how tough is a bobcat ? !!!!!!!!!

[Dan Edwards]

I know it varies with different areas. In Your area Dan I have not hunted but have talk to good hunters and cat hunting is a different ball game there. I would like to try it some time just to see how these dogs raised out here would do. Good hunting. Dewey

I wasnt even aware that we had cats in my area to be honest. HAHA! Just kiddin but we dont.

[Patrick]

I can't say it is the same everywhere but cats, even the big toms, in our country can be handled easily by the right hound.
You wouldn't know it by watching the dogs I currently have. They can tree cats alright, but they don't have the grit and stickum to finish one cleanly. Lots of jumping in and out, looking for a spot, slinging their head etc.
But dogs from the past have shown me that even a large tom with no bullet holes in him won't last to long if the dog simply bulls in, clamps down right behind their front legs, and pins them to the ground. If the dog is gritty enough, puts the pressure to them, and can stick with it, it won't take long for the cat to be done. With this type dog, other dogs grabbing a leg, etc and jerking the cat around just makes him less efficient.
I don't worry to much about infection unless they get bit through the front ankle joints, then some antibiotic is a good preventative.
Pat

[dwalton]

My mistake Dan I thought you ran Cat and coyotes in the upper midwest. I think there is some cats in about all the states maybe not enough to run in areas. To me bobcat hunting is the ultimate hound game. It is a thinking game for the dogs and the hunter. Dan do you just run coyotes. Dewey

[Dan Edwards]

My mistake Dan I thought you ran Cat and coyotes in the upper midwest. I think there is some cats in about all the states maybe not enough to run in areas. To me bobcat hunting is the ultimate hound game. It is a thinking game for the dogs and the hunter. Dan do you just run coyotes. Dewey

Ya I only run coyotes now but I have got shed of all my hounds. I just cant be spendin that much time at it anymore cuz I got three kids that keep me busy. I only got the greyhounds nowadays.

[radar]

hell if a coon could get to the size of ol bobi or Mr. yote, they would be the ones doing the catching not the dogs

Think the ? should be is your dog good enough or quick enough to catch'em befor they tree how often does that happend?? as far as the yote's go in my neck of the woods
there trash not like any one here gives a dam, but agine JMO.

[George Streepy]

Radar,
Coons get pretty big compared to bobcats. It isn't a matter of catching cats before they tree, it a matter of having dogs good enough to catch the ones that won't tree. Happens more than one would think.

I was thinking about a couple dogs I use to have, they caught a lot on the ground. They were tough as nails and as long as the cat wasn't in a culvert or hole they did away with it pretty quick. One time we had two coons in a culvert and were letting some pups bark at them. One of the finished dogs, that wouldn't usually even bark at a coon, went in that culvert. Guess he just got excited, trashy bastard. The other end was smashed, so no one could get out. That dog handled those coons, but it took some effort. Coons can be pretty tough. I don't know that I have a dog with enough grit to go in a hole and fight two coons like that anymore. And by the way, I didn't enjoy that experience at all. I was just thinking back on how motivated and tough a hound can be.

[jumpin bear]

Cat, Coon and Coyote are all the same if you get a dog that will go right in there for the kill. For the dog that will do that, the cat will die the quickest out of the three. They are weak once wounded or once grabbed around the chest or belly by a dog. That being said, if the dog doesnt go for the knock out...he better like to bleed.

[david]

Radar,
Coons get pretty big compared to bobcats. It isn't a matter of catching cats before they tree, it a matter of having dogs good enough to catch the ones that won't tree. Happens more than one would think. .

What I figured out bringing good bobcat dogs to areas where bobcats will not tree is this: Dogs that can tree bobcats and be magical locators in big timber, might not necessarily be dogs that can, or want to (?) catch bobcats on the ground too much.
Most of those cats are treeing far enough ahead of the dogs that the cat cannot be seen by the dogs. If this was not true you would never have the silence and struggle of locating the treed cat. The tree would be loud and instant if the dogs were close enough to see it. I have stood on a landing and watched the cat climb a huge tree and the dogs were still 15 minutes behind it, and yes, the dogs had great difficutly locating it, just like they often do.

That dog handled those coons, but it took some effort. Coons can be pretty tough. And by the way, I didn't enjoy that experience at all. .

Man, that sure brought back a memory: I was working a young dog on coon, and they ended up in a culvert under a highway. It was a big coon that was within five pounds of the weight of the dog. I did not know the pups capbilities yet, and was worried. They fought for over and hour in there, and then everything went silent. And I felt sick. Then I was going to crawl down there to shine through the hole and see the inevitable, when I heard them start fighting again. Then, silence. Finally I got down there at the right time and figured out that: dogs dont bark with their mouth full. HA ha ha! It felt like she was in there half the night, but when she came out, the coon was dead.

That dog killed several bobcats, and we even nick named a certain action after her. If she ever got bit or took a claw, it put her into hyper drive and she would just tackle the cat or coon and pin it to the ground, and it would be over quickly.

I would not intentionally give a pup an experience like the one she had in the culvert. It might be a real set back for certain pups, but for her, it was just a source of inspiration for the rest of her days.

I have said it many times, but I dont want my dogs to kill bobcats. There are many reasons, but here is one that has not been discussed: Dogs love bobcat meat. I have only ever had one dog that loved eating fresh coon, but I have never had one that did not like bobcat meat. Once they get a taste for that stuff, you got another reason for hoping they do not kill the cat unless you are very close to them. You will have some sewing to do if the hide can be salvaged at all.

Another consideration that has not been mentioned in this bobcat killing thing: Size really does matter. I have been forced to hunt with an 80 lb bear bred grade walker. There is not a bobcat alive that he could not kill, and hardly even notice it. and yes, we have +40 lb bobcats. By the way, that dog had plenty of practice pinning stuff to the ground. His day was not complete until he had pinned another dog to the ground. Many times i wished I had the cash to buy that dog so I could find him his proper home. And by the by the way, there also is not a bobcat alive that dog could ever catch. He would come in on the catch. He was a complete cull for bobcat. A big money bear dog. I seen people just look at that dog and tell me they WANT THAT DOG!
Beautiful dog with a dream voice.

[johnnyrick1981]

I think a good cat dog smart enough to catch cats consistently is too smart to dive in on a 40lber, well maybe once but thats usually enough.

[George Streepy]

The smartest dog I have ever owned, would fly into a bobcat if the oppurtunity presented itself. Smart & Crazy??

[ferjr]

i treed my first bobcat today, it jumped tree about 4-5 times before i could get to my dogs, had me hikeing all over the mountain today. i wasnt sure what it was, i knew it wasnt a bear, i have never saw anything do that yet. it finally treed and stayed there long enough for me to get to it. it was a bobcat.

[radar]

Well hell I hope Jethro wasn't in on that, he's finnised How did that race sound? even though it was fustrating with all the walkin bet it sounded bad ass!!!

[ferjr]

jethro and striker are the ones that went after it, my other two dogs didnt mess with it. jethro and striker are two of my younger dogs. i didnt know what it was they were after, jethro has been broke from running trash but has never encountered a bobcat. i knew it wasnt a bear because howie didnt mess with it. it had me frustrated as hell because i had no idea what was happening, until i finally saw it. damn thing caused me to walk my ass off. i dont think i would make a habit of chasing them if that is how they all run! i am still sore from walking up and down these mountains. LOL. it did sound bad ass, just wished it was a bear instead.

[radar]

As long as they don't make habit out it, when there young let'em run!!!!!!!

[catketcher60]

I don't know what kind of dogs you all have my my dogs wouldn't dream of running a frickin coyote. I had 2 coyotes last winter barking at my dogs working out a old track and my dogs didn't even look at them. also had a cat track run right thru where a pack of coyotes tore the road up and my dogs didn't waver off that cold cat track at all. If your cat hunting have cat hounds if your coyote hutning have coyote dogs. My female has killed numerous cats on the ground by herself maybe they werent that tough.