Ideal pack for bobcat

[Bluedog88]

How many dogs? A mix of hot and cold nosed dog? Accuracy vs speed?

Currently own a gamey pit healer mix 4 and a 3 year old bluetick. Smaller fast,smart,gritty,Real hot nosed blue. Bought a more cameron pup. much bigger used on bear and will strike from the box on bear real cold nosed from what I've seen. How do think it will work out?

[Jeff Eberle]

It can go one of two way, and in the end if your the only one happy with them that’s all that matters.

[david]

How many dogs? A mix of hot and cold nosed dog? Accuracy vs speed?

One good dog can tree bobcat.

You have three and that is a good number. Each of yours is gifted differently, and that sometimes works out very well; if they work together.

I like to have one very cold nosed dog who will rarely leave the track and is very accurate. But I learned this preference where there were very few cats and there often was only one track on a two day hunt. I needed something to take that one track and work on it forever.

And I like to have one dog who is capable of out-sprinting and catching a cat on the ground in a sight/sound/scent race.

I have never seen both of these abilities in the same dog. (Although it might be out there somewhere).

If your big blue is cold nosed and accurate, (even if he is slow), and your little blue can pick up and move the track fast when it is jumped, and your pit/healer mix can look for, and listen for the cat to run him down; you may have a very deadly combination. You just need dozens of cat tracks to give them the experience they will need. You won't know until then.

It can be extremely difficult to get your dogs the pure bobcat experience they will need to realize their potential. It requires an obsession on your part. And ultimately, the cost will be far greater than the reward. Don't do it unless you have a lot of time and a lot of money and no one will care how much of these you spend on bobcat hunting with your dogs.

[Bluedog88]

Well I'm just thinking wouldn't you want a little different style dogs? My one dog wants a hot track and a burning the cats a** race or she's not interested. Maybe she would be if the slower cold noled dog kept plugging away at it? Then maybe the slower dog would pick up some speed? Wouldn't want the fast dog way in the lead? The pit keeps me company till she the hounds open up a good half way.

[twist]

Find a strain of dogs that can do it all on its own. If you NEED a group of dogs to equal what one is capable of you are missing the boat. Dont get me wrong a group of well balanced dogs can make it look easy but if you have to have 3 dogs to equal what one dog is capable of you need to look at reevaluating what you have for dogs. Andy

[macedonia mule man]

If you are catching cats consistantly with whatever you must have the right combination, if you aren't, you are like me still working at it. What ever puts them on the tail gate is probably the right combination. By the way , I never see any tailgate shots on here, just conversation ????????

[perk]

Mule man, I notice time to time you elude to cats not being caught on ground, and that the only cat you have seem caught was with deer dogs, etc. Raising a pack or a good dog is a sizable task for most houndsmen, but I'm sure there are ppl who do it regularly in every area of the country. do you need to see pics of dead cats to believe it? I don't believe it is favorable for our sport to post pics of killed game, with all the anti hunters today. However post your cell number and I will be glad to text you a few pics of cats on tailgates and dog boxes. Happy hunting
Perk

[Bluedog88]

Yeah I have 2 good dogs. But after there a few years old wouldn't you want a pup to run with them and learn?

[Lionandboarhunter]

A good well rounded pack that are “Cat minded” with brains that work together and run for the front end with very little mistakes is what catches cats for me in this thick south Tx brush . Mule man I catch 50 to 60% on the ground . If u ever want to come to south Tx an see it load up and come on .


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[macedonia mule man]

Lion and boar, I liked what I saw of yours. I think you have been the only one that has produced. I'm to old to travel that far. Anytime you want to try some of these south west Mississippi and south east Louisiana cutovers, I can put you up for as long as you want. I'm retired and as flixible as a slinky.

[undertheradar]

I commend y'all for hunting 3 and 4 dogs I really do. We go to hear a gut wrenching race and I'd rather sit at home and watch cartoons with the kids than listen to 3 dogs run. With that being said a key element to making a cat dog is a cat. And quite a few cat races a month. We hunt 25 head and a bobcat won't last 20 minutes before he trees or gets caught on the ground. I'd rather run a grey fox any day.
Bluedog my way of thinking is a little different. I want dogs that cold trail some but they gotta be heads up enough to pull up the front dogs when underneath a bobcat. The breed of dogs around here only yeild a small number that can do both so our trailing abilities lack some and we'd rather have front runners I don't want them strung out. Good luck with your quest.

[Bluedog88]

Only 3 years into hound hunting and It's been good so far lots and lots more to learn every day.

[merlo_105]

Bluedog88, The ideal pack is what you want to be ideal. I run 8 dogs, I like the sound of a good race. This number seems pretty ideal for me. Now everyone of these dogs are pretty cold nosed some possibly a touch colder then the other but everyone of those dogs are front running dogs. They do well where I hunt so its ideal. Your Bluetick could be colder nosed if it was hunted with a colder nosed dog and learned how to work them old tracks. If that Blue dog learns little scent becomes a lot of scent and a cat in a tree it will most likely start working older tracks... So if you want a Cold nosed dog a hot nosed dog then go that route nothing wrong with that.

[1bludawg]

I've had my best luck with 2 dogs .I like them as much alike as possible,cold nose,speed ,locate and tree and brains to put it all together .They're less expensive,easier to handle and will catch all the cats you want to catch depending on the time you have to hunt
Only hunting one little female now that's doing pretty good

[Bluedog88]

I've been told to that bigger dogs are slower or not good on a lot of rock to but my year old highlonesome pup can keep up with my smaller blue on more open ground will out run her. On real thick stuff the smaller dog is faster. I hunt high cascades to the desert. Makes sence to me different players on your team.