BigGameHoundsmen.com

Looking for some opinions....

would like to know what everyones opinions are on cat dogs that were started on coon or bear?

I live out west and bought a young dog, now ten months old from back east. My intentions were\are to make a cat dog out of him if he cooperates. He has been lightly started on coon. OPINIONS.....start him on bear or no?

Opinion: NO

You will miss out on a lot of fun if you keep a straight cat dog. But I have never hunted with a bear dog on bobcat where I did not wish I could buy the dog. That was so I could make sure I never had to hunt cat with it again.

That is just my opinion. There are many happy bear hunters who also enjoy running bobcat in the off season.

If you could hold off on the bear till next year, and make bobcat his first love, it might not be such a tragic waste of dog flesh.

Just my opinion.

After all, this IS the bobcat hunting section. Luckily there are no bear hunters in here to get offended.

True cat dogs don't run bear.

David is reflecting my opinion. Start him on cats first then let him trash on bears.

Mic O'Brien

I am not a real cat hunter, I LOVE a good cat race though. The Breeder was concerned about starting him on Coon. He felt like this line of dogs was pretty straight on whatever they were started on.

My thoughts have been I can always get him on bear. I dont think the country I live in holds enough cats to catch a very high number. I probably dont hunt hard enough to accomplish that either but I wuld like to give this dog the best chance I can at catching cat.

A good dog is a good dog on any game. That said I have only seen a couple of top bobcat dogs that could be good at both. Meaning top bobcat dogs that catch most of the bobs that you put them on. What is so important about starting them on bobcat is the difference how the dogs work the cat or bear. Ones that are started on bear very seldom settle down to work bobcats. If you start them on bobcats for a year them they seem to be able to switch back and forth easier. One of the first top bobcat dog that I had over 40 years ago was a top bear dog but when I switched in the fall to bob's it took 4 or 5 bobcat trees for her to come back around to bobcats. Most of the very top bobcats that I have hunted with quit bear on their own. In my opinion it takes a different type of dog to be a top bear or a top bobcat dog. Each to their own. Dewey

Everyone has giving you some good advice. At ten months a little young to start on any rank bear, if you don/t have a good cat population most likely will be hard to get started on cat without an old cat dog. I would not worry about starting him on coon, owned & hunted with dogs owned by others that were started on coon & some did well when switched to bobcat. It is my opinion better to get young dog on game than to wait a month between finding a cat track. Just my experience. Al

Nice to hear everyones opinion! It is interesting to me the difference in hunters and attitudes per region.
would love to hear some more takes on it. would be real interested in any of you bluetickers take. Dog is heavy rambo and hawk blood.