Jaguar in Arizona

[KySongDog]

Imagine setting down and playing some bunny blues and then this thing bounces in.   


Jaguar in Arizona

[FinsnFur]

Youd never see it till it was too late

[JohnP]

In 1978 a friend and I were calling in the southern most tip of the Huachuca mountains, about a mile of two from the Mexican border.  We saw a large cat coming into the call and first thought was a mountain lion.  As it got closer we could tell that it was a Jaguar, all we could do was stare in amazement.  We turned off the caller and he lost interest and wander off.  Decided we should report our sighting to Game&Fish.  They insisted that we saw a lion and one biologist even suggested that we may have spent to much time at the local saloon.  We have also seen ocelots in the Huachuca.  Several years ago another Jaguar was spotted and pictures taken, similar to the ones Semp posted.  He was named Macho B, which lead me to believe  there must also be a Macho A roaming around.  Macho B was later captured, by mistake , and died while in "custody" of Game&Fish.  That provoked a big investigation and of course G&F was cleared of any wrong doing.  I'll try to find the articles and post them

[JohnP]

A lot of info here:  http://azstarnet.com/news/local/macho-b-death-of-a-rare-arizona-jaguar/collection_fdc099f2-7e28-11df-914b-001cc4c002e0.html

[Okanagan]

In 1978 a friend and I were calling in the southern most tip of the Huachuca mountains, about a mile of two from the Mexican border.  We saw a large cat coming into the call and first thought was a mountain lion.  As it got closer we could tell that it was a Jaguar, all we could do was stare in amazement.  We turned off the caller and he lost interest and wander off.  Decided we should report our sighting to Game&Fish.  They insisted that we saw a lion and one biologist even suggested that we may have spent to much time at the local saloon.  We have also seen ocelots in the Huachuca. 

That is the all time most terrific calling story I've ever heard.  To call a Jaguar in Arizona is incredibly rare, lucky and good calling. 

Typical fish and game.      When I reported a lynx in WA state along the Canadian border they were so dismissive it was rude.  I shrugged and walked out.  As I left the woman biologist asked if I knew anything about lynx.  I said that I had trapped them and called them in Canada and kept walking.

I knew a fellow who worked as a dog handler for the famous Lee brothers way back when they were guiding hunters for big cats in Central America.  One night when they got looped, one of the brothers said that he could call jaguars with his voice.  They were camped by a river in the moonlight and since the dog handler was the only one sober he rowed the boat out to mid-stream.  Sure enough, the Lee fellow had a jaguar answer his mating call right away and the thing swam out and tried to get in the boat.