Mt. Lion and bobcat season started today and I went out to cut tracks. About 8 am I found a nice bobcat track and was about to turn the dogs loose when I had a hunch I should drive out the road a little further and not 40 yrds up the road I saw the biggest wolf track of my life...so frustrating, I hate these wolves.
Would you guys risk turning loose on a fresh bobcat track in wolf country? Seems like if I don't turn loose where there are wolves, I won't turn loose...they're everywhere.
When do you turn loose?
Re: When do you turn loose?
Any sign of wolf is not worth turning out for me. I would rather pass up a chase and know my dogs will be alive to run another day. I did something similiar to what you did a couple of years ago. Found a large fresh bobcat track and no wolf sign around. Got one dog out and turned him loose, and still had the other dog in my other hand when the wolves started howling a few hundred yards out. I tried catching my other dog but he was too far out. I was lucky and drove up the road about a quarter of a mile when I cut the bobcat track again walking along the creek. I no longer caught my dog and the pack of wolves had us surrounded. This all happened in less than 10 minutes. Things could have turned out very badly if I hadn't found that track still in the bottom. So my answer is No- don't take a chance with your dogs if there is fresh wolf sign in the area.
Re: When do you turn loose?
Yeah, that's kind of where I'm at and that story is my worst nightmare coming true. Glad you and your dogs got out of it safe. It's just tough to find spots these days where you can be sure there aren't any of these vermin around. If I had GPS and a quick means to keep up with the dogs...I might be more apt to turn out, but alas, I'm just a fat guy trying to keep up with a race on foot. Thanks for the input.
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Black Mountain
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Re: When do you turn loose?
Luckily we don't have to worry about them sob's...........yet. I would just start shootin, piss on them and walk away!!
Re: When do you turn loose?
a wolf track is different then a wolf......keep tabs on the wolves and you can play relitively safe you can track them just the same as a cat........as well hunt your dog close and you make things safer too.
I have always hunted with wolves here in BC.
wolves have a circuit and if you learn it they are pretty dependable to it and even what appear to be fresh tracks maybe are not so much because these turkeys can really cover ground so see where they have left to and then run with confidence......
I have always hunted with wolves here in BC.
wolves have a circuit and if you learn it they are pretty dependable to it and even what appear to be fresh tracks maybe are not so much because these turkeys can really cover ground so see where they have left to and then run with confidence......
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David_Heimann
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Re: When do you turn loose?
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Last edited by David_Heimann on Wed Oct 16, 2013 4:34 pm, edited 2 times in total.
Re: When do you turn loose?
when a hound is running in wolf territory i would think that it crosses more wolf tracks then a hunter wants to know not to mention that a hounds barking must be heard from a hell of along way to a set of wolf ears.i say this with no wolf exsperience ,but my question is this .do you guys think it is more what the wolves decide to do once they know of your hounds presence that decides the outcome or do you hunt such a big area that there really is no wolves when you turn out with no altercation somewhere else ?or is turning out just a roll of the dice?either way it is a hell of a thing to have to deal with,and i am glad we dont have that problem yet.
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not color blind
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Re: When do you turn loose?
kordog wrote:when a hound is running in wolf territory i would think that it crosses more wolf tracks then a hunter wants to know not to mention that a hounds barking must be heard from a hell of along way to a set of wolf ears.i say this with no wolf exsperience ,but my question is this .do you guys think it is more what the wolves decide to do once they know of your hounds presence that decides the outcome or do you hunt such a big area that there really is no wolves when you turn out with no altercation somewhere else ?or is turning out just a roll of the dice?either way it is a hell of a thing to have to deal with,and i am glad we dont have that problem yet.
Your right, its just a roll of the dice EVER time you turn them loose. You never know for sure where they're at or how they're going to react to a hounds bark. You just have to try to become immune to the fact that one/any day it can and WILL happen...
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nait hadya
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Re: When do you turn loose?
i regularly drop the tailgate in wolf country and it is certainly a risk. i usually try and figure out where they are headed and hunt the opposite direction. thought being that they will not be where they already been. pack stragglers are the unknown factor,they could be a day or two behind the main pack. i have also seen where the pack will split and travel different valleys and meet up later. i have been close enough to hear them howl at us.newby wrote:Mt. Lion and bobcat season started today and I went out to cut tracks. About 8 am I found a nice bobcat track and was about to turn the dogs loose when I had a hunch I should drive out the road a little further and not 40 yrds up the road I saw the biggest wolf track of my life...so frustrating, I hate these wolves.
Would you guys risk turning loose on a fresh bobcat track in wolf country? Seems like if I don't turn loose where there are wolves, I won't turn loose...they're everywhere.
bobcat race is probably in a much smaller area than a lion chase. so i would be less concerned than releasing on a two day old lion track that could go 10 or 20 miles.
Re: When do you turn loose?
That makes sense...seems like they're everywhere and if I wait til I find an area with no wolves, I'll never run anything. I've been doing exactly what you're talking about...seeing which direction they're headed and just using my head, trying to stay as close as I can to the dogs, and keeping a rifle handy. Did some wolf calling today to no avail, but trying to do my part to thin down the problem.nait hadya wrote:i regularly drop the tailgate in wolf country and it is certainly a risk. i usually try and figure out where they are headed and hunt the opposite direction. thought being that they will not be where they already been. pack stragglers are the unknown factor,they could be a day or two behind the main pack. i have also seen where the pack will split and travel different valleys and meet up later. i have been close enough to hear them howl at us.newby wrote:Mt. Lion and bobcat season started today and I went out to cut tracks. About 8 am I found a nice bobcat track and was about to turn the dogs loose when I had a hunch I should drive out the road a little further and not 40 yrds up the road I saw the biggest wolf track of my life...so frustrating, I hate these wolves.
Would you guys risk turning loose on a fresh bobcat track in wolf country? Seems like if I don't turn loose where there are wolves, I won't turn loose...they're everywhere.
bobcat race is probably in a much smaller area than a lion chase. so i would be less concerned than releasing on a two day old lion track that could go 10 or 20 miles.
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nait hadya
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Re: When do you turn loose?
I have never seen evidence of them going away from hounds. I have seen evidence of them going towards hounds on the trail,RUNNING.not color blind wrote:kordog wrote:....or how they're going to react to a hounds bark.