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I tried to run a bobcat today and thought that it was going to easy but from what happened I was far from that. My buby called me and said he a cat at his house so I loaded the dogs and went over there. When I got there we seen his track in a very small skiff of snow so turned the dogs loose and we were only about 100 yards behind him we watched the cat going up the hill with the dogs still down in the flat with us. So he is my question the snow had good crust and the cat wasn't breaking through so the dogs had a hard time with scent. Is that the reason that they couldn't find him. They would follow the track than jump off and then pick it up again. they are all learning but they follow a draged scent good and have fallowed a cat in good snow before. So if you guys could tell me what you all think of this.

Jim

You have probably noticed this if you have observed cat tracks and lion tracks in different condtions. The have rather thick pads and seem to hold body heat in them. So they will melt a bit when conditions are such that the snow has some liquid close to it surface. Skiff snow you said, and crusted so similar to ice. The cat trots across it, ot walks across it, and you have a bit of warming effect from the foot but very little contact if any from other parts of the animals. Dry conditons with crusted snow don't allow for much of the body or scurf scent to linger or become entrapped in it. So eccentially you have a clean footed kitty going across there and very little for the hounds to go on. Bare ground would have been much better and snow with some moisture and depth better yet. Don't feel bad I have watched them walk away from some pretty decent cat dogs doing all they could to find them. Just not much there to work with.

yep in the skiff all you see is the pad prints but they werent easy to see. So I dont fill as bad about that becasue someone else has had that happen. Im sure you have ran your share of cats. Im still looking for my first cat. The one they followed went into a big happy rock pile.


Jim

i watched this one from horse back,like Mikey says when they are walking, i hardly have good snow and was drygrounding bob in the river breaks,and i was on horse on top and i could see 2 hounds coldtrailing than about 100yds ahead i sean movement ,that dang cat was creaping softly,when the dogs got close he blasted up ahead a few 100 yard and started walking again,well the hounds got to the jump spot and tore out screaming until they got to the spot were it started walking again and than back to cold trailing,they did this back and forth for a mile before they got him up on top and out of cover than he had to run,so in my totaly uneducated world i would say it all depends on how much presure they put on the scent gland in thier feat,and if a fella doesnt got good snow or no snow or green dogs it can make a fella take to drinking,trying to figure it out,and for the record it is no sin to help yer dogs on bob if you see the thing get them there,yer a team remember,lol,heck if no one is looking you can even open if you want,lmho