Home Forums Hunting & Shooting General Big Game Our weekend Lion hunt a great success!

JJ, congats on a monster cat! I think you are right that a good number of cougars come to calls but almost no one sees them. Don't give away too much info :-)

JJ,

The cat of a lifetime? Could be. I don't know what you could do for an encore. Makes my Christmas cat look like a tabby. But mine is still out there. You think it might ever grow up to look like yours? LOL. Fat chance!

OK JJ, I've waited long enough. This thread is going back to the top -- WHEN or WHERE are you going to post the specifics on this hunt? The calling? The shot? Did you trail him to his honeyhole then coax him out? It's not like you to be a tease...

Oh yeah, just so you know, it's time to get rid of the '06. They won't work any more. Haven't you been listening?

Was it a Partition or an A-frame? Your gun or the customer's?

Talus, Sorry not trying to be a tease. It's finally getting to be good lion weather and I'm hunting much of the time now. I come home to recharge the batteries Visit my family and check My Africa news then I'm back out hunting again.

The brief version of this as that we went out hunting in the morning very early to a disgusting location where sombody dumped some elk parts off the side of a road. Guts and hide, bones and the head. I saw blood in the snow the previous day as I was driving by. We set up the speaker right at the edge of the road about 80-100 yards from the gut pile and covered it with grass and branches. Then we hid about 50 yards away. Visibility was good as we were up a hill from the speaker. I fired up the cassette and we sat back and watched to see if we could pull the coyotes off that old spoiled elk carcass.

My thoughts were the big main coyote would be on the carcass and the others would be near by waiting on him to leave. If they heard the deer fawn they would come looking for an easy meal. Quite possibly the big dog on the gut pile would leave to get the nice fresh killed fawn. He would certainly have figured the other coyotes had caught.

The plan worked like a charm, it was a very short sit when the first coyote showed up and trotted directly at the speaker looking for the "fawn". I saw him and motioned to my partner. He was not in as good a position so I shot him. We sat a while longer and although we saw movement from other coyotes now and then none were shot. I figured we over stayed our welcome and we decided to move. We set up on another location and nothing happened. So we moved again.

While driving down the road the higher we drove the more common was the snow. We were driving through a big patch and saw some tracks, big tracks. I said either that is one huge dog or we have a nice set of lion tracks. When I got out of the truck to look I could see instantly the straight line gait typical of a cat. We removed all our excess clothing and packed our needed gear into our day packs. Then we were off on foot following the tracks.

The details of things regarding our tracking experiences could go on for ever. I can't make that kind of a post just now. However I will tell you that the old saying "anything that can go wrong will go wrong" is usually the case when tracking lions. They tend to go down hill when your on the edge of the snow line so you lose the track, or up hill into waist deep snow so deep you sink to your knees on every step. Rare is the tracking job on flat level ground with consistant snow conditions. When that is the case we usually end up with the lion. That is how critical the snow conditions are to being successful!

On this morning we had old snow, slushy and only in patches. We followed the tracks for a long time but probably not a very long distance. When we realised the creek was too big to cross comfortably and the snow was getting thin we decided to call from that location. We were on the undercut edge of a bank and with a high ridge behind us where an old logging operation had left a big pile of branches and limbs. This was covered in snow and looked at the time to be a difficult bit of terrain for anything to get through.

After calling a while with the speaker pointed in the direction of the last good tracks we saw. There was movement across the clearcut probably 175-200 yards away. We were pretty excited so I left the volume and consistancy of calling alone. I still don't remember who saw the cat first, or if we both noticed him walking across the clearcut at the same time. I did not matter who saw the lion first. My policy is that we take turns shooting so this was my partners lion if a shot came up, because I had shot the coyote earlier this morning.

We had no idea of sex or size at this time and it really does not matter with lions as far as I'm concerned. They are so hard to get this way we just shoot them when the chance comes up. Their was no further sightings in the next 10 minutes or so. Then we, or I should say, I saw this big pumpkin sized head about 40-50 yards from the speaker staring right down at it. It was gone as quick as I saw it. There was something odd about this as well. I could swear I heard noise from this cat in the bush before I saw the head. Lions walking in soggy ground with wet brush don't snap twigs, and rustle the brush? I actually thought a bear was coming because they usually bust right in.

He was gone again but I could still hear an odd bush or twig now and again. Then from behind we could hear some lion sounds. Low growl, or purring mixed with heavy breathing. Or at least what sounded like heavy breathing. I slowly tilted my head back and could see the front half of the lion staring down at the speaker . He was about 30-40 yards behind and above us and looked to be figuring out the easiest way down that snow covered branch pile from the logging operation. The speaker was about 50-60 yards in front of us, so he was still close to 100 yards away from the speaker and had complely circled us. Maybe more then once?

With the lion standing and looking down towards the speaker my friend leaned back and shot him through the chest with his 30/06. The lion at the shot launched into the air like a high diver and landed in the middle of the huge brush pile. I had only my 44 mag revolver so my hands were free to climb up there. The blood trail was significant and visible from 30 yards in the snow. I got above the suspected location and saw he was stone dead and only then realised he looked pretty big. When I climbed down to the lion, I saw he was huge! I don't swear, or use foul or vulgar language ever. However if there was ever an appropriate time this may have been it to describe just how big he was!

He also had a damaged front left foot. It was deformed or possibly bitten in a fight. He could not use the claws and the dew claw was extended and could not be retracted. I think he would have struggled to climb a tree or pull down a big animal. Although we was fat and very big so he must have made it work good enough! I think this is why he made so much noise walking in with a partial stump instead of a normal foot.

It took a hella long time to untangle him and get him out of that tangled mess of brush. Once he was out My buddy drove the truck around the bottom of the canyon and I slid/ dragged. stumbled and fought to get him down the side of the hill to the road. It was why he looks so dirty in the picture. I did not have my digital camera with me for some stupid reason while I was hunting. It would have been nice to get a better photo to post then the one in my shop!

JJ
That is why you are listed as a Professional Hunter, and not a Photographer. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />
Bill

Once again WOW!. I had no idea those critters got that big. I know one thing, I sure wouldn't set up a caller very close to where I was sitting. We occasionally get a story here in Georgia of a bobcat jumping on a hunter blowing a mouth call or calling turkeys, but that bad boy would be dragging you up a tree if he got a hold on you. Thanks for the great story. Weagle

Jim;

Do you think the cat could have been caught in a trap or snare for his foot to be deformed like that?

It looks like it was bitten to me. The thought also crossed my mind that he may have lept from a tree and caught the foot in a fork in the tree and hung from it twisting it around until it was badly damaged. Who knows? I know the breeding age males almost all have damaged skulls from fighting. Many have bites which penetrate the bone, countless big lions have broken zygomatic arches at least one side. Many are healed with a sloppy connection and lots of deformed bone growth. They are typically more damaged then big bears on average.

Actually there is no comparison to the frequency of damage between the bears and the lions. Lions are almost all damaged in some way from fighting. Or quite possibly from the animals they prey on. I see lots of them which have been kicked or maybe even stepped on by big animals like elk. I suppose there are so many stories involved with Lions and elk that you can only use your imagination on what might occur when a 150 pound cat trys to bring down a 750 to 1000 pound (or more) animal like an elk. Imagine the elk falling at speed on top of the lions head! I think it would crunch something important!

Whats amazing is that they continue to live and hunt with no medical attention and severe head injuries. In this case a severe foot injury. I have photos that would blow your mind from skulls I have processed with so much damage that it would seem impossible for the animal to live. The healed bones look like a chunk of sloppy plaster slaped onto the bone in a big nasty lump. Kinda like calliflower growth. I can post some I guess if there is enough interest in seeing them.

Count me in as one interested in seeing those skull pictures!

Me too!!

Mike

JJ, I am thinking I need to get an electronic caller for calling in cougars. It is often hard for me to find someone to go out with me and I do not feel overly comfortable blowing on a mouth call all by myself. What brand/model of electronic caller to you have? Would you recommend it or is there something even better out there? Thanks, Rufous.

R,
I'm not JJ but I know how you feel about uncomfortable. I've used an old Johnny Stewart tape player but it has a 50Ft speaker cord and is heavy to pack. Check this thread out. http://www.predatormastersforums.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=9;t=000617;p=

This one can be remotely controlled with the upgrade. Its suppose to be the cat's meow of callers. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />(pun intended) I'm definitely going to buy one. MtnHtr

Do they taste like chicken <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

Mike

Muley;

Are you back home? My DVD player works GREAT. All I've got to say is you're amazning...how the heck did you do that? Pretty good job my friend.

Spike, got home last night. And, thanks! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

How'd you like Jill's hunt?

JJ - Is a lion hunt not the most exotic hunt there is in the lower 48??

Regards, sse

I suppose a definition of Exotic is different for different people. If we base this on price then Bighorn sheep win by quite a large margin followed by goats and elk. Hound hunting lions where legal is on the cheap side of the Guided hunt experience. Probably 2000 bucks or so I would guess.

I think in the lower 48 Lions are the only true and consistant threat to human beings so if that is what Exotic is to somebody then sure Lions would be.

In Texas there are an awful lot of "Exotics" to hunt from mutant inbred farm livestock with fancy names to African game. I like hunting lions because they offer me the level of dificulty with a realistic expectation of success. I might consider Alligators more of an exotic big game hunt because I don't have them here!

JJ,
I've had a few lions show up when I'm calling for bobcats but we can't shoot em here in Kalifornia - what a bummer! We also have a few attacks with two deaths as a result. I don't call at night by myself its way too nerve-wracking! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> Our latest attack can be read about here:
http://www.modbee.com/local/story/5318923p-6309629c.html

MtnHtr

nice cat!

Dandy lion! Mike Boyce in reno does a good mount.