Cougar tag holders, do you hunt or are you hunted?

[DoubleJ]

My wife wanted to know how many of you go out into the woods to find the cats and howmany of you feel like you placed a shot on a cat after you were being stalked by it?

[Bofire]

  been calling them or trying for many years. but for the life of me I cannot figure out your sentence.

"howmany of you feel like you placed a shot on a cat after you were being stalked by it"

??
Carl

[BlackRidge]

I havent bagged one yet, but I know they'l be watching/following me before I'm aware of them

dangerous pussies

[carpsniperg2]

i know on a few stands, we have had the cats come in and not even know they were there and did not see them. but saw the new tracks over ours but yes if you are calling and doing it right they should be stalking in on you thinking that you and the noise you are making = food

[DoubleJ]

been calling them or trying for many years. but for the life of me I cannot figure out your sentence.

"howmany of you feel like you placed a shot on a cat after you were being stalked by it"

??
Carl

Sorry.  I was wondering, how many people felt like they only got a shot at a cat after the cat had been stalking them.  I've heard stories of the hair on ones neck standing on end and as they turned around, 20ft behind them was a cougar stalking them.

[Ray]

I'm not hunting and I am not hunted. I am just hoping for a little luck is all.

I felt your question was discernable and I have not been in that situation. My encounters have all consisted of a cat which was already aware of me long before I was of it.

[rainshadow1]

I've actually never seen one by accident. Kinda wish I could someday.

I've called into the teens of Mt Lion now, and killed 2, should have been 3. (Going hard for 3 as soon as I can use things that go "bang!" My bow shooin' isn't what it once was, or should be, to call them to the pointed stick this year. Maybe next, I'll keep practicing, I'm bad rusty.)

I don't know that I've ever been stalked. It's possible, almost likely.

People need to understand that while their stealth and sneak is unrivaled, and their potential to do damage is absolutely mind blowing... they just don't typically have those "attitude issues" that a brown Bear, Black Bear, or even a Bobcat might have. They'd just MUCH rather never be seen in the first place.

I honestly don't believe they're to be feared. Potential to do damage, heck yeah. But not enough attitude to fear.

[Coasthunterjay]

Well i do alot of bear hunting...Last few years ive spotted typically anywhere from 7 to 27 bears in a hunting season. And it never fails that every time i go out bear hunting we either get stalked by a cougar or spook one. Shoot me and my brother set up camp one year about 2 miles down the rd from where we hunt bears and it never fails that night we get stalked out(you can hear it running through the trees behind us back and forth trying to get different view angles at us...one sec it be infront of us, the next behind...the next the otherside of the road...FREAKY!) But we get back to camp after already being freaked out, make a fire, eat dinner, clean up camp and head to bed, and it never failed...I think that cat followed us back to camp, because both me and my brother this time got woke up and he was sniffing our tent and walking around us..It was a cat for sure...And so i hit the jeep alarm button and its shadow highlighted the tent as it jumped off nice and quietly into the darkness....No noise but breathing sounds on the tent...Right at my head..just about made my brother crap himself.....

Needless to say we quickly got into the jeep and slept there for the next two nights...Do i know his intentions..NO! But he was huge, scary..stalked us for over 2 miles and basically if i see hime in the future hes gonna die!

Granted these are probably not very likely situations seeing that im in an already scary place deep inside the deepest hell hole ever...looking for monsters already.

But i also hunt WT on the east side and i have shoot 1 and shot at another but couldnt find it after following blood for 100 plus yards there.
But i have gone on some big hunts where ive seen em cross wheat fields, or cut across little valleys trying to be all sleak and what not. But typically as steve mentioned(rainshadow), they arent ever coming after you as a hunter or person..they almost act as if they dont want to be seen by anything...


I dont know if ide fear them, but being cautious or educated of what they are and what they can do..deffinently!

[Bofire]

I have seen 5 cougars in my life in the wilds. I mean "for sure" sights. I have seen "things" color, movement, that might have been. Once I fired 3 shots at a cougar, at stupid range, that I would never try now.( like 800 yards) stupid.
I have crossed tracks on the way out that were not there on the way in, but I do not think I was "stalked".
Carl

[woodman]

I have seen a handfull of for sure sightings and shot one that came to me. It was about 30' from me and weighed 210 pounds. Never have intentionally went after them, just incidental while deer hunting or hiking pre-season.

[7mag.]

I have never gone looking for them. I have been stalked once that I know of. Kind of spooky. I also rattled one in once while rattling for blacktails during the rut. He snuck up behind us. My hunting partner felt odd about something and turned around. The cat took off. They are cool animals, I hope to shoot one one day. I see one almost every year, but never long enough for a shot.

[mazama]

One cat is working the deer in a area i hunt,this season going to take canned salmon and spread it around and wait,cat lives in brush pile below PCT trail.

[jaymark6655]

Only have the tag, because it is tied to bear tag   Should not have to purchase a coug tag just because I want to hunt bear.  Have never even seen a coug or tracks out in the woods.  If I had to shoot one, I wouldn't even know what to do with it.  Do you eat it or just turn it into a rug?

[runamuk]

Only have the tag, because it is tied to bear tag   Should not have to purchase a coug tag just because I want to hunt bear.  Have never even seen a coug or tracks out in the woods.  If I had to shoot one, I wouldn't even know what to do with it.  Do you eat it or just turn it into a rug?

I am pretty much the same bought the tag so i could hunt bear...cougar is good eating tastes like pork in many ways cook it like pork for safety sake.  I seem to have tags to simply take up space in my wallet lately I am not hunting a darn thing