listens for his hounds and checks a GPS tracker.
In no time, Ellie strikes a track with a deep bark. Molly backs her up moments later. Soon enough, long barks turn to loud, fast chops. Daddy looks at his GPS and says, “They got one.” We turn on our headlamps and head in the dogs’ direction. For a 70-something-year-old man, daddy can plow through the thickest of woods and it’s all I can do to keep up. We cross a creek and hop over dead trees. Daddy stops for a minute, listening to make sure the dogs are still on the tree. We nearly come nose-to-nose with a white-tailed deer bedded in a thicket as we finagle our way through the brush. Meanwhile, the dogs are steady on the tree and having a fit!
A half-mile later, we find them at a huge water oak. Daddy flips his coon light to the red filter and uses his squaller call to mimic the sound of a distressed raccoon. Red light is a preferred color because it doesn’t spook raccoons and offers good visibility to hunters. Old-timers say the red light sometimes has a calming effect on coons. Because I’m generally the lucky shot, I shoulder my .22- caliber Ruger and peer through the scope while Daddy shines the coon. Before I can pull the trigger, the raccoon jumps out amongst the dogs and climbs another tree a hundred yards away. Do yourself a favor and Google comedian Jerry Clower’s skit, “A Coon Huntin’ Story” for a clearer picture of how those few minutes unfolded.
Daddy hits his coon squaller again and scans the tree limbs with a spotlight. “I see him,” I call out over the barking. This time, I was quicker on the draw, and we soon heard the coon crash in a pile of leaves. Ellie and Molly wagged their tails a 100mph and nudged the raccoon before taking their prize to Daddy. As we walked to the truck, he praised them like they had just scored the winning touchdown in double overtime.
I grew up coon hunting, you might even think there’s a raccoon hiding somewhere in my family tree. Heck, I have an Uncle Jesse who sprouted from a limb because we spent so much time hunting with him. My daddy always had good dogs, all ones he trained himself. He dabbled in competition hunts for a brief moment, titling a couple of his dogs but realized his passion was pleasure hunting with his dogs, his hunting buddies and making memories with us kids, our friends and grandchildren. So when given the chance, I gladly educate others about a pastime that’s finally cool again since it was a big part of my childhood.
Centuries ago, owners and their trusty hounds hunted coons for meat and fur. Native to North America, raccoons are known for being clever nocturnal mammals that can have a nasty attitude if provoked. Because they are omnivores coons eat a variety of foods and can easily adapt in woods, wetlands, farms, neighborhoods, parks and anywhere there is a buffet to keep their bellies full. Raccoons stay to themselves for the most part, except during breeding season or after their kits are born. A female in the wild can have from 35 to 70 babies in her lifetime. Raccoons can carry bacteria, viruses and parasites, among the most common are rabies, leptospirosis, parvo, canine hepatitis, and pseudorabies with canine distemper.
Coonhounds are a type of scenthound and hunting dog that originated in America during the early 1700s. The American Kennel Club (AKC) recognizes six breeds: American English, Black and Tan, Bluetick, Plott Hound and the Treeing Walker. The United Kennel Club (UKC) acknowledges a seventh breed, the Redbone Coonhound. The Continental Kennel Club (CKC) validates five of those breeds, all of which excel at tracking their prey at night and driving them up a tree. Lastly is the Professional Kennel Club (PKC) and is the largest organization devoted to coonhounds.
By nature, coonhounds are scent-obsessed but easygoing, and often can be found lounging around. Most coon enthusiasts prefer to hunt large acreage away from busy roads for their dogs’ safety and for the abundance of wildlife. Large tracts of public land are available to those who pay to hunt Wildlife Management Areas. Other hunters partner with farmers and private landowners to hunt raccoon populations that can wreak havoc on cattle farm commodities, either by eating and contaminating stored feed or destroying crops before harvest. Studies also show that hunting raccoons can increase the survival rate of wild turkeys, ducks, quail and turtles, all of which are at risk of being eaten or attacked by nest predators. This group covers crows, armadillos, skunks, opossums and raccoons – a top predator of turkey eggs.
In the Doghouse
“When selecting a quality pup, first, I want a quality-bred pup; one born to winners on both the sire and dam side. Next, I want a good-looking, healthy pup. I want to see the pup running, using its nose and not caring what other dogs are doing. Lastly, I want a proud pup; one that carries its tail up when it interacts with others.”
~ Eric Owenby, owner of FarmScape, Handler of UKC Grand Night Champion Rose, Owner/Handler of UKC Grand Night Champion Wipeout Kala and UKC Grand Night Champion Wipeout Troubadour, Co-owner of Wipeout Wicked Trix (4th place S.C. PKC State Race 2023-2024, PKC Truck Hunt Qualifier).
“Finding a ready-to-hunt adult dog can be expensive. Personally, I enjoy starting pups and finishing them. But if I were in the market to find an adult dog for both pleasure and competition hunts, I would prefer a smaller-framed, athletic-built dog. I look for a dog that moves fast through the woods, one that doesn’t pay attention to other dogs when hunting in a group, and one that will tree by itself. I also like a tighter mouth “ambush style” strike dog with a hard, consistent tree bark; in my opinion they are most accurate. “
~ George Agner co-owner of E.Agner Contracting, 2019 S.C. State Youth Coon Hunt “Senior Sportsmanship Award,” Owner/Handler of Grand Night Champion XXX, qualified for several high stakes competitions in Illinois, Missouri, and placed 5th in the Georgia Peach Classic, and also handles dogs for other houndsmen.
Originally Printed Winter Issue 2024
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