cat hunting methods

[nmplott]

what is your preferred way to hunt cats?

[Grzyadms4x4]

My method isn't on there. My preferred method of transportation is my boots! I sold my truck last fall and had to use my Nissan Altima to get me close to where I go then I walked the rest, I managed to get a couple up this winter. Even before I sold my truck I would walk most of the time. You get to see some pretty neat country that you can't or won't see in any quad or truck. Plus it's great exercise. Now that I have a truck again and it's gettin hot here I think I may walk a little less and enjoy some A/C though.

[cecil j.]

My method isn't on there. My preferred method of transportation is my boots! I sold my truck last fall and had to use my Nissan Altima to get me close to where I go then I walked the rest, I managed to get a couple up this winter. Even before I sold my truck I would walk most of the time. You get to see some pretty neat country that you can't or won't see in any quad or truck. Plus it's great exercise. Now that I have a truck again and it's gettin hot here I think I may walk a little less and enjoy some A/C though.

Good for you thats how my cat hunten went also and now that I don`t get too hunt anymore I`m glad theres thouse who still are keeping that style active and as fuiel get higher an higher/ alot more hunters may be force into it/ hell a bail of good alfalffa hay is I hear $ 25 now ?Fuiel for the truck is around 4 bucks a gal. and horses and trucks will be not in much use I hear horses are getting given away and guys are parken their 4x4`s and hunting out of tiny fuiel efecient transpertation and so/ walking could again come back too more hunters.

[thundersnow]

horses all the way with enough range you do not need to always buy hay

[cecil j.]

horses all the way with enough range you do not need to always buy hay

I think thats fine if ya can do it, but personally my satifacation makes me more happer when I know I parked my truck and got my 2 dogs out and casted them up a draw and followed after I hurd em opening some were up in a canyon on on a ridge and so I got too walken and found me a good sit down spot and listened and walked when I needed too cause back then we didn`t have gps nor tracken unitts wished we did but didn`t .I might of enjoyed a horse too back then cause sometimes it was all night till late afternoon befor I got back too the rigg with my 2 hounds on a leash walken behind me and they had done here job and I had done my job. I`d see other hunters at the fuiel pump or at the cafe and they would say how them blues doen this week Jackie/ I`d reply/treed a nice on last night and got too em around sun up they had him !
Beings I know they didn`t walk hunt nor have horse-nor-mule I knew all cats was safe from pressure by them and ya know they never asked too go said they liked hunting the riverbottems on coon. I`d say ya me too, but I look out accrost the ricefields and see those blue hue foothills of the pacific mtn range and just had too go ! They would say, yea but you grew up walking hunting al these riverbottems and farm land country/ we like driveing and hunting ! Then they would look down at their coffie cups and change the subject !

[Mike Leonard]

I horseback hunt most of the time, and that is my preferred method. I will however truck hunt at times when the snow is fresh and I have lots of ground to cover, especially for bobcats. when the snow is good and fresh tracks can be spotted it is the most productive way to go for bobs unless you have access to trails where you can run them with a snowmachine or a quad. Horses and mules are at the best advantage when you are bare ground hunting and you rely a lot on the dogs to find a track for you.Even though you may do a lot of your traveling and looking for a track on the saddle animal a great deal of the time if the track is pretty old you will find yourself down on foot trying as best to help the dogs.The foothunter may be the best of all hunters and here is why I say that.

First he has to have the handle on his dogs to be able to control them and keep them off trash and in range. ( This is much easier on a horse or mule). Why? You are just more mobile and the dogs seem to glue to you better when you are riding with them rather than walking. You can handle more dogs off a saddle animal. But the guy on foot with a couple of dependable , honest dogs can really be a terminal hunter if he knows the country, knows where the animals are ranging and is willing to gut it out and get up, down in and around and get them hounds to places you wouldn't be willing to do on a horse.Yes the old foot hunters like Ben Lilly, Charlie Tant, and even Steve Matthes (although Steve used a horse a good deal) were the premier sign cutters and many times they would catch game when others didn't.Most of the real tuff as a boot hunters I have been around have been willing to do a lot of walking. I rmemeber many years back I was hunting with Jeff Allen out of Kanab , Utah. He had a two horse van rack on his pickup, but my wife was hunting with us so he told her to ride one horse and me the other and he would just go on foot. Well I felt kind of bad for a little bit until I realized we were eating his dirt most of the time. Holy Smokes that guy was up hill, down ledges, have running half jogging, and grinning the whole time. A bag of peanuts or M&M's and a diet Coke and he was ready to go some more. He got his legs in shape by running up and down fire ladders in the off season and running the bleachers at the football fields. Get home from hunting and he would go to his basement and lift weights. I'm serious he was hard as a rock. I don't think he does all that anymore but back thenh he was a man obsessed with catching.We were way up in the North Rim country of the Virgin river one time and after a lion. Well he was riding a green colt, and this bay filly bucked him off going down hill and then proceeded to dance all over his back till I could get her stopped. Well he was some kind of beat up, but he just hollered take that son of bee with you I am going after them dogs and with that up theru the ledges he went on foot.Now that would have laid most guys up for a long time, and beleive me he was hurting the next morning but he just kept going after them dog. So the foot hunters get my vote for dedication and resolve.

[cecil j.]

I horseback hunt most of the time, and that is my preferred method. I will however truck hunt at times when the snow is fresh and I have lots of ground to cover, especially for bobcats. when the snow is good and fresh tracks can be spotted it is the most productive way to go for bobs unless you have access to trails where you can run them with a snowmachine or a quad. Horses and mules are at the best advantage when you are bare ground hunting and you rely a lot on the dogs to find a track for you.Even though you may do a lot of your traveling and looking for a track on the saddle animal a great deal of the time if the track is pretty old you will find yourself down on foot trying as best to help the dogs.The foothunter may be the best of all hunters and here is why I say that.

First he has to have the handle on his dogs to be able to control them and keep them off trash and in range. ( This is much easier on a horse or mule). Why? You are just more mobile and the dogs seem to glue to you better when you are riding with them rather than walking. You can handle more dogs off a saddle animal. But the guy on foot with a couple of dependable , honest dogs can really be a terminal hunter if he knows the country, knows where the animals are ranging and is willing to gut it out and get up, down in and around and get them hounds to places you wouldn't be willing to do on a horse.Yes the old foot hunters like Ben Lilly, Charlie Tant, and even Steve Matthes (although Steve used a horse a good deal) were the premier sign cutters and many times they would catch game when others didn't.Most of the real tuff as a boot hunters I have been around have been willing to do a lot of walking. I rmemeber many years back I was hunting with Jeff Allen out of Kanab , Utah. He had a two horse van rack on his pickup, but my wife was hunting with us so he told her to ride one horse and me the other and he would just go on foot. Well I felt kind of bad for a little bit until I realized we were eating his dirt most of the time. Holy Smokes that guy was up hill, down ledges, have running half jogging, and grinning the whole time. A bag of peanuts or M&M's and a diet Coke and he was ready to go some more. He got his legs in shape by running up and down fire ladders in the off season and running the bleachers at the football fields. Get home from hunting and he would go to his basement and lift weights. I'm serious he was hard as a rock. I don't think he does all that anymore but back thenh he was a man obsessed with catching.We were way up in the North Rim country of the Virgin river one time and after a lion. Well he was riding a green colt, and this bay filly bucked him off going down hill and then proceeded to dance all over his back till I could get her stopped. Well he was some kind of beat up, but he just hollered take that son of bee with you I am going after them dogs and with that up theru the ledges he went on foot.Now that would have laid most guys up for a long time, and beleive me he was hurting the next morning but he just kept going after them dog. So the foot hunters get my vote for dedication and resolve.

Yea your right both ways Mike and I had too laughf and shake my head on the M&M`s / I`d forgotten beef jerkey & M&M`s in my coat pockets hahaha and I could get around in the hills walken pretty good too/ ole Harland Maxxwell when I met him and hunted with him a time or so scolded me for hust stepping on out and leaveing him as I got answie wanting too be right up there near the dogs/ he said he couldn`t get around likethat any more I needed too go hunt with Cark Hornner who was still a mtn goat back then in 72 ! I was 26 I believ and about 162 lbs and boot healde mtn legs tuff and when not hunting was playing AA Handball front man post. So I was like a spider monkey hahahaha ! Boy them days are long gone...

[uncle Brisco]

couldn't get the dang hay burner too tree and the mule just growled so i use dogs,seems to work better

[bearcat]

I use all of the above methods except for horses or mules, I'm not a good enough rider to trust one on rough ground, and most of what I hunt is to thick to use a horse anyways. I grew up on the coast where there was seldom snow, so I hunted out of a truck, where I live now you aren't hunting much in the winter if you don't have a snowmachine to get off the highway. A few areas I hunt don't have roads so I walk hunt them. I don't use a ATV much for cats because there is usually to much snow, but I certianly use them a lot for bear hunting.

[Cowboyvon]

Horse back 95 % of the time.. been out on a atv and pickup a couple times mainly just running the roads looking for a track..

And I've always been a horseman... raised trained roped on, hunted on 1/4 horses.But earlier this year I bought a pair of mules

And I really like em

[nait hadya]

on foot, behind the hounds is my perferred method. ive discovered some great cat country by walking into areas where there is no access by vehicles nor horses. i run the roads and bush trails lookin fur tracks with truck ,atv or snowmobile.

[SECOND NATURE]

we can only hunt bob cats here and the season is not that long but i use truck and snowmobile and walking and i also use bait sites in remote areas that i check on snowmobile quite often we will find a track just checking the baits Larry

[D/S-hunter]

LOVE TO HUNT HORSEBACK I ALSO HUNT SNOW FROM THE TRUCK BUT ANYMORE SEEMS TO BE TO MANY SNOW HUNTERS DRIVING UP AND DOWN THE ROADS.SO I LEARNED TO HUNT HORSE BACK BESIDES IT MAKES BETTER DOGS

[Shorty]

It is only my worthless openion but I think we are going to see more people hunting on foot or horse as time goes on. With the price of fuel going up alot of people cannot afford to drive as much. The good thing of it is there will be better dogs and horses. In my openion the four wheeler has made for a decline of good ranch horses. The more miles you put on a dog or horse the better they work. It will be interesting to see what happens in the near future.

[nmplott]

I totallly agree on your opinion about atv's leading up to the decline of the ranch horse...this may not be true for all ranches but a lot of ranches including my own have used mechanized beasts more than equine for a few years, resulting in a huge hinderance in our breeding program which is now costing more money to make up for lost ground.