rigging bobcats

[bobcat187]

How often do you strike bobcats from the rig.

[coastrangecathunting]

about everyone i run. my best strike dog will strike pissin post and cat shit. lets you know where the cats live and cross the roads. i think a good strike dog is one of the most important things in cat hunting . u can cover alot more ground.

jc

[Tim Pittman]

x2

[mondomuttruner]

Must be nice to have enough cats to rig! I can drive 100 miles in the snow to find one track that was made at 10:00 pm. I'm a little jealous, wish we had more around.

[david]

Mondo, It would be tough, if not impossible to make a streight bobcat rig dog in the upper midwest. But I have seen a good rig dog rig a cat that had not even come within 400 yards of the road.

I know from walking those areas in MN and WI that some of those areas hold cats even when they are not crossing the road.

I am with you though. It is hard to make a strieght bobcat dog, period. Even one that does not rig at all. It is beyond hard in the upper midwest.

[fallriverwalker1]

i probably start most of the cats i run of my quad but i dont only run cats ' you need to know where they live and hunt , then spend your time in those areas only jim

[Warner5]

I agree with J.C. and Tim. But these guy's have good dogs, know their dogs and put their time in, they know which dogs they can rely on and the one's to keep an eye on, some are clipped up on the box and some are not, this is not by accident. These guy's have become very efficient at boxing and starting cats off the box. To someone new to hunting they make it look almost to easy at times. It could just be me but I consider boxing a very advanced style of starting cats when done properly. consistently striking good game, quickly and efficiently checking and/or starting strike's is easier said than done. For many years I roaded my dogs out in front of the truck to start a track. The experience I gained watching my dogs work the road threw cat sign, coyote marking, deer and elk crossings was nessary. It was experience that I needed to become a better more well rounded hunter. Without it I may not appreciate or understand a good strike dog. I guess my point is once a hunter has put his trust in a strike dog, hopefully he also has the experience to recognise and see a small problem before it becomes a big one. Just my limited experience with strike dogs. thankyou. John .

[riverrun1986]

I have two dogs that srike lion and bobcats from the rig but its illegal to hunt cats and bears in Washington ever though in the snow i can find 8 bobcat tracks and 3 to 5 lion tracks in one night while coon hunting the cat population is unreal here and nothing can be done due to the city folk voting against us

[South Texan]

about everyone i run. my best strike dog will strike pissin post and cat shit. lets you know where the cats live and cross the roads. i think a good strike dog is one of the most important things in cat hunting . u can cover alot more ground.

jc

Boys, I need to ask a few questions about rigging. This is something new to me, even though I've cat hunted about 30 years here in south Texas. Nobody, that I know of, down here riggs or ever has. I do know of a few dogs in the past that would start cats out of the box, but nobody put their dogs up on rig, everybody always just road hunted.

Do ya'll think a good rig dog (cats only) can start anything that a good straight pack of cat dogs will start on the ground? What are some of the advantage of rigging over roading, besides wear and tear on your dogs from roading and being able to cover more country from rigging? About covering more country, how fast do you drive normally rigging a cat?

I would bet on an average (4 hour hunt) my dogs will smell 3 to 4 different cats, they might not be able to open on all of them, but smell it good enough for me to know by their body language that they are smelling a cat. Now... are ya'll rigging in country where you have to drive lots of miles before you smell a cat, or.... are there other advantages?

I've always tried to be open for suggestions, that's the only way we'll learn. If there is a better way to start cats, I want to know. All your replys are appreciated. Thanks. Robbie

[Shorty]

Oh boy can I see the wheels a turning. Ya'll have South Texan all stirred up about this rigging deal. Let me tell you that Robbie is an outstanding "Dog Man" and "Cat Hunter". He's mad some great dogs down here in S. Texas and everyone wants one of his dogs. Don't take the wrong tone to his question, as he really is interested in the art and advantages of rigging. He's a true friend of mine and a hunting partner so the more you can teach him the more I'll gain as well. C'Mon with the advice!! Lol

[South Texan]

Thanks Shorty, I hope the tone to my questions didn't come across wrong, if it did I'm really sorry. I'm really serious about the advantages of rigging. I've just never been around it and don't know anything about it, just wanting to learn. Robbie

[Huntintony]

I rig my dogs about 90% of the time. The only reason I road them is to clean them out or if they need exercise. I can tell you that I use to road all the time, which resulted in plenty of races, but not a good catch ratio.... Then I got a good dog that could rig bobs.. And that allowed me to see the track and to help my dogs get it started.
I typicaly hunt private land (high desert) with plenty of roads, no hunters, and quite a few cats. I drive about 10-15 mph through known cat country. As for dogs starting tracks off the box, once they strike, I dump those dogs first, I let them start it and get it running the right way, then I let the rest of the mutts loose.
I usually drive on an average hunt, 60+- miles a day. I just started hunting at night, due to the heat over here, and the catch ratio has gone up a little.

Tony

[tomtom]

Rigging must be a northern thing. I remember roading dogs quite often. I don't remember a dog ever being turned loose from opening in the box, but I remember a few of them getting whipped for it. Damn dog was trying to rig and he would get his ass whipped!!

[LarryBeggs]

I mostly box but I also road.I think some nights the scent doesnt rise off the ground very well and a guy is better off roading.I also box about 10-15 miles an hour.The guy I know that catches the most cats around here drives a good 20mph and rarely roads.I dont care how good of a strike dog you have some cats get missed when boxing.But you can cover so much more ground most of the time your better off boxing.I know a lot of guys would disagree but I think most dogs will strike a cat off the box if they have been raised hunting that way.Some dogs are just better at it than others.I have been doing this since I was a little kid back in the late 60s and early 70s and we only had one dog that I would call a cat dog that wouldnt strike off the box.I know the weather conditions are a lot different up here and that does make a difference.But I have talked to guys up here that have gone down to drier areas and had sucess striking cats.I am sure it could be done with the dogs you have.If they are cat dogs and you drive buy a few hot cat tracks with them on the box after a while they are going to start opening on them.I should add that the one cat dog that we had that wouldnt strike was not raised being hunted that way .So when I say the dogs you have will do it you may have better luck with some of your younger dogs. Your older dogs may have already been trained not to bark from the vehicle.Good Luck Larry

[david]

South Texan, some dogs are extremely natural at rigging. If you let them, they will. Other dogs kind of have to learn. I think if a guy is just trying to get his dogs into it, it sure helps to have a hood rug. They can be very elaborately sewn to fit your hood with a snap or two in the middle. Or it can simply be a hunk of indoor/ outdoor that you slam the hood down on. You are so familiar with your dogs body language that you will be able to read them if they are right there in front of you on the hood. It is best if he is snapped on. If you read cat, and he does not open, leave him tied there and let a couple dogs go and let them get wound up on the cat. HE WILL OPEN! Then you can let him go. Do not ever let him down until he opens.

You can let him ride up there on the hood while you road other dogs. He knows their body language as well as you do. He will see them get wound up and get excited. Hopefully, you can get him to where he can smell it too, but if not, let him down when he opens and the other dogs are saying we are in the presence of cat scent. He will put it all together.

If you are working with pups, it sure helps to teach them to speak when they want a treat. This is easy to do. It transfers so easily for them to be on the hood or box to speak when they smell cat track candy and want a treat! The treat is to let them down. Again, do not let them down until they "speak". Tease them with other dogs until they open.

This is my pet peeve: do not trash break your dogs on the rig. If they open, let them down on the ground, and then trash break them. If you trash break on the rig your dogs will learn to quit hunting in the presence of deer. They wont dare open cause 'ol crazy does not seem to know the fact that deer and cats use the same trails. If they see deer or smell them hot, they will quit rigging. There are hundreds of houndsmen who do not understand this concept. If you use dogs from me, do not tell me they are rigging deer until you put them down on the ground. If you see some deer and they open on the rig, you put them down on the ground and then call me so I can hear them put that deer in a tree. If they don't tree that deer, well, hmm, I will get out my list of other excuses ha ha. No, If a dog is not broke, break him on the ground. If dogs quit hunting on the rig around deer you WILL miss big and little cats.