As an lifelong coon hunter and as a registry executive for three major registries over a 35-year career, Gone To The Dogs host Steve Fielder has accumulated a storehouse of knowledge about the sport of raccoon hunting with hounds. In this episode Fielder explores a must-know list of ten things every coon hunter should know if he or she is to enjoy the sport, either for pleasure or in competition, to its fullest. The host covers the fundamentals of coon hunting, how to find places to hunt, how to choose the right types of gear, how to properly and safely purchase a coonhound, how to buy or breed and to train a coonhound pup, how to develop a network of hound hunting friends, how to make an indelible mark on the sport, how to handle a hound successfully in competition, how to stay healthy despite the rigors of coon hunting and lastly, how to avoid the many pitfalls one can encounter out there following the hounds of the night. It’s all here, wrapped nicely in coon talk at its finest.

Fresh off his win at the 2025 ProSport National Cup championship in Brazil, Ind., Daniel Sneed of Cherryville, North Carolina joins Steve for some dog talk at its finest, chiefly surrounding the hound with which Sneed won the prestigious event. At thirty-eight years of age, Sneed has a story that’s all too familiar to the host having grown up in the home of a houndsman and developing a love for coon hunting at an early age. Steve and Daniel compare notes on their development in the sport and readily find many similarities in their backgrounds. Sneed is an articulate story teller and listeners will enjoy his precise accounts of the three-night Pro Cup event leading up to his hound No Name Epp being declared the overall Pro Cup champion. This one covers all the basis of pleasure and competition hunting and includes an admission by Sneed that may surprise listeners given his obvious success in the competition realm. Dog talk at its finest one more time on the Gone To The Dogs Podcast.

In this episode Steve sits down with his best buddies Nubbin Moore to talk about, among several life-changing subjects, Nubbin’s recent election to honored lifetime membership status with the American Black and Tan Coonhound Association. The ABTCHA memberships votes one member into the exclusive group each year with the award presented the following year at Black and Tan Days. Nubbin questions his worthiness while Steve sets the record straight. Nubbin enjoys fishing as well as coon hunting and the two discuss Moore’s recent trips and successes. The conversation moves to the question, when does a coon hunter recognize it’s time to retire? Neither, by their own admission, has reached that point in the game but do discuss the possibility. Black and Tan fanciers will enjoy Nubbin’s reflections on two of his most famous Black and Tans, Hank and Zack. Each were successful on the biggest stages in coon hunting during their primes including Hank’s win overall at the 25th anniversary Autumn Oaks. When does a hunter realize he’s too old to start another pup is a question the pair wrestle with in this laid back, easy-listening podcast. The talk is as smooth as Tennessee whiskey. Have a virtual “sip” and enjoy.

The podcast reaches out to the State of Texas for the third episode in a row as Steve hosts octogenarian coon hunter Kenwood Maeker. Maeker, at 87 years of age has literally traveled the world in those many years in the oil industry to places like Nigeria and Indonesia to name but two. Listeners will be impressed by the amazing recall of one of Steve’s favorite acquaintances from his many years traveling the competitive coonhound circuit across the nation. Many of those trips were to Texas. Black and Tan Coonhounds have been Maeker’s breed of choice since boyhood and the conversation brings to the show memories of the favorites, the notable hounds that hold special places in time. The conversation covers a wide range of interesting topics and ranks high on Steve’s list of favorites.

Who’s winning $100,000 in cash or a $40,000 side-by-side in coonhound competition these days? If you said "Marc Gilmore of Streetman, Tex.," the guest for this podcast, you would be absolutely right. And you would probably also know that those amazing wins are just a few of the final four and better finishes this Texas coon hunter has assembled over the last year; wins at the Lone Star 5000, the Black Eyed Pea Classic and the PKC Texas State Championship to name a few . Steve and Marc discuss the differences in competition and pleasure hunting, Marc’s views on the importance of hunting a competition hound through the week leading up to the hunt, and break down the amazing hound that did the heavy work of treeing coons, lots of them, nearly every time Gilmore unsnaps the leash. Backwoods Sliding Clyde is the hound Marc has chosen to take to the big events and four-year-old Treeing Walker doesn’t disappoint. You will learn all about one of the sport’s winningest hounds and about the man that makes the calls in this very entertaining episode.

This episode represents a Texas-style homecoming for host Steve Fielder as he reunites with longtime friend Ray Dismukes of McDade, Texas. Dismukes, fresh off a major win at the UKC Texas State Championship, joins Steve to talk all things coon hunting, Texas style. Fielder and Dismukes are contemporaries, having been born less than a month apart in 1946. They met at the UKC American Heritage Hunt in 1992 and took a hunt together at that hunt that’s part of the conversation. Dismukes has remained active in the sport despite being 78 years old, an age when most coon hunters have hung up the leashes for good. Dismukes shares his ideas on pup training, describes his young Texas State Champion English dog he calls Sandhills Jack of Diamonds, and gives an account of the hunt, his first Texas State win despite hunt the event for many years. Ray is one of the most-respected coon hunters among the legions of them over the years in the Lone Star State. Ray’s passion and pleasing demeanor make this an enjoyable listen for anyone, young or not so young, that loves the sound of the hounds. Vintage coon hunting conversation in a podcast that will listened to by many, again and again.

Kentucky has long been noted as the cradle of coon hunting as we know it today. The famed Walker family, noted for their namesake the Walker foxhound which was the forerunner of today’s Treeing Walker, the most popular of all coonhound breeds, lived in Kentucky. In this episode Steve recalls the first licensed hunt in which he participated took place at a coon hunting club in Kentucky. Considered by many to be the Kentucky Derby of coon hunting competitions, the massive PKC World Hunt was held in the western Kentucky town of Aurora for many years. Our guest Billy Carter joins Steve in remembering their great experiences hunting there and throughout the Bluegrass State. Upon learning of the formation of the new Kentucky Sporting Dog Alliance, Steve contacted former podcast guest Billy Carter to learn the skinny on the new group. It’s all here in this episode including the purpose and goals of the association, its plans to bring Kentucky sporting dog owners of every stripe under one tent and divulges the organization’s plans for statewide competitions involving monetary awards, all for the purpose of bringing hunters together. Everybody needs somebody and hunting dog enthusiasts nationwide need to realize and practice the adage “there’s strength in numbers.” We need to come together if our sport is to survive and thrive.

In this episode Steve talks with successful competition handler Billy Bell of Tennessee. Steve met Billy in 1998 when he joined the PKC organization as its Senior Vice President. Billy and his brother Avery were actively competing in PKC events and doing their share of winning at a time when entry fees and subsequent payouts were much smaller than they are today. Bell, has amassed nearly a half million dollars in handler earnings and continues to be a major force in today’s fast-paced competition game. The boys discuss several top hounds that Bell has handled including Carolina Peach, The Wicked Speed Shifter, Late Round Rock, Spice Girl, Cash Flow and others. Bell’s excellent recall of the hunts and hounds from his long list of experiences makes interesting conversation for competition junkies and novices alike. The episode finishes with Steve encouraging Billy to share his views on staying in top shape, physically and spiritually. It’s an episode that lives up to the show’s motto; dog talk at its finest!

Steve invites his Florida coon hunting buddy Mack Britt to join him for a conversation about Mack’s current project, a Walker male named Clutch. The banter centers on Clutch’s progression from being a lightly-started rookie of eighteen months to his current status as Mack’s nightly choice for coon hunting in Florida’s always challenging terrain and atmospheric conditions. The value in this podcast lies in the information and encouragement it provides to hunters that may be on the verge of giving up on a hound that isn’t progressing up to expectations. Clutch’s story will illustrate that each dog is different, that they progress at their individual rate, depending upon the opportunities they are given and that even the most unlikely candidate can blossom into a hound the hunter will appreciate and enjoy in time. Britt last appeared on Gone To The Dogs a year ago and the guys have a lot to catch up on. This is a podcast for coon hunters that are determined to press on despite the adversities of age, adverse hunting conditions and dog-related problems. You’ll find this one entertaining and inspirational. It could be described as the light at the end of the tunnel. Enjoy.

It’s time for another visit with octogenarian coon hunter Fred Moran. Fred is affectionately known as Fred Moran the Redbone Man and has been for decades. Moran is now 88 years young and is still following the hounds of the night even though he has cut back to “two or three” nights a week by his own admission. Steve had been concerned about his old friend, largely due to age and some health concerns but finds Fred to be in rare form for this episode. Moran episodes always entertain and there’s always something for the listener no matter the demographic. Settle if with the pair, hunters that collectively account for 166 years of experience, and enjoy some quality time with The Redbone Man.