Thrown a bone!
Posted: Wed Feb 25, 2015 12:42 am
Today was a great day! First let start by giving a little background. I have been training bird dogs for over twenty years and running hounds for the 15 or so. Until today I had only run raccoons and have had a ball doing so. 1 year ago we moved to northern Minnesota. I have always toyed the idea of running bobs but the distance from where I was living to the bobcat zone didn't make this a reality. I spent most of this past fall and early winter trying to find a well started or finished cat hound. I have coon hounds but wanted a head start. I have not had any luck finding what I was looking for. I have planned on trying to get my male plott to take a cat track but the lack of snow and my work schedule has made that all but impossible this winter. Until today this morning I awoke to about a half inch of fresh snow loaded up my plott grabbed my pack and hit the road. Now here in Minnesota we do not have a pursuit season but thankfully I only live a half hour from Wisconsin. After jumping the border I put on about 20 miles not seeing any sign of a living thing. I decided to road the dog so he could get some exercise we hadn't went a mile after letting the dog out and the snow was drifting in on the road pretty bad so I had to start getting after it or I was going to be stuck as I came out of the drifts I see a cat jump into the middle of the road one more leap and gone into the brush I got upto his tracks jumped out and grabbed the dog. Now I was prepared to walk out this track but thought what the heck lets see if he will go. First I showed him the track pointed tried to get him to take a sniff but he just looked as if to say what do you want. So I grabbed him by the back of the neck and shoved his face into the track I could here him take to deep breaths I let go and he opened up and the chase was on by the time I pulled the truck off the road grabbed my pack and looked at the garmin he was already 1.97 miles away! Oh boy Dorothy we aren't running coons no more. At about 3 miles the garmin showed him treed. I was trying to get there in a hurry. It that was the thickest tag alder swamp I have ever tried getting thru. And it wouldn't end. Finally I got to within a half mile or so and the cat must have jumped cuz the garmin showed him on the move again. Ugh!!! About another 1.5 miles and it's showing treed again. I finally got to the tree and there is my boy and twenty feet up is bob. What a feeling not one I'm likely to forget anytime soon. I went to grab my phone out of my pocket and no phone in my excitement I left it in the truck dam it!!! Oh well next time I put the dog on the lead and started the walk back to the truck. What a great day!!! I would like to thank those who gave me advice and told me that I could get it done with a coondog just had to put some effort into it especially after a number of people told me I was wasting my time with a dog that had been a coonhound is whole life he would be to tree minded or wouldn't be fast enough. I know I have a long way to go but dam I feel good tonight well except my legs they are kinda sore and tired as is my hound. I let him ride home in the cab with me I have never seen that dog wore out but we hadn't even got the truck turned around and he was napping in the backseat. Something tells me I'm gonna enjoy this ride into my next adventure with the hounds
