ever killed a lion??

[jackelope]

so i buy the lion tag every year "just in case i run into one" :dunno:and i never have...i'd like to hear if any of you guys have ever "run into" a mt lion and taken it during a hunting season.
just curious i guess.

[Ray]

I have seen two lions in WA State before. Never during hunting season.

1 was on Tiger Mtn east of Issaquah (looked less than 70lbs) last year.
1 was up Miller Creek in the Teanaway (was probably 120 lbs or so) year before last.

I will have a tag for one every year from now on. Both times I saw the creatures I was on a mountain bike and think that I sort of surprised them but who knows.

[WDFW-SUX]

I have seen three of them over the years and they all have been running the other direction.  However I always think one is creeping up behind me when I am calling elk in the dark

[bobcat]

I've never killed one but always have a tag. Isn't the tag basically free anyway? If you are already buying deer, elk, and bear tags, I think the cougar tag is included at no extra cost, in the package deal. Or, maybe it's 5 bucks or something. I don't pay much attention to the cost, it's definitely worth having just in case you ever see a cat while hunting another species. I've been wanting to go out and try calling one in but haven't got around to it yet. Maybe in another 20 years when I retire I'll have time for that.   

[Machias]

I was stalked by one during turkey season up on Iron Mtn up near Chewelah a few years ago, got to look at him at 35 feet for probably 4 or 5 minutes.  Very cool.  Seen four this winter, three females and a tom, all up a tree with my dogs under it.  I have never harvested a cat yet.  

[bobcat]

Fred,  did you get any pictures?

[jackelope]

I think they just include the tag with the bear tag is how it works. it may sound odd, but i'm not interested in shooting a bear at all...so if i could just buy the lion tag i would.
a buddy of  mine almost ran one over on a dirtbike last summer. the in-laws had one in the windbreak across from their house and their llama chased all the goats into the barn. he was not a happy camper at all pacing back and forth in the doorway of the barn, ears pinned back against his head, whistling and making a big stink...
that cat was going to make lunch out of a goat i'm sure.

[Machias]

Yes, I'll try and get them posted this weekend.

Jackelope, my friend in central WA has run a few lions who enjoyed llama meat.

[billythekidrock]

One of these days a ol cat will show up to my calling.......and I will have a tag for him.

[PolarBear]

I stabbed one with my bow about 4 or 5 years ago while whitetail hunting from my treestand in Ferry County.  It was a young (about 3 years old) female .  She was stalking up a well used scrape line that I was perched on.  I got her at 20 yards.  I probably have never experienced such an adrenalin rush just thinking that if I botched the shot, she might join me in my treestand!!!  I wound up getting a nice buck the next day 100 yards away.  Two of my cousins have shot cats over there that were stalking them.  I shot a buck a few years ago just before dark.  I came back the next day to get my treestand and dicovered cat tracks in mine, where I had drug the buck out in the snow and all around where the gut pile use to be.  While I was hiking out with my treestand I noticed a fresh set of tracks next to mine.  I must have still had blood on my boots from the night before.  After checking it out a little closer it seemed that he was trailing me and moved off into the brush when he heard me coming back toward him.  That was one hell of an eerie feeling!

[boneaddict]

I've killed one using hounds.  I've seen several out in the sticks but its usually for a glimpse.  I always have the tag.  I ran into one doing photography this fall, her and her two kittens.  If she would have held still for just one second, she'd been had.  I managed to almost capture one of the kittens, I counted coup on the back of its neck.  Don't ask me what I would have done if I had gotten a hold of it, I wasn't thinking that far in advance.  I'd probably be getting the staples pulled about now.  YIKES

[Branden]

I've shot four lions on the west side. I have never even seen one on the east side. I was with my buddy when he missed one that was sitting in a snag at 128 yards. I took another buddy up during a special hunt for deer, the first day we saw what I thought was a pretty good tom, by the size of the cat and the size of the tracks. The fourth day I spotted another and he shot that one, which was a female. Probably my favorite animal to hunt.

[yakimarcher]

I saw one in unit 101 back in 2002. I was hunting whitetails during ealy archery season. Sitting by a rock waiting for something to stir i saw it walk through some trees about 80 yards away. Wish I had the 30-30 that day.

[RidgeRunner_07]

I was stalked by one during turkey season up on Iron Mtn up near Chewelah a few years ago, got to look at him at 35 feet for probably 4 or 5 minutes.  Very cool.  Seen four this winter, three females and a tom, all up a tree with my dogs under it.  I have never harvested a cat yet.  

Fred,

You do much hunting on Iron any more?....I pretty much lived on that mountian in Middle school...my 8th grade year I hunted over 150 days up there. I know it like the back of my hand. Never seen any cat sign up there though. but that dont mean they wernt there. or arent there. By 2009 you  wont even be able to get into Iron Mt short of walking or bike riding. Forest service is barracading the roads off with tank traps and water bars to keep people out. Fine with me though. I walk most of the time any way. Seen a monster cow elk up there yesterday while chasing turkeys.

[boneaddict]

I like the fact they are closing it down, as long as there is still access by foot.  I've enjoyed hunting up there.  I've seen moose and elk, along with some whopper whities.

[Machias]

I was in there at the beginning of March on my snowmobile.  I did not cut any tracks other then a couple of yotes and several deer.  I have hunted up there fairly hard, nothing like you.  It's a nice area and will get only better if they close it off.  I'll just ride my mule back in there.

[bearmanric]

i killed one cougar have called in 7 no shot's at them. the one i got was a permit in 93 with dog's Humptulip area Donkey creek. it was a 9 year old female.called four with hand call's got up done calling and they would be sitting there behind me.would never get a shot. called the last three with a Foxpro last one two year's ago went through an opening just to my right deer sound's. never seen it again. i have a FX5 Foxpro now  and a 416 all remote have 72 sound's on the fx5. cant wait till aug 1st  last two year's been to much rain. if it rain's like last year i will spend a month in Arizona came close there two they like hand call's there and are very large. San Carlos apache indian Reservation. awsome calling there. Rick 

[MADMAX]

Called in and took a 7' 2"-110 lb female in Jefferson county Wa, 4 yrs or so ago, seen 2 in the road on the 1900 line in the Winston at 10 am last late elk season, awsome, have seen at least another 3 over the years.

[boneaddict]

Here is IDabooner with his "little puttie tat"

[boneaddict]

Ok so that wasn't Idabooner, but if I can encourage him to get him to tell his story, its a whoppin good one.  That can't about gave him a facelift.

[Idabooner]

Ok Boneaddict, I was snow mobiling New Years day, just running some back roads having fun when I cut this cat track, it looked fresh in two feet of snow. So I back tracked him to see what he had been up to, it appeared he was looking for a place to bed down, and a little farther back he had been in a bunch of excited deer, I surmised he had a kill and was looking for a place to sleep it off. I left that part of the woods so not to disturb him, and that night found a guy with a couple seasoned hounds. Next morning we went in as far as we could get with a chained up jeep, we had to go on foot 1/2 mile to where I had cut his track. Clyde Paul had his 2 good dogs and another guy came with a camera and a young dog. We cold trailed a ways with the dogs on leash,  then all of a sudden the dogs just went crazy, they had winded the cat, we couldn't hold them so Clyde said turn them loose, they dove across a sharp ravine, then went silent, something's wrong, then 1 dog bawled, Clyde said that's my old dog, seconds later they were crying trail. When we got to where the cat had been sleeping, it was under a big rock overhang, lots of dry dirt. It looked like the cat had heard us coming and had taken a big dump, then when the dogs started he made a big jump down hill, at least 20 feet that's what threw the dogs off but the old dog had started circling and picked up the track. We were near the river on Virginia Ridge, the cat went up hill, as you know that country is steep and mostly fir thickets, it wasn't long until you couldn't hear the dogs, we didn't try to follow the trail, just picked the easiest way and kept climbing, by noon we started to worry the dogs had lost him and gone silent but we kept going. When we got to the top of the ridge we heard the dogs a long way off, they had run over the ridge and down to Wolf Cr. where they got him to tree. As you can see he was high up, the hill is steep so I was about level with him, I was shooting a 22 mag colt frontier (legal then) the 1st shot he just flinched and snarled, I could see a bead of blood, perfect heart lung placement, 2nd shot the blood showed 2 inches from the first he was getting nervous, 3rd shot nicked his elbow and caused him to loose his balance, down he come upside down, its a long way to the ground and he hit a log across his back, that hurt him, might have broke his back as you can see in the picture. I run down to where the dog is to get another shot, the dog hit my legs and I slid into the hole with the cat, every thing went slow motion, he took a swing at me, his claws were almost touching my face, I remember thinking don't get my eyes. I shot under the chin, that stunned him a second, I was scrambling backwards to get up out of the hole, he come at me and took another swing, I shot again, that time he went down but was trying to get up. Clyde had gotten in close to try to get his attention off me so I could get out of the hole, when he went down we both leaped on top of him and was able to hold him down with my knee in his heart until he died. The light was starting to fade by then, we drug him down the Wolf Cr. trail, it was hard to keep him in the trail because the snow was so deep. By dark we had him to where I could get a snowmobile, about where the trail head is now. If any of you know the country it's a long ways around the hill and down to the river near the Lucky Jim road. My legs had almost quit working by the time we got to the jeep. Got home and had something to eat, took Bones older brother and went back with the snowmobiles and got him out before daylight.
    I was shooting hollow points which was a mistake, the hair and hide blunted them just enough to stop penetration. I have all 5 bullets, the first 2 went in about 2 inches, the 3rd tipped his elbow bone and was just under the skin. The 4th under the chin went through the skin then turned and followed under the skin to the back of his neck where it was lodged, the 5th went straight in and was lodged in a vertebra. The cat had an old wound under his arm, it was about a 1 inch hole that was healing good, the taxidermist checked it out when he skinned him, the hole went to and bruised the water bag around the cats heart, it was a clean hole, no bark or dirt, they figured it was a bucks horn,  that he had leaped onto a buck and almost lost his life. The cat weighed 145 and was lean from the wound, was 8 feet 1 inch long.

[boneaddict]

THANKS!!!!!!!!!!  Hell I have no idea how many times I have heard that story, but I was still thrilled to read it.  Now you are immortalized in print!  AWESOME read!

[jackelope]

I'm on the edge of my seat. thank you sir.
great reading material while i'm sitting here bored at work.

[Ray]

I agree. Great little story and photos.

[Rufous]

Howdy all. I am new to this forum. I have been posting on 24hourcampfire for many years. I am glad to see a forum dedicated to hunting in Washington. I live in Walla Walla and have since 1992. I am a winemaker and moved here to take a job at a winery. As to the question of this thread, yes I have killed a mountain lion- 2 in fact. I saw my first cougar in 1999 and got a shot at it but missed. It was 500 yards away but it was in season and I decided to try. I have seen a total of 8 now and got my first one in February of 2002 which enabled me to take all four of the over the counter big game animals in one year (I got my biggest bear to date in the Wenaha unit in May of 2001 and then a deer and elk during the fall of 2001 and then the cougar in Feb of 2002). That first cougar was called in by my buddy Mike. He saw it first and was the one calling so I figured he would be the shooter but he was just too excited plus he forgot his shooting sticks so was not nearly steady enough for the 310 yard shot. So I took the shot and missed (I thought it was more like 275 yards which was where my scope was zeroed and those cats are not very deep through the chest so I am sure I missed low). The cat jumped and I was able to get another shot off which took her (turned out to be a 100# 3 year old female) low in the chest through the bottom of her heart. I ate the meat (very tasty) and had a rug made which I still am thrilled with. Here is a picture of my first cougar:



My second cougar was tracked in the snow in January of 2006. I cut the tracks crossing the road and followed them over 2 ridges and through 3 canyons before I saw the cat at 440 yards. I took the shot but it just grazed it (it was quartering hard away from me) and it ran back down into the canyon bottom. I advanced and then saw it working its way back up the slope. My first shot was sitting with my bipod. My second shot at 400 yards was prone in the snow and that one took him through the chest. It was a 95# tom of 2 years old. Ate that one too. All 8 that I have seen have been in the Blue Mountains east of town. And here is a photo of my second cougar:


I look forward to getting to know you all better, Rufous.

[shag]

I love that country!

CD

[Dman]

 I've seen two. One was a huge cat we got a very good lack at crossing a logging road near Randle about 12 years ago. It had to be over 8'. It went up a 35' cliff in two running jumps, very impressive. The other I saw while hunting deer in Republic, near hwy 21. I had just kicked a doe out in front of me into a meadow. After the doe left and I walked into the meadow, I noticed something that had been laying flat on the lower branch of a pine tree push itself upright causing the branch to sway. When I made eye contact, it was off like a shot and I could see the long tail, looked to be medium sized, maybe 110lbs. I'm sure it had been watching that doe only 50 yards away.

[Antlershed]

I've never run into one while hunting, but I did run into one on the Skookumchuck about 10 years ago and all I had was my fishing pole in my hand. 

[FWilliams]

while I have seen my share of cats in a tree above hounds, there is nothing like seeing one in its element. I have tracked a few down in the snow...and seen a couple stalking prey from across a canyon.


this one sits in my office , it was just a tick under 150

[radman]

have yet to actually see the cat, but have been elk hunting in the Blues where I have been the "bird-dog" down in the thick stuff for the old guys hunting the easy walking terrain, when I have had the hair on the back of my neck standing up and not being able to find the bastage.  You know you are being stalked but can't see 'em and then you find fresh tracks in the mud and know he was close or find a fresh kill and realize you stumbled on a close call.  I'm ready though when I get the crosshairs on one.  Tag in hand, soon to be used this year in the Blues.

[WAcoueshunter]

Holy cow, that one on the desk is quite possibly the coolest mount of any animal I've ever seen!   

I've seen four.  The first two were in the Greenwater/Enumclaw area several years ago.  One was over a kill and would have been easy pickins at about 50 yards.  But no tag or desire to shoot one back then.  I then saw a pair this last January in AZ on an archery coues hunt.  They were at about 75 yards, and just saw the tails and backs moving through the grass so no shot.  But now that I'm older (and hopefully wiser) and understand what they do to our deer herds, I buy a tag every year. 

Speaking of which, any of you guys eat them?  The guy I hunted with in Canada a few weeks ago swears that they're quite good.

[PacificNWhunter]

I have only ever seen one out in the woods and it was booking it the other way. I talked to a guy at work the other day who's neighbour's horse was killed by a cat (So he thinks). I guess he heard some noise down in the field one night and the next day found his horse all scratched up and had bite marks on the neck. He lives out in the Kitsap county area so I might try and see if I can go find it.

[Intruder]

Never killed one, never seen one.  Seen tons of sign.... like tracks in mine as I was headed back to the truck. 

I've always thought that hounds were about the only way to hunt em.  Is calling really a viable way to get em?

Just predator call or sumthin else?

[boneaddict]

I would say running them down is the most viable way other than using hounds, with the third choice predator calling.  Thing about calling cats is they are VERY good about walking right up to you and you won't even know they are there.  You'll call in alot you will never have known were there.  This becomes apparant if you are claling in snow.

[Bearhunter]

I have seen three in my 27years short years of life.  Killed one, was crouched down and about to spring upon my wife when I let her have it.  9.5 year old female about 120 lbs.  ended up getting it lifesized.  Shot it over in Conconully behind Peacock Mtn.  Will Post pics when I get them on here.

[Intruder]

You'll call in alot you will never have known were there

So, in terms of sheer numbers, calling sounds like it is real effective in attracting them... just real difficult to actually harvest em?  What about 2 guys at a call setup?

Does the kind of country.... more open vs. wooded, etc.  Play a big role in hunting cats w/out dogs?

[jdb]

man ida*censored*'s story is as good as anything I have read in a long while . You spin a fine tale sir JB

[boneaddict]

I'd have to agree JB.  He's oftly fun to take on long road trips.

I don't know how to answer that intruder without it just being BS.  Biggest issue in trailing cats without hounds is endurance, and they often trick you and backtrack and you walk right by them.  One of the most experienced tracker I know says go with two guys 30 feet apart.  the back guy usually gets the shot.  As for calling, two sets of eyes would understandably be better than one set.  Anything to cut down movement.

[Intruder]

Appreciate the advice. 

[addicted]

wow rufous. sweet first pic and the mount is fricken awesome. 

i took my youth hunter friend bear hunting and he was already a lil spooked while we were hiking and he thought he heard noises so i was like well i know its not a cougar. he said "how do you know that" and i said "cuz we'd never hear it coming". he was on edge the rest of the day.
 

[Bearhunter]

Heres my cat from Conconully

[bankwalker]

ive seen maybe 9 cougars in my 22 years, 1 every year for the last 4 years.

last year while archery hunting deer i was on a hiking trail and just crossed a creek and all the sudden all the birds went silent. hmmm i thought then a deer ran past me up the trail about 40yds. so i walked quickly up to where it crossed the trail and nothing. as i turned around a cougar jumped into the trail about 30yds from me and stared me down then walked away. i about pissed myself,

the year before that less then 300yds from the above encounter while driving down the road my dad and i seen one down the road about 50yds from us. it just walked of into the brush.

BUT this year was the scariest and craziest encounter of all.

2nd week of modern firearm deer season. me and a buddie were up in colockum (colem creek canyon) driving down the raod and this HUGE tom jumps out into the road about 50ft in front of us. and just walks up the hill to our right. so jumped out loaded a round into my 7mm wsm and walked up the road and shocked to see this cat walking about 50yds from me quartering away. i took aim and squeezed off a shot at this huge cat. i was syked to see this cat jump and fall to the ground. so i walked back to the truck and reloaded my 7mm and grabbed my 44mag (cause hey 6 shots are better then the 3 my 7mm holds) lol

i was shocked to see the cat gone when i got back to the point where i shot. for about 45minutes i was up and down that hill within 80yds of where the cat stood when i shot him looking for blood. after that the tracking was not that bad. solid yet slim blood trail but never had a dout in my mind that the cat was still alive(oh man i blew the suprize lol) anyway tracking the blood trail straight up hill really sucks. i was checking every tree and bush as i made my way up the mountain lol finally i made it to the snowline and tracking was a breeze. cat tracks were as big as my hand literaly from palm to finger tips. the blood trail headed into a tight spot so i was on my hands and knees fallowing the blood with my buddie going around the trees to find blood. so after about 30 seconds of him standing there i just got up and walked over to him. and sure enough there was a nice big blood spot on a log. but what was wierd there was a cat track facing up melted completely through the snow facing right down in the direction we were at. hmm well my buddie stood there for about 20 more seconds and i finally got next to him. and we were looking at the tracks melted into the snow facing where we were at. NOT GOOD. then all the sudden this huge cat jumps up less then 5 feet from us literaly with in an arms/rifle length from us and takes off running. i got my rifle up and got a shot off by missed.

i got a great look at taht cat and could clearly see where he was hit, right in front of the right shoulder. i hit just foward of being a kill shot and i was really bumbed but really scared after that. knowing that cat was sitting there watching/stalking me and my buddie.

there was about an inch of snow on the ground and where that cat was all four tracks were melted completely through the snow, as were the tracks were he stood and watched us making our way up to him. every other track from where he walked or ran were just imprints in the snow. so that cat had to have been standing there for quite a bit watching us.

the every scarier part of this whole encounter was when i was looking for first blood i had walked within 20ft of the spot that cat had jumped up from. and there was no other tracks in the snow farther up the hill. so that cat was right there the whole time watching. licking his wound waiting for his chance to strike.

but idk why smething must not have felt right to make him not attack being that close  i feel so lucky. and my buddie who had been standing there for quite a bit longer then me. he is the luckier one in that situation.

crazy story but 100% true.

talked to a hunter later that day and he told me about a guy getting a huge cat the weekend before right over in the next canyon. said there was 2 cats togather and the guy shot the smaller one.

thats my couple cougar stories for the night. i got some more but my hands hurt from typing. and i will more then likely have a nightmare about that.

[gramps]

I was drawn for a tag for the '95..'96 season and shot a 110# female on the Tucannon river in Jan '96.  Was a great experience...as many of you know..it is not easy following dogs in several feet of snow.  The cat doubled back on it's own tracks and crossed the river trying to trick the dogs.  Long day, but successful. 
I have seen three other cougars.  Two up Hells Canyon and one by Chief Timothy Park west of Clarkston.

[Opportunist]

My hunting partner killed this cat while bowhunting in Oregon in the Starkey Experimental Forest this year.



We've called in a couple cats in Idaho but never connected.



He was a hundred pound tom per the SEF biologist.

[addicted]

nice cat. ive been drawing for starkey for a few years now. they just changed it to a rifle hunt i do believe.

[Opportunist]

They are giving out 40 archery permits for a 5 day hunt august 30-sept 3 and 25 permits rifle any bull october 29-nov 2. The rifle hunt would be fantastic but there will only 1 non-resident tag. I wouldn't spend the points for a 5 day archery hunt, especially non-rut.

[addicted]

yeah kinda got screwed on the archery thing. oh well. they're still averaging like 350 class bulls.

[Opportunist]

The top end we saw was in the 350 class. The last couple of years the success has dropped off, in 06 it was 10%. My hunting partner ended up eating his tag. The cougar was a bonus to an unsuccessful elk hunt. Saw some toad bucks!

[tmike]

I've got 10 Oregon points. Drew the Exp. forest for archery the first time they had a hunt there in 97 I believe. Are the regs out now? I'm torn on where to put in.