Summer Feast or Famine
Posted: Mon Jun 15, 2009 9:21 pm
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
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