Cougar down

[Gringo31]

 

[DOUBLELUNG]

That's fantastic!  What a rush!

[nitroelk]

awesome

[yote]

Very cool!

[bearpaw]

Thanks all. So after a plate of cougar backstrap if some didn't tell me i would swear it was a pork chop.

cat chops are definitely just like pork 

(always cook cougar or bear well to avoid trichinosis)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trichinosis

- All meat (including pork) can be safely prepared by cooking to an internal temperature of 165 °F (74 °C) or higher for 15 seconds or more.
 - Wild game: Wild game meat must be cooked thoroughly (see meat preparation above) Freezing wild game does not kill all trichinosis larval worms. This is because the worm species that typically infests wild game can resist freezing.

Unsafe and unreliable methods of cooking meat include the use of microwave ovens, curing, drying, and smoking, as these methods are difficult to standardize and control.[13]

[Machias]

Congrats on a beautiful animal and some of the best eating out there!!!

[W_Ellison2011]

Nice! Would have maybe followed that trail with a handgun! Yeesh!

There is a reason I pack a .44 mag around while hunting lol! 240 gr hollow points will do a job on just about anything!

[Skyvalhunter]

Congrats looks like a younger cougar

[bearpaw]

Congrats looks like a younger cougar

That cat has some age, look at how the teeth are yellowing, there is tooth drop, and the incisors are worn off.
If it was a young cat the teeth would be white, no tooth drop, and the incisors wouldn't be worn off.

[Rainier10]

Congrats looks like a younger cougar

That cat has some age, look at how the teeth are yellowing, there is tooth drop, and the incisors are worn off.
If it was a young cat the teeth would be white, no tooth drop, and the incisors wouldn't be worn off.

The OP said it was female and they are generally smaller than the males.  A young male will outweigh an old female.  Also, photos can be deceptive.  It really depends on how you position the cat and what angle you take the photo from.  That alone can make a small cat look big and a big cat look small.

Take a look at the photos of the cats from my cougar hunt.  The first cat is a younger male and the second cat is a really old female that had just eaten a deer so she had a full belly.

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,221804.50.html

[bearpaw]

Congrats looks like a younger cougar

That cat has some age, look at how the teeth are yellowing, there is tooth drop, and the incisors are worn off.
If it was a young cat the teeth would be white, no tooth drop, and the incisors wouldn't be worn off.

Skyvalhunter I wasn't trying to be argumentative, I just wanted to be informative. 

[Duckslayer89]

Congrats looks like a younger cougar

That cat has some age, look at how the teeth are yellowing, there is tooth drop, and the incisors are worn off.
If it was a young cat the teeth would be white, no tooth drop, and the incisors wouldn't be worn off.

Skyvalhunter I wasn't trying to be argumentative, I just wanted to be informative. 

I would have bet it was young but I don’t know anything about cougars, good info! 

[Rainier10]

Congrats looks like a younger cougar

That cat has some age, look at how the teeth are yellowing, there is tooth drop, and the incisors are worn off.
If it was a young cat the teeth would be white, no tooth drop, and the incisors wouldn't be worn off.

Skyvalhunter I wasn't trying to be argumentative, I just wanted to be informative. 

I would have bet it was young but I don’t know anything about cougars, good info! 

Dale is an absolute wealth of knowledge when it comes to cougars.  Spending time with him hunting and in camp each day was awesome.  He answered every question I had.  I am sure it got old for him but he just kept answering.  Many times his questions prompted more questions.

He and his staff could tell the sex of the cat from the pad prints in the snow, the size of the cat from the depression in the snow, by the distance between steps and if they drug their feet.

I am not a cat expert but man I have a ton more understanding of cats and how to read their footprints than I did before.

[lokidog]

Thanks all. So after a plate of cougar backstrap if some didn't tell me i would swear it was a pork chop.

That's what I've always told people when they ask.  I was lucky enough to have a carcass given to me many years ago, would love another.  Congratulations!

[SideHillBill]

I have learned quit a bit from this experience. I just got the skull back from Eric Shelby who is doing the rug or mount. Not sure what to do actually. The field officer said he believed it to be a sub adult but it had no spotting on inter legs to support that notion. Anyway I will get a picture of the scull up here for you biology majors. Thanks again