No Scent and Back Trailing
Posted: Fri Jun 15, 2018 9:52 am
This is a two topic story and I am anxious to hear from you all. found a calf kill not long ago, we went back to it in the evening with the hounds but the lion had not been back. Rather than ride all the way in we just laid out for the night in the next canyon. early the next morning we rode over to the kill, not far from the kill we jumped a bear. When we got to the kill the calf was pulled out from where she had covered it and neatly eaten through the rib cage as usual. It did not look as if the bear had been there yet. There was a mound adjacent to the calf. Frustration #1. My hounds did not know there was a lion anywhere near there. We waited a bit an let them mill around and still nothing. Here is where I made a fatal mistake. I should have made some circles around the kill. Instead we rode off up the canyon to get on top of the mtn and ride the rim. An hour later were on top and my hounds strike, they first start out in a direction away from the kill but only go about 30yds. they come back to the original spot start over but then start moving the track in the opposite direction. Mind you this is a big boulder mtn. they are moving the track typical about as fast as you can walk. We stayed on top to see how it was gonna play out. About two hours into it I can see and hear the hounds when they come out from behind a prominent butte well below us. At that point I get that gut wrenching feeling we all know "shit were backwards". Not only were we backwards but they hit a lose about 175 yds from the kill up out of the canyon. they cant go anywhere. Its game over for us, its 90 degrees and I have no intentions of killing a hound, my friend agrees! I was told by a lion hunter that if he cant find a track soon he will turn his dogs around because he believes its easier for them to trail backwards. I have never done that. I look and look and spend more time off my mule when they are trailing than on but unless I find sign that tells me I do not turn then around. What do you all do? Any thoughts? Whats the thought on the no scent at the Kill yet scent up the ridge? I don't "think" I believe in the whole shutting off scent theory but damn it sure fits this story, haha. Kind of long winded but I thought this would be a fun topic for the hot Arizona summer blues! Lets hear it!
Scent can burn off fast in hot dry weather... so maybe the area they could smell it was cooler later into the day? I know going up the exposed south facing slopes dogs can loose the scent but I will keep going in that direction and once we cross over to the other side pick it up again on the north facing slope. I know my area well though and have a good idea where a lion will go, as do my dogs.