anyone calling lions? let's see your stand

[KFhunter]

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[KFhunter]

I actually called one in on this stand.  I gave it a solid hour then wrapped it up as it was getting dark quick and my ride was a good ways away through knee deep snow.   I did a circle (often do to see if I missed one) and on the other side of the draw I had one chirping pretty steady.  Had I gave this stand 15-20 more minutes I think it would have come in.


You hear a fawn call in this vid just to wake up anything in the valley, it was when I first sat down and hit the play button. 
After playing fawn distress for a while I switched to a whistle. RS Whistle

After the vid I was still as a rock for 60 minutes according to the tx500 remote.

[CAMPMEAT]

Follow up video with a Bobcat shot ? That sounded good. Was that up near your place ?

[KFhunter]

hoping to follow up with something a little bigger 

This was a lion stand.

[rainshadow1]

Wish I lived over there.....

I've had whistles come pretty steady when I'm 99.9% sure I was busted, like a coyote's warning barks.

Dang. Keep after 'em!

[Houndhunter]

The hounds called this young tom in a few weeks ago

[KFhunter]

rub it in 

[mulehunter]

For anyone make sure you find Cougar fresh trax first not old track.  Sometime old track could be 7-15 or more miles away sometime Cat stay inside 2 miles radius who knows It depends how trax look like and if u know how long ago the snow stop to know how fresh it is then set call in.  Cougar doesn't run to the caller that quick. They hide / sneak very good for hours and it would surprise u when it get closer that u didnt see.
If you feel like u can run/walk after cat trax it has to be very hot trax.
Hope u get one soon. 

[claytonj20]

This is a great Idea for a thread. I am in South Dakota hunting lions in the black hills now but I am a Washington native, 22 years in the Army. Currently stationed in South Dakota, working in the University of South Dakota ROTC department.

Now, I am a rookie lion hunter but have been calling predators for a few years. I agree with Mulehunter that you need to find fresh tracks. I don't have any pictures of the stands I have made in the hills for lions but I will take some when I go hunting this weekend.

I guess my overall question for KFhunter or anyone else, in the video the stand seems a lot more "open" than I would expect. Is that maybe the reason the lion didn't come all the way to the call? If you were more in the periphery would that have made that cat feel comfortable enough to come all the way to the call?

[KFhunter]

I was planning on shooting it at the edges,  but the area in question has a lot of breaks and benches you couldn't really see in the vid.   Also below me in the vid is a jack in the box doing it's thing.


My logic was catching the cat sneaking in on a bench zoned into that decoy waggling around below,  then I switched to Cougar vocals after playing the fawn distress.

It was a shot in the dark,  I wasn't cutting any tracks that day as it was snowing good all day long.  I was just above a deer holding area.

Another thing you can't see is behind me is a major geographical obstruction and this valley has three drainages leading right into it.


I'll hit it again

[claytonj20]

Good luck when you hit it again, and congrats on calling a lion close on a cold stand.

I had a lion whistle within 100 yards of me 2 weeks ago without me even calling. I called a bit after the whistle but it didn't come to the call. The next morning( fresh snow) there were 3 fresh tracks coming straight out of where that whistle came from. I am guessing it was a female rounding up her babies when she realized I was headed into the canyon.

You use your decoy every time? I have had great luck with a decoy for bobcats but everything I can find says to not use them for lions as they will hang up and you wont see them. I am very torn on this because a lot of folks will say... a cat is a cat is a cat, which I agree with.

I have several areas that hold deer, and I have found several fresh tracks but honestly the first 4 sets I was worried they were bobcats based on the size (learned a hard lesson on lion tracks), then I found the 3 sets together which I left alone.

I think as far as the set up. I dont like it to be so thick I can't see, but thick enough to keep them somewhat comfortable. I have had 1 answer the call but none called in as far as I know yet.

[KFhunter]

Oh ya, I almost forgot my manners!

Welcome to HW claytonj20,  hope you hang around a while.

[claytonj20]

KFHunter, thanks!

[jasnt]

This thread is a great idea. I think lion calling is going to become a lot more popular with how many cougars are around. My cougar this year called me in but im hooked!  It was an adrenalin flood I may never have again but I think calling them in to me may come close.  I too would loose the decoy. And put your call in or on some brush. Curiosity killed the cat. If he can't see what's making the sound and can not check it out from a distance than it must get closer.  I'd put the call in a patch of brush so that you can see down in to it and around it but anything approaching can not see in to the brush from the outside edges.  Only decoy I was planning on trying would be a doe decoy on its side or set up in the brush. Im no expert.  A cat is a cat is a cat but it's also a very cautious predator

[MADMAX]

It is indeed an adrenelain rush !
I will never forget seeing that cats head peer over a blowdown 50yds out in the timber Hood canal area.
I put my peep on that little pink nose and dropped her like sack of sh*t.
7' 2" female 135 lbs