Cat Hunting 101
Posted: Fri Feb 20, 2009 4:30 pm
Now I feel like you guys could use a "happy hunting story" even if it doesn't end with a cat in a tree....
We have had hounds for a while now and still consider ourselves newbies. But, we have fun working the hounds and learning along the way. I guess I should give you the pack line up before I dive into the last weeks hunting story.
Xena- 8-9 year old Plott female, lead dog and we got her semi started. She really likes to air scent.
Molly- 5 year old walker\plott\bluetick(camron) cross, she is hell on the track but not much for the tree.
Annie- 3 year old redbone\blackmouth cur - has had a few glimmers of turning on but still in the last stages of puppyhood.
Now my husband works 40hrs building house and we run a horse shoeing operation. Our girls coon in the summer and chase cats in the winter. We are in northwest Wyoming and he only chases cats on the western slope of the Big Horns due to the wolves close to us. (that is a topic for another time)
The first day of the hunt my husband and his hunting buddy travel in by snow machine to an area that they have been working all season, mostly finding really old tracks. The areas terrain is all rock face, grease wood and boulders plus the only way to go is up!! This am the cut a day old track of a Tom. Pretty good size. They let the girls out of the box to check out the area and Molly sceams lets rock and roll. The girls hit it at a good pace and my husband and buddy are working at keeping up!! All of the sudden from the top of the caynon my husband hears Molly scream like he had never heard before... deep and long!! Xena backs her up with a good old plott chop and my hunband is running!! He is with in 300 yards and sees the cat bale out of the tree. Chase is on again. Molly screams treed and Xena is right there as well. Annie joins in to!! This time the cat baled down on hell of a cilff and my huband is there soon enough to get eveyone wrangled and make the decision call it off for the day.
The next day my husband rests the dogs.
Day three- They get there before day break and cut the Tom's track and he is traveling with a female. They get the dogs out and Molly gets lined out and they are off. Now this chase lasted 7 hours. This Tom lead them up rock faces, in and out of caves and zig zagging through the timberline. Molly and Annie took turns on the lead of the track with Xena there almost like she was saying "you got it and it is your turn to lead" Many times those guys had to wedge themselves between rocks and have the dogs jump up on their legs and boost them up the rock face. Now They were just about on top of the mountain and the cat lost the dogs in a boulder field. Most likely jumping from rock to rock. My husband looked at his hounds who all had gone beyond the call of duty and said that will do girls. It took them another several hours to come back down. They found day beds and old kills so this has to be this old boys camp. Deer tracks every were and plus a lady friend, he isn't going any were. And it goes with out saying he has been chased before!!
On the way back to the snow machines they cut a fresh bobcat track and tried to strike out on it. Needless to say the effort was rewarded but it was dark and time to go home!!
Cat -2 Dogs - 0 The education from those hunts = PRICELESS
The girls are recouping and they are going to hit it again next week.. That old boy will trip up some time!!
MKT
We have had hounds for a while now and still consider ourselves newbies. But, we have fun working the hounds and learning along the way. I guess I should give you the pack line up before I dive into the last weeks hunting story.
Xena- 8-9 year old Plott female, lead dog and we got her semi started. She really likes to air scent.
Molly- 5 year old walker\plott\bluetick(camron) cross, she is hell on the track but not much for the tree.
Annie- 3 year old redbone\blackmouth cur - has had a few glimmers of turning on but still in the last stages of puppyhood.
Now my husband works 40hrs building house and we run a horse shoeing operation. Our girls coon in the summer and chase cats in the winter. We are in northwest Wyoming and he only chases cats on the western slope of the Big Horns due to the wolves close to us. (that is a topic for another time)
The first day of the hunt my husband and his hunting buddy travel in by snow machine to an area that they have been working all season, mostly finding really old tracks. The areas terrain is all rock face, grease wood and boulders plus the only way to go is up!! This am the cut a day old track of a Tom. Pretty good size. They let the girls out of the box to check out the area and Molly sceams lets rock and roll. The girls hit it at a good pace and my husband and buddy are working at keeping up!! All of the sudden from the top of the caynon my husband hears Molly scream like he had never heard before... deep and long!! Xena backs her up with a good old plott chop and my hunband is running!! He is with in 300 yards and sees the cat bale out of the tree. Chase is on again. Molly screams treed and Xena is right there as well. Annie joins in to!! This time the cat baled down on hell of a cilff and my huband is there soon enough to get eveyone wrangled and make the decision call it off for the day.
The next day my husband rests the dogs.
Day three- They get there before day break and cut the Tom's track and he is traveling with a female. They get the dogs out and Molly gets lined out and they are off. Now this chase lasted 7 hours. This Tom lead them up rock faces, in and out of caves and zig zagging through the timberline. Molly and Annie took turns on the lead of the track with Xena there almost like she was saying "you got it and it is your turn to lead" Many times those guys had to wedge themselves between rocks and have the dogs jump up on their legs and boost them up the rock face. Now They were just about on top of the mountain and the cat lost the dogs in a boulder field. Most likely jumping from rock to rock. My husband looked at his hounds who all had gone beyond the call of duty and said that will do girls. It took them another several hours to come back down. They found day beds and old kills so this has to be this old boys camp. Deer tracks every were and plus a lady friend, he isn't going any were. And it goes with out saying he has been chased before!!
On the way back to the snow machines they cut a fresh bobcat track and tried to strike out on it. Needless to say the effort was rewarded but it was dark and time to go home!!
Cat -2 Dogs - 0 The education from those hunts = PRICELESS
The girls are recouping and they are going to hit it again next week.. That old boy will trip up some time!!
MKT