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How do i traing my dogs on bobcats. I heard of the old saying of use a barn cat, but my mom and sister would kill me if I kill one of their cats. And I have a live trap but I think it to small. What size do I need and what is the best way to bate it. Any help would be great. Thank you.

Martin,

If you are not close to any other Bobcat hunters to Intern with...then look closely at the Cat Training Tips from Mr. Mike Leonard on the Home page here on BGH.

He gives some good suggestions for training Hounds that should work in your part of the World!

CJC

I use my wifes house cat all the time I just dont let them kill it. I make drags with him in a roll cage then tie the cage in the tree. but to affectivley train a pup they will have to get a hold of a cat soon. I trap feral cats that live on abandoned farms. Get permission from the owners first though.

I personaly don't think much of taking a house cat and using it to train dogs for a number of reasons.

It casts houndsmen in a bad light. (even if you are using feral cats, and yes I do believe they need to be removed from the wilds, just not trapped and run again with dogs, not saying its a bad thing if your dogs kill one way out in the middle of nowhere while hunting bobcats either...)

They realy don't smell the same and you can do just as well with coons or whatever else thats legal and wild in your area to turn young pups on to treeing.

Once you get them treeing ect and they still are not finding cats try some drags to show them the right scent or try finding tracks or kills, scat ect and showing them that you want them to follow those as well.

IF you have enough bobcats to hunt in your chosen area you should not have to much trouble finding one to run and once they tree that first one many more are sure to follow

swamphounds wrote:I use my wifes house cat all the time I just dont let them kill it. I make drags with him in a roll cage then tie the cage in the tree. but to affectivley train a pup they will have to get a hold of a cat soon. I trap feral cats that live on abandoned farms. Get permission from the owners first though.

That's a crock and terrible advice.

The do not smell anything like a bobcat. Do you really want to be out hunting and have your dogs go after a frigging house, barn, feral or whatever you want to call it cat? It surley doesn't do anything to improve the image of houndhunter's in general.

Tom and CJC gave some really good advice. I would add, try to locate someone in your hunting area that has experience running bobs, and try to tag along. You will learn so much valuable knowledge and experience from someone who has spent countless hours in the field running bobcats.

Good Luck and Good Hunting!

orbowhunter1971 wrote:


The do not smell anything like a bobcat. Do you really want to be out hunting and have your dogs go after a frigging house, barn, feral or whatever you want to call it cat? It surley doesn't do anything to improve the image of houndhunter's in general.

Tom and CJC gave some really good advice. I would add, try to locate someone in your hunting area that has experience running bobs, and try to tag along. You will learn so much valuable knowledge and experience from someone who has spent countless hours in the field running bobcats.

Good Luck and Good Hunting!

10-4 Good advice.

Put the dog on a leash and walk it out tracks until you jump the cat. Let the dog go, after enough of this the dog should start cold trailing and you can get rid of the leash. Everyone should have to make at least one dog like this, even if it turns out to be a cull you will learn alot about cats.

Oh yeah, if this seems to much like work.... get some golf clubs.