Hunting Washington Forum

Other Hunting => Hound Hunting => Topic started by: WAcoyotehunter on January 09, 2012, 07:49:52 AM

Title: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on January 09, 2012, 07:49:52 AM: We have been having a tough winter for snow, but this weekend we got ~1/2” and headed to ID to look for a big lion that has been giving us the slip. We used the snowmobiles to check roads/trails for his tracks in the new snow but could not find anything fresh. Rather than give up, we decided to let the dogs work and freecasted (turned the dogs loose without knowing where any tracks were…basically taking them for a hike and hoping for the best) and walked out a big basin hoping to cut a track. Whisper has been giving me fits running old tracks that have no hope. When she struck I figured that was what was going on. Anyway, we let her take the track back up the mountain that we had just came down…and she ended up losing the track about ¾ of the way up. Tana was there with her and they spent quite a bit of time searching, but ended up back near us. We decided to hike back up the hill and see what was going on. On the way up we found the fresh bobcat tracks and Whisper started back on the track. She must have jumped the cat because he only went a few hundred yards and the dogs went to tree. We rushed up the hill (with all four pups in tow!) and got above the area the hounds were treeing. They had quieted down and left the tree to come see what all the commotion was about- the pups were getting pretty anxious and making a lot of noise… We could not see the cat anywhere and the snow was so poor that tracking was very tough. I dropped back down the hillside and circled to make sure the cat was still in there. Once I found his tracks I could make more sense of the situation. He had slipped into a big boulder pile and was probably laid up in there when the dogs jumped him. He only went ~10 yards but climbed ~60’ up a HUGE white pine. He was high enough and the tree was thick enough that he was invisible. Whisper kept treeing on that tree and after a LONG search I managed to see his elbows sticking over either side of a branch! Lucky break.
When we shot him out the adult dogs grabbed him and the pups we not far behind. The cat had just enough life in him to bite my littlest pup on the lip and clamp on like a snapping turtle! Poor Nosey was squalling and carrying on for a while until she could get free. She wasn’t hurt, but decided she was going to “re-kill” that cat for the next ten minutes!! 

All in all it was a good hunt for the hounds and a good experience for the pups- they’re almost 6 months old and this was their first tree. I still have some work to do with the hounds on their treeing-
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: jackmaster on January 09, 2012, 07:54:24 AM: dude that is awesome, makes me really miss hound huntn, dont even know why i open those threads :'(
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on January 09, 2012, 07:58:35 AM: you're welcome to tag along-
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: HUNT on January 09, 2012, 08:01:50 AM: Congrats on the bobby! Gotta love hunting with hounds....
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: Huntboy on January 09, 2012, 08:17:23 AM: Congrats, nice looking pack.
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: Arteman on January 09, 2012, 08:30:30 AM: That's awesome, way to stick with it. That's good your pup got right back in there after taking a beating, I've seen them go the other way and want no more part of it. :tup:
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: MuleySniper on January 09, 2012, 08:30:45 AM: Cool that looks like a blast!!
MS
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: Machias on January 09, 2012, 08:42:20 AM: Wohooooooo Awesome Bart, Nice kitty and I love the way those pups are fired up!!

P.S. See any wolf sign where you were at?
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: jackmaster on January 09, 2012, 12:12:48 PM: Quote from: WAcoyotehunter on January 09, 2012, 07:58:35 AM
you're welcome to tag along-
tell me what i gotta do dude, i would love to tag along, pay gas money or whatever, hell i will get a wolf tag to if i gotta incase we came by one.... do you keep your dogs close incase of wolves, what is the blonde dog in your pack there, is it somekind of cur
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on January 09, 2012, 12:20:45 PM: Good eye- the yellow dog is a blackmouth cur. You can come over and hunt along with me- beware we end up walking and hunting pretty hard. I have a sled, if you have one too it would be great- if not, we can piggy-back around on one.
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on January 09, 2012, 12:22:24 PM: I haven't seen a wolf track yet. I always make a loop around the area to check for wolf sign. So far I've been lucky and not found any. The Diamond Pack has been hanging out in WA and the other 'home packs' seem to be staying up north.
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: jackmaster on January 09, 2012, 12:26:25 PM: yeah i dont have a sled, definatly dont mind walkn, do you only hunt in the snow so you can find tracks, or do you ever hunt dry land and hood them or road them
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on January 09, 2012, 12:35:23 PM: I like to find a track on a road, but if the snow sucks or if we don't find a crossing we will jsut freecast and hike. It's a challenging way to do it, but can be pretty rewarding (like yesterday :IBCOOL: )

You're welcome to come along Jackmaster- I'm hunting Friday and Monday this weekend but the snow report looks lousy. If you want to come along on a higher percentage hunt wait for fresh snow, if you want to see the dogs work and get some serious exercise some on over despite poor snow conditions. I'll be out whenever I can snow or not.

After Feb 16th it's pursuit only and most guys will hang it up. I'll be running every weekend from Feb 17th to March 31st.
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on January 09, 2012, 12:36:25 PM: Thats an aswesome hunt!
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: JJB11B on January 09, 2012, 12:50:43 PM: :tup: great write up
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: jackmaster on January 09, 2012, 12:57:38 PM: where about are you at, trust me i dont mind walkn, and i wouldnt care if it was only pursuit, i absolutly loved just listening to the hounds bring a cat around the mountain in the middle of the night ass deep in snow, ya know what i am gonna talk to the wife and i will pm you if thats ok.... damn my adrenaline is already pumpn, i can here the dogs blown up already... thanks for the invite. hopefully i can return the favor
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on January 09, 2012, 02:05:31 PM: No sweat- shoot me a PM and we can get it figured out. I'm over in Newport (Pend Oreille County).

It's a whole lot of fun and I don't mind taking guys out that are enthusiastic and willing to chase hounds around with the understanding that they may not get to see a cat in a tree, but they are sure to get to watch and listen to some dogs that LOVE their job! :)
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: Machias on January 09, 2012, 02:23:44 PM: Bart have you considered going elsewhere? They are getting good snow south of Wallace and south of Superior, MT.....lot more wolves, but great snow right now. Too far?
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on January 09, 2012, 02:36:12 PM: I'm headed down to unit 21 (or 21A...?) in March to run. I haven't really thought about going too far away. I suppose we could. Do you know much country down there?
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: carpsniperg2 on January 09, 2012, 03:04:22 PM: Good looking cat :tup:
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: Machias on January 09, 2012, 04:01:38 PM: Quote from: WAcoyotehunter on January 09, 2012, 02:36:12 PM
I'm headed down to unit 21 (or 21A...?) in March to run. I haven't really thought about going too far away. I suppose we could. Do you know much country down there?

A few years ago I ran cats down in the country south of Superior, MT. We would go down I-90 to Superior and then park just east and south of the town, take the sleds up and over Hoodoo Pass and down into the 250 roadway. We hunted Moose Butte and the country north of Kelly creek. Wolves were just getting established and we never cut a single wolf track. The wolves were down with the elk on Kelly Creek and the Clearwater River and we stayed up with the moose and only saw cat tracks. Probably would NOT have that same experience today. I thought about taking the dogs over, leaving them in the box at the truck and just taking the sled in and see what it was like. See if it's nothing but wolves or if the same situation exist...if nothing else might be able to put a tag on a wolf. They almost always have great snow in that country. Might be worth a weekend trip. One thing, if we sled in there, we have to take stuff to stay over an extended period of time, It's probably 50 to 60 mile sled ride, one way. You don't want to break down or get turned around back in there without some survival gear.
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: WAcoyotehunter on January 10, 2012, 07:10:32 AM: Sounds like a good time. I have a pull behind for the sled we could pile on a couple dogs, fuel and gear and give it a try. Does that kill season go through March? I'm coaching wrestling this winter and weekends until mid Feb are pretty tough for me.
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: Machias on January 10, 2012, 08:13:42 AM: I'm already set up with a pull behind sled, so I take gear with me every time anyways. I'll have to check. One thing for sure we won't be freecasting down there and we/I won't be turning loose on cold tracks unless it's in an area I can stay close to the dogs. It would certainly be a different kind of combat hunting. I'll check and see when the take season is done down there. One thing you won't run into other houndsmen very often!!
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: Machias on January 10, 2012, 08:15:29 AM: Wow, actually the take season is Aug 30 to Jun 30!!!
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: Arteman on January 14, 2012, 07:45:07 AM: Quote from: Machias on January 10, 2012, 08:15:29 AM
Wow, actually the take season is Aug 30 to Jun 30!!!
Must be nice, only one month off!
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: summit creek on January 15, 2012, 09:00:08 PM: thats awesome dogs rock!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re: Idaho bobcat hunt!
Post by: KopperBuck on January 16, 2012, 12:30:01 AM: That's awesome. Great looking pups :tup: