Grandson found a lion track by his house

Okanagan · January 15, 2011, 01:49:02 PM

My 13 year old grandson took me scouting for coon sign near his house over the Christmas holiday, and I posted some pics from that awhile back. Within 150-200 yards of his house we came on a big down tree log in brush, and I mentioned that a cougar would walk on that log if one came by.

It snowed four inches there day before yesterday and Cody went right out at daylight to look at that log. Sure enough, a cougar had walked the length of it. He thinks I am Daniel Boone and Hiawatha rolled into one. As a grandpa, I can handle it!

The track is amid scattered houses and within 50 yards of a paved yuppie walking/biking trail. But it is also in a timbered corridor of a creek ravine that runs for miles from wild mountains and National Park all the way down to salt water. All kinds of game use that wild corridor.

Not important but fun with a grandson.

slagmaker · January 15, 2011, 02:31:42 PM

Thats cool, You go Grandpa!!

pitw · January 15, 2011, 02:57:24 PM

You rock Grandpa

.

Jimmie in Ky · January 15, 2011, 06:28:06 PM

Whadya mean not improtant !! Whatever you can teach him now will stick with him for life. Might even mean a big diference in what paths he dicides to follow in the future. Mine is not even two yet and hanging with Papaw means a lot to him and me both. Of course hte horses still booger him a might. We old farts got to enjoy any bit of time we get with those youngins. And hearing about it is important to me too

Jimmie

Okanagan · January 15, 2011, 07:08:22 PM

Quote from: Jimmie in Ky on January 15, 2011, 06:28:06 PM
Whadya mean not improtant !! Whatever you can teach him now will stick with him for life. Might even mean a big diference in what paths he dicides to follow in the future. Mine is not even two yet and hanging with Papaw means a lot to him and me both. Of course hte horses still booger him a might. We old farts got to enjoy any bit of time we get with those youngins. And hearing about it is important to me too Jimmie

Good words and true. Enjoy your grandson! IMO grandparent pass on values and family history just by being with the youngsters.

As to this cat: What are the odds of having a lion walk on that log on the same day snow would show tracks (in an area where it seldom snows), and on the first day the young man went to look? The timing was a gift from somewhere!

golfertrout · January 15, 2011, 07:31:11 PM

thats pretty cool there. now show him how to kill that sucker

KySongDog · January 15, 2011, 07:50:30 PM

That is a great story and one your grandson will remember for life.

coyote101 · January 15, 2011, 07:56:06 PM

That is very cool Grandpa.

Thanks for sharing.

Pat

FinsnFur · January 15, 2011, 08:21:26 PM

Are you good, or are you good?

Thats a cool story. And worth some major points in Cody's eyes.

vvarmitr · January 16, 2011, 10:06:19 AM

That is just awesome.

That'll make him even more incline to listen to what you say.

Okanagan · January 20, 2011, 10:46:47 AM

Oops! In the purity of this company, truth in posting is sacrosanct. I now have doubts that the tracks my grandson found are cougar. I thought that the tracks had been verified by someone who knows lion tracks. He sent me a photo last night that he took of the log showing tracks on it. The pattern is way different than normal cougar tracks.

No individual print shows, and snow filled them too much anyway.

Meanwhile, I already bought a trail cam for him to put on that log!

HaMeR · January 20, 2011, 10:51:37 AM

Weeeellll,,

I guess you could always put that trail cam up & hope whatever made those tracks comes back to refresh them.

That's OK. I'm sure you'll find a good use for the camera & a good spot to set it up in anyway.

Okanagan · January 20, 2011, 11:07:14 AM

Oh, yes. It's already been fun to talk tracks with a grandson over the phone and the trail cam will keep us swapping pics and phone calls for months. Money well spent.

And I stand by my original comment: a cougar passing through there will walk on that log. So will nearly any four footed critter with soft feet. It is a natural pathway through miserable brush, on a route that follows the edge of the creek ravine. Deadly spot to place a snare. Or a game cam!

Jimmie in Ky · January 20, 2011, 12:29:40 PM

Thats hte thing about logs. Even watching my own dogs while I cut firewood is eye opening. Watching them wlak those logs to get a birds eye view is interesting. They are doing it not only to see better but to get a better wind of it by their actions. I am sure all predators do it for the same reasons.

Tell that boy to take his dog when he's not hunting and just roaming the woods. I don't think they miss anything with those noses. Mine have helped me on scouting missions several times by showing me scats and scent posts. They roam a little farther and faster than I do. They just can't help themselves. If one critter uses it they all will

And besides, a good dog has saved my bacon a time or two from poisonous snakes. Out there in your part of the world they would come in handy for other critters too. Jimmie

FinsnFur · January 20, 2011, 02:08:50 PM

No guesses what it might have been Okanagan

HaMeR · January 20, 2011, 02:30:27 PM

I can't wait for your report when he calls you about something big & you can see his eyeballs bugging out over the phone!!

Okanagan · January 20, 2011, 09:44:33 PM

Quote from: FinsnFur on January 20, 2011, 02:08:50 PM
No guesses what it might have been Okanagan

Jim, the photo is poor but it shows a fair sized animal that leaves tracks from all four feet in a loose group, then leaves a gap and groups four together again. After considering for a day or so, it appears to be a fair sized animal in an easy, slow sort of galloping or bounding. The four feet are not tight together. There is nothing to give scale but I'd guess the four feet land in a 12- 16 inch rectangle, and then it is at least two feet and likely 3 or more to the next set. Very hard to see but my grandson talked me through the pic and what he remembered.

It could be a dog (doesn't look like dog to me)or even a young cougar bounding or galloping. The tracks seem big for a bobcat but it could be. The gait as revealed by tracks reminds me of a wolverine gait (seen moving, not tracked) but a wolverine is almost impossible there. The game dept. has released fishers in the area for the past few years to repopulate them, but the gait does not look like fisher and each footprint is on the big side for them, but it could be. The top of the log might narrow the usual slantwise track pattern of fisher. The more I think on it, fisher is a good candidate.

I've already reversed course so will let it lie lest I embarrass myself further.

Conclusion:

FinsnFur · January 20, 2011, 10:54:02 PM

Lynx?
Well if nothing else I got your thought process a little over time.

Okanagan · January 21, 2011, 12:24:23 AM

Hadn't even thought of lynx because there's not supposed to be any in that area, but if there were, a smallish one would be my first guess.

Six years ago in that area a big cat followed me in the dark on a pre-dawn hike to a deer ridge, and wailed a weird cry or call at me many times over half an hour. I phoned the best cougar expert I've heard of and asked him about it. When I described the behavior he said that it was a cat, no doubt, and that he would say lynx more than cougar from the sound I duplicated, except that there aren't supposed to be any lynx within 150 miles.

possumal · January 21, 2011, 09:47:08 AM

Okanagan, no reason to be embarassed at all, IMO. Trying to share with us your relationship with your grandson is as good as it gets on a forum. My grandsons think I'm a pretty cool "Peepaw" and I sure am glad they do. I know you are cooler than cool in that department. I know you'll be proud of old Cody as he learns and shares with you.