Like a Kid before Christmas

Ike · Post by **Ike** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 1:24 am

Well, the deer hunters should all be out of the woods and ol' Ike is like a kid before Christmas. Rather than setting out cookies and milk, he'll be setting out his gear and lunch bucket, then getting into bed to dream about visions of tom lions in the tree.

On a serious note, I hope yall have a really great fall and get under lots of trees as the year ends.........

Sweet Dreams to all,
ike

Mike Leonard · Post by **Mike Leonard** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 10:49 pm

That's a great feeling Ike, and I know almost get butterflies.

I use to be a lion hunter and now thru the rocks and wrills that hunters go thru with bad lions and bad country, I am more of a hound trainer again. But I still have a couple of good spirited hounds that know what a lion is and are always willing to give it a go, and some young blood that is more than ready to do something. LOL! Sort of like a manager , Direct the talent. LOL! Oh it is fun, but not without frustration , just like life.

I will not be hunting lion this year. I may tree an occasional blind or dis oriented cougar but we will be directing our efforts towards the smaller cousin the bobcat. We still have a few around and they can be most difficult at times, but then again so can most folks. I love lions, and lion hunting, but in an effort to climb back out of the hole that hound mortality has dug for me I must challenge and test the possible new brigade to the max, and the frustrating wildcat can certainly do that. But should that smooth round and wonderous track of the puma come our way. ( praise the LORD)! Run it we will, but it is going to be a lot more boot tracks than the usual horsetracks this season, and we will see how it shakes out. May be I will get my you know what handed to me(again). but whatever-- we will have fun.

Happy hunting to all!

Ike · Post by **Ike** » Fri Oct 31, 2008 11:18 pm

I certainly hope that a few lions cross your path in the coming months Mike, not that bobcats are fun but nothing quit like the big cats as you know.....

I've had all eight of my hounds out roading five or six days a week over the past few weeks, since the elk and deer hunters have been in the woods. My two eleven year old hounds are starting to get a little spring in their step, and I hope to run them maybe next week, but those two stayed home today.

I did put those two older red dogs on the rig platform this morning and my two, two year old hounds hoping to teach them something. And just like clockwork, those two redbones went off shortly after daylight while driving up a canyon. I guess the rig was on the wind or I just didn't stop in the right place cause the dogs wouldn't go out, so I drove on up the canyon and those knot-heads opened for another mile or two before they would shut up.

I figured I had missed the track and drove back down my back-trail to try and get those dogs down a track and it worked. With the morning thermals at our backs they rigged true or I didn't drive over the track this time ha.......I sent Ike and Choco out first with those two year old just behind them and they came back across the road with a lion track, then sent my two four year old hounds along for the exercise.

But like in the dreams, I only saw visions of tom lions in the tree cause I drove around and pulled them off the track around 4:00 PM this afternoon--my wife had told me to not miss Halloween. Those six hounds did get about six or seven hours of trail time though, and like always, I was just happy to get them back and home before dark....

Keep'em treed,
ike

Ike · Post by **Ike** » Sun Nov 02, 2008 11:07 pm

Here's one that'll make your mouth water Mike..............

and another..........both evidence of a day late and a dollar short!

ike

Mike Leonard · Post by **Mike Leonard** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 1:05 am

No doubt man!
Yep as long as you go , all of a sudden you see it, and oh my Gawd your hearts in your throat. That old mud is cracked a bit along the sides and you know it is too old this time, but then again when you lay down that night you just know that big son of a gun is out there stalking down that rimrock. Maybe looking down off Eul Point, or Diamond Mountain or at the head of 9 Mile, or maybe on the Saliz but he is there and he is going to torment your sleep. But then the day will come when the red gods smile at you and old Striker or Jiggs send back the news that there is still hope so follow me! Maybe we are all crazy? I know I am, HOUND DAWG CRAZY! And I am glad I got a bunch of other addicts who understand what it is like to hear them tearing down a track in FULL CRY!!

BigGameHunter · Post by **BigGameHunter** » Mon Nov 03, 2008 9:44 pm

Amen to what IKE said. Can't wait to get out there and hike my butt off in sub freezing temps through knee deep snow, brave the howling wind, scale the snow covered ledges, and sustain the bumps and bruises that are sure to come all for a couple pictures of the elusive GATO. Yup... I can't wait.

I took a buddy of mine last year on a lion hunt and didn't cut any tracks crossing the road. After a 3 hour hike with nothing to show we were back at the truck. When I dropped him off at the house I asked if he wanted to try our luck tomorrow. He just looked at me like I was out of my mind, shook his head and left. Maybe we are...

Ike · Post by **Ike** » Tue Nov 04, 2008 12:04 am

I suppose most of us have been there and done that BGH, as I have lots of people want to jump in and go see or kill a lion. But very few of them have a clue what we hounddoggers go through, learning and developing the skills, training dogs, buying equipment, replacing equipment, replacing boots, and the hours spent on the hill retrieving dogs off a burned off track, or waiting overnight in the truck to hear a beep from a lost dog that has come back over the mountain. Jumping in is the easy part as you know, it's all that other stuff that is hard..............

Best of luck on the coming season,
ike

little bit · Post by **little bit** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 3:40 am

hey ike, i'm new around here but you hit the nail on the head, i can't stand it, the bobber started to day, i had to work, that ok you have to pay for it some how. i took the dogs for a run fri, sat. fri run a bobber for a spell, no tree. saterday ran the dogs, they ran off and got a lion going. i made it to the leges sunday midday, little female. it has been good just getting dogs leeged up, can't wate for snow.

Ike · Post by **Ike** » Wed Nov 12, 2008 11:35 am

That sounds fun Little bit, and there's alot more ahead of us huh? Lion and bobcat are open and there is also the opportunity to run a bear if a guy gets lucky.

I went out last weekend and treed a bear, then back out yesterday (holiday) but just didn't have much luck. The dogs did bump a few time and had a nice rig once, sent them and they acted like they had a bobcat jumped so I pulled them--but no bear or lion.

Yes, and one of the best parts is the price of gas has fallen to where it doesn't hurt to fill up nearly as bad as it did huh? I haven't heard many people complain lately...........

Good luck in the coming season.

ike