SE OKLAHOMA CAT HUNT----WOW!

[Clyde Lawson]

Fellow cat hunters I have not written anything for some time due to having to have by-pass surgery where they replaced four main veins to my heart! Went in for simple stress test and was advised that major blockage was detected and they were going to have to cut on me!

DOING GREAT after 60 days past surgery and heart surgeon advised that I could get back to doing what I wanted to do---Last Sunday I loaded my hounds and went to camp in SE Oklahoma.

Sunday night, after only 45 to 60 minutes "rigging", struck a cat that ran for 1 hr. and 40 minutes before hounds caught on ground.

That started one of the best hunts that I have had in at least 2 years. I hunted 8 of 10 days---hunting from 5:00 AM till about 11:00 AM and then going to camp feeding myself and hounds. Going back to woods about 3:00 PM and hunting till 9:00 till 10:00 PM.

In that time, 17 cats were struck with 15 of them providing races that was really appreciated. Two cats in one morning were struck and hounds could do nothing with those tracks? Always have to wonder what makes scent conditions such that it seems the hounds can get enough to whine, flag, and open some but cannot get track moving?

Now let me describe conditions of area: first and foremost, it had rained a lot in the area, the roads were damp to muddy in spots. Most all days the fog never raised until 10:00 AM & by 7:00 PM, fog had started to move in the valley again. Scent conditions could have been better. Oh, will add temp. was from 40 up to 60 during all the hunt times.

Another thing that was big help, four out of ten days of the hunt we had light rain to some hard showers(one evening it rained so hard that I stayed at camp).

But here is the results: Struck 17 cats in 8 days. Treed 5 cats and put eye balls on 4 of the 5(never shot any out & they were in such tall pines that Marion G and I could not make 1 jump out for a jump race). Caught 3 cats on the ground that would not take or could not take a tree. Bayed 1 cat under a rock on side of mountain. We had to catch hounds off of 3 cat races as the race was getting to close to a highway with lots of logging traffic.

And the remainder of the cats got away---sorry hounds is only excuse I can think of at this time.

All of races except one, were from 1 to 2 hours with one race that we had to stop and catch hounds off of highway, lasting 2 hours and 40 minutes!

I have to thank Jimmie Moore and Jimmie Jackson for turning me on to "Rigging" bobcats. Hootie has always had hounds that would rig, but in hunts with him, we stilled "roaded" a great amount of time to produce our starts.

During our Cat Hunters Get-together last Spring, I guided the mentioned cat hunters and their hounds along with a father and son team out of AR. Both parties preferred "Rigging" to striking their cats and made a believer out of me! Later Jimmie M. loaned me a 11-12 year old hound and instructed me to rig with her & she would teach my hounds? Well, it took 3 strikes off of the dog box, and I had 3 hounds that started taking the strike from the old girl!

All this last week+ of hunting I used just my pack & of the 17 strikes----15 cats were rigged!

Now I have my entire pack striking from box when they smell a cat! Night before last, with Marion G. folllowing with truck of young hounds, my Treeing Walker male and a Running Walker female struck from inside box. I stopper and let them both on ground and the headed down side of mountain to a least 150 yards without making any sound. Then the cat race was on! We ran that cat for just over 2 hrs and had to catch hounds to keep them off of highway.

Now fellows when I say ran--I don't mean slow trailing or "pecking around" on track! These races were like they were looking at the cat! Oh, by the way, on this race after about a hour into the race, hounds sounds like they were baying just off side of road in some thick cover. I told Marion that I had to go see what the heck they were doing? They had that cat backed under a brush pile with blackberry vines all over that pile of debris and when I shined the light on them, Mr. Bobcat came out between me and the hounds! The race was on again and that time it lasted for over a hour.

Addressing another issue--hide prices for our quality of fur is reported to be $25-$30 dollars this year. MAYBE??? For myself, I am leaving the cats in the tree, & maybe run them again at a later date.

Even at the best price, it takes a XL good color hide to bring $125. I catch enough on the ground that for me--those in tree will be left to run again.

When we all get down to it, we all enjoy the race and walking up to that tree and seeing that cat. I really wished that my hounds would not catch on ground those that they do, but it seems that for some reason some of the cats will not climb? Or maybe they get confused and cannot, not sure? But its for certain, when they are stretched out and tore up, they will not provide that race that I love to hear!

Good luck hunting this year & come and hunt with me sometime,

Clyde Lawson

[come-hunt]

Very good Clyde, wish I could've been there. Great country.

[1bludawg]

The guys in SE Oklahoma sure know how to breed dogs ,3 of the best cat dogs i've ever hunted with came from there.

[Richochet Rabbit]

Great report! I've been trying to align the stars and beat my feet back down there! To no avail. Maybe next time you stuff me in the dog box on the way south? I'm not growly, and up to date on all my shots!

thanks again to you and everyone else that attended the spring gathering and let my brother and I pick your brains and steal secrets! I'll never forget that weekend!

come hunt, ill try to call you this weekend, finally! Hadn't forgot, but usually when I get a chance its late at night or midday..

merry Christmas everyone!

R.R.

[al baldwin]

Thanks for sharing, sounds like you have lots of cats. Al

[archermn]

thanks for sharing. sound like a fun 10 days

[Clyde Lawson]

Thanks for sharing, sounds like you have lots of cats. Al

Al, we do have a number of cats. Weather, or the lack there of, limits our success rate as much as anything.

Mentioned in story that area had lots of rain and it misted or showered about every day of the hunt. That country can dry out as fast as any country that I have hunted. Two days without moisture with a little wind thrown in and the forest roads are dry. Mr. Bob hits one of those roads and tracks down it leaving the hounds wondering what happened?

We have been in a drought for two plus years with all of the cathunters having the same problem of attempting to have a race.

Real tough to train a young hound with that type of tracking condition.

Another thing to mention--a hound that will not run with his head up, but has to use only his nose on every track just seems to not be able to do much in that country. Many of the locals who hunt only coon hound type of hounds have advised "you cannot tree these bobcats down here in these mountains"; or, "when our hounds tree them, they jump out before we can get to the tree"!

Well, likely two things: the cat was not pushed enough to climb, and those that were "treed at" only marked that tree. They had left that tree a long time prior to the hunter getting there.

We have trouble finding/breeding hounds that when a loss is made, or the cat goes up a tree, the hound will get his nose in the air and locate the cat itself. I don't care where the cat hit a tree and kept on going, I want to be looking at the cat with the hound when we walk into the tree!

In final, scent/weather conditions have so much to do with success or failure in our endeavors in running or treeing Mr. Bobcat.

Have a good one and come hunt with me sometime--


Clyde