Rainier10's hunt for a cougar

[Rainier10]

Yes doing a full body mount.

Butchered the cat on Monday but haven't had any yet.  I will probably have some next week.  We like it in kind of a stir fry.  Cougar meat cut into small chunks in a fry pan with green peppers, sliced mushrooms and soy sauce.  We then put that over white rice.  It's really good.  It's been over 20 years since my wife got a cougar so we have been using chicken in the recipe since then.

Next week I will really work on getting the video uploaded to youtube or something so you guys can see that.

Having the whole thing on video and of course the photo of Kenny and I with the cat are what really make the hunt for me.  Brian did an awesome job of documenting the hunt.  His video and staging of the photo bring out the very best of the hunt.

[bearpaw]

I will say for a guy that is on a guided cougar hunt, if all things go perfect, it really isn't that tough.

We were handicapped by weather, one of the big things that a guide just can't control.

Once the dogs were on the track, they quickly treed the cat.  Then it was all on me.  Getting up that hill to the dogs was no easy task, snow was deep, snow shoes are really tough to run or climb a hill in.  I am not sure the photos I took can really depict how steep it is there.  I hunt Swakane every year in the late season for deer and went with Jackelope on his goat hunt.  Both really steep areas.  Idaho is just as steep if not steeper.  So after this brutal dash to the dogs you have to gain your composure and catch your breath.  At this point there are 5 dogs barking like there is no tomorrow, it's total chaos and now there are two people at the tree, the guide and I.  The cat is getting really nervous, you are physically drained and now you have to make a steep uphill shot.  I did it with a bow, totally un natural the angle of the shot, standing on steep terrain and shooting through a small window of limbs.  I think a gun might be a little easier as you don't have to worry about the rise and fall of the bullet but the angle of the shot and the footing you are standing on would still be very problematic.

Bottom line when it all goes right, it is still total chaos and really tough to accomplish.  When conditions are tough it makes it all that much tougher.

Dale and his crew worked their butts off to get us on a cat and in a position that I could take a cat.  Luckily I was able to get to the cat and make what I would consider a pretty difficult shot.  It was really nerve wracking being out of breath, dogs barking and knowing that I had one shot to make it count.

I am still working on getting the video uploaded onto a platform that I can provide a link to.  When I do I will be sure to post it here.  The video really shows how tired I was and the chaos that was around me for the shot.

You guys put in more time cougar hunting than most hunters we've had in quite a few years, you also walked more miles in rough terrain with young lean fit guides than almost any other cougar hunter we've had. It would not have been near as meaningful for you if we went out the first day, had an easy chase, short easy walk, and poof cougar down. You got to see the full cougar hunting experience, all the lows and the highs! In the end you had a hunt with memories for life. We enjoyed hunting with you and appreciated your willingness to do whatever it took to have a great hunt! Thanks! 

[Rainier10]

Finding a cat on day one and shooting it would have been nice but I agree we got so much more out of this hunt with the way it went down.

We got to learn a ton about cougars and cougar hunting.  We learned a ton about wolves, moose, deer, elk, bears, turkeys and even otters in the area.  Learned a ton about Bearpaw outfitters and their operations in multiple states.

With the extra time we had in camp we were able to talk alot about wildlife management and plans for my property in eastern washington based on lessons learned from Dales efforts on his own property.

Another nice thing was because we did have some good hunting experience and were willing to do anything the guides were really willing to share information on what they were looking for and how it all worked.  By the end of the hunt I really felt confident in my ability to spot tracks, know what they were and form an opinion on what the cat was likely doing.  I think had we been "show me a cougar in a tree so I can shoot it" guys the exchange of information would have been limited.  We were curious about everything they did and they shared information very freely.

I think because of this hunt we have a ton of useful information to use here in Washington state for boot hunting cougars.

I am firm believer in everything happening for a reason.  A quick short hunt would have been nice but I think we got so much more out of the longer hunt.  A quick easy hunt just wasn't in the cards for us.

All of the effort by us and the guides does make it that much sweeter.

[jackelope]

I will say for a guy that is on a guided cougar hunt, if all things go perfect, it really isn't that tough.

We were handicapped by weather, one of the big things that a guide just can't control.

Once the dogs were on the track, they quickly treed the cat.  Then it was all on me.  Getting up that hill to the dogs was no easy task, snow was deep, snow shoes are really tough to run or climb a hill in.  I am not sure the photos I took can really depict how steep it is there.  I hunt Swakane every year in the late season for deer and went with Jackelope on his goat hunt.  Both really steep areas.  Idaho is just as steep if not steeper.  So after this brutal dash to the dogs you have to gain your composure and catch your breath.  At this point there are 5 dogs barking like there is no tomorrow, it's total chaos and now there are two people at the tree, the guide and I.  The cat is getting really nervous, you are physically drained and now you have to make a steep uphill shot.  I did it with a bow, totally un natural the angle of the shot, standing on steep terrain and shooting through a small window of limbs.  I think a gun might be a little easier as you don't have to worry about the rise and fall of the bullet but the angle of the shot and the footing you are standing on would still be very problematic.

Bottom line when it all goes right, it is still total chaos and really tough to accomplish.  When conditions are tough it makes it all that much tougher.

Dale and his crew worked their butts off to get us on a cat and in a position that I could take a cat.  Luckily I was able to get to the cat and make what I would consider a pretty difficult shot.  It was really nerve wracking being out of breath, dogs barking and knowing that I had one shot to make it count.

I am still working on getting the video uploaded onto a platform that I can provide a link to.  When I do I will be sure to post it here.  The video really shows how tired I was and the chaos that was around me for the shot.

You guys put in more time cougar hunting than most hunters we've had in quite a few years, you also walked more miles in rough terrain with young lean fit guides than almost any other cougar hunter we've had. It would not have been near as meaningful for you if we went out the first day, had an easy chase, short easy walk, and poof cougar down. You got to see the full cougar hunting experience, all the lows and the highs! In the end you had a hunt with memories for life. We enjoyed hunting with you and appreciated your willingness to do whatever it took to have a great hunt! Thanks! 

He got really good training and a workout before his hunt with you hiking and hunting with a young and really fit and lean hard core mountain goat hunter. That's why he was able to do that.

[Rainier10]

 

Between my early season elk hunt, goat hunt with Jackelope, and late archery at Swakane I was in pretty good shape for this hunt.

I would suggest that anyone thinking about doing a cougar hunt really get in shape for it.  We did some long hikes on this hunt but I don't think that is the norm.  I would be more prepared for a 300 yard to 1/2 mile dash straight up a steep hill.  You might not need to be ready for that, you might get lucky and have a cat tree not far above or at your same elevation and be locked in the tree and not need to do the fast dash to the cat.  But if you do need to do it and aren't prepared it would suck to not be able to get there in time.

I think I was in optimum shape for it and I still struggled or at least felt like I struggled.

Prepare for the worst and hope for the best.

[jkthomps]

Nice work, Rick! 2018 Cougar in the books! Big kitty!


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[Rainier10]

Thanks.

So I mentioned this on the bearpaw fall hunting thread but thought I would put it here as well.  These guys were awesome at spotting cat tracks.  There were deer, elk, moose and wolf tracks everywhere and these guys would throw out the anchor and stop to look at one set and say it was tom or a female cougar.  We drive a little farther come around a corner and there would be tracks everywhere and they wouldn't stop.  I asked why and they said no cougar tracks.

After much discussion about the different tracks I could pick out the difference in deer, elk, wolf, moose, coyote, bobcat, rabbit and cougar pretty regularly while driving down the road.  Each of them look just a little different and at times all of them can look like a cougar track.  It was really interesting to learn the differences.

Then we also learned the differences between male and female cat tracks.  And with so many cougars they actually explained the difference between cats.  They would measure the gate of the cat, distance between prints.  Some cats would step into their front track with their back foot and some would have a space.  Some would drag their toe a little and some would not.  These slight differences would tell you if you were looking at the same cat track or a different cat.

Again lots of tracks to examine and learn the difference.

[Rainier10]

Do you ever get the feeling your fighting the universe?

[jkthomps]

Do you ever get the feeling your fighting the universe?

What’s up?



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[Rainier10]

Dale said hunting looks good for tomorrow in south Idaho. It’s a long drive but we are headed that way to try to fill Toby and Kenny’s tags. Pass is still closed. Hoping it opens at 8 like they say.

[grundy53]

Awesome hunt and great cat!

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[quadrafire]

Cool
Story and hunt. Thanks for sharing

[Rainier10]

Wsdot says pass is open. Just waiting in line to move

[quadrafire]

Safe travels!!!

[Rainier10]

We are rolling slow but moving