Hi, do any of our members have any cougar hounds? I'd like to hear about the various tactics that are used when hunting with hounds.

Thanks

the chef

I've hunted over hounds before for cougars in the snow and it is really a cardio workout. They didn't belong to me and all that we ended up chasing was a big bobcat.

You watch these TV shows and it looks simple but they cut out all the boring stuff in the middle like hiking over 4 ridges in the snow or whatever to keep up with the dogs and then end up hurrying when you hear the bark change to indicate that the kitty kat is treed. Tough duty.

been on a few hunts in Idaho. I had bobcat hounds a few years ago, would love to hunt like that again.
The most ethical way is to follow the hounds....

Chasing cougar with hounds is exciting. Cats are short winded and tree up fairly quickly. Its getting to where the cat is treed that is exhausing (short winded hunter). The real hard part is dragging the hounds up and out after the hunt is done. Going up mountain in deep snow with three hounds tied together and all insist in going around trees in three different directions......Its a weird definition of fun at times.

I had a friend around here who used to go with a pack of guys to go with the pack of hounds. They would isolate the cat in a block of trees then post guys on the outside while the others went in with the hounds.

It sounds like fun but a hell of a lot of work.

we hunted cats with hounds for ten years. we chased 123 to the tree also took 53 bobcats with the hounds and treed one lynx. we drove the back roads until we cut a track and let our old female out to check the track she could tell how fresh it was if she started to howl we would turn out the rest of the dogs. one of us would follow the dogs and tracks the rest would try to get ahead of the cat and try to cut it off if they had passed we would leave the truck and start to fallow until the cat treed than take pictures and leave. only took 3 cats in total to neat of a critter to harvest