Summer Feast or Famine

[Dads dogboy]

Hello Cat Hunters and other less Enlightend Hunters!

Dad and I have been back from FL almost two weeks and are deep into Summer Heat and Humidity!

Dad gave me almost a week off before he couldn't stand it, and I had to load the Hounds.

The 1st night we took my six Year old daughter along so she could see how her puppies were doing. She and her mother whelp and raise Dads pups. Her handling them from the time they are born, loving them, leading them around and generally being a kid with them helps to have them handle as they know how to come here and know their names. Brandy and Sandy our 1 Yr old females are her latest to join the Pack!

We had hunted almost 5 hrs and were headed home when we got a strike. It took Rivers and the other Rig Hounds almost an hour to find which way the Cat had gone. As the track improved we fed the rest of the Hounds in and jumped the Cat in a bad creek bottom. The Cat decided to use the creek to his advantage, in and out of it and up and down it. The creek banks are thick with berry briars and honeysuckle, it is almost impossable to get through. after almost an hour the Shortail decided to leave this and head West. BAD move, the Pine Plantation was thick but not like the creek banks. He crossed a County Rd. but was not far enough ahead of the Pack. Daughters pups were pulling on his tail figuratively, in a very short while it turned into literally!

I got a couple days off because of a case of Pink Eye, another benifit of having a six year old at home.

On Wed. Dad said I should be about well and we should go Hunting! I loaded early and we had two struck, jumped and treed before 9:00PM.(Al I sure need that Treedog!) The Humidity was rough so I wanted to head home but Dad said the Hounds would Bite me if I took them in this early! The two races had not lasted long one 15 min., the other 35 min, so I put the Rig Dogs back up and ahunting we went.

We rigged about an hour and the weather was going to pot. Thunder and lightening was getting Bad, some severe Thunder Storms were coming our way. Dad said to get to the cross roads and we would head home. Don't you know the Hounds blew up as we approached the cross roads. We put em down and Rivers went and found where the Cat had gone. We had a helluva Race that lasted almost an hour, finally putting the Cat into Lake Greason a major Corps lake. We feel like the Cat crossed an inlet where a creek feeds into the Lake. This was about 500 yds wide according to the Garmin Astro 220. Good Race but the bottom dropped out of the sky about half way through it and we were till 4:00 AM in getting all the Hounds in as some bedded up during the hard Rain and Hail.

We struck out Thursday. Friday we went down to Glens and had a hit and miss, one hour race before treeing the Cat beside the road. Scenting conditions were terrible as only the Hounds on top of the track could bark!

Next three trips were what we usually have this time of the year. Cats were moving during the heat of the day, so strikes were cold after dark and we were unable to do anything with them.

Got a furlough for 48 hours as Daughter had Dance recitals.

This brought us to last night. Dad decided the Cat were going to move early so we ought to move early! We were rigging byt 7:10 and Ole Queen had struck by 7:15. A short trailing job followed by an even shorter Race. Al Gore may have something with this Global Warming BS, as it got terribly Hot on the Bobcats South end as he was heading North. Up a tree he went after 15 min.

We had three of Dads 7 Yr old Hounds with us and Ruby, His Matriarch reached out trying to find the Cat that had treed and found another. As she started opening telling the World of her good luck the rest of the Pack harked to her and this Race was on. It lasted almost 45 min but took place in a big bowl, we could get no closer than 600 yds. Hearing was tough but we managed. The end came suddenly and as there was no sound of baying this Cat must have climbed too.

Time was now 8:30 PM. You guessed it no going home yet. We started rigging and hunted some new roads and had about decided to go home when Choctaw let us and the World know an Ole Shortail had picked this very place to expose himself to the perils of being chased by the Clay Hounds.

Thing was this Ole Cat had his PHD in Bobcatology. The track was hot and the Race was on, this Cat was a road runner and used them to his advantage while picking the thickest baddest part of Tower Mountain to run on. All his tricks were to no availe though, the young Hounds kept the heat on and when needed the Old Hands picked up any dropped pieces.

This time the Global Warming was getting to the Bobcat, as we pulled up to better hear we met the Cat in the road and he was showing the stress of the Race and the bad humidity. Dad said to call it a Draw and blow the horn and load the Hounds. They had had enough as the Temp and Humidity was telling on the Hounds as well!

Feast or Famine that is Bobcat Hunting this time of the year!

Good Running to All!

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

[spruce mountain]

Do you have any pictures of your hounds.I know that they are dog's that your father has bread for a long time but are they running hounds or tree hounds or a cross between the two.Thanks

[Dads dogboy]

Spruce Mountain,

Will try to post Pics tomorrow of Dad with some of his Hound. My wife said she had figured out how to post them. We will not be posting any graphic Pics that could be fodder for the Antis!

Dads Hounds are Running Walker Hounds that have evolved from a Line of Grey Fox Hounds started by the late Hinkle Schillings of Center, TX. The Foundation Hound was Ch. Mark S. These were Hounds that competed and won Field Trials when they were run outside on real Game! Ch. Mark S. offspring were known for their Nose, Brains, and Mouth!

Ch. Mark S. was the top sire of Grey/Red fox Hounds in the late 50's and early 60's. This was when Hounds had to Strike, Trail, Jump and then Run at the front to Win a Trial. Unfortunatly Running Hounds as well as Tree Hounds have had competitions ruin their True hunting abilities!

Come enjoy a Concert of the Southern "Cat Hound Opry"!

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

[spruce mountain]

Thanks for the reply,It sounds like your hounds sure can put alot of presure on a cat.Do they tree at all?

[Dads dogboy]

Spruce Mountain,

As we have told about in other posts, Dads Hounds all are started out in OK where the trees are small. There almost all our Hounds Tree.(They are sight Treeing)

Here in AR. and in FL. Cat climb high in big hardwoods or Pine. This requires a good locator, this we don't have!

Tree Bred Hounds have a hard time keeping up with Dads running Hounds. Over the years Dad has tried many and few worked. We currently have a 1yr old Treeing Walker bitch who was pleasure hunt bred to try. She is going in the races and keeping up, so far. She has not made any effort to tree these last two weeks and we have treed all but one. She is still young and we have found that it sometimes takes a Hound three years or so to be a solid Cat Treedog.

Dad used to Tree only about 10% of the Cat jumped and caught the rest on the ground. We joke that Al Gore and the Global Warming is causing more Cat to tree these days. But in reality Dads Hounds have gotten faster and are pushing the Cat harder earlier in a Race, bringing more pressure quicker and causing the Cat to climb.

Mr. Al Luttrell from Oregon who has running bred hounds that tree is going to fix me up with a pup that will show me where to shoot the paint!

Should have Pics up in a few minutes.

Good Running to All!

C. John Clay

Dads Dogboy

[cathoundtex]

great idea about the paintball gun,i cant carry a gun when im hunting in mexico near the border,so if we tree a bobcat and the tree is to tall for me to climb my fat but up it and shake the cat out i must lead everything back to the truck.pretty hard by myself with 8-11 dogs,i stopped at the border station in mex and they are not going to hassle me with a paint gun

Spruce Mountain,

As we have told about in other posts, Dads Hounds all are started out in OK where the trees are small. There almost all our Hounds Tree.(They are sight Treeing)

Here in AR. and in FL. Cat climb high in big hardwoods or Pine. This requires a good locator, this we don't have!

Tree Bred Hounds have a hard time keeping up with Dads running Hounds. Over the years Dad has tried many and few worked. We currently have a 1yr old Treeing Walker bitch who was pleasure hunt bred to try. She is going in the races and keeping up, so far. She has not made any effort to tree these last two weeks and we have treed all but one. She is still young and we have found that it sometimes takes a Hound three years or so to be a solid Cat Treedog.

Dad used to Tree only about 10% of the Cat jumped and caught the rest on the ground. We joke that Al Gore and the Global Warming is causing more Cat to tree these days. But in reality Dads Hounds have gotten faster and are pushing the Cat harder earlier in a Race, bringing more pressure quicker and causing the Cat to climb.

Mr. Al Luttrell from Oregon who has running bred hounds that tree is going to fix me up with a pup that will show me where to shoot the paint!

Should have Pics up in a few minutes.

Good Running to All!

C. John Clay

Dads Dogboy

[spruce mountain]

Have you guys ever tried to beat on the tree with a club to get cats to come down? It works pretty good with bears,some come down faster than others but they usually come down.

[cathoundtex]

most cat hunters around here carry a telescoping pole,i think you getem at cabelas,i know there not cheap.one guy i used to know carried a 20 foot pvc pipe with him on his way to the tree,it actualy worked pretty well as he atached one end to his belt and it just drug behind himand would bend around anything in its way

Have you guys ever tried to beat on the tree with a club to get cats to come down? It works pretty good with bears,some come down faster than others but they usually come down.

[Dads dogboy]

Cathoundtex & Spruce Mountain,

Out in OK the use Punch Poles that telescope. These are the Poles that Linmen use to trip switches on transformers. They work great but only reach up 40' of so.

Dad said that on only several occasions has rubbing on the tree worked. He said it darn sure works with Bear as they used to run Bear in N. FL.

Squaling with a Coon squal will work sometimes, however if a Cat has been run hard he is not looking for an excuss to leave the tree. Dad says that years ago when hunting in, TX he used to have a good tree climber that hunted some with him, they had to literally whip a Cat out on several occasions.(Big N Blue this ways Buster & Larry Joe)

Mr. McClean in N. Carolina is the Cat Hunter that told me about the Paintball Gun. It works on a Co2 cartrage and will reach upwards of 100'. Game Wardens in all the States we hunt have no problem with us carrying these. We do not carry any other gun anytime of the year, but by Law from March till Oct. 15 we can not carry any type of firearm!

Am still trying to get pics up, hopefully Buddyw will come on line and help me!

Good Running to All!

C. John Clay
Dads Dogboy

[al luttrell jr]

Good evening Mr Clay sounds like you and dad are having a blast. It should not be to much longer till i make the cross for us. I cant wait. See you all soon. Al Jr.