Midwest Bobcat Lines

[DerekCM]

I used to run bobbers some when I live in Northern Michigan. I had all coon dogs, mostly English from an Oney/Rooster cross. My future brother-in-law turned a couple of these into dedicated bobcat dogs, and did ok.

Now I live in Southern MI, but still get up north on a regular basis. I have a couple English dogs in the kennel, and have started to want to get back into chasing the bob's. I have one 2 1/2 year old Wilcox-line that has done well on drags this fall (she is already a real nice coon hound). I'm not sure she will have the quickness to get it done, but I'll give her a try.

I would like to get another pup or two in the next few months that would have some good, cold noses with some history of running bob's in them. I'm not color-blind, more interested in something I wouldn't have to drive across the country to get. I would mostly hunt them on coon (no bob hunting in So. MI....would have to rely on drags and some Grawe's for training), but would train/hunt on bob's probably a dozen or so times a year up north. I would keep them as truly dual-purpose hounds, as I wouldn't have to worry about coon hunting and trashing on a cat in Souther Michigan, and there aren't too many coons stirring during the day in the middle of winter in the north. If they happen to get a coon while trying to run a cat, I'll have to live with that.

I would like to hear some recommendations if you all have some of some tried lines here in the Midwest. Would really like English, but not opposed to anything else that will put them cats and coons in the trees.

Thanks for the help.

[JJL]

Its not much help but from past I know Howard Hale (mikado), John Styles (onaway), Joe Galvis, and Keith Sinski (not sure on the spelling of Keith's last name) had some preety top cat and bear dogs. I used to hunt with John and he always seemed to have some tough cat dogs.

They all were running diferent strains of Smokey River blues. Not sure what there running now but if I was looking for Michigan cat dogs thats where I would start looking.

[fat cat]

Dan Kirschener in Powers MI has english pups 7 weeks old parents heavily bobcat hunted. 906 250 0089

[DerekCM]

THanks fellas for the leads. I'm a few months away from buying, but this gives me a good jumping-off point.