Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Out Of State Hunting => Topic started by: Craig on December 11, 2024, 08:38:41 AM

Title: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: Craig on December 11, 2024, 08:38:41 AM: Went on a hunt of a lifetime in Utah. Chased a couple older tracks but on day four it all came together. Worked our asses off. From cutting tracks in buggies, to riding mules in, to walking the mountains trying to cut tracks in crossing points. This cat was in some nasty country. We chased him for two days. Always loosing the dogs in the cliffs. We found him the second day one canyon over with a fresh kill. Full belly and he didn’t want to run as far to the cliffs again. The north slopes had about 1-2 feet of snow and the south slopes were almost bare. He was still up at 8400 feet elevation. Hard ass hunt.
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: Craig on December 11, 2024, 08:39:20 AM: I’m 6’2” about 220. He’s a big Tom.
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: pashok23 on December 11, 2024, 08:46:33 AM: Nice cat, congrats 👍
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: boneaddict on December 11, 2024, 08:50:06 AM: This is the epitome of Lion hunting to me. Not sure if its from reading old Jack Oconnor stories, or from hanging out down in the red rock. I've just always wanted to have a lion hunt there. AWESOME
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: pianoman9701 on December 11, 2024, 08:56:34 AM: Boy, what a beauty!
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: Dan-o on December 11, 2024, 08:56:51 AM: What an epic hunt.
Bigggggg cat.
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: sjhgraysage on December 11, 2024, 08:57:18 AM: :tup:
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: HntnFsh on December 11, 2024, 09:37:01 AM: Holy Smokes!
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 11, 2024, 10:01:04 AM: Awesome Lion! Congratulations! Bucket list hunt for me for sure :tup:
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: redi on December 11, 2024, 10:16:19 AM: Congratulations
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: carpsniperg2 on December 11, 2024, 10:20:45 AM: Beautiful cat! Congrats
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: Houndhunter on December 11, 2024, 12:44:05 PM: That's a good Tom!
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: MADMAX on December 11, 2024, 12:50:09 PM: Very nice I’d like to see more of those taken in Washington what a big old pumpkin head on him
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: Taco280AI on December 11, 2024, 12:52:03 PM: Great cat! :tup:
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: lewy on December 11, 2024, 02:22:45 PM: :tup:
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: FWilliams on December 11, 2024, 02:34:22 PM: Beautiful cat. I miss those days
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: Klickitatsteelie on December 11, 2024, 02:34:57 PM: One of my top bucket list hunts for sure. Awesome cat
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: teanawayslayer on December 11, 2024, 05:51:32 PM: Congrats! That is a great Tom!!
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: actionshooter on December 12, 2024, 04:57:36 PM: That looks like such a cool hunt!
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: elkrack on December 12, 2024, 05:43:43 PM: Nice cat! Bucket list hunt :tup:
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: Gentrys on December 12, 2024, 06:59:18 PM: Congrats! That's one big cat.
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: mburrows on December 12, 2024, 08:25:19 PM: That's a stud, congrats
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: HighlandLofts on December 17, 2024, 04:23:41 PM: Thank you for taking that big cat out of the system.
Will you be doing a mount with it, he is one big Tom. Probably was almost as much as you.
Just curious what a hunt like that would run?if it's with in my means I'll like to do one.
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: Ironhead on December 17, 2024, 06:50:29 PM: He's a tank, congrats!
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: HUNTINCOUPLE on December 17, 2024, 09:35:49 PM: Dandy cat! :tup:
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: C-Money on December 18, 2024, 08:00:10 AM: Glad it came together for you! Big lion!
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: Craig on December 18, 2024, 08:50:12 AM: The hunt wasn’t cheap. Been planning and researching for a four years. Booked this two years ago with an outfitter that kills a lot of big cats. We used to, side by sides, mules, and hiked . They know the area very well . Had three rotations of dogs so we had fresh dogs every day. When you count up everything. Guide, lodging and food was on my own, a tip, plane tickets and rental car. I’m north of $10,000 on this hunt already. He’s a really big cat so I am doing a life size mount with some habitat. Philip Soucy in Montana is going to mount him. Probably one of the best cat/lion taxidermist in the country. That’s going to be $7,000 + for the mount. Was a bucket list hunt. Not sure I will do one again or get a chance at a bigger cat. So wanted to do it right this time.

Few more pics
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: time2hunt on December 18, 2024, 06:23:12 PM: Beautiful Cat I’m glad to hear your going with Phil no use spending that type of money and have so so taxidermist ruin a mount of a life time.

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Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: dvolmer on December 25, 2024, 10:35:31 PM: Wow!!! That is a Whopper!!!
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: furbearer365 on December 26, 2024, 09:48:36 AM: Did they have you on "stand by?" Reason I ask is, I was in the midst of doing a cat hunt in North Idaho, until my wife used that money to get me Montana Spring bear hunt. But talking with the guides, they recommended being on standby instead of just booking a week in advance. That way it could be timed better with snow conditions and cat movement. I was ok with stand by, just because it was Northern Idaho and could be there fairly quickly. But not sure I could just drop everything and shoot to Utah
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: HillHound on January 07, 2025, 08:22:47 AM: Awesome cat. That is great You got Soucy to do the mount. I have seen some of his at an SCI convention and they are crazy lifelike. He is definitely one of the most highly sought after cat Taxidermist's around. This is a bucket list item for me hopefully in the next 5 years
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: Nmarth88 on January 07, 2025, 12:23:26 PM: Awesome cat! I’ll be doing likewise in a couple weeks and am hoping for something of that caliber!
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: deadyote on January 08, 2025, 12:43:41 PM: Bucket list hunt for me!!! Jealous for sure....nicely done.
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: greenhead_killer on January 08, 2025, 06:43:15 PM: Congrats on a hammer of a cat! Sounds like the whole experience met all your expectations all around! Can’t wait to see the finished mount of this guy too
Title: Re: Big old Utah mountain lion.
Post by: Limhangerslayer on January 08, 2025, 09:30:02 PM: I don’t think there is anything more fun than hound hunting! Amazing cat and congrats!! I’m jealous