ever killed a lion??

[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.