Trailing in the desert

[dwalton]

Good topic. Bobcat hunting is the most challenging hunting with hounds there is in my opinion. Intelligence and desire are the most important things a dog can have. Out here we need real good locating tree dogs. A lot of people want cold trailers but do not realize what a cold trailer really is. It does no good for a dog to make a lot of noise and not be able to move a track. Time and distance a dog moving a track fast and covering a lot go ground on the track is what trees bobcats. Then you need them to locate. A dog should never bark at the same spot twice always moving a track forward. I have owned and hunted with dogs that could run a cold several hours old where some people would think there are jumped. There are a lot of dead spots in a bobcat track that a hound needs to get past never slowing down. Most bobcats will tree in 5 to 20 minutes with the right dogs in any part of this state. the dogs can not make a lose to make this happen.Most dog that people hunt here for bobcat can not do that because they trail the cat track for track. In 54 years of bobcat hunting I have owned the dogs that can do that counted on one hand in both the east and west side, snow or bare ground . Once in awhile you will hit a educated cat that would be caught on the ground. Two different years 20% of the cat I caught were caught on the ground. There are more good bobcats dogs bred in this area than ever before and a few really good cat hunters. It takes a really good bobcat dog or pack to tree 50 to 100 bobcats a year here. Scent conditions no matter where you are at is what makes or breaks you on a bobcat track even if you do have a truly great bobcat dog or pack of dogs. It is far easier to get a pack together that can do it all in style then to find that super dog. Snow, rain,dew,sun,wind,dry,brush,lack of brush,soil conditions [rock,sand,clay,water,grass and you name it] all will and can affect a track or how the dogs can handle it. Some dogs do good in one condition and not another and a very few in all conditions. Super bobcats dogs and the hunter to get it out of them is a life style not a hobby. Dewey

[CRA]

[macedonia mule man]

Goose, I’m not a dog trainer.i take dogs to the woods and find out which ones want to leave the road, jump and run something. I call that desire to run game and that is the only thing I look for in adog. Dogs learn by doing things over and over. If they will leave the road over and over,find game over and over and jump and run game over and over, they become game intelligent. I’ve found that makes the good dogs. I’ve tried to break dogs to run just one type of game butIve found I ruin more good dogs than I want to.

[dwalton]

The good ones are always in the right place at the right. I tone train my pups at 4months old. I have ruined some good young dogs trying to break them from trash also. The dogs I breed know will not handle much if any rough treatment. The way I start a young dog I very seldom have to break it from off game. They grow up just thinking bobcats. I have dogs that I have never had to shock them for trash. Some maybe once. One thing I have learned is that I can learn something from anyone and there is always other ways of doing things. Good hunting Dewey

[al baldwin]

For those interested there was only one dog barking on that bobcat I saw tiptoe between those two young dogs, he was barking very little, but when he barked the excitement in his voice lead me to conclude that bob was not that far ahead. When one hunts bobcat all summer long in the dry conditions we get here you are likely going to have some educated cats that can be a real challenge for any dog or pack of dogs. And there used to be a few dedicated bobcat hunters in this area that hunted year around. Over time have found a majority of those cat that was good at sneaking were the larger toms, something that was a little surprising.
Lots of dogs can make catching cats look easy in the right snow conditions or in areas where bobcats have not be educated.
Have never found training dogs to run one type of game hindered their ability to catch game, if you had plenty of that particular game it should only make them better at catching.
Very few people are able to earn a living and devote their entire life to hunting bobcat, for sure having a good pack of cat hounds takes a devoted effort & lots of time.
Anyone breeding good to good is going to get some good ones & some culls that one never talks about in my experience. Al

[macedonia mule man]

Walton, I’ve found it really easy to obedient train a dog. My entire pack will shut down and come to truck horn or bird dog whistle if they are close. I’m able to follow them close enough that when I see something I don’t want them running, I load them up go down the road about 100yds ,put back in front of the truck and go again. Best handling dogs I’ve ever owned, I’ve called them offa train load of trash. I’ve had people loan me trash breakers but they turn out to be trashy as mine.

[dwalton]

All you have with hounds breeding and training, it sounds like you have got it figured out. Good luck with your dogs and hunting. Dewey

[macedonia mule man]

Walton, I definitely have this pack figured out but I’m not to sure about the next one or if it will be a next one. I turned 79 last week.

[lawdawgharris]

Damn, that's 553 in dog years! I hope I live that long. I ain't suppose to. I have some health issues that are suppose to send me to the happy hunting grounds. But until then, I'm gonna try and get a few more stories in to take with me to tell up there and I'm gonna enjoy my dogs and my family. You've been blessed if you don't see 80! I'm sure you have several years left behind those hounds though as long as you look both ways before crossing the street.

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[BrennenHeddin]

How long do you do your scent drags? I have 3 dogs that run 500-yard trails no problem and one dog that's only a year old that doesn't trail really at all! The pup doesn't bark! Like at all! I've heard her bark one time! Other than that she is silent! Even in casual settings or on the trail with the other dogs! Nothing!!! She has a nose! She will trial with the other ones here and there but she is a pup and gets distracted a lot! I tried using a coonskin to get excited but she had no interest! Should I use a caged coon to get her fired up?? One of my older dogs seems to be getting bored with training! The first few times he tried hard and treed great! The last two time he runs a hundred yards and comes back! What do I need to do to get these dogs fired up?
I am brand freakin new to hunting with hounds! I have never done it and don't know anyone who does it! I bought 4 hounds from a guide and they seem to vary in experience and know-how! What do I need to do to get these dogs all on the same level running trails long distance?

[Rowdy Fitz]

I’m late to the game here, but my theory is that when they’re sneaking along, they’re up on their toes. Since pads are always on the ground, they’re tough and dry which means less body oils being left on the ground. When they’re just walking, more of the rear pad makes contact with the ground and consequently more hairs from the foot hit the ground surface. For example, look at a dog’s foot and you can see how there’s almost always some sort of moisture/body oil between the toe pads and heel pad. Now back to cats: If that’s higher up in the air while they’re sneaking, less of that body oil is deposited on the ground.
As far as the ground, I believe that sand has more air and moisture passing through it, which dries the track out and as the animal walks, it disturbs the sand that was on top. That causes the sand grains that the scent was left on, to be covered by fresh sand. Just think about when we walk in sand. our toes dig in, pushing fresh sand up and it disturbs all the sand we just flatten out. Leaving a slight mound in the middle of our foot print.

That’s all just my theory, but I don’t know nothin really...