deep snow hunting for cats

[brian j cerelli]

i dont really hunt the snow much, and it "snows out" in the high country quite often, i was curious how deep is to deep for your dogs to still catch cats. i understand you need to use a snowmobile or utv with tracks to get to these areas, but how deep can a dog actually hunt in and still put up cats.

[david]

Brian, in my experience, if it is deep soft snow but a bobcat can walk in it, the dogs will catch him easily if you are using two good dogs.

It is not so much “how deep is too deep for the dogs”; but “how deep is too deep for the bobcats to want to move”. I am convinced bobcats I have hunted did not like snow, and they avoided it when they could. If snow was too deep for them they would wait for other critters to make trails for them. This can make it extremely difficult to see their tracks. But again, if you can find one in these conditions, you can catch him. Sometimes if you find a track in deep snow conditions, that cat can hear your pickup door slam, because they don’t like to travel in it much and he might not have gone very far.

I am guessing the lynx hunters will have an entirely different story for you.

[dhostetler]

The last couple of winters we had the deepest snow that I have ever hunted in lower country in NW Montana. I had a bobcat race that was a split race 2 dogs treed one the other 3 dogs put on over 15 miles pretty much jumped all the way. I got a buddy to help me and we managed to sled to within several yards of the dogs and called them off. This was in snow up to 4 to 5 feet on the road under the trees it wasn't that much but severel feet. Later ran a lion that just wandered around for the longest time till the dogs finally treed it. In 2 feet or less of powder bobcats and lions are screwed in deeper stuff what happens dogs try to push it to hard and end up lunging and having to dig out of hole after a lunge while a smart bobcat/lion just walking may only sink in a foot. I think in deep snow like that a guy needs a dog that is smart enough to run a catch at a fast pace walk.

[dhostetler]

[david]

[ridgerunners]

The bobcats that I find in the high country early here in Colorado seem to move to the lower elevations once the snow starts getting to deep. I too belive that bobcats don’t enjoy a lot of snow . A couple times running them in deep snow and big blow downs and you will be looking for them in alittle easyer place to run them ... it can physically drain you! My pack and I got to have a least a little snow to catch bobbies here.My perfect snow day would be 8 inches of fresh snow no rocks and no blow downs but it rarely happens!! Timothy Morgan

[brian j cerelli]

Thanks for the info guys

[merlo_105]

Gosh I hate snow. But if you can get around in it a dog can catch in it. 1 dog on a snow track haha dump the box. David, You still got that Sonny dog? If so how's he doing?

[david]

[merlo_105]

Three feet of snow haha I'm looking for bare ground lol... My truck couldn't get around in 3 feet of snow so no dumping on tracks in 3 feet but 2 feet and a touch more, every year. Usually it takes them more time to get lined out but it's worth it for me. I try to stay out of the snow but once in awhile if I want to get the dogs out I am stuck hunting it. I'm glad to hear sonny is still around seen that dog do some impressive locate jobs.

[david]

With a few more years of experience as a hunter, you will know that anything over two feet is three feet.

[david]