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Thursday afternoon we called in a lion and my son shot it. That's the second one he's killed when I did the calling and I'm seeing a trend that needs some adjusting!
Weather conditions held ideal to hunt cougars for about a week, very unusual in our part of the world. My son tracked a couple (stalked one of those in its bed that he saw get up) and called one without getting a shot. He asked me to come over to his place and call with him so I drove down Wed. night. We got the cat 3 minutes into our second stand on Thursday.
Gorgeous day, sun on a few inches of snow. We started before daylight looking for tracks and found some. The pic below is a morning shot with a cougar track crossing the road. We're pretty sure that's the same cat we got later, though as sun melted snow we lost the tracks. We called it on the mountainside to the right in the photo.
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We set up on a spur ridge off the main big mountain. The photo below is looking from the stand up the ridge to where the cougar appeared, on the left side rather than right on top of the ridge. The slope to the left shows up but what is not apparent is the steep slope straight up the middle of the photo. The spur ridge top is aligned with the right edge of the photo and drops off down to the right just out of the photo.
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The next photo is looking at the stand and shooter from the cougar's position at the shot.
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Lots of fun with a son on a day of prefect weather. Photo of him carrying the cat down toward the road.
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Male lion, cut and scarred from fighting. It had been bitten through it's upper lip through the whisker area by another lion and here is a pic of a fresh scar healing on its chest.
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Track and frame size seemed average. It was bony lean on its backbone and frame, but had a little fat in its belly areas so was healthy enough. Totally empty stomach. We backtracked it several hundred yards and it had contoured out of a thick hollow up the mountain, then when it got to the spur ridge above us it had changed to a loping run down the ridge. Then just before coming into view it had slowed to a slightly crouched fast footed sneak mode.
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Lion claws held by my 8 year old grandson.
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M1 Minaska e-caller using fawn distress and then Rainshadow cougar vocal. 7mm magnum Tikka T3 lite rifle shooting a 150 grain Swift Sirocco bullet. Very accurate and comfortably more than minimal for lions. The first hit entered the cat's right shoulder on the inner side as it sat on its haunches facing the shooter with front feet downhill on the slope. The bullet broke the shoulder, cut two ribs going into the chest and damaged the right lung, passing on to lodge in the chops area of the backstrap ahead of the pelvis. It put the cat down, seemingly stunned or paralyzed from the neck down but did not kill it, and he put a second round through its rib cage side to side.
WAY TO GO GUYS, I WOULD LOVE TO GET ONE OF THOSE CATS. :yoyo: :yoyo: :yoyo: CC
Very cool !! Quite the experience !
Congratulations to you guys,
and thanks a bunch for taking the time to
share it with us.
Scott
That is way to cool !! :bowingsmilie: :yoyo:
Thanks for the pics and the story
WOW!!!!............Fantastic!!!!!!!!!........I never seen one.........I bet that was a blast!!!! Thanks for sharing........ :congrats: :congrats:
Holy cow that thing is huge. The claws were the size of the boys finger. wow :congrats:
Very very nice. Thank you for sharing that with us. :yoyo: Nice looking country up that way too. :sneer:
great hunt fellas big big citty :eyebrow: :eyebrow: :eyebrow:
:bowingsmilie:That is to cool way to go guys!!!!!!!! :bowingsmilie: :bowingsmilie: :bowingsmilie: :congrats: :congrats:
Just what I like! A great story, detailed discription and lots of pictures! Thanks!
Jim
Thats awesome, what a majestic animal. Hats off, I'd love to hunt them one of these days. :congrats:
Great job! Thanks for the pics! :congrats:
I was just getting ready to ask what sounds you were playing and then saw your last paragraph. The cat showed up within 3 minutes, that's pretty fast isn't it? What would you say an average stand length would be? I've never hunted mountain lions but know bobcats usually take a while.
man thats awesome :bowingsmilie:
Quote from: Semp on March 15, 2009, 06:33:23 PM
Great job! Thanks for the pics! :congrats:
I was just getting ready to ask what sounds you were playing and then saw your last paragraph. The cat showed up within 3 minutes, that's pretty fast isn't it? What would you say an average stand length would be? I've never hunted mountain lions but know bobcats usually take a while.
Yeah, I put too much stuff in one post. Still excited about the hunt. Yes, 3 minutes is quick. I think 14 minutes was the quickest I've had one come in before, but know of one called lion that showed up in less than 2 minutes. That 14 minute cat lay down in the snow and watched us for 50 minutes without moving anything except his head and tail. My son glimpsed him when he showed up, but the cat saw him at the same time and jumped behind a bush. We know when it left by birds pestering it and following it.
We usually stay at least an hour on a lion stand. We cut off our first stand at 45 minutes Thursday. I've stayed two hours when I was sure a cat was there and would stay longer if it felt right. Like bobcats and lynx, lions may run in quickly on approach, and then lay down for an hour just out of sight, say within 50 yards, and watch. My son shot the previous lion at the 32 minute mark and it was on initial approach, however.
This is at least the 14th or 15th one that I've called. Of those, we have seen four and killed two of them. My son has called another 8 or so by himself. At this stage of life, it is my favorite hunting by far. Deer for meat and cougars for fun.
:yoyo: That is too cool! :yoyo: Thank you for the write up and pics! really enjoyed the read. I'd love to give that a try sometime.
Mans thats an awesome story with some awesome pics. Tell your son a nice job indeed, and tell him the rest of us are envious. :wink:
Wonderful story and gret pics. Feel proud you deserve too. That has got to be exciting.
that is a cool story and one awsome kitty I wish I could take one like that would be an exciting hunt I am sure
Very nice. :congrats: :congrats: Great story and pictures. :highclap: :highclap: Thanks for sharing.
Pat
Great story. I wish we had those cats here. The scenery is really nice. That cat looked huge to me.
John
WOW! That is just a great way for us to attend a hunt without being there. Great pictures and write up. Congratulations to you and your son. Next time it is YOUR shot.
Jerry
Quote from: Hawks Feather on March 17, 2009, 10:45:58 AM
WOW! That is just a great way for us to attend a hunt without being there. Great pictures and write up. Congratulations to you and your son. Next time it is YOUR shot.
Jerry
Thank you! Yep,it is my turn alright. We've had some fun razzing about who owes whom a cougar, needing your old man to call cougar for you, and old codgers needing a young fellow to shoot their cougars for them. I'm blessed. And probably only parents know how it really is more fun to be in on your kids getting a critter than it is to get it yourself. But I do want to shoot a cougar, no question!