BigGameHoundsmen.com

Bayed a good tom couple of weeks ago while on a cold lion trail.The dogs had him pinned up along a big rock face.Every time they went at him he went to his back and put up a good fight from this posistion.The last one I caught about a month before this one did the the same but it was a long chase and the hounds were about give out by the time he was cornered right next to a huge cedar that he would not go up.He chose to stand his ground also, a fight that my houns did not fare so well in.So were do most of the bobs you guys catch end up in the tree or on the ground givin the dogs hell?I will post some pics of these two cats on the ground when I can figure out how.Both were released as bobs are only allowed to be taken during trapping season. Most of the hunting I do is done on foot in the dirt and I have not figured out how to make the shits stay to just a lion track.My little walker flat loves those bobs and can't help herself when one is in the country. As long as we get a good trail going I am happy as they have been doing well in the dirt I just I can put up a good lion to take before it snows again.

Usually I catch them in a tree or on a big rock. Although I have caught them on the ground before.

If I lived where you live I would not run nothing but Bobs, you have the best colored, bring the most at fur sales. If I were you I would follow Willie Carrols foot steps. and rack up them Bobs

If you are wanting to harvest a lion, I wish you the best. But I am with Arkansas Frog in wondering why you dont just run bobcats. Sounds like you got the dog power. Those kind of dogs might just want something that is going to give them a good race and a challenge and will choose a bobcat over a lion. A growing number of hunters in other areas consider the lions a trash race and will break their bobcat dogs off them.

It also sounds to me like you got just the right dogs in the grit department if they are baying but not killing those bobcats on the ground. It is really hard to find that perfect balance.
With a lot of dogs you would not have had the option of releasing those cats.

Hope you know what you got there. Some guys have spent many years trying to come up with dogs that do exactly what yours do: bay bobcats, but not kill them. You are blessed.

Beleive it or not, there is a limited market of hunters that would like to add the bobcat to their trophies. Your dogs are perfectly suited for that type hunt. Dogs that kill bobcats do not work well for this. If you are catching them like that consistently, let some folks know about it. Check the prices for a guided bobcat hunt. You could sure buy some new soles for your boots and a little dog food with it.

I think you have dogs that the price starts at $5000. it don't matter what the breed is but I would like to know. thank you.

I have a Walker that will turn off a bear and go tree a bobcat by herself pretty regularly . I don't lose any sleep over it .

when they leave a lion or bear to tree a coon is when you got problems.

That "track switching" topic is a big one and worthy of discussion.

I know that government hunters hunting depredation, or even predator attack on humans, cant be having their dogs switching to hotter tracks, etc.

I also know man hunters do not switch to different humans every time they cross a "hotter track".

I also know that I have never had a dog that would not switch to a hot bobcat off a cold bobcat track.

Obviously, they can realize the scent difference between individual animals: dog, human, or otherwise . But evidently, there is a genetic trait that pushes individual dogs toward "non-track switching". Anybody know if natural man trailers such as bloodhounds have to be taught not to switch tracks?

I think it is a valuable trait, and worthy of selective breeding for it.

For someone strictly fur hunting, they might not want it. For some one trophy hunting as in Ike's example, it sure would be nice.

Are there certain lines of tree dogs/big game dogs where this trait has become identified and is present in all the dogs, or in a large number of them?

Have any of you taken a natural track switcher and trained them never to switch to a hotter track of the same species, (or any other species they have been allowed to hunt)?

I hear everything your saying David , my problem is I hunt cats as much as bear . I also hunt coons . I would be dissapointed if a dog turned from a bear track to a coon , but thats never happened . My dogs seem to know what they are hunting any way , and I can't get upset when I see my walker smiling and singing under a bob !

That "track switching" topic is a big one and worthy of discussion.

it sure is -

rabbit hunting ,the dogs job is to follow the rabbit track- hopefuly it will run in a circle back to where im posted to shoot it- my better dogs stay on the original rabbit -- so much so that ive seen them working
a very old track in thicket full of rabbits--if i call them , they wont make it to me . they will roar out on first hot track -so thats what i do -when original track has stalled out lol

i always say that better dogs are less likely to switch - maybe its just stubborner dogs lol

if they switched alot --how could they ever make any sense at all - would just run here and there- most the time i cant tell one rabbit from another by looking at him or his track -i only have circumstantial evidence that my better dogs switch less- lol thats why this is a big argument amongst rabbit hunters lol
i only mention it cause its pretty good example of a dog taking a lot of pressure not to switch lol


i think a hounds sense of smell is a thousand times better than mine and his ability to reason is only bout twice as good as mine -




id never say never about any dog lol

probally ,all my dogs have switched tracks at one time or another- put them on a small bear track and tree a big one- or the other way around- it amazes me sometimes how far they can cold trail . and not switch ,they must have crossed other tracks- i think it depends a little on dogs temperment

ol stubborn is least likely to switch - and ol crazy wild thing ,more likely to switch -


i need both types of dogs

old stubborn to get a track started - and crazy wild thing to put the heat on them once jumped - l

- ive seen stupid bear dogs trash on bobcats before and i thought it was great - lol

thats the problem ,i dont treat it as trash - - if you realy dont want dogs switching to bobcat , the surest thing would be to break them off bobcat -

i catch as many bobcats on ground as i tree-which isnt many -

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I definately don't want my hounds switching from the track I start them on. A case in point, is along about march, the female lion start coming into heat pretty good in this one area I hunt. Many times I will cut the track of a nice tom traveling with a female. Personally I'd rather tree the tom or maybe even both, but that won't happen if I start them on the tom and they switch off. I think some family lines are better at sticking with what they start than others. I also think that it is a trait well worth selecting for. Also, outfitters who make a living treeing toms in heavily populated bobcat areas have to break their dogs off bobcat completely because the urge to switch to a hot bob from a cold lion is too great. Most people, except the client, would say "thats a good problem to have".

I chase bear mostly but I put up a good deal of cat fur to get me through the winter . Lions don't make me money . Bobcats do , and I probably would rather catch bobs if I had to choose . Do you guys run all three , or is it more of one cat or another . I guess the goal is really to run dogs you know won't switch .

David
The man trailers are taught not to swich scents. They are trained to trail the scent imprinted on them. Also they are trained it's time to work when the trailing harness is put on.
The handler keeps the dog on a lead at all times when trailing, thats why their testiomony is admissable in a court of law.

I've worked with a couple handlers and their dogs on search & rescue, it's well worth watching for a houndsman.
They are not used for man trailing untill they prove to the handler they won't switch tracks.
I got to know the guys when I made trailing harness's for them, and was invited to watch a couple training runs.