A question for Dads Dog Boy

[RiverMan30-06]

Mr Clay,
I have been reading your writings in the Predator Magazine and these posts and they are so informative. Thank you for sharing your experiences and knowledge. I am recently retired and am interested in taking the time and making the committment to again train and hunt with hounds. Job-family and a passion for bird hunting/pointers got me out of hounds years ago but I am now ready to perhaps take on a pair of cat hounds or coon hounds. I live in southern Missouri and have access to good coon woods and corn fields. After reading your writings I am considering taking on the training of a pair of bobcat hounds that i would want to walk with and shoot cats with. An issue that concerns me before I make such an investment is, do I really have enough bobcats here to justify owning a pair of cat hounds. I spend a great amount of time hunting small and big game. It is not unusual for me to go about my travels and not even see a cat in a calander year and then there are years when I have seen as many as 2-5 in a year sneaking in on me when calling spring gobblers or slipping thru the woods when I am in an elevated bow stand, or crossing a county road. I have spent MANY hours utilizing a predator caller in winter months during daylite hours and have only seen two bobs come into the call. I have a close friend who is a serious beagle man and hunts a pack of 8 beagles that have had a limited run on 3 seen cats while rabbit hunting during the last two winters. Most of the houndsmen in my area are serious coon, coyote, deer men and they have dogs that will occasionally run cats, or at least they think they are running cats but the cat jumps out or the race blows up etc and the cat is not actually seen. Noone I know of is targeting cats with hounds anywhere near me. We had a really nice tracking snow hit in Febuary and i got out and covered 60-70 miles of jeep/logging trails near my home looking for cat tracks. I did find 3 sets of positive ID cat tracks that were far enough apart for me to believe they were made by different cats. I know the three local trappers that trap the area near my house that I would be hunting. They are primarily river trappers for coon-otter-mink and beaver and do not target cats but each "average about 1 cat per year" as an incidental catch. Does this sound like I might be in an area worthy of the time investment that justifies having some cat hounds or would I best spend my time getting back into coon hunting where I know I would have lots of target animals to allow a hound to reach his genetic potential. How would you assess the potential of a given hunting area for cat potential? Does any of the statements I have mentioned here sound like I have a population that would justify trying to train a pair of cat hounds. Thank you sir.

[Dads dogboy]

Riverman,

Just from the information that you have given here I would have to say that your Bobcat population is thin at best.

I would think talking to the Trappers you mentioned would be a good bet as they are putting Boots on the ground and may have a good Idea of the areas Cat density.

You can PM me your exact location and I will put you in touch with a couple of others in MO who are trying to put Cat Hounds together...maybe you all can get together and have some fun.

Honestly though the Coon Hunting route may be the way to go as even under the best of circumstances Bobcat Hunting is a tough road to travel down!

Good Luck and write or Call anytime!

CJC

[RiverMan30-06]

Mr. Clay,

Thank you sir for your timely reply and I was afraid you might say such.

The exact location where I live is near the Dent and Shannon County line in south Missouri, about 15 miles south of Salem Mo. on Hwy K, at a little dot on the map called Jadwin.

Would love to know some other people trying to put cat hounds together here in Missouri and perhaps they could come here and run where I have seen tracks in the snow-seen cats crossing roads in the past etc.

If you and your father were ever coming thru this area and wanted to hunt/train I would be glad to show you around and I have a nice home that you would be welcome in.


My e-mail address is "buckhunter57@live.com"

Thanks again!

Bill