Not a call in but a "bait in" experience. Northern Wi deer season mid november. About ten years before the DNR admitted we had cougars in the state.
Our group hunted a powerline cut, about 20 miles from our cabin. I hunted with my dad. My brother hunted with his now exwife. She was referred to as the gutshot queen. Was not a single deer she ever shot that was not shot through the guts several times. She used a Ruger 44 carbine.
Well right at last shooting light she plugged a big doe. Off course hit it badly. Her and my brother found her about 150 yards off the cut in some super thick popple. Trees were maybe three inch diameter no more than a foot or so apart. Nasty jungle. Deer needed a finishing shot. Brother popped her. Got ready to drag her out. He stepped in a hole and trashed his ankle. Barely made it too the truck without the deer.
Me and my dad get a call at the cabin. We got to go get the deer. Get all ready to go and dressed and head back up there. Took about and hour all told. Now well after dark
Head into the woods with gutshot queen. Can't find the deer right away. She was clueless. They left a orange hat on the deer instead of hanging in a tree where you could actually see it. Colder than hell about 8 degrees. Flashlights ain't working for crap.
We finally find the deer. Well first we smelled it first. Nothing like exploded deer paunch. On top of that I think every stinky rutting buck in the county had a turn with this doe. She just plain stunk. Drag was going to suck. Due to flashlight issues we elected to gut her at the truck despite the extra weight.
Me and dad each grab a front leg. Just as we take the first step a cougar lets out a scream. So damn close you could not even tell which way it came from, surround sound. Hair on the back of my neck stood up. We looked at each other said nothing and started hauling ass.
Here we are middle of the woods pitch black no moon night. Flashlight giving off less light than a cell phone. Kitty cat had a couple hours to get wind of this deer that we smelled from about 50 yards away. No guns. Tell you what if deer dragging was an Olympic sport we would of won gold. You ain't never seen two fat guys move that quick with a deer in tow.
No one believed us. Said it was bobcat or screech owl. Well prior to this I knew what a cougar scream sounded like. Since then I have listened to numerous recordings. Absolute no question it was a cougar.
Oh and the next spring about a mile from the spot guy got pictures of cat with three kittens. Yep no cougars in Wisconsin at the time. I have found tracks in the area numerous times since. Send pictures to the DNR. Tell me they are bear tracks. We got a lot of bears with no claws missing a toe walking around.To this day DNR denies any breeding population just traveling males.
