For twelve years I was one of a group that hunted the same 100k acre ranch southwest of Sanderson for MD for three weeks each Fall. There were 24 mostly experienced Texas hunters in the camp and everyone wanted to kill a lion. We never saw one although their tracks were often encountered. A lot of nighttime varmint calling also took place with fox, coyotes, and bobcats taken, but no lions seen.
We went through three ranch managers and the last one was an experienced lion trapper. He caught six in his first five months on the ranch. Point being that they can be fairly thick and never be spotted.
The ranch management believed they never lost any cattle to lions, but when a bear moved into the West end of the ranch he killed two yearling steers.
Oddly enough, there were three old wether goats left over from a herd they originally had near Beef Canyon, and they survived the lions. I guess deer were easier prey........ or maybe they couldn’t stand the smell.
