All the Bells and Whistles

Over the years, I have had a few dogs killed while hunting mountain lion and have friends who have had more than one dog killed by wolves. Every time I read a post or an article about someone losing a dog it makes me ill. This is why I want to share a trick I learned that I believe is the reason I have not had any dogs killed since I implemented it.

Bells attached to my Tri Tronics!

Since1995, I started to see more wolves moving into the areas I hunt lion and bear. It got to the point where I had to start traveling a few hours to areas I wasn't finding wolf sign. A friend of mine told me about an article he read stating that placing bells on your dog will reduce the risk of depredation by wolves and lions. I thought I would give it a try. I soon found that there are many benefits to this technique.  I could keep track of my dogs when they were close and not have to rely on the tracking system. I also found this useful when waiting for a dog after a hunt. I would use my garmin or telemetry to get within ear shot of the bells and then quickly locate them by the sound.

I was never sure if the bells ever made a difference or I was just lucky so I did some research with DNR and BC Ministry of Environment. To date both agencies have a reporting program for wolf attacks on dogs. To date there has only been one report of hounds with bells being killed by wolves.

                                                  

                                              "To date there have only been one

                                                    report of hounds with bells being killed by wolves"

I have tried many different types of bells but the one I found works the best is the traditional sleigh bell. Here are a few other tips when using bells I have learned over the years:
1. Open bells get plugged with snow or mud and stop working.
2.  Pop rivet the bells directly to an e-collar or tracking collar. I don't attach it to the dogs regular collar so I don't have to listen to the jingling sound from the kennel or dog box!
3. I found two bells per dog is ideal.
4. Find bells that have a distinguishable sound so you can tell your dogs apart from each other and the those of your hunting partner.

I know hunting where there are wolves can be stressful. I also know that you are far more likely to have your dog killed by a lion if you use only one dog. I hope this little trick helps protect your hounds and gives you some peace of mind like it has for me over the last decade!

                                                                 

The Cabela' s Canada Boots by Meindl

One thing I will not do is promote anything on this blog that I havn't tried myself and believe in.  Back in 2004, my wife purchased a pair of boots for me for Christmas. I had been wearing large felt pack boots while lion hunting and my feet were a mess. Little did she know how far those boots would carry me. After 7 years of use, I have logged many miles in my boots, in the toughest terrain and coldest tempratures. I have used them on horseback, on ATVs and snowmobiles. These boots are awesome.
  

I have done my homework and read many reviews for this post. Here is just a sample of the response Meindl Canada Hunting Boot owners had to the product:

" If you care about your feet, spend the extra money and buy these boots. I had looked at these boots for quite a few years and the price tag always scared me away, but the old moto "You get what you pay for" holds true with these. We do a lot of hunting on rugged steep mountains and I have never felt so comfortable in any other pair of boots. The traction is second to none, ankle support is out of this world and the durability is amazing. It feels like your feet are in 4-Low when your hiking something rugged. These boots broke right in with a few trips out scouting and before too long they felt like I was slipping on moccassins. Kudos to Meindl for making the ultimate hunting boots for all hunting applications. If these boots can't get you there, you don't belong there. Amen!"

Here is what others have to say about the Canada:

http://reviews.cabelas.com/8815/810087/cabelas-canada-hunting-boots-by-meindl-reviews/reviews.htm

I have also tried Rocky, Hanwags, Irish Setter and other boots but nothing has compared to the comfort and durability of this boot. In addition to hound dog'n I am also a sheep, elk and mule deer hunter and I can say that the Meindl Canada Hunting Boots are perfectly suited for extremely rough terrain. It is 100% waterproof, yet breathes to allow water vapor to escape. These boots have a rigid sole, similar to the best heavy duty mountaineering boots, but with the support and protection of 11" upper. With an average weight of 4.8 lbs, these make the long trecks much easier. If you are as hard on boots as I am, these are for you.

Meindls in action!

Old School Tom

It had snowed about 24 inches in two days in the high country. A large tom lion had crossed several roads a few weeks back but had not been seen since. My brother In-law and I had a good look at the map and decided on a couple of roads to check but with the new snow it was going to be by snowmobile. After about 7 hrs on the trail the planning paid off. The huge track crossed the trail and headed up into an area with very little access. The track looked like it was a day old and full of snow. I walked the track about 50 yards to try to assess the size and noticed he seemed to be following a single deer and had made a rush on it. I followed the track a short distance longer and turned back to try to freshen it up in the next valley. We checked all day and could not locate the cat again.

 

The next morning we started about 6 AM and took the dogs with us hoping the cat would cross out. After another long ride it was apparent that the lion had not returned. The only thing we could do is lace up our boots and get on his track and hope we could catch up. With three dogs in tow, (two young plotts and a big old redbone named Buck), we laced up our boots and started in out his track. It was a tough go. It had gone from -18 to +5 degrees and was now raining sideways! We pushed through the deep snow wondering if it was going to another all night death march. Finally I came across an area where the tom and started to circle. I started to get excited as I knew he was on the hunt and not lining out. I started to make wide loops in the timber looking for an outgoing track when I came upon a deep depression in the snow. The fresh snow and rain made it hard to determine what it was at first but the boold gave it away....It was a kill!
You could see where the lion lept from the high ground and landed on the deers' back. There wasn't much of a struggle and it was over. The lion drug the deer a short ways and cashed it under a small fir tree and buried it under snow and sticks. Just to the right was a bed melted down to the needles and a large set of tracks bounding through the deep snow headed up onto a ridge. A quick inspection of the kill showed he hadn't eaten more that a handful of meat and parts of a few organs.

The dogs immediately opened and headed out. The dogs headed almost out of earshot and then treed. As we hiked we could hear them pounding the tree hard. The snow was deep but the sounds of the dogs made the hike seem effortless. As we got to the tree I could see the two plotts standing on the tree like book ends. I stopped to watch them perform and admired the results of 2 years of training. Buck was sitting back up the hill giving it his all. I radioed out and my father and a good friend decided to come in and join us. What an amazing day!

I had a quick look up the tree and knew this was a good cat. He had a large head and his ears drooped to the side. It was in a poor tree for pictures which made it difficult to assess the true size of this tom. His track and stride told me he was a brute.

I stood at the base of the tree and tried to find a spot to shoot but all I could see was his head. My brother In-law stood at the base of the tree and I took aim. He tapped the tree with a stick and the cat stood up. I aimed for the center of his chest and took the shot. The cat shot out of the tree and headed down into the ravine. After a few short yards he came to a rest.

As I approached the cat I was surprised that it seemed to grow. Sure enough it was a great cat. I estimated him to be 4-5 yrs old and easily 180+ lbs without any deer meat in him. It was a hunt of a lifetime and proof that sometimes getting off the snowmobile and putting in some work can pay off!

A special thanks goes to my father for the time and effort he put into training these fine hounds and the experience he has shared which helped me make this hunt successful. I would also like to thank my friend Lionel Trudel of Lionel Trudel Photography for the great pictures!

Kill Sites

Are finding kill sites always a good thing?
In my experience, if you are trailing a lion and you happen upon a kill your day can be really good or result in a huge head ache. Let me explain....

The location around a lion kill will vary depending on terrain, weather and the animal it killed. Unless the lion is feeding when you show up it can be very confusing for hound and hunter alike. Almost all kills I have been to have a feeding area with multiple outgoing and incoming trails. Some of the complicating factors are:

• Too many tracks. Especially if it is a female with kittens as there will be more trails as she leaves to make another kill while her kittens are left to eat.
• Temprature. If it is warm the kill will spoil and the lion is likely to move on to find fresh groceries. The colder the temperature the less traffic as they tend to hold up when the temperature drops.
• Size of the kill. If the lion kills a large animal like a moose there will be more track and collateral sign (track and scent incidental to the kill. coyote, birds, etc) as a large animal will be harder for the lion to move, cover and defend.

Reading a kill site comes with experience and each one will tell a different story.

 

Jake and Bud treed after sorting out a kill

How to sort it all out

If all goes well your dogs will sort out the tracks and may only do a few small loops before moving out the fresh trail. I usually let them try and if they are unsuccessful then I will step in and help. If it sounds like the dogs are doing loop after loop and keep returning to the kill then I will take the following steps:

• Wait for them and tie them back. The longer you wait the harder it will be to find the outgoing tracks as your dogs are going to pound it out.
• Take a dog and start walking a large loop around the kill. If the dog doesn't pick it up make another larger loop.

The number and distance you travel depends only on how bad you want to get this track going. Most times after about three loops your dog will pick up the trail and you can go back and turn the rest in. This has worked for me in the dirt and in poor snow condiditons. I found that I only had to do this a few time and my dogs caught on and started looping on their own.

Tom lion with a belly full of deer

Scent at a kill
Depending on the age of the kill and the amount of time the lion spent there, there could potentially be lion scent everywhere. If you cold trailed the lion to the kill and it is in a tree it can be hard for a dog to locate due to the amount of scent in the area. Once your dogs have learned this looping technique and keep returning to the last area they had scent their chances of locating the tree increase significantly as they are likely to wind it rather than trail it to the tree. It is also important to try and reduce the hunter and dog traffic in the area so the one dog can work and you should have no problem sorting it all out.

 Left him to run another day!

Relentless Pursuit of Mountain Lion

Locating Mountain Lion

Hunting big trophy mountain lion can be very exciting. Like many of you, the night before opening day is often filled with anticipation and visions of locating that large track, turning the dog loose, and finally making the tree and watching the dogs perform. Like any type of big game hunting, the more time you spend knowing the country, knowing the mountain lion range and knowing what to look for, you will consistently yield more opportunities at a large tom lion.

They Are Where They Eat

Mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk and moose make up a large portion of their diet and mountain lion have a tendency to roam and travel where the prey species can be found. Mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk and moose have a wide variety of habitats from low desert areas to the high-mountain rim rock. Throughout this habitat, they select places to rest and bed that are well-hidden yet provide a panoramic view. They will feed and bed in shade higher up on the edges of ridges where they have a good view during the morning hours. As the day warms up, they may head into the deeper parts of washouts, draws, canyons, timber areas and other out-of-the-way spots. In the winter months they will bunch up in groups and seek shelter in mature timber and windfall.

How to Take Advantage of These Patterns
During the season I am out in the woods in areas I know have an abundance of deer, moose and elk. I am always on the look for old scratch piles and kill sites. Lion will often visit old kill sites so putting up trail cameras may identify what is in the area if tracks can't be found. I often look at these areas on a map or google earth images and determine the best path to take which will allow me to cut the area and cover the most likely crossings. If there is a steep ugly canyon ridge with piles of blow down, I usually start there!

"If there is a steep ugly canyon ridge with piles of blow down, I usually start there! "




Consistency is the Key

Once you identify prime target areas keep going back. I usually get a "gut" feeling about an area and will keep returning even if it hasn't produced. There are 2 primary reasons for not giving up. First, a lion may hold up due to weather or a kill and not cross out. Second, a mature tom lion has a huge home range so it may take a while before he shows up. If your area has all the elements you can bet there is a tom lion who is going to pass through looking for a female or dinner. Just because he wasn't there today doesn't mean he won't cross tomorrow. I have checked an area for weeks only to give up and have a buddy intercept a nice tom the next day who walked down my truck tracks. Be persistent and it will pay off!

No Substitute for Hard Work

I love talking to folks through email, facebook and twitter. Lately, I have been getting allot of e-mails from houndsmen seeking advice on increasing their success rate when purchasing a new dog. The message usually goes on to state that they found a guy in the local paper selling the best pups in Western Canada or they purchased a dog and the guy said it had caught lion and bear but it hasn't produced anything but a pounding headache from all the barking in the box.

I have read posts in forums and see the "I want it yesterday and I want the best (so I can brag about it on every forum on the net) for less than one hundred bucks attitude". With all the hype, it is easy to see how inexperienced hunters get sucked in. If you keep up with all the information on the web about breeds and bloodlines it is apparent that there are a few big names that everyone is claiming to have bred into their dog. The reason for this claim is none other than to move a pup and inherit the implied status associated with the bloodline. Most times, it is almost impossible to verify the true lineage and traits that your new dog may have inherited.

In an effort to make things clearer I always suggest the same things:

• Roll up your sleeves and do the homework and legwork.
• Believe none of what you hear or read and half of what you see
• Look for the breeder that lets their dogs sell themselves
• Be prepared to pay for a good dog

Finding a dog that is right for you is no easy task and once you have it the work has only begun. Cutting corners on your purchase is only going to compound the effort and reduce the enjoyment of hunting that dog later. Accept that everyone is going to tell you all kinds of wonderful things about their dogs. Let's face it, not many pups would find homes if their sales pitch was "I'm not sure if my hound bred her or if it was the neighbours shih tzu".

Take your time and hunt the dog or its parent under the conditions you would normally hunt as it will pay off in the end. Pay the owner what it is worth. If you purchase a one hundred dollar dog then expect to get that type of performance. This takes time and effort but it will result in less stress and frustration and more great days in the woods!

Dog Boxes

As many of you know I have started a line of dog boxes called Rim Rock. Like many of my buddies, I started out with wooden boxes because the were the most economical to make. I had to put them behind the cab so I could get my snowmobile skis under them. I have since built large boxes that take up the entire truck box, boxes on trailers, boxes for atvs and more. Over the years I have learned that there are a few characteristics of a good dog box.
 

Old Wooden Bear Box














The box should be light weight. I have struggled to lift boxes full of straw, padding, wool blankets and more into the truck for many years. My back still hurts thinking about it! The ideal designed enables one person to load and unloaded it alone. This is what makes aluminum the material of choice. You won't find many steel boxes out there;
The box also has to be safe for the dog and secure in the truck. I have used plastic kennels which slide around the truck box and had a large aluminum box which flew out during an accident. Luckily the dogs were not hurt. The box you purchase or make should be either bolted down or attached with canopy clamps or straps;
The box must also be comfortable for the dog to prevent injury, stiffness and cramping. Uncomfortable dogs won't settle and there is an increased chance of dog fights and excessive barking in the box;
Last, The box should have good ventilation. If the box does not have sufficient air flow the dogs could succumb to heat related injuries or become asphyxiated from the vehicle exhaust. This is one of the most important considerations when buying or manufacturing a good box. I have heard stories of hunters losing the entire pack while from warming up their truck without venting the box.

In addition to the basic features, a strike platform is also useful. It not only allows you to put the dog up to indicate on fresh scent, it also doubles as a cargo rack when packing for overnight trips. I often carry gear on mine when traveling to bear camp in the spring and fall. Other considerations include is the number of hounds you plan to transport. Most boxes which fit in a short box truck will accommodate up to four hounds comfortably. If you want each dog separated or a divider in the middle. Divided compartments cut down on noise and prevent dog fights. An open design will accommodate more animals.  

Price is also a factor. Previously, supplies and a little sweat equity were the more economical solution. Now, if you factor in your time and labour to build a box, a decent box with the features I mentioned are not much more. In the end the box has to fit your specific needs and has to be practical and functional. There are many styles and options to choose from. I suggest taking your time and doing your homework and it will pay off in the end.