Snafflehounds

[Cpt.Caveman]

If anyone decides to eat one of these varmints soon please let me know so I can get pictures of this!

[Jim]

As an ecologist and climber I never heard this term until moving to the NW. Yes, the likely suspect is Neotoma cinerea, the bush-tailed woodrat, though its range runs into that of Neotoma fuscipes, the dusky-footed woodrat, in the Oregon Cascades. As the name implies, the busy-tailed woodrat has, yes, a bushy tail. Though a pain, especially during bivies - I've had them perch on my head- they're quite resourceful and there's some evidence that some species use eco-location in caves and in the talus jumble.

[Jman]

I finally spotted one:

[David Yount]

Hey, was out casually climbing at Index yesterday and rediscovered some info in my guidebook:

"Mountain rats are becoming a nuisance in all the mining camps. The Cascade Mountain rat is entirely different from his voracious brother of the Rocky mountains. Those around Monte Cristo are bobtailed with very large ears and when cornered or alarmed in any way, stamp repeatedly with both hind feet like a rabbit."

Everett Daily Herald September 5, 1895

Beckey used this quote in his 1976 Darrington & Index rock climbing guide.

[nolanr]

So that's it, somebody came up w/ a hybrid of a rat and a bobtail wildcat, that's why them damn snafflehounds are so ornery.