Swich Hitting our Hounds

[dhostetler]

This summer I started 3 pups which is usually a recipe for disaster. I had a few trash races with them but it always resulted from some screw up. They never trashed off of a actual runnable bear track. I was extremely impressed on how they ran a bear. They are matched in speed and can wheel a bear track like I have never seen a pack do. Of the 31 black bear I caught only one was a bayup. I never before had such a low % that didn't climb in previous years. Of course there were some runners that I couldn't catch. Cat season starts on Monday. With slower tougher tracks I figure I am headed for trash city but I hope I am wrong. Yes Merlo treeing bear is the best tree training for pups, they are slower to climb and often vocal.

[mike martell]

Could someone define varmint for me?

Apparently it is a big black mammal with a bob tail, many are referenced as "garbage trucks" because of it's insatiable appetite...Does the bob tail count as a varmint? Better yet, wait until it becomes a problem and gets re-classed as a "predator", you can make the claim stick more freely as Varmint! Both climb trees, does that count

[mike martell]

This summer I started 3 pups which is usually a recipe for disaster. I had a few trash races with them but it always resulted from some screw up. They never trashed off of a actual runnable bear track. Cat season starts on Monday. With slower tougher tracks I figure I am headed for trash city but I hope I am wrong.

I bet you have minimal problems with those three young dogs. With that many clean races a young hound learns to honor the other dogs leading the way and will most likely tend to stick on the cats....Keep us posted on how this plays out!

Take Care and good hunting guys....
Season is closing in fast upon all of us.

[easttntrapper]

Dhostetler- With pups do you find that bears teach them to tree by sight? I have always tried to get mine treeing coons solo before putting them on bears.

[Varminator]

Mark, varmints eat critters !!! I hunt varmints that can climb a tree. Cat, Fox, Bear and Cougar TMO

I think that a "good" cat dog could catch anything "IF" it wanted to!!!!! JMO

[twist]

Mark, I think I treed a varmit once but it was to var up in the tree to see what it looked like. Andy

[dhostetler]

Easttntrapper, I never started pups from stratch I always had solid dogs to run them with. In my years of hunting I have always been trying to get better dogs and track power is always what I focused on instead of tree power. Before I started catching bears consistaly it took my pups till 2 to 3 years old to tree good running mainly cats. If it took me a long time to get to a tree I would loose my pups off the tree. With bear hunting pups learn a lot quicker that when the track ends it is either on the ground or up a tree. As I mainly run them with solid dogs it can always be hard to tell what they are really treeing on but at least I don't have the leaving tree problem. I have friends that do a lot of training with coon and they are able to do a lot of good with them. My closest coon hunting is 5 to 6 hours away, so I am stuck with big game or bobcats.

[easttntrapper]

Thanks. I was just curious how that worked out for you. My many problem with switching from bears to bobcats is getting them settled down to work a bobcat track.

[Rusty Hill]

guys, this is a great thread.

i live in southern indiana and we are starting to get a lot of bobcats. the dnr says we will be having a season on them in the next year or so.

i am hoping to start hunting them with dogs, so you guys that do it all the time please keep the info coming about how to get your dogs started.

i am going to try and run them with Kemmer curs. glad this site is here.

[mike martell]

Thanks. I was just curious how that worked out for you. My many problem with switching from bears to bobcats is getting them settled down to work a bobcat track.

Most hounds transition well if given some time. I have been off to a great start with our Cat season, hunting on both snow and rigging.

guys, this is a great thread.

i live in southern indiana and we are starting to get a lot of bobcats. the dnr says we will be having a season on them in the next year or so.

i am hoping to start hunting them with dogs, so you guys that do it all the time please keep the info coming about how to get your dogs started.

i am going to try and run them with Kemmer curs. glad this site is here.

Rusty.....I suspect them Kemmer curs are smart dogs and will take like a duck to water. No substitute for exposure to bobcats. Back many years ago I rigged bear by day and coon by night and either snow hunted or roaded the dogs to start cats, now I rig everything from the deck of a moving vehicle.

Hope you get your bobcat season in Indiana!

Mike

[Rusty Hill]

Thanks Mike! i hope they get the season started soon. we are seeing them crossing roads and on game cameras all the time now.
these kemmers are smart so hopefully they will pick it up. i will try the rigging out of my polaris ranger when the time comes.

you guys keep the wisdom coming. thanks

[dhostetler]

I hunted 4 days last week in ideal conditions, treed 5 cats of various species. Pups did excellent had no trash races. I could not be happier with how my pups did. Turned out on a bobcat one day at 2 PM, 2 pups pulled off on a big foot bobcat treed it in extreme country I did not get to the tree till 8 AM the next morning and they still had it treed. The 2 pups are age 1 year,2 months & 1 - year.

[Rowdy]

I was switch hitting plotts this week. Since I live in an area that does not have bear my plotts are hunted on coon. I drive to wv to hunt bear. I am not going to claim that I have plotts that can do it all and I am thankful to have friends with true bear dogs. My female is capable of rigging and trailing and has the grit to force one up. So, she can make me feel like bear hunter a few times a year.

[easttntrapper]

Been bear hunting. I got a couple pups that have been on plenty of bears this year that have decided deer is fair game. Going out for a training session tonight. Can't wait for some snow. Buddy of mine is getting lots of bobcat picks.

[Rowdy]

A little switch hitting going on. Living in Indiana-I don't have a choice. Coons keep the dogs sharp for trips to bear country.