The Death March

[wyokid]

I am more in wondering about bobcats, I have been told they run forever is this true, last Sunday I turned loose on a bobcat track and my plott dog is a very experienced dog, it seemed like catching up to her was almost impossible, she is so quick that she left the other dogs in the dust, she had a tracking collar on and every time I would almost get within 200-400 yards to her she would take off again, all said and done the chase was well over three miles. Do bobcats really run this far and long? She was running along the cliffs and very steep cliffs, it looked like prime bobcat country but I wasn't sure if they really do run this far and that rugged of country???

[twist]

Most likely there was some cold trailing involved but in rugged rock country a cat can keep in front of your dogs all day long. You here some talk of rock dogs that can catch in these conditions! Just invite them to show you believe me you will have know one show up! There isn't a dog alive that can run with a bobcat in these conditions. Andy

[pegleg]

Bobcat hunts can vary a lot. There's some I think about often. I guess because they were so unusual but it seems these do happen more with bobcat then other game.
I had a hunt once late in the spring when the dogs were in excellent shape and really firing on all cylinders. This cat literally ran my dogs to the ground. I saw the cat several times during the hunt but for all the world it sounded like a trash race. It was a figure eight type circle he was running . we jumped him on a small rock bluff on the side of a hill and he would run down through a brushy wash and out into the bottom circle a bit and slip back up to the hill duck and dodge then repeat the whole thing. I would never believe a cat could run that long if I hadn't seen it happen a few times. I cut back and forth trying to get a clean shot at him but never connected just glimpses here and there.
The dogs owning the track so well it just seemed a matter of time. But looking back I think this is why it kept racing back to the rocks to gain some ground. I won't say how long this went on but I did end up with only one dog able to stand at all and had to walk around gathering up hounds that refused to move. I wouldn't be surprised to find out the cat died later . however if it didn't I would say that without some kind of advantage a cat like that is uncatchable. Its those cats that make you wonder about all the ones you do catch and what it was that differed . I've only ever seen a handful that truly run the legs off a hardened pack but I have seen it done enough to know its possible. Most of the time its scent variables or the cats behavior that wins. I include use of terrain in the behavior bag.

[mark]

I started paying close attention to the barometric pressure a couple years ago. I dont stay at home because of it but when the B P gets above 30.30 it seems like that is when i start seeing and hearing a different type of race. I believe there are days when dogs cant get their heads up enough to keep steady hard pressure on a cat and that is when i see races last longer. As for a cat that gets in the rocks and stays in them , well good luck.
I am talking bare ground,dont know how B P affects snow tracks if any.

[chancemarquette]

Bobcats are a pain In the ass. Yes that sounds like a typical bobcat chase especially if it was in the rocks