Afternoon cat hunting

[dhostetler]

David, I run a lot of miserable tracks, where I have no expectation of catching it but occasionally they catch afterall. I believe it makes good dogs to constantly push the boundaries. I hate to pull dogs off of a track when they are moving it, I prefer they make that choice. In good snow conditions I have a very high success rate however I hunt whenever I can and I estimate that 75% of my winter hunting is less then ideal conditions, I never kept track but i am guessing my turnout to catch percentage is probably below 50% in the winter. I have pulled dogs off tracks that were moving good with no apparent affect but i still don't like doing it. Here in Montana some hunters will turn loose on a 3 to 4 day old lion track where they know where it crossed the next road and pick up the dogs at the crossing to train them for cold trailing. I would never do that I think you risk training your dogs to trail a track to trail it, rather than trailing a track to catch it.

In Montana we are not allowed to hunt at night and at dark we are supposed to make reasonable efforts to retrieve our dogs. The law does not define what reasonable efforts are.

[nmrookie]

Thank you all for your advice!

Pegleg and Twist, I agree any kind of having my dogs out hunting or trailing is far better than being at home in a pen. Like twist said the more they trail the better they'll get and from what I've seen from my two young dogs the desire to catch once jumped won't be an issue(I hope). I just hope calling them off a cold track won't make them think it's ok to quit one if they make a loose.

Catdogs, I'm glad it doesn't get -20 around here very often, I think the coldest I've seen this year was -10 and only for a morning or two. Last wkend when the snow got deep I wondered if Diva would move a track in deep snow, then I remembered she's from Montana lol. I have never seen her lose desire, if she smells cat she is on a mission and she won't quit until she catches it or I call her off. I think she would be happy cold trailing all day long day after day as long as she knows you're happy and praise her. She has been the biggest reason my two pups are starting to cold trail better and better everytime they get a chance. I know I said I have to "PULL" them off a track but as you mentioned, it is very important to me for my dogs to handle well and come when called. My dogs are not just hunting dogs, they all take their turn going with me to work and to feed and check cows they MUST come when called. I may have to raise my voice sometimes but I WILL NOT have a dog that doesn't listen(drives me crazy)!

[nmrookie]

David, I always enjoy reading your posts, you have a lot of good advice. I think I'll start training my wife's cat how to get home from 2 miles away so it'll be ready when I get a new puppy lol. She would be pissed! I didn't know that cats would move much at all during daylight hours. I will start checking the moon calendar and hunting times and be more optimistic about finding a fresh track in the afternoon. I guess I just go out in the afternoon with the intention of roading my dogs or putting them on the first track they can move for excersize more than anything. I know a fresher track might be right around the next corner but if not and it gets dark then my dogs don't get out of the box at all. It's a hard choice to make. I love watching my dogs hunt and I love a challenge above all challenges, that's why I want to hunt Bobcats. I have had very limited success in my two seasons, but I know if I keep putting my dogs on tracks hot or cold they will keep improving and we will start catching more cats. The rocks where I hunt make it even more difficult and I've about broke all my friends from wanting to come with me but someday I WILL have dogs that catch cats in these rocks

[nmrookie]

Mark, sounds like you have it mastered(meet at 4, cat caught and back at home in time for dinner). I know it doesn't happen like that often but I bet it's happened more than a few times for David to mention it. That's why I read this forum, cause guys like you catch cats and try to help guys like me that don't lol. I would hope a G&F officer would not ticket someone for going to retriever a dog in the dark. That's not my concern as much as me having cows to feed this time of year, so I usually just try to catch my dogs before it gets to late so I can get home to do chores. And my wife and son like when I can make it in time for dinner with them.

[dhostetler]

I also agree having your dogs out as much as possible is better even if its only for several hours, rather than waiting till you have a full day of hunting.

Friends tagging along that aren't into dogs usually lose interest fast if you don't catch anything. I prefer to hunt with friends with hounds that way the hunting is all about the dogs and not about personnal issues. Another way to lose non hound friends fast is turning loose an hour before dark and getting to the tree at 2 AM.

[twist]

rmrookie, when you find hounds that catch consistant in the rocks let us all in on your find! Andy

[al baldwin]

I suppose some dogs could be discouraged by pulling them off some tracks, however I have known lots of hunters, self included, that have pulled dogs off unfinished tracks lots of times, never seemed to effect the desire to finish a track. Think about a hound who has developed a habit of running trash, have seen some take miserable amount of punishment, only to get up and run the next deer that crossed there path. Al

[nmrookie]

Dhostetler, I always enjoy reading your comments and get a lot of useful information from what you contribute. Sounds like you have some nice dogs that catch a lot of game. I agree I should put my dogs on a track with the expectation that they will catch whatever game they are running, however I and my dogs are still very inexperienced and I can not reasonably expect that out of the dogs I have and in the terrain I hunt. I just keep hoping the more I hunt them in this terrain the better we will get and eventually my expectations will rise. I've read a lot on here where most the good cat hunters agree that you don't need to shoot out everything you catch so your dogs can chew on it. I agree as I have a seasoned dog(that I bought) that will hunt hard day after day and all she really wants is a good petting and to know you are happy with her. I am just concerned about my young dogs that hunt hard but rarely get to see what they are trailing before the cat gets to the rocks or before I pick them up at dark. I guess my original question shouldn't have only been about cold trailing but about all aspects of cat hunting in the rocks,(Will my young dogs lose desire if I continue to hunt them on cats that they don't catch or will they get better and eventually catch these rock cats?) As for friends with hounds I don't have many and most around here that get hounds just want to kill a lion. Nobody wants to run bobcats where I hunt cause like me they usually get beat, but there is a healthy cat population and a heck of a good challenge so I'll keep on trying.

Twist, I don't know that I'll ever be able to CONSISTENTLY catch cats in these rocks. There is some forest with big timber that's not to far away(90 miles) and that's the only place my dogs have treed a cat but it's closer(10 miles) and less time driving to hunt them in the sandstone boulders and bluffs close to home. I do have a 1 year old 3/4 kemmer x 1/4 west coast cat dog that really seems to get around in the rocks a lot better than my other hounds and I think someday he might be able to put it all together and catch some cats in the rocks. He is quick and agile, smaller and tighter built, has a ton of desire and drive, runs a track heads up drifting and really seems to put a lot of thought into everything he does. If any of my dogs learn to catch cats in the rocks I think he will be the one. The way I see it is if my dogs learn to catch cats in the rocks they should do fine in the forest and less demanding terrain.

Thanks to all of you for all of your replies and help!