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HOW DO YOU KEEP A BOBCAT FROM JUMPING OR BAILING??????

I have been asked about this more times than i can count, & always heard " dont walk to the tree with your light on" or "keep quiet going to the tree" Do you think that cats are really bailing and actually were treed or dogs are locking up on tree's that a cat marks. or even just slick treeing. All i ever do is night hunt so i dont know about you day time cat hunters, if you have heard this question as much or not.

What do you guys think is going on here,

have some running sobs and get em real tired... after 5 or 6 times they stay up. Cats dont have good lungs(or lung), thats why they are so hard to catch, they rely on fooling the dogs (jumpin out of trees, from rock to tree, down holes...) there are some crafty SOB's around here we have seen it all

I think people over rate the smart's of a cat. Cats do what cats do by there nature. They will learn by getting away from the hounds by hitting roads, going to rocks, jumping trees or what ever. The key is having hounds that don't let them get away with anything. If you are losing cats look at what your running on them.

sounds like you have a few smart ones but for the most part they dont bail out next time you tree one climb the tree and see how hard it is to kick it out they dont want to run again thats why they went up

Well what i do is try and let them, the dogs that is tree for 30 min and it seems like the cats get kinda stiff and dont wanna bail. But it sucks when you wait then walk in and it empty and you know that cats ahead of you by 30min now

is the cat just jumping out or is the dog climbing the tree and jumping it they dont jump near as much if u have dogs that will surround the tree and sit and watch the cat why they tree

We get a lot that bail around these parts or just won't go up. Use all the tricks in the book.

Funniest thing I ever seen was with a 40lb+ cat. The dogs brought the cat right to us. When it seen us it went right up a tree, and never stopped running. Was like watching Wiley coyote run past the edge of a cliff Legs kept churning in the air. Funny as all heck to watch. By the time it came down 30ft away lead dogs were there. It went right to a log pile after that.

Just never know with these critters. Just like bear have seen them run the backtrack and go up. The dogs still following hot scent blow past the tree. Then loose it.

Smart critters!!!

Waylon,

Where you hunt, put the right Hounds after the Cat and you will not be able to climb the tree and whip it out!

Up North it might be different, but where you hunt, enough of the right pressure from the right Hounds and when he climbs, chances are greater of him stiffening up and falling out of the tree rather than bailing!

Some folks confuse overly aggressive tree dogs and slick trees for bailing Cats, also the wrong kind of Hounds sometimes will tree when they run out of smarts in figuring out where the Cat went!

Another Poster wrote that Cats might not be smart, that it is just their nature to pull "Bobcat" tricks...but boy ain't that Nature SMART!

Just Our Thoughts!

CJC

So since bobcats are alot harder to catch and have more tricks in the bag...At what age would you guys say a dog begins to catch cats consistenly...or does this all depend on the dog?

bency,

Here in the SE US no matter how good a Hound appears to be as a 1-2- or 3 yr old, it ain't a "CatDog" till it is in to its 4th year.

Other Hunters may hunt more than Dad does and can "make" a Catdog sooner, but with us it take 4 years of Hard Hunting to expose a Hound to all the tricks that a Cat can pull and give the Hound the experience to solve the riddle in "REAL Time" to keep a Race going. Solving the Trick twenty minutes from now by going back to where the Hound last smelt the Cat = a gone Cat!

Just out thoughts!

CJC

I have never had a problem with cats jumping out or really fox for that matter either, I have seen one (cat) jump out so far in my life and the dogs caught him when he hit the ground (they do not all belly rub up on the tree -unless I'm praising them- most find the critter and sit back and watch him).
It always seems to be guys on the central and eastern side of the US that have cats jump out alot, why that is I don't know. Maybe like someone suggested the dogs are climbing the tree and knocking them out, I would think back east there are alot more hard wood type trees that are easier for the dogs to climb into?
Is there anyone on here from the western states that has cats jump out alot?
How about cats that won't tree and bay up? (not talking ledges/holes I'm talking cats that bay up under a tree they could have climbed) I have only ever had one cat that refused to tree and actually made a bay up, the others I've caught on the ground simply got caught/dispatched like a coon.
But it seems like eastern bobcats run and bay alot anyone have any thoughts on why that is? Anyone here in the west have baying bobcats? (where they could climb trees)
I just bought 'The Catmen' double video set and my husband kept saying "why don't our cats bay like that?" I'm not sure why either, cause alot of the terrain/vegetation looks the same (other than its flat there and no bluffs or rock piles really that I saw). It also seems like the cats are usually larger back there too? Ours usually run in the 18 to 35 pound range.
Which brings me to another question of how do you guys whose cats bay up or catch on the ground keep your dogs from eating them? Mine have a bad habit of eating them if I don't get the cat away from them quickly...they will split one open and get their grub on, kind of a disapointing thing as far as saving the hide goes.

Well I'm rambling but it's just very interesting to me the seeming difference between the western and eastern cats...I told my husband maybe we should import some from back east and see what happens.

As far as what to do about cats jumping out, well first I'd have to agree with some of the others that have stated that some 'jump outs' may actually be slick trees and the dogs are going on when they realize thier mistake. Otherwise I'd have to say go to them like a jumping bear, sneak in close, no talking, no radio on, no lights once your close, catch your breath (can be hard to do when you want to hurry and get there) and make that final few yards to the tree real quick.

Thanks every one for your input so far,


Mr. Clay I thank you alot, got me 3 of them running dogs coming there about 80% trigg the other 20% depends on who ya ask probably july. I am gonna tell every one I did it cause you and your dad run them running dogs and i want to be like ya'll plus if it dont work i can say them clay's are at fault here, i knew i should have stayed with coon dogs

Waylon,

We have broad shoulders and can take lots of Blame! Those crosses should work well for you! Keep them in the woods and pretty soon Pics will be coming on here. That Talahima Bear Dog should work out well as the boys in that part of OK hunt hard!

Ms. Liz,

Up until the last few years Dad caught 90% of the Cat run on the ground. In the last few years it is down to 60%. Some of this is because all the Cat who did not climb are dead, but mostly its because Dads Hounds have become faster and more effecient putting extra pressure on the Cat earlier in a Race before the Cat gets tired and confused. Poon in NC is finding the same thing.

Our Hound will not eat a Cat when caught. They will bay until I get there then come on out. If it is too bad for me to get to them then we blow the Horn and they will be out in a short while. Poon and some of his friends in NC have Hounds that will eat every bite of a Cat of Fox.

Please PM me the info on the Cat Hunting Video you mentioned, Thanks

Good Running to All!

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

Dads dogboy wrote:bency,

Here in the SE US no matter how good a Hound appears to be as a 1-2- or 3 yr old, it ain't a "CatDog" till it is in to its 4th year.

Other Hunters may hunt more than Dad does and can "make" a Catdog sooner, but with us it take 4 years of Hard Hunting to expose a Hound to all the tricks that a Cat can pull and give the Hound the experience to solve the riddle in "REAL Time" to keep a Race going. Solving the Trick twenty minutes from now by going back to where the Hound last smelt the Cat = a gone Cat!

Just out thoughts!

CJC

And that it what will tell you if you have a dog that can catch cats or a real b-cat dog great post Mr. Clay. I for one just have a few old long ears that can catch a few cats.....

sourdough

John, its called 'The Catmen' its with Dale Cole and a guide out of Maine (can't remember his name), it has some lynx and lion hunting too. All the hunting is in the snow and in Maine or Canada, I thought it would have some midwest big pack hunting as thats where Cole is from but it didn't. I think I got it from the 'Fur Harvester's Trading Post' website. Or Amazon.com I can't remember which one I got it off of. Anyway there are 2 videos I found them combined on one disk for the price of one of the videos alone. I wanna say it was Amazon.

Oops sorry I mean't to PM!

Thats funny about the foxes mine won't eat them, just cats...weirdos.