keeping cat s up at night

[up4trein1]

im new to hunting cats. and was trying to see if anyone had any suggestions to keep them in a tree at night. that seems to be the only time i really get to hunt with my job.

[outlaw13]

with a dog

[coastrangecathunting]

this is a topic that has come up alot over the years, in my opion the cat was not in the tree to begin with. cats dont leave much scent and on a hard loose the dog thinks the track has ended so it starts treeing. i run 6 dogs right now and during a 2 hour cat race there might be 2 or 3 times a couple dogs might start to tree on a bad loose. another dog will eventually pick it up and when it barks the rest shoot to it. i have only seen 2 or 3 cats jump out in my life and they were pop ups in little trees. jmo but i think your dog is slick treeing then picking it up again.

jc

[Warner5]

Are the dogs tree'd when you get to it? Or do they seem to move off right before you get to the tree? J.W.

[johnnyrick1981]

coastrange, I agree with ya. Never had one bail either, had lots stop on the ground for a while then take off

[up4trein1]

Generally there are 4 or 5 trees. and they tree hard till you get 100 yards or so from the tree. they usually dont take long to put it backup. theres been several nights where they have caught them on the ground at night and have had the cuts to show for it between trees

[WyoHunter]

Not sure how to keep them up at night, but I did have two cats bail on me this year. One was in a cedar about 12 feet high, we came over the hill to where the dogs were treed and the cat to one look at us and bailed. Found the dogs 100 yards away in what I think was a coyote den fighting the cat. Had another that was wounded tree in a big ponderosa, he ran out on one of the big limbs and jumped into a big cedar and then to another cedar and down. Had to help the dogs on that one. If a cat doesn't want to stay treed he most likely won't. I don't have many jump out though. Yes I have had the dogs slick tree once and awhile.

[possum]

I lived in Washington State years ago and cat hunted. I live in Tennessee. Cats bail more here. Hard for people out West to understand but they do. Why? Got some ideas. Big difference between tall western cedar and spreading hardwood. When mine miss a cat, and tree. They stay there. They are a lot more proud of the slick than I am. Came back to Tennessee years ago on vacation when I lived in Washington and brought my real good cat dog with me. The cat bailed on him. Never once bailed on him in Washington.
tp

[pegleg]

I "tree" cats in mesquite bushes that aren't more then ten feet high and the cat would do better to bail and find a better location and they will most often stick until a hound manages to pull them loose. I have seen some bail out but it's not the same as when they get high enough to actually feel safe. now the thing I've noticed in the rocks is where a lion might lay up and catch his breath while the hounds try to figure a way up" this is a bay/tree even though the cat isn't forced into a full stop" the bobcats keep right on going and don't waste time. Unless they've been pushed long and hard and don't see you. in that circumstance they may hang out a bit. most don't.

[CATHUNTER1]

Have seen a few jump.i would say mainly cause people lighting up the tree to soon possibly,and educated cats.Depends how much pressure was put on them and how winded the cat could be.

[up4trein1]

another questions is how many dogs do yal tha hunt cats alot use. ive been mostly using two plus a young pup i take along just tryin to get her ready for bear season this fall. biggest reason on only using two is js tryin to get my dogs used to runnin something that ive never showed them before. i was thinkin maybe i could do better gettin one started with one or two dogs then packing it up that works the best for me with bears.

[Dads dogboy]

Up4trein1,

Sir you would do well to PM Vacathunter here on BGH....go make a hunt with him or some one he recomends, and his Hounds. There are several very good Packs in N. VA & NC.

When they put one up he stays up....or go to NC and hunt with Poon...when His Hounds put one up you have to work damn hard to get the Cat out of the Tree.

From what you are describing is what Coastalrangecathunter is being nice trying to say....the Hounds have run out of either track, Brains, or Experience. They are now falling back on their Genetics and prior experience and looking up!

This BS about lighting them up and scaring them out is just that BS...when you put a Cat up with CAT HOUNDS, and it does not matter whether they are Treebred or Running Hound...he will be there no matter how bright the light! (there are some good Packs in South Texas that are TW/BLT; there are some good Cat hunters in West TX who are using straight BLTs and when they put one up...no matter high tall or short the tree, or how bright the light the Cat is there 95+% of the time.....the other times S__T Happens!

Go make a Hunt with a Cat Hunter who is consistantly producing game.....most, if asked properly will allow you to come along however DO NOT ask to bring a Hound as you will probably be turned down. This does not have anything to do with some ones Hounds being better than some one else...it is because of the nature of the Pack depending on each other to solve the mysteries and tricks that the Ole Shorttail will pull!


As to how many Hounds should make up a Bobcat Pack....this depends on your Country Hunted , Your purpose, and how many your budget can absorbe! CRCH likes 6, We like 10 to 12 in NC they like 15 or so....in the deep snow country we are told that more than two are just in the way!

Good Luck!

CJC

[twist]

In the area that I hunt in Montana I can say in the past 25+ years I have only (seen) two bobcats bail out of a tree and that was because of making alot of human ruckes at the tree.

[spruce mountain]

I don't know about you're dogs but mine sound like they are treed when they are bayed up. I wonder if alot of times people assume they are treed when they are actually bayed? Then they are more likely to brake when you get close. JMO

[Warner5]

Spruce Mountain kinda took the words out of my mouth. Not knowing your dogs its hard for me to say, but if it were my young pack of dogs with a simular problem I wouldn't be sleeping very well @ nite. Cats do jump, but as an exception not the rule(maybe 1 out of 20 or 30 might jump?) I have a hard time getting 1 to jump on purpose to re-run it. Sometimes a pack of 2 or maybe 3 young dogs -no more than that will move a big tom around a smaller area than normal. They see him and bay a little then move some more maybe further this time and bay again, eventually they put him up, or they think they did. They will tree and when you get in there the cat is gone and your young dogs are barking, where the cat was. Generally a brush pile with a tree growing up through it, but the cat is long gone. I usually only see this happen in very brushy reprod stands (the cover makes the cat feel more safe and maybe even a little arrogant- also the tree's are not tall enough to make him feel all that safe if he does choose to go up). Anyway if it were my dogs I would sneek to the tree and move into place, be patient and see whats going on (trust me you will eventually see this critter, hunting @ nite will make it more difficult though). You said your new to cat hunting, think outside of the box there are a lot of critters that will run like you described when pushed by a YOUNG pack of hounds. If it were me I would make sure I'm running a cat then go from there. Anyway just my 2 cents, its all in good fun. Good luck. J.W.