Running cats are addictive

[scrubrunner]

Been having great fox races about every times I've gone (2-3 times a week) for the last few months. But jumped a cat one night last week. Had a 3 hour jumped cat race with 9 head counting a couple of pups. Was like standing next to the railroad track with the Amtrak flying by. Cat tried to pull out right after they jumped it but hounds got to hot on it, had to go to squatting n back tracking till it finally made it back to the bad thicket, scrub, palmettos n vines (was a bad place). Thought they was going to catch it about the whole time, don't think there was ever a lose that lasted a minute. Cat crossed the road and ran right in the corner of another road, don't think it left 10 acres for the last 45 minutes. Ended bout 50 yds from the truck like turned a light switch off. All the dogs came straight to the truck and loaded up so I think it treed or went in a hole but it might have just got away. Idk. Went fri night had a good 4 hr fox race but was back Sun. morning riding past fox tracks trying to find a cat to run. Trailed a couple be never jumped one.
Them cat races can sure be addictive!

[SASS]

It sure is! Sounds like a pretty good time you had Scrub.

[david]

Sounds like you are having a blast!!
I hope it keeps up for you.

[perk]

Sounds like a good one Scrub, I'm the opposite of you right now, I'm tired of messing with cats and can't wait for it for green up and have hard grey fox races, cat races are exciting and ran close, but most greys run close too, and make for faster harder races with the same tricks. Ran a red for 90 mins Friday and my dogs were gassed, been fooling with cats most of winter, they are in decent shape but not for fast moving ground covering races. ready to get back on those foxes to toughen my hounds up agian.
Happy hunting
Perk

[al baldwin]

Scrub envious of you, good to hear you are having fun. Don/t know your dogs, here a race that ends the way you describe we try walking in to confirm what happened. We at times find evidence that critter was so winded it gave up without any sign of a struggle. Cats here do not run that tight very often, at times you have to have trust in dogs or you will correct dogs when they are not trashing. Al

[scrubrunner]

Al, cats run pretty hard here like Dad's Dogboy used to describe. It's really hard sometimes to tell if it's a gray fox or bobcat. I can pretty well tell by my dogs, one especially, in a fox race she is just there, she grabs the front end every now and then but if it's a cat she's screaming, the kind that you don't know how she ever inhales. None of my dogs tree, I used to have some that did when I was younger and have seen a lot of fox and a few cats in the tree but most here go in gopher tortoise holes. I'm not going to kill either one and pretty much figure if critter went up, in a hole or just got away by the way it ends. If it ends like turning a switch off and they all come hunting the truck I figure they finished it, but sometimes they stay out there a long time casting every direction from where it ended, when they do that I figure it probably put it on em and got away. That's good enough for me, either way it's over.
Went back Wednesday nite, jumped a fox, man it was a good one, 3 1/2 hours, tight circles, road dashes, tried it all but they drove him like a stolen car. Don't know how he kept from getting caught on the ground.
Friday night trailed 2 fox jumped another they couldn't run. Fox are starting to breed here, it always gets tough this time of year. Season closed Sunday until July where I've been hunting. Can't run in club until may 1st (hardly any fox there but quite a few cats) so I'll just have to fish for a couple weeks.
I'll quit rambling now!

[TomJr]

you sure that cat didn't die? When it goes quiet like a light switch off and the dogs come out, I walk in and often find a dead fox or cat...