In this episode co-hosts Steve Fielder and Corey Gruver are joined by coon hunter, trainer and handler Mark Miller of Taylorsville, North Carolina.   Miller recently completed the Holy Grail of coon hunting, the United Kennel Club Grand Nite Champion title with a Plott dog co-owned by Steve and himself, Bear Pen Fever.

The trio drill down into Fever’s success story discussing the young hound’s progression from a five-month-old puppy to reaching the pinnacle in competition hunting at less than two and one-half years old. 

Corey leads the interview leaving few stones unturned in terms of exactly what’s involved in achieving the Grand Nite Champion and other UKC titles.  Fever currently holds titles in Field Trials, Water Races, Nite Hunting, Hunt Tests and Bench Showing in UKC as well as Nite Hunting in Professional Kennel Club events.   The expense, the determination, the challenges and the setbacks are all fair game.  Of particular interest to listeners will be the reasons a confirmed, highly successful Treeing Walker fancier would embark on the arduous journey with a Plott of all available breeds.  Steve wades the murky waters of why Plott hunters may be more prone to breed to dogs in their own backyards.   You expect dog talk at its finest on the Gone To The Dogs Podcast and there’s plenty to enjoy in this episode.