Cat Hunt

[al baldwin]

As seven hounds were put down to road Monday morning, was thinking how lucky to have a friend drive two hours, so I could enjoy hunting with Buddy, Maggie , TJ, & Bo his four finished cat hounds. Especially, since I felt a connection to all four. I sold him Buddy as a finished hound, gave him TJ & Bo when they were about for months old. Bo is a son of Skinner from the last litter he sired. TJ is a grandson of skinner & cody cross. Maggie was given to him by Zip Fendrich as a pup, her sire line bred Fendrich hound, her damn was a granddaughter of the skinner cody cross.
We had only covered a short distance when the hounds began to whip their tails after smelling cat scent on a bush, eagerly they hustled down the road for a couple hundred yards before finding a grassy area that really peaked their interest. Must have spent five minutes searching around that area without anyone opening. Then upon returning to that spot Maggie opened, shortly after Buddy opened and was in the brush 100 yards or so. Others raced to him and things picked up for the next ten minutes we listened as they worked, Buddy was at his best today as they advanced that track. All of a sudden things started to heat up, Bo let out a screaming squeal, Tom got a little excited & said we are going to have a race. The canyon erupted with hound music and the race was on. As happens most time they dropped in a deep canyon and for the next twenty minutes, were in and out of hearing. After being out of hearing for a while we changed positions and found them treed, no doubt with that big tree mouth from Bo they were treed solid, in a real hell hole.
Garmin said 300 yards, but I knew our work was cut out for us. After a struggle we arrived at a very rough forks of two small creeks in a very steep ravine & after a search found a nice tom about 100 feet in a fir tree. Buddy, Bo TJ & Maggie were still treeing good, the three trainees were there but not treeing. As Tom skinned the cat Buddy disappeared, others hung with us as we struggled our way to the rig. We arrived at the rigs at 12.00 to find Buddy waiting for us. From start to finish this, getting back to rigs this track had taken a little better than four hours.
If I have my math correct this is the 11th cat & 2 grey fox these four hounds have accounted for since thanks giving. Certainly not big numbers. However it shows one does not have to put up big numbers to have good cat hounds and enjoy hunting. Hope some enjoy reading Al

[tedsmith]

Al good story, sounds like you have some very good hounds and some rough country. Don't worry about what others think of your numbers. To some of us 10 would be a great year to others 100 would not be enough. Take care Ted

[twist]

Great story sounds like it was a dandy of a time. Andy

[al baldwin]

Thanks Ted, wish you could have been there. I do no have any good cat hounds at this time & very lucky to have such a friend. He has to work the next three days, so offered to loan me any one of his four finished to hunt while he works. Very temping, but realize have no business hunting alone these days, especially with a friends borrowed dog. When I was Warner & JC age that hole did not seem like such a challenge. Remember one hunt where I walked about 20 mile. About fifteen was on a logging road, had a long trail job on a bob, wound up on a logging road, getting late, so decided to take a chance some one would come alone & give me & hounds a ride. Bad decision, should have walked back thru the hills to rig. Walked every step of the way to Powers. Very sore next day, to day would not have made it. Some one recently told me, need to hunt smart, I should listen. Al

[Big N' Blue]

Congrats Al!! Glad you were able to enjoy!!Very Very proud for you!! Take care!

[Dads dogboy]

Great Story Mr. Al!

It made a Dark Day Very Much Brighter! Please keep them coming....some of the Good Ole Days with the Hounds of yesteryear.....those long walks and deep holes, all of those things are the kind of things I like to read about!

Again Thanks Much for taking the time to write for us!

[Tim Pittman]

Nice story Al, wish we could get through the country like the dogs! They make it look/seem easy!

[Clyde Lawson]

Great story Mr. Al,

What I needed this evening after spending all day doing some training on young hounds and "explaining why they should not run deer"!

If they would have only listened to the older hounds & come to stand at my feet?

Take care,

cwl

[LarryBeggs]

Good story Al. I have been to a couple of those 300 yard buy the Garmin trees this winter that I wished I had sat in the truck and let my son go it alone.It is funny how every thing is so big when were young. Then nothing seems to big for a while. Now those canyons i used to think were nothing are now huge again.Hope I can keep myself in good enough shape to still be making those trees at your age. Glad to here your having fun. That is what it should be about.Take care,Larry

[slowandeasy]

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Take care, Willie