Well,
This year I took what most people would say is the trophy of a life time... Im afraid the hunt was fairly uneventful and the after story has been absolutely F***ing frustrating! None the less...its not that often a WA hunter gets a decent cat, especially on his 2nd season hunting the PNW...so Ill try to be positive and share the story.
I had been frustrated with the constant shots fired off in the near distance, the trucks parked at every freakin gate, and people in every corner of "my" hunting areas so I didnt have much faith that I would see anything on this particular mornings hunt...
So..I decided NOT to wear camo...
and not hit the woods an hour before sun up...
and not to worry about scent control...
and not worry that the wild apple I just picked screams with every bite...
and not to worry that the whispered conversation me and my hunting buddy were having as we walked around was more like a dull roar than a whisper
...guns comfortably slung over our shoulders
barely paying attention.
when I came around a corner...and saw what immediately struck me as a brown wild boar... I instinctively shouldered my rifle while trying to figure out what I was looking at...
my second thought was it was a rather homely looking color phase bear.....
well, once I had the animal at 40 yards and closing on me at a holly chit dead run I threw up and aimed for the chest of the cat which was charging me...
the shot touched off and in less than half a second I realized what had happened!
The cougar was at 12 yards when I shot her in the face
If I would have missed there would have been no next shot...she would have been on me and I doubt I would have even had time to have made a dumb face before she was on me...thats when Im guessing my hunting buddy might have shot the cat and me with her
I did not weigh the cat...
Im not sure how much she weighs...
I dont know what the skull will measure...and the score may be impossible since the skull was damaged by a huge damn slug going partially through it (entrance wound under her right eye).
The photos arent great...sorry about the B&W... I also went home to get my gear, packboards, and changed into camo for the photos (blue jeans were accurate but just felt wrong for photos
)
Thats the good...
I wont go into the bad because its still going on and I dont wanna make it worse by someone on here being with the WA Fish and Game but Ill give ya a hint...
Just because the reg's say you have to call them within 72 hrs of killing a cat...and ya have 5 days to get it sealed...that doesnt mean the F&G guys actually know what the F*** to do when you call...or how to get the sealing done, or how...or anything
nothing worse than trying to follow the rules and do the right thing and finding it nearly impossible...
any way
Ill stop bitching
its a pretty good cat I guess
Biggest one Ive ever killed
PS- Im already in a bad mood so keep this thread positive or Ill delete it!
Thanks for reading
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you can clearly see the entry hole under her right eye.... hint.... that aint no 30 cal
