My hounds at work

[FrontRange]

It's been a strange winter with weather either way below zero or in the 40s, lol, montana is struggling to make up her mind 😅. It's made for a hard year to run lions but I've managed to tree 6 counting a female I caught yesterday at 11 below zero probably was too cold for the dogs I know it was for me lol anyways here's a few pictures from this year.

[FrontRange]

[Garguy]

Did you leave the second one up there?

[FrontRange]

Didn't shoot the female with a cub I don't shoot any female lions or let people shoot them over my dogs Tom's only

[FrontRange]

Not 100% true if there is a reason too shoot a female I will like livestock deprivation or staying in close proximity to houses

[paohrocks]

Ain't nothin' better than some good hunting dogs hot on the trail. NICE!

[FrontRange]

I should have added in the first post I really mostly only run lions for fun in the last 10 years I've only shot one lion that was a old female who had started killing goats. The one the kid shot had been killing yearling calves and the one in the backpack had a trap stuck to its front paw and was starving. I run for the love of the dogs and the thrill of the chase. I also chase bobcats, racoon and starting last spring we can now chase black bears.

[clovisoid]

Like you said, it might have been too cold for the dogs but there probably isn't anything in the world they would rather do than that.

When I lived in Missoula I took a wildlife biology class and a couple of weekends they did a census of Mtn Lions. A local guy had dogs, and it was hard to describe just how excited the dogs were.

[FrontRange]

As far as the dogs are concerned, any time is a good time to hunt no matter the weather they would have to freeze solid before they would stop. I don't believe in reincarnation but if I did I would have to think that hound dogs where viking warriors and battling their enemies is the only way they get to hound dog heaven lol 😆

[Fla.Hillbilly]

Reminds me of running bears in NC. Put a pack of Plots on a hot trail and the chase is on. Love to hear them dogs commin thru a hollar or over a ridge.

[FrontRange]

Nothing is more beautiful than a pack of singing hounds ripping up the countryside. One reason I run blueticks is I love how mouthy they are on the track I love a dog that never stops baying from the second you drop the box. Mountain music at its best for me.

[Cskelton]

We've been lucky to see many lions without the benefit of dogs.. I have a few friends that will run them for me to. It's a lot of fun. I've found it can be the shortest hunt you ever had or the longest, grueling, day of your life.... we did one a week ago, and it was nine miles, one way... ran out of daylight. Couldnt keep the Tom in a tree.
congrats on getting six up the tree this year. You still have lots of time left too.

[FrontRange]

Your definitely right on that, I've had races last less than 5 minutes and the cats treed but I've also had to camp out in the back country next to a fire with my dogs after a 12+ hour race that's taken us up to 18 miles away from the truck. That's the one thing with hound hunting once the leash is unclipped you can't stop till you catch up to them and tree jumping lions are the worst every time you almost get there away they go again and again. My dogs are really coming into it this year I've had my own dogs for 4 years now I started with two puppies and lead them in on every lion track I could find till they started catching them, never ran them with any trained dogs so it was a long slow process didn't even catch my first lion till the end of the second year. Now I have 4 dogs and they catch about 90% of the lions I turn out on, I'm hoping to get 15-20 trees this year hopfully the snow holds till April.

[Tam]

Those are some great pics . Glad you only kill what needs to be done !!

[Cecilia]

I have no business responding to this hunting post, but I’ve always had pack of Dogs. Presently my hunters are German shorthaired pointer and black and tan coonhound. The pointer brings me squirrels (she put one in my lap!), and the coonhound has most beautiful bay. Her face is delicate (to me), and it’s always amazing when she cuts that deep, resounding voice loose!

[FrontRange]

I haven't had any luck finding some good black and tan hounds or I would have a couple they are probably my favorite, my dad had 2 of them when I was growing up and they had loud booming voices and would sing in harmony when ever a airplane flew by.