Noses on dry ground lion dogs vs Cold nose snow dogs?

[dwalton]

Cat and Bear: I don't know if I am any body but it is fun to see them catch a few cats. Thanks for speaking highly of my dogs, a lot of credit goes to a lot of people before me. I just put them together and give them all a opportunity to mess up but they have the same opportunity to do right. Which is where they are at today, who knows what they will be doing tomorrow. Good hunting. Dewey

[chad85]

it takes a colder nose dog to drive a track in a real dry climate and in the snow there is moisture so not as hard to smell

[dwalton]

In 0 degree or below it does not get any dryer and is hard for a dog to trail. Yes snow makes it easier. Is a cold nose dog and a track the same. A lot of the cold nose dogs that I have hunted do not drive a track like dogs with a little hotter nose. Really cold nose dogs can be sticky if not taught to move out. That's just my opinion... Dewey

[twist]

Dewey, couldnt agree more. Would like to know your secret to making a sticky cold nosed dog be able to over come this issue as over the years I have had a few of these type and never could get them to push past these hot spots of interest what is the secret?

[cat and bear]

it takes a colder nose dog to drive a track in a real dry climate and in the snow there is moisture so not as hard to smell

I sure do have respect for the dry dogs, food for thougt. Two years ago, the day before bobcat season closed, it was -18 below. My friend which had a tag and I was headed to get a bite to eat, I dont turn out usually unless 10 degrees. Well hit a big cat walking the river, going into his land, along with a pair of coyotes. Now, there was an inch of snow on the ice, froze out as you could get for scenting. Againist my gut feeling for the saftey of my dogs, I turned on it. I cant imagine scent conditions on ice, and dry snow, at -18 below doesnt require a great nose, yea he will cheat by sight, but he smelled it and had to keep it sorted out of the yotes. Two dogs on it, went out of hearing up the river, got up closer to them, heard the jump. An hour later a nice 38lb cat on the tailgate, he killed on his land. Might have a hard time convincing me, you dont need a dirty cold nose for that situation.

[dwalton]

Twist: I run then with part running dogs that can drive a track. The sticky dogs have to learn to go to the other dogs when they open, if they are hard driving dogs they will do what it takes to be there. In turn the fast dogs learn to cold or stay in there when the colder nose dog is hammering a track out. The two work well together with time. You can not have any dog that barks off track or is trashy, they will soon not honor if they bark off track. In time the dogs learn to move a track fast. It is hard for me to get all the traits that I want in a cat dog, so I do it with combining dogs. The perfect dog with every thing is far and few between. So I get what I want out of several dogs. They all should be capable of treeing there on cat. As a group they are impressive. Dewey

[Mike Leonard]

Some great substance matter here.

Question: How many of you trail lion or bobcat on bare ground. ( that meaning no snow, no grass, no nothing just rock bare earth or sand, and clay?)

Thanks

[dwalton]

I hunt the snow when it is there. I train and would rather hunt bare ground. To make a good track moving dog I feel it has to be hunted on bare ground in adverse conditions, dry and, or hot conditions. In those conditions the dogs have go past the dead spots where there is no scent. That I feel teaches then to move a track faster and farther. You may not tree many bobcats in those conditions but when conditions get good the dogs can fly on a track. I hunt only bobcats now but I have hunted lion in most of the western states. Dewey

[cat and bear]

Mike after yesterday, I'm thinking that is the way to go I know you folks have tough, tough conditions, my point being, its no cake walk around here either. Yesterday I turned loose in the spirit of the first time out, and boy, makes a guy wish he stayed home. a skiff of snow, just to see a track, dogs were trailing, tried to get to them, as I couldnt hear them, the wind a blowing, 15 degrees, old road tore up, truck breaking ice , half the way in, trees fallen across road from the bad storm this fall. Between it all, the cat must be in the next state by now Dogs bogged down, walked in to try and help them, LOL. Flooded swamp, tag alters, skiff on snow on ice, i couldnt tell nothing, they cast out trying to find it, couldnt, a hour of that, I said uncle, both feet wet Time to retreat home and watch the fourth quarter of the packers The good part is, I had no competition, as everyone else had enough sense to stay home A man is drawing at straws hoping for an inch of snow to cover up some of this ice The off races I have had in the past, take dry ground anyday for bobs, maybe its the water that makes it easier here

[sethmcalex]

cat and bear - just curious, are your dogs finding the track first or are you seeing it in the snow and then putting the dog on it?

[cat and bear]

cat and bear - just curious, are your dogs finding the track first or are you seeing it in the snow and then putting the dog on it?

No we put them on a track. For several reasons, i hunt bear, i'm sure that would be their first choice, seem to end up with one bayed in a brush pile or something about every winter trying to stay away from them. Private lands etc. If we had more cats, I would get a straight cat line type dog, but we dont, so we try and mix good bear dogs, that will do a pretty good job on cats to. Kind of a double challenge. Its just the time of year here, we had a very wet fall, and the swamps, river, creeks, are flooded, ice a skiff of snow, it will be fine soon as we get a couple of inches. Went an hour south yesterday, with a buddy, nice cedar swamp, not flooded, treed one, got some young dogs, pointed in the right direction, so now i have my sanity back anyway. Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow