Rabbits foot

snafu · February 23, 2016, 12:14:23 PM

I had one as a kid. I regret now I never kept it. This Winter's snow were not ideal. 5-6 snows which didn't amount to much. Then they all quickly hardened the following days. I hunted my tail off this season. Making serpentine & daisy chain search patterns in hopes of cutting a fresh lion track. All to no avail.

Never heard of a single sighting nor a livestock attack or a kill. Other than 1-deer kill, which happened prior to the 1st snow last yr.

Last snow melted a wk ago. Yesterday I visited with some ex-coworkers. One of them 2wks ago had a lion cross the highway right in front of him early am. He never bothered to let me know...nice, real nice. As we still had some snow cover. That lion was on open rolling terrain. I missed that opportunity.

I suspect now days. I may be in my 90's before I set eyes on one again. FYI next time I see Santa. I'm a kicking him firmly(many times) betwixt his fat thighs. So expect your Christmas presents a tad late next time around. As the old fat man will be a gimp when I'm down with him.

Coyote pop is way down in my area this past season. I only seen 10. Which is the lowest I've seen since the late 60's.

snafu · February 25, 2016, 06:31:00 PM

Visited with a lady today. She told me a little over a wk ago early morning. She had a lion cross the highway right in front of her. That occurred near the river bottom on a highway. Lion run up into some hilly timbered terrain. I hunted that area hard this Winter. Never even seen a Bobcat track. I'm no doubt in over my head. Trying to get an edge on lion travel behaviors. No apparent rhythm or reason that I can figure. Its going to be a long haul waiting for next Winter.

FinsnFur · February 26, 2016, 06:05:13 AM

Yeah but if you woulda kept the rabbits foot and got your Lion, what would you be doing now?

snafu · February 26, 2016, 10:39:09 AM

Not much. In retrospect I had little idea how hard this would be. I figured I would've cut a fresh track in snow by now. I'm convinced no one has their travel behaviors down pat. They definitely have a mind of their own. Which is an enigma to me.

HaMeR · February 26, 2016, 02:59:48 PM

Just a thought on travel patterns for larger predators.

I think that when a critter is that high on the food chain there's a different mentality. It's the "I'll go & do as I please!! Anybody got a problem with that??" mentality making it harder to predict their comings & goings or there whereabouts in any certain time frame. Then add the low population of an area & how far they need to travel for breeding,,, well,, it's anybodies guess where one could be at any given time.

Of course I'm running on mere speculation on these critters & these thoughts. It's just the way I see things.

But I do enjoy reading of your travels & I hope you get your Lion someday snafu!! And if not then it was never due to a lack of effort on your behalf!! Good Luck & I await the day you bring your pics to FnF!!

snafu · February 26, 2016, 11:23:35 PM

Well HaMeR, I'm of the same mindset. Longest hunt I've ever had. I told a few old friends not long ago. If/when it pans out. I'm going to kill it twice. Payback ya know.

Many yrs ago a coyote/dog hybrid lurked my old hunt area. He was huge & mated up with a much smaller coyote. His tracks pushed 4" long & were most unique (pad wise). Two outer pads were perfectly round, two inner pads were oval/tear drop shaped. Anyway this canine trespassed often onto other coyote territories. I doubt they ever complained to him.

Will I ever succeed? Who knows? But I'm not quiting. Not on purpose anyway.

HaMeR · February 27, 2016, 07:14:34 AM

I bet I hear your sigh of relief after repeated "HELL YEAH's" when you walk up on that downed Lion!!!!

BTW-- I'm in Eastern Ohio!!!!

Okanagan · February 27, 2016, 08:34:28 AM

Hey, snafu, it gives us codgers an excuse to wander good country, to see and learn more than most folks and enjoy whatever we find. My patterns are more predictable than the cats around here. Start at the crack of 9:00, hit the bakery in Hope, read tracks in the snow all day, stop at the Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory if it is still open on my way home to bring my wife her favorite...

Consider a photo calling safari way out west, no hunting license nor guide needed. Some people would hate such a trip but you are such a good photographer I mention it. Vancouver Island would be the best place for cougar, and in winter there is a good chance of having a tracking snow if you stayed 10 days. Lots of elk, lots of wolves, fair numbers of blacktail deer and in spring, phenomenal number of bears plus zillions of bald eagles and sea critters.

snafu · February 27, 2016, 04:08:49 PM

More salt in the wound please. Today I visited with a guy. Who's wife in the last 2 months had 2 lion sightings SouWest of me 35 miles. If I had more than one toof I could bite nails.

One sighting was on open cropland(baron land at this time). The other was near a very wide timbered valley. Both lions she seen cross the highway up ahead. Both sightings were around 10-12 miles apart. Same lion I suspect?

snafu · February 27, 2016, 04:12:10 PM

Maybe I should go back to hunting coyotes & delivery pharmacy meds. Only two times I've ever seen a lion.

Okanagan · February 27, 2016, 05:21:07 PM

You are doing pretty well, way ahead of the law of averages, especially in your area. Hang in there! We enjoy the story of your chase. I was serious about a photo safari and didn't mean to rub any salt.

snafu · February 27, 2016, 07:24:21 PM

Quote from: Okanagan on February 27, 2016, 05:21:07 PM
You are doing pretty well, way ahead of the law of averages, especially in your area. Hang in there! We enjoy the story of your chase. I was serious about a photo safari and didn't mean to rub any salt.

No sweat. No ones fault but my own.

This whole hunt boils down to timing(ie; right place, right time). The last 3 yrs I heavily hunted every area that has had a sighting & or multiple sightings that I know of. I figure a resident male lion roams atleast 3 counties if not a tad more. Maybe 4? counties. When it snows I have 1-2 days to cut a fresh track. Otherwise the snow drifts & or melts & hardens. Then its game over until the next snow. So with the snows we've had. Although I hunted most days since last Fall. I really only had roughly 2 wks of tracking snow. Perhaps less.

In the meanwhile my only flicker of a chance. Is IF I hear of a fresh kill. 2 ex-coworkers never offered me up their recent lion info. They know full well I'm hunting one.