Riggin Lion

[Marshall]

I'm not sure if you guys read my last post or not but I'm pretty sure I said that around 20 degrees in temp or less was just foolish to rig the dogs but in the fall when it's NOT that cold then all I do is rig the dogs. I'm not sure when your season starts or even if you have a pursuit season but I'm assuming that you do and it's at these times when a guy can have success at it. I'm not here to argue because at the end of the day I could care less what you do. Odds are though that if you box your dogs during the fall and the dogs start taking to it then during the winter they will be more likely to strike out of the box when they get a whiff of cat. Like I said earlier I don't care what you do, it's your call, I just wouldn't be so quick to discredit the people that say they can. Good luck Guys I'm done with this thread. Take care

Marshall

[Nolte]

You would be foolish to not have all the latest lures or baits in the tackle box with gas being like it is....

Mike, It's funny but that is precisely why I don't rig. I can usually cut a runnable track quicker other ways with the mutts I got. If you knew me a bit better you'd know that I'm always trying goofy stuff to see if it works better. Most times it doesn't but a guy just never knows. I will say that I've got a bunch of those tackle boxes collecting dust on the shelf when the newest latest/greatest doesn't produce as advertised.

We have all sorts of stuff in the midwest to chase so we aren't limited to just cats. Plus in WI our cat hunting is regulated to daylight hours only and you really only get started until after Thanksgiving when it's starting to get pretty cold. Our cat season times are just not rig friendly unless you want to forego hunting bear in the summer. I don't know many guys who do that.

[Warner5]

Wow you guy's have about beat this 1 to death. I am no expert on rigg dogs, I have owned 4 very good rig dogs, out of those 4 only 2 were trained by me. But when I say rigg dog I mean a dog that does it right, a loose dog on or in the box is not a rigg dog. But it may have potential to be one or not.

For those of you kicking around the idea of starting a rig dog, keep it simple at 1st. Set your dog box up so frest air or scent can get to the dogs nose. A dog see's scent with it's nose much like our eye's see color. And they are scenting(looking) 24/7 .

Just because a hunter is between his hunting area and his house or traveling inbetween hunting area's dosent mean your dogs are not hunting, because they are. This is the time I would start looking for my rig dog, keep the talk low and the stereo off, have a keen ear for the dogs in the box. Pay attention, is that dog just barking? Or is their a reason. If a dog can strike a track, any track at 30 to 50 mph. It will be able to do it at 10mph. Find a dog that naturally strikes w/o encouragement and then encourage it. The results may suprise you. Now your training a rigg dog with the time you used to spent just driving from point A to point B. With a little luck your troubles have just began and the tricky part starts, but thats a whole other subject.

In western oregon scenting conditions are almost alway's very good, striking a big cat is the easy part. Moving it in the right direction is where it gets tricky. I wrote this for the hunters that are trying to grasp the idea's of rigging to simply shed some light and help them out. I know I havent written anything many of you already know. Thank you. John.

[houndnem]

well where I'm at you really wouldn't need to rig with snow on the ground and sub zero temps. for me it's more about bare ground hunting when it's hard to see tracks. not a bullet proof method, but the more chances I give it, the more cats I'm running that I would normally missed with my head out the window. the other thing is, you've got to have a dog that can do it. what I mean is, I can put my whole pack ontop of the truck and drive around. only 2 of them will rig on the cold dirt tracks. the other ones might rig a hot one or even a bear, but most of the time they don't have a clue why the other two are barking. My hope is that more of them catch on. not every bear riggin dog is just going to jump up there and start cold riggin lions.

[dhostetler]

Montana's bobcat/ lion season & pursuit runs from Dec. 1 to April 15. So the only time that weather is warm enough put dogs up is Mar. & Apr. Most areas of Idaho have have an even shorter pursuit season so that is probably why you don't see many Mt & ID guys trying to rig cats. Another thing to keep in mind is that Oregon west of the Cascades have a bobcat population that compares more with our rabbit population than our bobcat population.

[slowandeasy]

Quote by dhostetler: Oregon west of the Cascades have a bobcat population that compares more with our rabbit population than our bobcat population.

Was wondering when this would be addressed?

Take care, Willie

[mark]

Some parts of western oregon have good cat poulations some dont. Just like any other state. Sometmes one must travel to find a sufficient amount of game to make a dog. Any kind of dog whether it be a rig dog, a snow dog, a roading dog, or a any other way you choose to hunt dog. I dont believe you can make much of any kind of cat dog on 10-15 cats a year. By the time they're on enough game to have the experience to go with all their other super powers they are over the hill physicaly or dead. Where there is will there is a way!

[mike martell]

Living in Oregon and hunting in Montana.I can give you a good comparison as far as bobcats from one state to the next from spending many years hunting. Montana is my second home since all my family is from Eastern Montana and having friends and family scattered across the state helps for a guy having connections and a place to stay. Sure is a crying shame a non resident can't hunt bobcats with hounds in Montana.....This thread was about Rigging Lions.

I drive through Idaho and can't comment ....The West slope of the Cascades in Oregon and the area I frequently hunt in Judith Basin, Meagher County from Monarch to Geyser, Utica to White Sulphur Springs is about the same for bobcats. I also hunt the block from Drummond to Pburg to Anaconda, stayed with friends at lost creek state park and hunt south to Wisdom and find bobcats in those locations as well. When my buddy passed, I quit hunting there...

Montana is like Oregon. The best hunting for cats is the areas that snows out fast and the only way to reach is by snowmobile and dog sleds. The rest is picked over and hunted to death. Since I can't hunt bobcats, I can only tell you what I find for tracks, your lion population is hammered beyond reason in many of your management units. Those guides around Anaconda run the roads all night looking for lion tracks and if one sticks its nose out it will be dogged.I see those small females being shot too is a crying shame for your future hunting.

Kalispell to the Eureka area I have hunted but I didn't spend as much time hunting year after year and can't comment on the bobcat population....For all you Montana guys, what is your findings and your opinion of our bobcat population while you are hunting here in Oregon and all the places you have brought your hounds to make your statement valid? How does Oregon's bobcat population compare to where you live in Montana based on your hunting experiences in Oregon?

[mike martell]

Here is another interesting thing about Montana that I just found out about in a phone conversationwith a Buddy who called from Wyoming today and made mention of a guy who lives in Montana and says you can't trail lions during certain times of the year because of conditions? (not because of season closures )I follow this man and his caliber of hounds and before I say something, I best check it out....Something seems wrong, The man is a highly regarded and accomplished as a houndsman.....

Here is my position on that, some point in time I would like to take a dog to Montana and put it down on a private ranch in the same area mentioned during the time mentioned and then form my own opinion about his region of Montana and trailing lions.

One more great Montana hunter that started the BlueTick revolution fame made the comment a lynx will not tree when pursued by hounds.....I would like to go to the same location mentioned in the book and learn/see for myself if a hound can or can't catch a lynx there....I do know they can be treed with hounds.Interesting to see all the perspectives on rigging and hunting in general......One good thing about our ban in Oregon, I loaded up and hit the trail looking and learning about life and how things are done from State to State and Provinces...

I live long enough, I will be some place new checking it out for myself....If you don't get humbled hunting hounds, you aren't being honest with yourself or hunting like you should....You can never perfect this sport no matter who you are, just like a top heavy weight fighter getting in the ring, you are only on top until you are defeated. I think this is what drives most hound hunters is the challenge....Good luck to all no matter how you hunt!

Merry Christmas to all!

[dhostetler]

OK I probably should not have commented on the Oregon bobcat population as I don't have first hand experience. Last summer I met and visited with Art Ragsdale & Joe Lagler from Oregon. A friend of mine went hunting with the above 2 twice hunting for a week. The one time they caught only 2 as it was raing everyday. Another time they caught 20 in a weeks time. I don't know of anybody in Montana that catches 20 bobcats in a year. In visting with Joe Lagler several days ago he said last winter he drove around all day on rare fresh snow on the coastal range and found 21 bobcat tracks. If I have very good luck I might find 4 bobcat tracks in 2 day old snow in NW Montana. Art wants me to come out to Oregon for a week hunting in Feb. and I am going to try to make it out there. Do any of you Oregon guys know those two?

Lynx can be treed in Montana. I have personnal experience and know of several people that have treed them. Mike, there was a bluetick under this tree though not a Cameron.

[dhostetler]

I should clarify that I don't know of anybody that purposely runs lynx in Montana they are protected under the endangered species act. Sometimes under certain snow conditions its hard to tell there tracks apart from a small lion. They are very hard to tree and usually run like hell into very deep snow and will completely wear your dogs out plus they are tree jumpers. If you want to hunt for 3 or 4 days you want to make sure that you don't accidently get into a lynx race.

[mark]

Ya i know that sumb--chn Lagler. You dont want to believe a word that guy tells ya,he will lie to ya just so he dont have to tell the truth. Ha ha
I have known little Joey since he was 10-12 years old, he is the "real deal" cat hunter. I remember when he got into dogs,he didnt have a tree dog so he would run into the place the race ended and find the cat for them. Hes probly the best locate dog i ever heard of. We live 30 minutes from each other and cant seem to get hooked up for a hunt together. They dont come any better than Joe!!!!!!! Heard of Art but dont recall ever meeting him. When you get over here have joe give me a call, would like to meet ya and put a face to the name.

[Unreal_tk]

I just met Art the other day, one of my goto guys for information got a dog from him long ago which was said to be a hell of a dog.