my experience with rig dogs

[al baldwin]

There was a time when I would have had a hard time beliveing how a good rig dog can rig cat scent from the rig that other hounds on the road have ran over. Good rig dogs are born. Not that some dogs can/t be train to rig. Owened a female that was 8 before she starting rigging cats. Also owned two males that never learned to rig & both were hunted with good rig dogs. Bred one of those males, kept two pups both make outstanding rig dogs at a very early age. Infact the female started rigging old cat scent so young I thought she was trashing. For sure the sire of those two could smell cat scent from the rig. A few times I stopped for other reasons, that sire would bail & head down the road on a dead run. The first time I was puzzled, drove down the road & found him working a track. Good rig dogs need only a small hole to poke a nose out to rig old cat scent. So even hunting in cold snow country a good rig dog will catch some cats you would have missed. I no longer own any hounds. Wrote this too encourage those who have not experienced a good rig dog keep trying they are out there. And in this area are not rare. Yes they will rig most scent posts, droppings & etc. That can be a pain at times, but you will miss a bunch of races if you break them of striking on those. A very knowledge long time cat hunter in this area once told me in his opinion lion scent was harder to rig than bobcat. Just my experience Al Baldwin

[kickemall]

Al, do you believe that a dog on the rig will start as many tracks as one on the ground?

[mark]

Al

I was talking with another member on here this afternoon, we both hope you continue to share your experience and knowlege on here. I always enjoy your posts.

[buzz]

Great post AL. I always enjoy your post, and it was good talking with you yesterday. We have some snow on the way so I will give you an update after the weekend.

[slowandeasy]

Al,

You already know how I feel as we have talked in private. But I will say it publicly I always enjoy your imput!

Take care, Willie

[Unreal_tk]

Good to hear from ya Al, I thought about giving ya a buzz the other day. I'll have to get around to it when its storming one of these days. I've got one female who last year rigged a snow track for me, and she rigged when I visited down in that country one time. In this last week, I saw a bobcat come out on the road... same dog was in the box with door open to rig not a peep. Still scratching my head on that. Turned the pups loose on that one... the cat did the old bluff job on them and that was the end of that race. After the fact I'm wishing I had used the experience to do some rig training, and should of went down the road a little ways, put some dogs up on the box and drove by slowly and encouraged them around the spot I seen the cat.

One edit: What in your opinion is the best case scenario for rigging a bobcat ? Temp, moisture, etc for those who are wanting to try.

[al baldwin]

Kickemall a good box dog will not always
start more cats than a dog on the road. Roading dogs was my most enjoyable hunting. The best box dogs in the world will miss some cat strikes. But I have caught cat struck by dogs on the box that dogs on road missed and I knew the dogs were about equal in nose power. Over the years I come to realize how valuable a good rig dog was . The last two cat day I had hunting alone was a cold miserable day. Had two dogs on the road, but the old skinner hound struck twice from inside the box and drifted out to start both of those cats. And that was the only strikes I got that day. I had many more days that i got skunked than days I caught two cat. AL
Unreal think I answered the part where you saw that cat and your dog did not box on it. That can happen to any dog. I sure cannot tell you what the best weather conditions for boxing cats are. Have boxed them in the dryest part of summer & the coldest of winter boxed numerous that dogs could not move out on. Be sure to read the post written by Larry Beggs & JC in the rigging lion section I have experienced very simular things. AL

[kickemall]

Thanks Al, thats my thinking also but was wondering about some other opinions. I do both but mostly (and enjoy more) roading.

[newby]

Ok I've seen it done on cats, but can't figure out how to get it done here. I have a cat crazy dog here that is very open on even a really old track...thought he would be a good candidate to rig, but I haven't been able to get him to strike cats from the box. He strikes many while roading...heard some say its bred into them, well he comes from a pretty long line of dogs that strike cats off the rig. Guess my real question is I have two six month old pups that are going on races and ready for anything, ride the box comfortably what can I do to get them to strike, or rather what can I do to keep from messing up the possibility of getting them to strike from the rig...what mistakes should I avoid to give them the best shot?

[LarryBeggs]

Newby, something you might try with those young dogs is the next time you see a cat track in the snow just drive on by. Dont get out. Go down the road a quarter or so and throw them on the box. Drive right up on top of the track and park. Dont get out. Watch the dogs if the track is movable they will eventualy smell it.When they do and not untill then encourage them.When they strike then let them off.Many times thru the years I have been pulled over along the road stopped for some reason and the dogs go to winding and strike. The track was there all along but for what ever reason,wind blowing wrong way or dogs just not paying attention they didnt strike when I pulled up. Somthing not to do would be dicipline them on the box. If they strike trash always get them off the box and away from the truck to dicipline them at least till there well established strike dogs and buy then hopfully not still striking trash. While some dogs are definetly better at striking than others I dont think it takes a special bred dog to strike cats. I think very few dogs wont strike them as long as they were raised being hunted that way.When I was a kid back in the 70s people in the area I grew up were striking cat with just about anything.Most of the hound guys around, my dad included were Okys and Arkys that moved up to Oregon in the fiftys to work in the timber industry.There was a much larger gene pool of dogs being hunted in this area back then and plenty of dogs that would strike a cat. I know the weather in that country makes a difference but any thing warm enogh to have the dogs on the box they should be able to get it done. Good luck,Larry p.s. dont get discouaged and give up on it if they dont strike the first time or two.I promise you if they like to run a cat they will eventualy start striking them.