I called in a Cougar.....And was Busted

[gramps]

Disappointing as it was, I am trying to look at it as a teachable moment....for me and maybe others too.
I have hunted cougars off and on for over 20 years and have been fortunate to see 15 in the wild.  It is always exciting, but at my age I don't always remember that I have made this mistake before....and I think that is what happened.

A few weeks ago I went to a place that I have hunted before looking for tracks as there was a new skiff of snow.  A friend and a buddy had been up to this area a couple days before and followed some cougar tracks to an Elk kill.  I did not find any tracks on this trip, but went back a few days later and found tracks along the main road.  It looked like 2 or 3 sets of tracks.  About 1/2 mile from the main road on a closed off old logging road I found where 3 cougars had bedded down for awhile.  It had been foggy and below freezing for a week or more and everything was covered with frozen frost....except for the tracks and the beds.....they looked very fresh.  This was a really poor place to try to call because of very limited visibility, but I tried it anyway.  All I could think of was 6 eyeballs watching my every move.  I gave up after about 40 minutes when I got cold.

I went back a couple days later with a plan to walk in from a different direction and call near an area where the property owner had cleared some small trees and brush leaving just the bigger trees.  This would provide good visibility.  About 20 feet from the pickup, I noticed fresh tracks and where a cougar had urinated on a small...12" or so..tree.  It was bright yellow on the snow.  On my way in I went right past where I called in and harvested a large male cougar in Feb. '10 or 2011.  The story is in this forum and I think the title was something like 'blues cougar down'.  With the fresh sign and the old spot nearby, I was feeling like today was gonna be a good day.

[gramps]

Whoa.......did not mean to post that just yet.
I found my spot and set up.  I set the caller about 30 yards out from where I was gonna sit and waited for about 15 minutes and started to call with a deer in distress, a female cougar sound and some magpies.  I sometimes count the sounds as they play from the caller.  This was the first time I had used a female cougar sound and I was counting the sounds and on the next loop there was an extra sound.  This is where I may have made my first mistake or two.
I was sitting against a tree trying to just look without turning my head much at all.  At about the 30 minute mark suddenly there is a cougar sitting down at the edge of the brush looking at me.  It came out at the worst possible place.....directly in front of me with the caller and the source of the sound in a direct line and between the cat and me.
AS was the case the last time, my heart rate jumped and I realized I was not positioned to shoot.  I usually call sitting down on the ground with my knees up and my rifle on my knees.  Not so this time.....my legs were out flat.  I managed to raise one leg and was going to move the other one and the rifle at the same time when the cat decided to move on.
I also did not have on my face netting.  This and the movement may have been my undoing.  It was about 65 yards from my location to the cat.  I think the beds I saw were a female and two nearly adult offspring based on the tracks.  None of the tracks were very big.
So when I got back to the rig, I was gonna take a picture of the urine in the snow and it was all frosted over and was barely visible.  The temp that morning had been 10 above.  The bright yellow I saw that morning could have been 10 minutes to and hour old.....not much more.

[Maverick]

Wow exciting hunt. Wish you could have gotten the cat. I've been thinking more and more about trying to call a cougar or bob cat in. Something different than coyotes and fox!

[claytonj20]

Great story, even if it did not end in your favor. Lessons learned can be painful! Congrats on another call in though!

[PlateauNDN]

  still an awesome hunt and learning experience. (Was I the only one thinking this had a double meaning?  )

[gramps]

Maverick....have called in bobcats also and it is fun to watch them come in to the call.  I think all cats are very cautious and approach slowly.  I also think they hunt with there eyes more than other senses.

PLAT...what can I say....the whiskey doesn't work anymore.

I meant to add that  on two other occasions when I got cold and stopped calling and walked around the area, I found tracks where a cougar had sat down and then left and I never saw them.  Busted and didn't know it...lol
This last one was the first time I have seen the cat.....and this time for only about a minute.

[MisplacedAlaskan]

Can you post the link to the story about the one you hit in the blues? Your story is inspiring me, I need to get out there this winter and try and get one.

[MisplacedAlaskan]

Found it.

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,45111.msg545326.html#msg545326

[rainshadow1]

Another great encounter, Gramps!

You're still the man!

Can I use the story on my website?!?!?

[MisplacedAlaskan]

Gramps, do you have pics of the Tom you got in 2010 you could post again?

What is the big deal with getting a cat sealed? I had to get bears and wolves sealed when I lived in AK and it was never a big deal, just take the hide and skull in and they seal it. Why is it difficult to get done here?

[rainshadow1]

It's often hard to connect with wardens here. Calling district and asking for a callback is an almost guaranteed failure.

I've found it best to call the local state patrol office and ask them to talk to a warden.

[gramps]

Steve....sure go for it.

I will have to get the pictures from another computer and see if I can repost.

I meant to say the cats hunt with their eyes....not there eyes.
Re: sealing the hide....in this area, it is now handled by the biologists....trapped hides also

[gramps]

Maverick....your inbox is full

[JJB11B]

Gramps, do you just bring it to the office acrossed from the Pen?

[gramps]

Yes.  but there is not someone there all the time.  I have a couple phone numbers, but not the biologist.