Got you thinkin anyways Al Honestly Al i dont really have a best dog or dogs, i have a couple that are kind of my favorites but its not for their ability to catch cats, its more about their personalities and things we have been through together and seen together. You could take any 2 or 3 dogs you wanted out and there would be little difference. One of the reasons i like to hunt more dogs is for the simple fact that if you pay close attention to whos doing what or not doing what you can end up with some depth in your pack in a few years. Im not saying its the only way or the right way its just the way i do it. And i know of 3 or 4 other guys within a 25 mile radious of me that have better dogs than i.
When we finally come up with the ultimate excuse for our dogs, campfire stories will be much more complex....." remember Ole floppy ear the day she got hung up in the hemlock? If the fluid dynamics of the air would've been better....instead of bachelors in meteorology, maybe astrology would be better and we could just read our dogs horoscope to see what kind of a day they will have!!! Speaking of stories...a man gets pulled over for speeding, clearly not the fastest driver just keeping up with the bunch explains this to the Cop and asks why him. The cop asks if he ever goes fishing he answers yes the cop replies ever catch all the fish?!?......this is a serious question even says so at the top of the post, but way to much science and mythology going on here. Maybe scientology could provide the ANSWER.We have probably all seen days when dogs perform flawlessly, some days not so much. Michael Jordan didn't score 50 points every game. Superstar type hounds are entitled to a off day as well. The reality of science comes in but it's really this simple, you got your best dogs, you got your best noses, they can't smell it you ain't going to catch it. Now, I'm talking proven dogs struggling in certain circumstances. After analyzing these circumstances and improving our pack the occurrence of this happening can be decreased but most likely not eliminated. I highly doubt it is magic cats.
Well global warming probably isn't helpful. Any time it's hot n dry my dogs seem to need some luck catching cats. Its either weather's changing or a real fresh track. This was brought home one day by a coon track of all things. It was in the mid seventies when struck and they trailed until it was 92 degrees and that track just vaporized. If there had been any vegetation it might have made a difference or not. But I'm a firm believer direct sunlight does deteriorate scent. And of all the game animals lion seems to hang ok and bobcat the least. I've never run bobcat in the summer in Any northern location due to legal season but have in some southern areas and unless there's moisture or some sort of ground cover even the best dogs I've seen struggle. I don't know absolutely but believe the scent molecule need some amount of oils or moisture be that the animals natural scent production or from larger particles. I have watched real nice hounds struggle trailing horses when it's over 90 and humidity is less then 15% but if that horse is sweating just a little the dogs can jog right down the track. The other mystery to me is how easily hounds can trail a vehicle no matter the conditions it seems. I know hounds can struggle in cold dry conditions but still manage to trail and it's probably due to the moisture in the scent freezing then thawing in the sinuses. But take a track on a dry type soil in hot dry conditions and it doesn't take very long to dissipate. It probably all boils down to what exactly a hound associate's as a species scent and how that animals scent responds to weather. Deer for example seem to have a thick long lasting scent. As do cattle and then any of the musky animals. Bobcats seem to be a weak scent. But if there body is actual brushing against vegetation it stirs up more scent. When my hounds start trailing to find each other the conditions are past where we will catch many Bobcats but we may still catch lions. These conditions are hardest on some types of young dogs and they can really go awol if hunted to long in those conditions and are better off left at home or switch to a different type of hound all together.
Mark brought this full circle, a lot of discussion on this topic I believe are rare conditions. Good dogs make bobcat catching seem easy. I believe in most areas a hound guy should not be satisfied with less than 90% catch rate on a jumped bobcat in reasonable conditions. If you are less than 50% you should definitely be thinking about upgrading in dogs in my opinion.
From what I can understand about bobcat CATCHING in the north west compared to the southeast is different for the most part. The boys I hunted with out were not excited about cat hunting. After I described a typical coon hunt in my area turned out to be basically the same thing. They considered cat hunting fairly easy especially in the snow. The situation John described is not unusual down here. I would say it is the norm. As I've mentioned on this board before, I have hunted with what is considered the best hunters and cat bred dogs there is to off re down here. Most all races ended like he described. I have never seen a cat caught on the ground by a cat hunter in the southeast. I saw one that had been caught by deer hunters but it had been shot before dogs made the catch. Never saw a pack of dogs of any number run a cat down and catch it from exhaustion. If it's done down here with any consistency they are keeping it quiet and news travels fast in the dog world down here. Come on down and give it a try.
I don't know of anyone catching 90% of jumped bobs in my part of the country. They might be out there tho... I honestly think its easier to jump a cat here than catch one. I know guys that catch them, but no where near 90%. I bet good dogs around here catch 50% (if they are lucky) depending on conditions. If the snow is real deep powder then percentages go up. I dont think anyone will ever have a dog or pack of dogs that doesn't struggle with cats in some situations.
dhostetler, please don't take this comment wrong, but you need to hunt the states I mentioned in my original post. It just don't happen that often down here.
dhostetler wrote:Mark brought this full circle, a lot of discussion on this topic I believe are rare conditions. Good dogs make bobcat catching seem easy. I believe in most areas a hound guy should not be satisfied with less than 90% catch rate on a jumped bobcat in reasonable conditions. If you are less than 50% you should definitely be thinking about upgrading in dogs in my opinion.
---------------Duane in my opinion few hunters catch 90 percent of the cat jumped in this area. Hunting in idea snow can sure make cat catching look easy, cats that run figure eights, duck, dodge, hit a road for a few hundred yards, gain a little slack & head for the nearest bluff, can sure make ones catch ratio go down. If you could spend a winter here believe you would understand what I am talking about. Respectful Al
Well said Mark but even a good dog is only as good as the hunter that is hunting it. I am not a fisherman but when I go fishing I go with someone that does it all the time and is very successful they tell me when and how. It is the same with hound hunting some people excel and some are content to catch a bobcat once in awhile. Some hunt with their dogs and some of them their dogs hunt with them. Some see the traits that it takes to make a bobcat dog in a dog and some don't. Where ever you are at the key is that you enjoy bobcat hunting at you or your dogs level and that that is OK for you. Bobcat are easy to catch with the right dog or dogs and the right hunter in a area with bobcats. Al you said it all very few hunters catch 90% of the cats they jump but that leaves a few that do in any area. Good hunting Dewey
I have been to Arkansas and hunted with 2 different guys with their own dogs and there would be a huge pack reduction if their dogs were at the 50% catch rate. Those same dogs were also hunted a lot in Florida.
X2 on that Mark, seen one pack of them dogs catch cat in Arkansas and in Florida, at least 2 different trips to each place and can only think of one jumped race I didn't see the end of, and sometimes in less than optimal conditions. Don't know if the number was 90% but I'd bet well better than 50% ended with dead cat. Cat bayed up. Cat in tree, in hole, or culvert pipe
'If the hounds dont catch him on top, It doesnt count' 'Day Light and Eye Sight DONT LIE!' EGO is not your AMIGO
Well, guess different things happen on different days, know they sure do here. However talked to a couple folks that hunted with the same dogs, I believe. Those folks never seen a bobcat, was told some races ended, cat was declared caught, however, no one went to make sure the cat was caught. One guy insisted on looking for a cat & was told let/s go find another cat, you have seen a cat before, why waste time. Another time, different person. insisted on walking a short distance to check some short pine trees, dogs had been declared tree, he found no evidence of a cat Al
Honestly Al i dont really have a best dog or dogs, i have a couple that are kind of my favorites but its not for their ability to catch cats, its more about their personalities and things we have been through together and seen together.
