Post by: shootnrun on November 11, 2024, 10:33:26 PM
The next morning was cold and windy. We started off to another glassing point and about a half mile into the walk I hear Scott whistle quietly. As I turn to look at him I notice a deer below looking up at us. Whip up the binos and its a nice 4pt. I dump pack and get set up, waiting and hoping Scott will get a shot. As I get the cross hairs up the buck turns and bounds off. Waiting for the 300 yard look back, a move that has been the end of many bucks I filled tags on, he makes the corner and around the ridge. Apparently the few deer left have evolved without the "look back" gene. We slipped up the hill hoping to catch him in a saddle at the top but no luck. We eventually moved on, as the wind was cold and if we crossed the ridge we'd be shielded.
Crossing the ridge was like a light switch. Wind was turned off. I started glassing some rock faces and brush bottoms and noted an out of place rounded looking brown spot with white on one end below a cliff face. My heart skipped. I turned to Scott and asked him to look at something for me. I walked him in and he turned and looked at me, "is that a cat?" I set up the spotter and laying up against a cliff is a lion, looking right at us 500 yards off. I spotted a roll in the hill that'd put me about 400 yards away. (Sidebar, I've shot 5.5" groups consistently out to 800 with this rifle). Scott stays on the spotter and I "sneak" as much as a 6'4 dude wearing blaze orange in grass that's 10" tall can. I set my pack down and get the rifle situated. Pull up my binos and the cat is gone... I turn to Scott and he's giving me some hand signals I thoroughly do not understand. It appears to be "away and up." At this point I'm getting a bit frantic. Glassing sporadically, I spot a cat in the rocks about 750 yards out. I can't find the cat in my scope to save my life. To make matters worse, I realize the dope in my phone isn't for the gun I brought.. Full panic has now set in. I find the cat again in my binos, no luck in the scope. Scott's un-interpetable hand signals continue, so I decide to yell, "where is it!?!" He says, "theres two, they've only gone about 50 yards," and then begins yelling landmarks. I yell back "just come down here!" He arrives and quickly walks me into the pair, they are certainly aware of the commotion and are walking steadily across a ledge between 2 cliff faces, then stop and sit, looking down over the edge. I range a rock ahead of them, 600 yards. Perfect, I have a screenshot of this rifles dope out to 600 and can get dialed in. Get re-situated, find the rock, look below at the ledge and am fairly stable. Just then, the cat walks into the crosshairs and I let her rip. My rifle is suppressed and Scott sees the cat jump and hears a scream. I hear the desired "thwap" of the bullet hitting the cat. It's launched off the cliff directly away and out of sight.
We decided on a straight in and overwatch approach, in the event the cat squeaks out or the other, slightly smaller mate
that was with it decides to stick around and see what I taste like. I got to the cliff above the last spot I saw the cat and note red in the grass heading into the draw below. Scanning with my binos I am able to make out what appears to be a cat and see the tail flick. Closer observation I am able to find it's head, which is down, but still occasional tail flicks. I elected to put one more in the neck to ensure I didn't get unnecessary scratches.
I was elated. The 3 I saw in the canyon makes 7 total in my life, but this is the first I have seen during season while actually hunting. The rest have been during bear or crossing paved roads. I estimate this male to be ~110-120#s. The one with it was either brother/sister or maybe a mate? And the 3rd, no idea, lost track of it in my frenzy. Scott didn't have a cat tag to make another play. We got a few pictures, broke it down, and headed back to camp. Was an awesome adventure. We called it quits late the next morning and made the trek back to the truck to get the cat info called in and the hide and meat on ice.
Post by: storyteller on November 11, 2024, 10:47:30 PM
Post by: MADMAX on November 12, 2024, 06:33:27 AM
sweet
Post by: goosehunter12 on November 12, 2024, 06:58:06 AM
Post by: bigdub257 on November 12, 2024, 07:33:05 AM
Post by: bearhunter99 on November 12, 2024, 07:38:52 AM
Post by: Taco280AI on November 12, 2024, 07:41:50 AM
Post by: Sandberm on November 12, 2024, 08:20:38 AM
Post by: pashok23 on November 12, 2024, 08:21:09 AM
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on November 12, 2024, 08:23:35 AM
Post by: scotsman on November 12, 2024, 10:35:59 AM
Post by: rainshadow1 on November 12, 2024, 10:46:53 AM
Post by: Machias on November 12, 2024, 11:22:38 AM
Post by: shootnrun on November 12, 2024, 02:10:33 PM
Thanks for the write up and congrats. The cat’s rock / drygrass coloration must have made it virtually invisible at 600 yards!
They were insanely difficult to pick out. The fact that I wasn't certain it was a cat at 500 yards with quality 10x binos was surprising to me. And the one in the rocks/grass that slipped away was virtually impossible to see if it wasn't on the walk. If I didn't have Scott with me spotting and walking me in I don't know that it would have come together.
Also, idk why the Pic that was taken upright is sideways, amd the sideways photo uploaded upright.. I'm not old, but idk how to edit the photo angle via HWs options
Post by: hunter399 on November 12, 2024, 02:49:01 PM
Post by: Pudelguy on November 14, 2024, 11:13:21 PM
Post by: birdshooter1189 on November 15, 2024, 07:08:20 AM
Post by: shootnrun on November 15, 2024, 11:54:54 AM
Awesome! Congrats, I would love to get a chance like that. Been hunting my whole life and have yet to see a lion. It still boggles my mind that anyone who deer and elk hunts won’t or doesn’t buy a lion tag.
I've bought a DEBC combo for 20+ years now. The cat tag is just a lotto ticket. But I cant imagine finally actually seeing one and being forced to let it walk.
Post by: rainshadow1 on November 18, 2024, 12:47:11 PM
NC8 on the Story Page 2
https://rain-shadow.com/cougar-calling-stories-2
Post by: LDennis24 on November 18, 2024, 01:01:40 PM