Bobs in the Great Lakes area
-
MIcurhunter
- Silent Mouth
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Mon May 26, 2008 2:59 pm
- Facebook ID: 0
- Location: SW Michigan
Bobs in the Great Lakes area
What are some of your favorite places to get a good cat race going?Cedar swamps, deer yards, or what? How about in the fall or early spring?
Curt Channells
MIcurhunter,
To find the cats:
Think cat food.
Early in the season, they will feed some on the deer the hunters could not find after mortally wounding them,
BUT for the most part, think Snowshoe Hare. The best time for you to learn your areas will be in the snow. Fortunately, that U.P. sure gets a lot of that stuff.
To fing the rabbits:
Think rabbit food.
I have not hunted MI, but I think you will discover that the white winter bunnies are eating on those delicious red twigs in the Delicious Red Twig Bush patches that border swamps, and sometimes are actually in standing water. The bunnies, the cats, and you will all appreciate the ice for making it easier to get to that stuff.
The cats hunt here. But if rabbit food, and the cat food that follows the rabbit food is in the area: you might find the cats crossing nearly anywhere in the area. These Northern cats do not like feeling exposed for the most part. In very rare cases you will see cat tracks across a feild, for example, but it will almost always be a big fat tom who figures there aint any big fat toms for him to be afraid of.
The littler boys and the girls will usually travel where there is cover: cedar swamps, and the low brushy areas along swamps, where the swamp grass quits and the brush begins. You will find them traveling down the middle of the frozen streams too, as long as there is quick cover available near by.
In our area, they almost never travel hardwood high ground that is fairly open under the tree canopy, but there is definately a cat out there waiting to prove me wrong on that one. I speed through those areas when looking for tracks though.
They are not in the cedar swamps as much as you might think they would be, but they like to circle in these sometimes to give the dogs a hard time. It is too dark in there to grow good rabbit food.
Think low brushy areas that would be hard for a man to walk through, and swearing material for a man with a leashed dog or two, but easy for a cat to slink through, with all kinds of potential rabbit trails if one were to get on his hands and knees and take a cat's eye veiw.
After you chase a few cats home, you will know some other places to check. You already have the kitchen figured out, now you will know where the bedroom is. In our area the #1 place of refuge is the slag piles loggers leave behind. If a cat makes it here, it is home plate, he is safe, leave him alone. Be a good looser. But hey, if you happen to find tracks leaving these areas: game's on!!
To find the cats:
Think cat food.
Early in the season, they will feed some on the deer the hunters could not find after mortally wounding them,
BUT for the most part, think Snowshoe Hare. The best time for you to learn your areas will be in the snow. Fortunately, that U.P. sure gets a lot of that stuff.
To fing the rabbits:
Think rabbit food.
I have not hunted MI, but I think you will discover that the white winter bunnies are eating on those delicious red twigs in the Delicious Red Twig Bush patches that border swamps, and sometimes are actually in standing water. The bunnies, the cats, and you will all appreciate the ice for making it easier to get to that stuff.
The cats hunt here. But if rabbit food, and the cat food that follows the rabbit food is in the area: you might find the cats crossing nearly anywhere in the area. These Northern cats do not like feeling exposed for the most part. In very rare cases you will see cat tracks across a feild, for example, but it will almost always be a big fat tom who figures there aint any big fat toms for him to be afraid of.
The littler boys and the girls will usually travel where there is cover: cedar swamps, and the low brushy areas along swamps, where the swamp grass quits and the brush begins. You will find them traveling down the middle of the frozen streams too, as long as there is quick cover available near by.
In our area, they almost never travel hardwood high ground that is fairly open under the tree canopy, but there is definately a cat out there waiting to prove me wrong on that one. I speed through those areas when looking for tracks though.
They are not in the cedar swamps as much as you might think they would be, but they like to circle in these sometimes to give the dogs a hard time. It is too dark in there to grow good rabbit food.
Think low brushy areas that would be hard for a man to walk through, and swearing material for a man with a leashed dog or two, but easy for a cat to slink through, with all kinds of potential rabbit trails if one were to get on his hands and knees and take a cat's eye veiw.
After you chase a few cats home, you will know some other places to check. You already have the kitchen figured out, now you will know where the bedroom is. In our area the #1 place of refuge is the slag piles loggers leave behind. If a cat makes it here, it is home plate, he is safe, leave him alone. Be a good looser. But hey, if you happen to find tracks leaving these areas: game's on!!
-
MIcurhunter
- Silent Mouth
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Mon May 26, 2008 2:59 pm
- Facebook ID: 0
- Location: SW Michigan
-
jeff
- Tight Mouth
- Posts: 126
- Joined: Thu Dec 27, 2007 4:58 pm
- Facebook ID: 0
- Location: Michigan In The Heart Of The Huron National Forest
MIcurhunter,
I am pretty much a newby when it comes to the hound chase, but I feel
I am somewhat knowledgeable about the cats and the bears habits, and where abouts in my area, along the "Great Ausable"river drainage that cross'es northern lower pennsula of Michigan.
Everything David covered, to the "T", pretty much somes up the area's I hunt, even to the point of the red twig like bushes that the hares luv so much, dont know what they are called but they dont turn red in my area until the cold sets in.
The only thing I can add is when you asked about favorite place's, Im having a hard time with that one, and I have gave it some thought, all I can say is these bobtails seem to take me in the nastiest,thick places in my area, that they can find, but I have only ran my own hounds on them for one winter, really, two winters ago I was just walking out tracks and such, trying to get them going on them, all 4 are under 2yrs. what a pain in the but way to start out in the hound chase, to many (young hounds).
So I will subitute favorite for LEAST favorite place to run them in, with my lttle experience that I have encounterd, THOSE CEDAR SWAMPS THAT LOOK LIKE A TORNADO WENT THRU OR SOMTHING, the cats are way to smart for my little shiteater's in those area's "period".
I have never treed one yet, a few bay up's in the thickets and cedars, and several crossing the road way in front of me, as these guys on this forum have taught me, the easy part is jumping them, which I can, but then you need a cat dog to figure out the rest, still searching for that.
Sorry so long winded, I have a bad habit of getting off subject (the real questions at hand.)
talk at ya later.
Jeff
I am pretty much a newby when it comes to the hound chase, but I feel
I am somewhat knowledgeable about the cats and the bears habits, and where abouts in my area, along the "Great Ausable"river drainage that cross'es northern lower pennsula of Michigan.
Everything David covered, to the "T", pretty much somes up the area's I hunt, even to the point of the red twig like bushes that the hares luv so much, dont know what they are called but they dont turn red in my area until the cold sets in.
The only thing I can add is when you asked about favorite place's, Im having a hard time with that one, and I have gave it some thought, all I can say is these bobtails seem to take me in the nastiest,thick places in my area, that they can find, but I have only ran my own hounds on them for one winter, really, two winters ago I was just walking out tracks and such, trying to get them going on them, all 4 are under 2yrs. what a pain in the but way to start out in the hound chase, to many (young hounds).
So I will subitute favorite for LEAST favorite place to run them in, with my lttle experience that I have encounterd, THOSE CEDAR SWAMPS THAT LOOK LIKE A TORNADO WENT THRU OR SOMTHING, the cats are way to smart for my little shiteater's in those area's "period".
I have never treed one yet, a few bay up's in the thickets and cedars, and several crossing the road way in front of me, as these guys on this forum have taught me, the easy part is jumping them, which I can, but then you need a cat dog to figure out the rest, still searching for that.
Sorry so long winded, I have a bad habit of getting off subject (the real questions at hand.)
talk at ya later.
Jeff
-
MIcurhunter
- Silent Mouth
- Posts: 32
- Joined: Mon May 26, 2008 2:59 pm
- Facebook ID: 0
- Location: SW Michigan
I have only seen one cat down here and that was at night crossing the roadway in the Allegan State Game Area. I plan on checking for tracks this fall. My little shit eater won't be but 6 monthes when the snow flies. I have a chance to purchase a leopard that is older and experienced. Will have to see if the finances will be there. I would have to go west to pick him up. I hope to get up that way this winter. Will have to see how things go. Too many coon here to pass up this year. Won't have time to skin and flesh, but shoot enough and I might make some new dog money for this spring.
Curt Channells