Let’s talk.

[Beebout-it]

I took yesterday and today off, its currently-35 and feels like -53. First time in like 4 or 5 years I've taken a day off in December. Anyone having any luck this season? My young dogs are really turning it on. Catching cats on their own and staying in the tough races. My 2 youngest went from just going along with their parents to really starting to participate and tree fairly well in a 3 day span. We've had the best conditions in December that I remember having in quite some time.

[lawdawgharris]

Sounds like that switch got flipped for your hound dogs. It’s sure fun to watch that happen.


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[Rowdy Fitz]

Glad to hear that Bee!

Mine are right behind yours. I put a little female up today. After watching them tree, I have a lot of work ahead of me. They’re leaving the tree and being real inconsistent. Next tree I’m gonna tie them back and jump it out then let them go afterwards a couple minutes.

[Rowdy Fitz]

Well I had something odd happen today. Got the dogs started on cold trailing a old female track. Walked them up the first 300 yards until they started moving it. They took it maybe another 300 yards where they started opening up like they’re working a jumped track. The 4 dogs split up and started going opposite directions. I immediately thought deer. Well luckily I didn’t shock them right away. Turned out they stumbled onto 3 kittens! Ended up baying at least 1 in a rock pile. Took a short video then left it alone.

[Nufo]

Rowdy. Saw your post and photos on gowild. Looks like your having a great start to your season!

[Nufo]

Beebout-it, sounds like your having some fun too. I was supposed to get out this week but now it’s 40 degrees and raining. Hope things change for next week

[Rowdy Fitz]

Nufo:
Thank you sir! I’m probably gonna go dry for the rest of the winter Lol
But I’m very happy with the progression of my mutts. They’re definitely not where I want them to be, but they’re doing good!

[Nufo]

Rowdy, I’m just getting started. We ended up moving to north Idaho last summer and now I’m waiting to get my resident license and hound permit. I e got a two year old mountain cur that I had a decent start on running fox and coon. After our move and not having time to hunter this fall, she’s wanting to trash deer and moose. I had her dang near fully broke off deer and skunks prior. Something about these white tails making her want to trash. I’m hoping I can get her tuned up quick amd on some cat tracks.

I also just got a stephens cur pup from Kentucky. From the same guy that Don Paige used to get his dogs from so I’m hoping she works out. I may end up trying to get a dog trainer next winter to help speed up the learning curve if my mountain cur doesn’t get back on track.

If anyone know’s some cat hunters in north Idaho, I’m looking to find a mentor I can learn from.

Mike

[Rowdy Fitz]

Mike- Honestly I would just buy a good dog. As hard as it is on the wallet, it’ll be well worth that cost in good times and avoided frustration. Just drive until you cut a fresh track and put the good dog out along with your young dog. Your dog will learn a ton and you’ll catch game.

The other option is lots of miles on the boots, lots of frustrating tracks and pups trashing. I’m barely pulling out of that right now. It’s been a 4 year battle for me. I have learned quite a bit though. Maybe that’s how you’re used to it? Lol. My life has always been the hard trail for everything I do or it just doesn’t happen for me. I’m the guy that’ll have the most randomly weird stuff happening. For example yesterday I dented both sides of my truck bed. On the passenger side, I had the tip of a downed tree get stuck in the fender well and I had to put the truck in reverse, back up until the front end pivoted up hill to allow the back of the truck to slide sideways and come off the tree. All because I didn’t bring a chainsaw lol. That’s my luck is all.

[Beebout-it]

I started out walking dogs on a track till they would run it and continued following the track in case they needed help, didn't have any tracking equipment back then so lots of long days and nights hiking endlessly. But I learned a bunch about not only chasing lions but tons about the things they do. Saw lots and lots of cool stuff along the way. Now I don't do it that way I send the pups with the old dogs and they figure it out pretty quickly but do you end up with the same caliber of dog in the end? I really don't think that I do, curious what the rest of u think. With the gps and having a pretty good pack, well 2 packs males and females i can catch far more cats today than back in the beginning. I'd never change the way I started doing the hardest way possible but I wouldn't trade what I've got going now, never worrying about dogs staying on the mountain all night or multiple nights till u find them or more times than not them finding someone else, now instead of hiking over the mountain following the trail I get to drive around as close as I can go hang at the tree a while and go try and catch another. There's a right way in everyone's eyes but in the end its up to you which way to go, if a guy has the capacity he learns a ton either way.

[Nufo]

Beebout-it that’s my plan for this season. Hoping to find as many racks I can and work them
With the dogs.

Then if I’m not happy with how my mountain cur is doing by the end of the season, I’ll be looking for a pup trainer for next season to help my Stephen’s cur

[Beebout-it]

Rolled into a drainage I've never been to before and saw something I've never seen a lion do. Found were a female lion stalked out into the absolute wide open and killed a antelope and dragged it back to the timber. Got some great puppy training because she crossed over my sled tracks while I was checking the drainage and then again before I came back 3 hours later to turn loose. Gave the puppies a short run then treed , she bailed out and they caught her like 10 yards off the trail the second time. https://youtube.com/watch?v=XgeGPLqskAw ... IECMiOmarE

[Rowdy Fitz]

Heck yeah, man! That’s badass!

[lawdawgharris]

That’s a real neat video. I’m glad it worked out well for you and the young dogs.


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[Rowdy Fitz]

Well I got lucky today. Put a real nice tom up. Cut his track around noon and I figure it was a 6 hour old track. They trailed for about half a mile before they jumped him out of some rocks. Then he took them a mile to the bottom of the next canyon. Most of the dogs did great. I packed in 3 and one of those decided to double back. She followed my tire tracks around the mountain instead of going to the tree.
Jumped him out once and my younger dogs really turned on. It was well worth getting stuck in a 3 foot snow drift first thing this morning. All said and done, I had a 50 yard drag to the road. I put him on a scale and he was 167 pounds.