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! :laf:
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.
Thats cool, You go Grandpa!!
You rock Grandpa :yoyo:.
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 :biggrin: Jimmie
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 :biggrin: 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!
thats pretty cool there. now show him how to kill that sucker :eyebrow:
That is a great story and one your grandson will remember for life. :congrats:
That is very cool Grandpa. :yoyo: :yoyo: Thanks for sharing. :congrats:
Pat
Are you good, or are you good? :eyebrow:
Thats a cool story. And worth some major points in Cody's eyes. :yoyo:
That is just awesome. :thumb2:
That'll make him even more incline to listen to what you say. :wink:
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! :doh2: :huh: :wo: :wink: :biggrin: :laf:
Weeeellll,, :confused: I guess you could always put that trail cam up & hope whatever made those tracks comes back to refresh them. :biggrin:
That's OK. I'm sure you'll find a good use for the camera & a good spot to set it up in anyway. :yoyo: :yoyo:
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!
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 :laf:
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
No guesses what it might have been Okanagan
I can't wait for your report when he calls you about something big & you can see his eyeballs bugging out over the phone!! :eyebrownod: :eyebrownod:
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: :confused: :shrug:
Lynx?
Well if nothing else I got your thought process a little over time. :wink:
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.
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. :highclap: :highclap:
QuoteSix 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.
That got the shivers running up my spine!! :yoyo: :yoyo:
Quote from: HaMeR on January 21, 2011, 10:18:02 AM
QuoteSix 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.
That got the shivers running up my spine!! :yoyo: :yoyo:
It was a once in a lifetime experience for me, so far! :laf: The cat worked into it slowly so it wasn't a sudden adrenaline rush. It started a weird cry up ahead of me as I hiked a forest service trail on a super dark night. I thought it was some kind of night bird and paid no attention, but it kept pace with me, then circled ahead and got on the uphill side. By then I knew it was a large animal on the ground and cougar was the only animal I could think of that fit the behavior. I had a puny headlamp that has three options: a single white LED, a double red LED and a micro halogen spotlight that will show ground a max of 40 feet. The red LED barely lights enough to walk, but it saves night vision.
So I turned off all lights and called with a doe in heat call. Whatever it was came closer and closer, calling about every 15 seconds, always one cry at a time. I thought it was a lion and did not want it any closer than 25 feet from me, and that is probably too close. A .30-06 rifle was in hand. When I thought it was about 30 feet away I turned on the puny spotlight. Instantly the animal went silent and moved away too far to see and started the cry again.
I walked a little ways and went uphill into timber 30 yards and called again. Turned off all lights and it came in again. When it was close enough for me to hear the intake of its breath before each cry, I switched on the light. As before, I never saw a thing. I heard it run. It did not like the white light. It did not seem to mind the red light and would come closer but I could only see 8 feet with that.
I hiked on up the trail and it went on up the valley wailing once in awhile. It did not seem super loud but wow did that sound ever carry. When I was up to timberline I could hear it easily at what sounded like half to 3/4 mile down the valley, maybe a mile.
Rainshadow, the cougar caller, thinks it was a young adult cougar kicked out by its mother and looking for companionship. A deer hunter killed a female cougar a couple of miles away the next day as it walked along near him, maybe following.
Kinda wish I'd have risked a little more and let it get closer but that's pretty hard in the dark to listen to it coming closer and try to judge when is the prudent time to turn on the light.
(edited for spelling and clarity)
Quote from: possumal on 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. :highclap: :highclap:
Al, thanks. At our age, its a good thing somebody thinks we are cool! :alscalls:
Quote from: Okanagan on January 22, 2011, 12:35:43 AM
Kinda wish I'd have risked a little more and let it get closer but that's pretty hard in the dark to listen to it coming closer and try to judge when is the prudent time to turn on the light.
That's not just "pretty hard", that's impossible! :nono: Kudos' to you. I would never have lasted that long or let it get that close. I have no experience with mountain lions but up close and personal is not an experience I want any time soon. :eyebrownod:
:shock2: Can you say "Dead run back to the truck!!!!" :laf: :laf: While that would be one lifetime cool event I doubt I would have the nerve that you showed to let whatever it was get that close in the dark. :nono:
I still remember the 1st time I ever heard the coyotes light up!! That happened so suddenly I wasn't sure if I should be scared or what. I had serious shivers up & down my spine. It definitely was a cool experience. :yoyo: :yoyo:
Thanks for posting that story. It is a great read. :wink:
Quote from: HaMeR on January 22, 2011, 07:13:34 AM
Thanks for posting that story. It is a great read. :wink:
Just read this thread, and agree, it is a great story and experience. Funny how all the senses get hightened in the dark. You could hear it breathing!
Sounds like a fun time you're having w/Cody.
Quote from: HaMeR on January 22, 2011, 07:13:34 AM
I still remember the 1st time I ever heard the coyotes light up!! That happened so suddenly I wasn't sure if I should be scared or what. I had serious shivers up & down my spine. It definitely was a cool experience. :yoyo: :yoyo:
Thanks for posting that story. It is a great read. :wink:
Yep, I remember the first time I heard coyotes shred the night like that and it scared me bad. I was coon hunting with my dad and he thought it was funny. I remember asking if it was 15 coyotes and he said it was two. :laf:
As to courage, sometimes stupidity or naive curiosity looks like courage. :innocentwhistle: I was mostly curious, and it was not legal to shoot the cat that way at night, unless it attacked. The way it kept vocalizing it didn't seem threatening and at the time I thought it must be a female crazy in heat. If it wanted to kill a man, seems like it would keep quiet.
And yes, if we both live and get half a chance, Cody and I will build some good memories together.
:laf: :laf:
Yeah I think if it was hungry you might not have been able to tell that story. But no matter what you call it I still doubt I would of had the nerve to let it get that close. :nono: :nono:
Wow! What a rush! :biggrin:
That just had to be something else to experience! :biggrin:
It's funny how bold we are when we have a firearm at hand. :laf:
You know, Okinagin, that old saying that curiosity killed the cat works both ways don't ya :nono:
I liked that story a lot. Don't know that I would have handled it that well myself. My curiosity sometimes gets the better of me too. But I check it out later :eyebrownod: Jimmie
Quote from: Jimmie in Ky on January 22, 2011, 07:32:10 PM
You know, Okinagin, that old saying that curiosity killed the cat works both ways don't ya :nono:
Jimmie
Ooohh! That is witty! Good observation.
Oak Noggin :laf:
I think it was a big old coon. :shrug:
Quote from: code on December 24, 2011, 03:10:28 PM
I think it was a big old coon. :shrug:
Ouch! Could be, and that is the most common animal in the area.