how many dogs do u need to effectively run bobcats?

[mike7776]

Never ran bobcats before playing with the idea of trying to train my two walker dogs to run cats. I live in VA so the country's not as big as out west. There coon hounds now. So just wondering if two dogs are adaquite to run cats if they took a liken to it. Thanks Mike

[Dads dogboy]

Mike 7776,

PM Vacathunter here on BGH!

He lives in SE VA and is very successful with his Hounds!

If you are in the Upper part of VA along the W. VA and Ohio Country you may be successful with "Treebred Hounds".

If you are in the Traditional Fox Hunting Country you will experience lots of Heartache trying to be successful with "Pot licker"
type Hounds`.

The Country that you hunt will dictate the Type and Breeds of Hounds that you will have success with. I try to emphasize this over and over to beginners...I am not being negative....just trying to help a Hunter not face any more adversity than what a Bobcat will normally give!

Always when starting any endeavor, try to find some one who is having consistent success and try to do what they do!

JMHT

CJC

[fox hunter]

one dog is adequet if you have the rite one . one good dog can make 10 shit eaters look like dandies. most people including my self genrally hunt more than one to hear a better race and you should always have young dogs so when old faithful crokes you have replacements so you dont have to start from square one again

[Dads dogboy]

Fox Hunter,

I found on Mike7776's other Post, that he is in Southwest VA.

He will probably have a hard time "Consistantly" Treeing or Catching a Bobcat with a Pack of Treebred Hounds.

With ONE unless it is a Silent Trailer on a very Hot Track, the first tail wiggle or Bark will be as close as he will ever get to the Cat.

His Country will be very different from where you hunt. While he will have some Snow it will not last long or be as deep as you all have.

Different Country demands different tactics and Hounds....We preach this all the time. Again find a person who is Hunting the same Game as you want to Hunt; in the same Country and try to immate them.

Where Mike is talking about there are several good Cat hunters....these fellows will be running 12 to 15 Running type Hounds. (6 good ones can catch a Cat....Music Sounds better with more). Again your purpose in Hunting dictates how many, and the type of Hound....for Music - More Hounds; for Fur - one or two...and maybe Silent Trailers.

Sure wish we could all afford to travel to the different areas and experience the different things required to be successful in the extremely diverse places that the Bobcat calls home. Dad and I were talking this weekend about this, how nice it would be to go northeast and hunt with Mr. Pete Richarson or Spruce Mountain. Go due north and make a Hunt with Mr. Budd Denny, outwest to see the Topper Again Hounds and ole Twist, on to Washington to watch BuddyW and his Redbones in action. Then there is the transplanted Arky in Oregon (Mr. Dewey Walton) who carries on his Families outstanding Hound traditions, or down California way to Hunt with Charlie Afton, Tony Steeleman, or any of the Sonny Turner desciples.

Any of these Houndsmen will "Geterdone" in Style and with darn nice Hounds, however it will look and sound different than what we do here in the Southeast!

Just what we think!

invatation is still out for anyone with that Magic "One" Hound to come spend a week with us either here in AR or down in Florida!

[fox hunter]

i know what you are saying about different country and dog styles most all of my dogs are 3/4 or more running dog i have used them as far east as mo. I know country a person lives in generaly dictates the type of dog you hunt but regardless of breed or country a good dog will get it done alone with proper time to acclimate to knew country. im not just popping off ive even hunted with 2 different dogs out of you dads down in ca. one of the best houndmen down there is Gerry King along with a few you mentioned i was in know way trying to intimidate any body just stateing my oppinion that in any mans country the rite dog will get it done one on one

[Dads dogboy]

Foxhunter,

I did not think that you were popping off.

If you have hunted with Mr. Jerry then you aught to be the Real Deal and know "Come Here" from "Sic-em"!

The last pup Mr. Jerry had, he sent home to us as he just did not like a Fox, is now starting to get used to our bad Briars and is making a usable Hound.

A couple of years ago we had this "One Dog" discussion here on BGH...I don't know if you were in on that or not. I offered to pay for the Gas coming and Going and feed/house the Hunter and his Hound for a week if they could bring ONE hound that could either Tree or Catch Bobcats consistantly here. As we can "Run" Bobcats year round in most places in the South, the Hunter who takes us up on this can choose the time of the year that suits them the best.

We have had 4 Hounds in the last three years(Dad's Penny, Rita & Rip along with Glen's Lou) have probably "POPPED Up" Cats who were struck hot beside the road and went right up a Tree. These would be considered "Accidents" and not counted as "Caught Cats".

PM me your name and PH# and we will call and talk Hounds and Mr. Jerry.

C. John Clay

[dwalton]

One dog if it is the right one but you will look a long time to find that one. I think the traits that you need to strike, trail and tree a cat come from different dogs. I like to run 6 to 10 on bare ground, less in snow 3 or 4. As it has been said find some cat hunters in your area and see what they are doing. Good luck. The Arky in Oregon Dewey

[Hipshooter]

One dog can,t hardly GET'ER DONE

[Dan McDonough]

I've got two dogs that can tree most cats by themselves. I know thats a pretty big brag. I didn't make the line of dogs that I hunt. The only thing I've done is not mess it up. That's a big enough job on its own.

One dog can do it, just like Dewey said. Be that as it may, two is better (or rather easier to find) if you've got one that can get them started and one that can tree anything (running silent). If both of those walkers can jump a cat then all you really need is a couple of top squirrel-bred dogs. One for each walker, then you'll have two complete cat-packs and you'll pass up most of the people in the country pretty dang fast.

[Kevin Jackson]

One good one works well here but so do 2 or 3 good ones. I enjoy running one dog but we only cut so many tracks a winter so usually run both dogs and now I have a pup so I'll be running three next season.

[alphaknl]

To run bobcat you only need one dog.

To effectively run bobcats with the expectation to catch, well that depends (see advice above).

You'll never know if you don't try. Maybe you have that extra special cat dog that can get it done alone. Buy and breed with the single super-dog goal in mind. But remember, the point is to CATCH game. It is up to the hunter to figure out what it takes.

[mike7776]

asked around found someone in the county that has ran bobcats before and done somewhat good like everything its all relative. Everyone around here runs bears or coons. This gentleman is a bear hunter but has a bear dog that loves cats treed seven by its self while running bears I guess its what u call a catminded dog. He made mention of its hard to keep a cat up a tree that they tend to jump out so he started shoring them with a rifle from about 75-100 yrds. So I guess from reading all the post that if you have one good dog that's all you need but getting that one dogs like wining the lottery. But like the lottery can't win if u don't play. thanks mike

[MThound]

I have found that bobcats don't leave alot of scent, especially a day or older track. The more dogs working the track, the more they tend to stomp it out. I try to only run one or two dogs on a bobcat. Any more than that can mess things up in a hurry. I have caught a lot of bobcats with one dog. They can be a tough critter to catch at times depending on the conditions and terrain. Not every one will tree either.

It's not always about the catch, but watching and listening to the dogs work. A good dog that consistantly catches game requires a lot of work and good genetics. Once you make it to the tree, it makes you feel proud knowing what your dogs abilities are.

Good luck and happy hunting!

[dwalton]

A lot of dogs can stomp out a cat track in the snow if it is a cold track, if the dogs are barking off track and have learned not to honor each other. You can run to many dogs and I feel that is why most people have trouble catching cats [bobcats]. If the dogs are trained on bare ground, are bred right to move a track, do not bark off track and add something to catching the cat and do not take away then very few cats get away and 8 or 10 dogs get it done with ease. If you have not seen a pack of cat dogs hunt in this manner it is hard to believe what can be done. I am talking strait cat dogs that will run nothing but cats. Different area's have different conditions to hunt in and most people in an area have the way it can be done. Until some one comes into that area and disproves some of the old beliefs for that area. This should open up a lively discussion. One does not know what they don't know? When you understand this statement, it can open up a lot of doors. Being human we all are guilty this. Dewey

[Warner5]

Dewey, could you elaborate a little more please. when starting a track do all your dogs work the track up? or do you feed dogs in as the track heats up? do you still have a lead dog or dogs that can tree their own cat alone, or does the packs effictiveness suffer if 1 or 2 dogs are missing from the race. could a guy train a pack of dogs up like the one you have without the aid of shocking collars or gps systems? If so can you still hunt alone and control that many dogs? About 13 years ago I had enough good cat dogs(dogs that could tree cats in the summer months) to run a pack some what like the one you described. I had mixed results. when everything worked out right and a cat got jumped he rarely got away. but with so many dogs on the track, & in the box,(questions like) why is that dog barking! why isnt this other dog barking? why wont this dog honor the other dog?, why are they all blowing up? they cant be jumped yet. problems with aggression under the tree. packing so many leads, leashes & whips to 1 bobcat tree & @ times screeming & yelling so much the younger dogs are all humped up. back and forth & up & down. I quickly realized I was in over my head & going backwards. So I got rid of some dogs and went back to what I could manage 3 to 4 dogs. 2 finished 1 up and comer & a pup. And for me then & now this is the magic # but I think in the next few years I may build back up & try more dogs again, Not that I think it is much if any superior to the way I do it now, but to satisfy my curiosity. Thankyou. Go easy on me. I'm still a young fella, I do respect your methods & opinion & look forward to your responce. please point out where I may have went wrong when I tried this system many years ago. I will try not to take offence. thankyou again. John.