Cougar growled at me when I picked up decoy

[Okanagan]

 After an hour on a lion stand this afternoon, when I went to pick up the decoy and e-call a big cat did a growly threat yowl at me.  It startled me, and then when it did it again a few seconds later, it shot adrenaline through me.  It was after sundown but good light and the sound was in the brushy edge of the treeline at the edge of the clearcut 40-50 yards away.

I'm starting to feel like a total klutz, muffing encounters with lions.  This was my second good track of this winter and I hate to mess up such rare opportunities.   I walked up and checked tracks but the snow was only in the open, none in the brush nor trees where the sound came from.  Nice track on this one, same size as the good male my son shot in 09.  During the hour on stand I heard one unidentifiable noise timed to reply to a Rainshadow vocal, and saw a tiny movement at 130 yards that may have been a chipmunk or a cougar foot or ear.  Nothing definitve until the drawn out yowl at the end, and it sounded like an angry cat looking right at something it was threatening.

Something similar happened to me several years ago.  A lion snarled at me when I went to pick up the decoy in the deep dusk that time, in a much bushier clearcut. 

In this situation, it seems like the cat has sneaked close and is watching, maybe has seen me, maybe not.  But when the man steps out and takes his prey away from him, he growls his anger.  That's my theory anyway.

[KySongDog]

That would sure put the senses on high alert.   What percentage of stands do you get a response?   

[HaMeR]

That would be a certain rush for sure. I doubt my ticker woulda handled it as well as yours did. 

Cool experience for sure. Thanks for sharing!! 

[clubmkred]

I doubt my ticker woulda handled it as well as yours did. 

More like a change of underwear for me...

[coyote101]

Very cool indeed, and a little bit nerve racking I'm sure.  What type of decoy do you use when hunting cougar?

Pat

[alscalls]

That would make some things pucker for sure.....    Still sounds like fun!!!

[vvarmitr]

Now that's an adventure! 


Maybe I'd wear Depends while hunting cougar .... just to keep my butt warm while sitting in the snow ya know. 

[Okanagan]

That would sure put the senses on high alert.   What percentage of stands do you get a response?

My son and I got a confirmed cougar to come to 25% of our stands the two seasons we kept track, and that's what it is running for me this winter.  That means I've only made four calling stands for lions this whole winter.  One of those was a cold stand on pure spec and the other three on a recent track.   Work and bad hunting weather has cut back my time afield enormously this year.

In our early years of this, our percentage was much lower.  If you do cold calling it is needle in a haystack percentage.  My son flat out will not make a cold calling stand anymore, though he killed his first one on such a stand.  We try to locate a cat and only set up to call when we think he is within hearing range.  That means we may hunt all day and not make a calling stand, sometimes several days.  I get little enough time out that I call anyway sometimes when alone and make high percentage cold stands,  which means I call at a place I know from experience that cougars frequent, though there is no indication one is around at that moment.  That's mainly a way to  lower success percentage!

[Okanagan]

What type of decoy do you use when hunting cougar?

Pat

On both of these lions that growled at me when I took it away from them, it was the standard Minaska Sidewinder topper:  a coyote tail with maribou extension plus ears and eyes on the upper end.  I'll post a pic of it with a bobcat below.  I have a Featherflex fawn decoy that I use once in awhile but seldom carry it. 

FWIW, I forgot my binoculars at home yesterday afternoon, and that kept me from carefully scanning the edge of all brush etc. at the end of the stand, or I might have seen this latest lion before I got up to retrieve the decoy.  I did a little looking with rifle scope but not much and it is not as effective as binos, for me anyway.

[HaMeR]

That is a big cat!! And purdy too!!

[Okanagan]

That is a big cat!! And purdy too!!

Big old male.  My biggest one was 34 lbs. on a scale and this one was almost as big, right about 30, though I did not weigh him.

[HaMeR]

I was just going by his paws. Shouldn't been no problems seeing those tracks in the snow!! 

[clubmkred]

I was just going by his paws. Shouldn't been no problems seeing those tracks in the snow!! 

Yeah, and if he growled at me when I went to pick up the decoy, you would have had no problems seeing my skid marks in the snow, either.... Holy crap!!! 

[Okanagan]

Thanks for the good comments. 

To elaborate on stands that get a response, this lion yesterday makes at least 18 that have responded to my calls that I know about and have confirmed by seeing the cat, by tracks or by having him vocalize at me.  Of the 18, we have seen five, killed two and passed on one easy shot.  The passed one was last spring when I didn't have a tag and called the lion just to do it when opportunity presented.

There are other probables and maybes not included in the count.  I'm not sure why I enjoy it so much.  Maybe it is that it lets me hunt HARD and not mess with much skinning, etc!

[markTNhunter]

nice bobcat got some alot of spots on his legs NICE ,good luck on the lions

[iahntr]

I could see where that'd get the adrenaline a pumpin !    Pretty cool !   

[FinsnFur]

How'd you get that one to look at the camera like that

[Okanagan]

How'd you get that one to look at the camera like that

Are you pulling my leg?  Do you mean the dead bobcat in the pic with the motion decoy?  He was fresh in the pic, minutes after the shot.  It is probably your guilty conscience that makes you feel like his eyes are following you!

[HaMeR]

It is probably your guilty conscience

I would have to agree with that.