One of my friend's dads would take into the back yard at night, turn on the sprinklers, and hit him with thin tree branches (no beating going on here), and tell him if he could get the dogs howling he was getting trained for 'coon hunting. Never went myself.
@Peter Renfro One of the truly disheartening practices we learned of while living in the Missouri Ozarks was the use of dogs to "run down" deer. They chased the poor animal until it was exhausted, then the "he-men" caught up in 4-wheel drives and shot the deer at close range. Real sportsmanlike. And very illegal. Never heard of a single prosecution. Frank
We used to bird and deer hunt every year my parents would let me miss a day of school for that, I do not hunt anymore except coyotes as they kill calves and birthing mamas. I have shot competitive all my adult life going back to 6 years old as a sub junior dad got me involved it is my life, I shoot now close to 1000 rounds a month matches and practice, love 3 gun matches, that is my look forward to thing in life as well as fishing, so many here cant wait for hunting seasons to start as they have land city folks lease/pay them to hunt on they rely on it to make a living. It is very big business here. I have already seen the land owners clearing some brush for the bird hunters opening Sept 1.