BigGameHoundsmen.com

Hello Fellow Bobcat Hunters,

As most know Dad and I are down in FL. at his Camp and have been trying to aggrevate the indigenous Bobcat population!

With you all's permission I will update friends new and old with our progress.

This is a "Tale of Two Packs"!

When we arrived here in North Central FL. the folks were two weeks from their last Shower of Rain! In this deep sand country on the coast they need a rain each week to sustain the h2o table and enhance scenting conditions. It was dry and getting dryer as the trees in the Pine Plantations were sucking up the little h20 there was fast!

We started hunting on 5-1 and from then till 5-15 we hunted every night and most mornings. Most nights we Rigged and Roaded 70 to 120 miles and found very few Bobcats. Those tracks we struck were old or Hounds thought they were. In two weeks we had struck maybe 9 Bobcats and trailed two, one of which we treed after a 3 min. race.

This was not the way to make Dad feel better; about himself or his hounds! He must have said a dozen times "Glad we are not trying to sell Hounds" (as most of you know he never has or will sell one of his Clay Hounds). It was boring, depressing, not to mention aggrevating!

Finally on the night of 5-15 it RAINED, not much but enough to help scenting conditions. We went North to a Club we are members of and struck a cold track at daylight. We trailed him 2hrs and 4 & 1/2 miles on and off of Timber Co. roads before jumping him and running him 20 min. He went into a log pile and will be there to run again. Progress in the Hunting situation was being made!

Later that same afternoon it rained again. That nights hunt yeilded 9 strikes on different Bobcats. We trailed one almost an hour before jumping him and running him another hour. We had some real good Hound work out of the young Hounds on a bad track. This was on of our old friends we call the Triangle Cat. No matter where you strike him (judging from the size of his track he should be a Big Tom) he will head to the same area to run in, just when you think the Hounds are going to catch him, up he goes. Great Cat to have to train young Hounds! One of the other strikes was on a hot little Sow or big Kitten and it poped right up after a two min. race.

The next afternoon we left early and had an unforgettable hunt! Just about Dark we Rigged our second Cat of the Hunt, the first track the Sun had wiped out scent as Cat must have walked just afternoon.On the second track, Cherokee, a three yr old Gyp Rigged ahead of Rita our Main Hound, when put down Cherokee went right to a firelane leading off the main road into a Pine Plantaion. The firelane skirts an SMZ and She went right down it about 100 yds before opening. Rest of start Hounds covered her and thus began some of the best Hound work we have seen or heard in a while. As the track got better we released the rest of the Hounds. This Ole Tom Cat (big, big Track) led us on a merry chase for the next tree and a half hours. For the first two and a half he did what, and went where he wanted. The last hour the Hounds held him in a 20 or so acre SMZ. With the Garmin we were able to stay within 300yds of the Hounds the whole time and heard every Bark. Scenting conditions were the best, when crossing the road hounds able to smell scent on either side of the track and tongue from 10ft off the track. The scent was hanging knee high and the Hounds were loving it, telling the world how good it smelt! Our two female pups we are counting on to be the next "Best" were getting their share of pick ups. There was lots of h2o in the SMZ causing the Cat to throw the Hounds off for a minute or two (Big N Blue & Mister Mike these are the short breaks in the ROAR you will hear on the CD's coming to you). The looses were short and the Race was long and played out to perfection, the big Tom decided to fight it out in the ditch right beside the road. Easy retreive!

Most Hunters would have called it a night. Those of you who know him know Dad is not most Hunters! We headed back to Camp put up the 4 old Hounds we had with us, loaded 4 different old Hounds, kept the 8 young hounds loaded and went to a different Club.......

Part Two Tomorrow!

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

Good going C. John, Glad it is picking up for you and your Dad. Love reading your stories,
Keep em coming.

David

Part Two...

After we swaped out Old Dogs, We went to a different Club and hunted till about 2AM with no luck, so then We took a nap in the truck.

After an hour and several Mosquito bites, I started up and put down one side of the Box to empty out again. We had not roaded 500 yds when the Hounds on the ground all struck a red Hot track and the Race was on. This was a Small Sow Cat and she led the "Hound Dog Oprey" for a fast and furious 35 min. She then elevated her station in life by climbing a tall Cypress tree in a SMZ.

We loaded Hounds, refilled h20 buckets, drank some Iced Tea and replayed th recording of the Race to see if it was something Big N Blue or Mr. Mike would enjoy. Then decided to Rig the long way out of the Club and head home.

Fine plan except just before it broke daylight I saw those twin headlight white eyes that only a Bobcat has. I woke up Dad and said I bet we get a strike about that culvert up there in the road. When I pulled over it the Top and Bottom of the Dog Box EXPLODED!
We emptied the truck and the race left across a two yr old clearcut. Suddenly a short check then the race headed right back to us. We saw the Big Tom cross the road and head for a large drainage canal with 12 Cat Hounds in a ROAR after him. For the next 45 min the Race was never over 350 yds from us. In and out of the h2o, across the road, down the road right past the truck. The Concert was something special. The young Hounds had started taking the lions share of the pickups and were making the Old Dogs have to catch up! This Race should have had a terminal ending however the ole Tom either climbed or went in a Culvert full of h20 up an abandoned logging rd. It was one of those that was over but you are unsure just what has happened. The good news is he is an awful good running Bobcat and should be there to run again!

I know some of you Hunters reading this are wondering why we are not mad because we did not kill the Bobcat. Here in the South a Bobcat pelt never brings what they do up North so even if we were to harvest Bobcats it would not pay. We are there to hear the "Grand Ole Cat Hound Opry" and hear the Hounds work. When we pick up a Cat someone always wants one to mount or a Taxidermist friend needs one for a show. Our Southern States specify that this time of the year we are to "Run for Pleasue Only" incidental Catches are allowed but No Firearms maybe used.

This was the same Pack of Hounds that seemingly were not worth feeding the first two weeks down here, and now with good scenting conditions they can do no wrong......

Thus the Tale of Two Packs.

We just got in from another great Race this afternoon but I will save it for tomorrow!

Good Running to All!

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

Hey there Mr Clay stay after them. Awesome stories say hi to dad.
Al Luttrell Jr

Almost as good as being there C. John. Keep em coming!! I love it!!

You are killing me! I can't stand it! More please!

Part Three...

The last hunt finished up this past Saturday Morning. We do not Hunt on Saturday afternoon, Night, or Sunday Morning as the woods are full of Deer Runners training Deer Dogs or Hog Hunters. They don't bother us so to be courtious we try not to bother them.

The Weather pattern has changed down here and the Afternoon hard showers have started, then Sunday an ole Blue Norther blew in. Darn it got cold (high 50s with 90% humidity), and 20 to 35 mph winds. Not fit weather to hunt in.

About 30 min before Dark on Sunday Dad decided that the wind might lay, that the rain might quit, and that we should go hunting.(Truth of the matter is the Chemo has him feeling so bad that Hunting takes his mind off his ills and his mortality). I cheerfully said "Yes Sir" and cominced to loading the Hounds?

We headed South as the Radar showed a break in the Weather that direction.(Technology is Darn sure nice) After roading about 30 min to empty out the Hounds I put up the Rig Dogs to try to cover more country before the break in the Weather stopped. We had no rain but still lots of wind. I knew we were just killing time but it made Dad feel better so in a way it was time well spent. I had him listening to the Friday night races on the MP3 player and I was just touring the Club.

The Tour came to a ROARING halt! Rivers our up and coming 2yr old Red Ringneck Hound EXPLODED on top of the Box! Almost simultainiously Rita, Choctaw, & Cherokee added their voices to the racket. I bailed out and turned Rivers and Rita loose and they were barking in my arms as I put them down. They had winded a Bobcat in a freshly planted Clearcut, the Bobcat must have been sitting just out of the Truck lights beside the road. I released the rest of the Hounds and for the next two hours we had a H$## of a Race. I don't know how, as the Wind was blowing the worst! If we had not had the Garmin Astro 220 and lots of good Club roads it would have been real bad. As it was I could stay on top of the Hounds and we heard almost every bark!

The Cat went South a while and came to a place where 5 Club roads spoke off like a wagon wheel. He decided that this was where he was goin to do his thing and he Darn sure did. Up and down the roads in and out of the 7yr old Pine Plantations, in and out of the drainage ditches he did his best to elude the Hounds. I don't know how the scenting conditions were so good with the wind blowing. But they were, as when he hit a road the Hounds looked like the 7th cavalry coming up it with every Hound barking their loudest, then turning into the Plantation right on the Bobcat. One time the Cat almost ran, into the truck as he pulled one of his stunts, he was so close that when Dad stepped out he was standing on the Cats track. Dad said that the looked as big as any Tom we had run and caught so far.

As I said this lasted for two solid hours never a check for more than a min. or so. The wind blowing so Hard if the Hounds went further than 350 yds you could not hear them! Drive up, bake up, turn around, stop and listen, see Bobcat cross road, WOW it was good! Too good to last though. Ole Shorttail knew his Waterloo was fast approaching when Chick a 3yr old mate to Cherokee and Choctaw screamed as she tried to make his tail even shorter. That was too much heat and with a 10ft high Pine in front of him up he went. Know we do not have a Treedog worth a damn! But you would not have known this then! We suddenly had 12 Treedogs. They were right beside the road and we knew the Cat ould not last long if I were to shake him out, so I got down on the truck horn and hollered and loaded every Hound in about 5 min.(Ole Ike from the Lion and Bear Hunting Stories would have been proud to see the Dogs leave a Tree)

Great Race! But having to listen to Dad all the way home telling me to not let the Elements keep us out of the woods was rough. I can just see us next winter bundled up like Nanook of the North Hunting in an Arkansas Blizzrard, or stripping off all of my clothes trying to keep cool in a FL Heat wave just so he can say again "I Told Ya So".

Rained us out Monday and had a short Race between rain storms Tue. But yesterday(Wed) afternoon was another for the ages.........will tell about it tomorrow!

Good Running to All

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

WOW!

That news about your dad is devasting.

Part Four...

After the Weather got us for about 36 hours, Dad had stood it as long as he could. Wednesday afternoon about 1:30 he said to load Hounds as we might could slip a Hunt in between Rain Squalls. We loaded and headed to the Southernmost Club hoping to miss the Rain.

We had Rig dogs up by 2:30 and had struck two different Bobcats by 4:00. but with either the Sun or Rain hitting them not enough scent for the Hounds to work with. Noticed the sky getting darker, wind picking up, then, BAM the Heavens opened up!

We decided to go fill up with gas and see if this strom would pass over. We did, it did not!

We headed back to Camp but found the storm had not reached the Home Club, so we came in through the back way and put the Rig Hounds up! we made about 2 or so miles and headed up a Dead end road where we had been finding a lot os Cat Sign, just never fresh enough to run.

At 5:45, about 2/3s of the way up this road Rivers and Ruby(she is our Matriarc of the Pack) both opened with a cold Bark. Dad said to put em down and see what they could do. I put these two along with Cherokee and Choctaw the other two Rig Hounds on the ground. They could switch at a willow bush beside the road to let us know a Bobcat had been there but no Bark. They trailed up this old road another 200yds or so then Ruby finally barked. These 4 worked the trail up the road for 1/2 mile barking better all the time. At the end of the road it sounded good enough to put in the rest of the Hounds.

A MISTAKE, the Bobcat had fed out at the end of the road, and come right back to it and headed back the way we had come. Cherokee and Queen were the lucky Hounds to find where the Cat had turned out this time. They told the world about it and called the other Hounds to Hark to them or get left behind. All but Ruby answered the call, she still thought the Cat or another Cat was up the end of the Log Road.

When the Pack arrived to Cherokee and Queen the Bobcat discovered that this was not Deer or Hog dogs in the woods and that they were after Him. He decided to head for the "Tall and Uncut" to quote our favorite Western Actor! He was jumped and the Race was on! One problem! The Heavens desided to open up here as well!

I told Dad that the Garmin said we needed to go around to another road that the Race was approaching, and that we would probably be able to pick up the Hounds there as with this much rain and wind they would not be able to run or hold the track. Dad stated that he had run Cats before in the Rain just not Rain like this! We went around and the Pack was coming our way in Full Cry! You had to get out of the truck though to hear as the noise of the rain on the roof was too loud.

The Pack came on not missing a bark. The Cat crossed the road with the pursuit close behind. It looked to be a young Tom, long legged but not thick, maybe a 20+ lber. For the next 1 & 1/2 hours they not only managed to run this Bobcat, this pack ran the Hell out of him. They never let him do what he wanted to do. He was running in a SMZ in a 10 yr old Plantation, he would try to leave and they would pressure him right back. With the Garmin we were able to keep the Race close enough to hear but by now we were looking like drowned rats from standing out in the rain. My MP3 player could not pick up any sound but the rain and wind. It was BAD! Cat came back across the road where we were standing i was able to be ready with my camera from zooming in tight with the Garmin and captured a great photo of Dad, Rain, and Bobcat (if I can figure out how to put it on here i will add it tomorrow).

Our young Gyps really stood out in this race. (If Mr. Edwards is reading this I will answer his question about the size of a Good Hound. Big N Blue gave the right answer.) In the type of cover this race was being run in smaller was darn sure better. Our big Male dogs were fighting the Cat, Conditions, and the Cover very hard. This ment they were not the first Hounds getting the pick ups after the inevitable checks you have with a Bobcat Race!

After an hour and 15 min. they had the ole shorttail broke down! for the next 15 min, the circles were getting smaller and smaller. Then we heard Rivers and Choctaw BELLOW forth with the cry of the sighting and catch. Big Toms can be tough and this was one. Baying continued for 10 min. as they fought it out.

One Hell-uv-a Race. Rain and Wind like a small Hurricane! Hound work, the Best! Soaked to the bone and beyond, the Hunters!

Thursday night back to reality! Rigged and roaded 121 miles in 15 hours, to get two Cold Strikes. Too cold to do anything with.

Guess that is why We call it "Bobcat Hunting"!

Good Running to All!

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

Friday night repeat of Thursday!

Bobcats appear to be moving at the Mid -Day feeding and not moving again,

Oh well, they always change back to night feeding in a few days or a week or so!

Good Running to All!

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

dogboy,
Do you guys ever get pics of those bobs? you should post pix along with those stories,
I would like to see pixs, to me it puts the a face to the story if you will. .
good luck in the hunts to come.

rockman.

Rockman,

I will be putting some Pics up next week. I am too dump to figure out how to make it work to get them up, been trying all week! My wife back in AR has about got it figure out so there is hope.

CJC