Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Other Big Game => Topic started by: winston2789 on December 06, 2010, 08:14:07 AM

Title: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: winston2789 on December 06, 2010, 08:14:07 AM: I was fortunate enough to pull a tag this year and went out with Dale's son Brian with Bearpaw outfitters. Got my cat on Sat. :rockin: , I'm at work now but story and pics and maybe some video when I get home from work.....
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: BlackRidge on December 06, 2010, 08:23:50 AM: Sweet! Congrats, looking forwards to the pics!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: bucklucky on December 06, 2010, 08:24:16 AM: Congrats Winston!! Cant wait to see some pics!! What are you going to do with it , mount, rug?
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: mulehunter on December 06, 2010, 09:42:16 AM: :IBCOOL: soo cool. Very happy for u. Can't wait see pics.

Mulehunter. :drool:
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: HUNT on December 06, 2010, 09:43:10 AM: Congrats on the cat!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: PacificNWhunter on December 06, 2010, 09:45:42 AM: Congrats!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: Machias on December 06, 2010, 10:10:32 AM: :) :) :) :) :)
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: winston2789 on December 06, 2010, 10:19:05 AM: Quote from: bucklucky on December 06, 2010, 08:24:16 AM
Congrats Winston!! Cant wait to see some pics!! What are you going to do with it , mount, rug?

Going with a mount
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: bucklucky on December 06, 2010, 10:25:55 AM: Lifesize??
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: whacker1 on December 06, 2010, 10:27:27 AM: very cool - looking forward to pics
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: winston2789 on December 06, 2010, 10:31:14 AM: Quote from: bucklucky on December 06, 2010, 10:25:55 AM
Lifesize??

Oh yah gotta go lifesize, Just not into the rugs that much. I really like cats slightly walking down a rock or branch.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: 724wd on December 06, 2010, 01:00:41 PM: make DAMN sure your taxi is good with cats! it doesn't take but a millimeter to ruin a cat mount!

the taxidermy forum on accuratereloading dot com has some fantastic taxi's on it with photos of their work. do your research!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: BLKBEARKLR on December 06, 2010, 01:21:15 PM: Winston sounds like you set the bar high from talking with you, hopefully will be able to take one as nice when I get over there with Dale.

Joe
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: ser300wsm on December 06, 2010, 01:28:05 PM: Congrats to you...
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: winston2789 on December 06, 2010, 04:47:49 PM: This was a dream come true hunt!!! I wasn't sure if I was even going to be able to hunt as I knew of a few females that had been taken by boot hunters and there was a total of 7 females for the quota to be hit. I got a call two nights before the hunt would start by a gamie and he said the season was closed but they were going to extend the season for toms only. This was great news!!! They put the quota at 11 toms. I left Tues. morning to head east and meet up with Brian from Bearpaw Outfitters. What should have taken 6 hours to get there ended up being 10 because of the snow and road conditions. When I finally made it there I met up with Brian at 8:30 pm and he said get some sleep we are leaving at 11 to go look for tracks. I thought he was kidding :bash: . After getting about an hour of sleep we headed out for the first day of the hunt. The conditions were perfect but we didn't come across any cat tracks just lots of deer,moose, and other game. The next day we did come across some tracks but it was later in the day and they were about 12 hours old and it would have been too late in the day to run the dogs. The next day we seen lots and lots of tracks but no lion tracks. The 4th day of my hunt we found some lion tracks early in the morning before light, boy was I excited!!! We waited til the sun came up and let the dogs out. The dogs were striking pretty hard and it didn't take long and they were hot on his trail. It only took 45 minutes for the dogs to tree the cat up this mountain and we started up there. Once we got to the tree we had a good idea it was a tom by the size of his body and head but it took another half hour for him to move enough to where we could tell he had a black spot under his tail and that he was for sure a tom. He had climbed pretty high in this tree and the branches were very thick where he was at. I took some pictures and video of him and then looked for a lane I could slip an arrow through because I really wanted to stick him with my bow. We all got in position and leashed the dogs to trees and I let it one fly.....WACK!!! I put a great shot on him and he hunched up jumped and tried to climb higher, about 5 seconds later he came a tumbling down. He hit just about every branch on the way down and hit the ground hard. I had my first mountain lion and I was extremely happy :IBCOOL: . We were able to pack him out whole and put him on a scale back at the house. We figured he was right around 140 before he lost all the blood. Bearpaw outfitters has a great operation going on. The cabins were very comfortable, I was fed very well! :EAT: Brian worked his tail off and it sure paid off :tup: . I wasn't able to meet up with Dale as he was in Idaho looking for lions for some clients too, but I'm sure this won't be the last time I'm hunting with these guys. I plan on getting a lifesize mount and can't wait to get him back. Work sure was rough today, didn't get much done...just kept replaying the hunt in my head. I will add some photos and raw footage of the hunt but I will let Dale put a video together and I'm sure you will all see it once things slow down for them a little bit. The pics aren't the best quality, I borrowed my brothers camera and I'm not much of a photgrapher! :P
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: carver52 on December 06, 2010, 04:57:38 PM: Winston,
Congratulations. Way to go. If it was me I'd probably send every arrow in my quiver on a path towards outer space. Man, that must have been some hunt. Can't wait to see the photos.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: bucklucky on December 06, 2010, 04:58:01 PM: Congrats man, thanks for the story!!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 06, 2010, 05:00:27 PM: Very Cool! Can't wait to see the pics! 8)
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: winston2789 on December 06, 2010, 05:14:00 PM: Him up in the tree
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: 509er on December 06, 2010, 05:16:41 PM: Very cool!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: winston2789 on December 06, 2010, 05:28:06 PM: On the ground
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: Huntboy on December 06, 2010, 05:38:12 PM: Nice story, congrat's on the cat.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: winston2789 on December 06, 2010, 05:46:57 PM: After we got him out
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: winston2789 on December 06, 2010, 05:47:47 PM: .
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: BLKBEARKLR on December 06, 2010, 05:49:07 PM: that is just a sweet looking cat, congrats once again.

Joe
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: gaddy on December 06, 2010, 05:50:57 PM: daaam!! nice cat
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: YellowDog on December 06, 2010, 05:55:22 PM: Oh yeah!!! That's a great looking cat. Congrats.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: denali on December 06, 2010, 06:04:13 PM: Great cat with a bow ! nice wright up as well. congrats
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: rougheye on December 06, 2010, 06:05:01 PM: Thats Sweet , great pics
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: mulehunter on December 06, 2010, 06:08:22 PM: :rockin: Love hounding hunt! CONGT!!! I am soo happy for ya!!! Great write. Make me want go back tomorrow! :bash:

Mulehunter ;)
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: Raul Duke on December 06, 2010, 06:13:26 PM: Great Job!
Thats a good cat, and great story.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: Lightning_Rider on December 06, 2010, 06:34:14 PM: That cat is a dandy!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: winston2789 on December 06, 2010, 06:36:42 PM: I will post a little footage too, throwing it together right now...
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: ser300wsm on December 06, 2010, 06:45:58 PM: WOW. Great job, nice cat. Congrats to you... :brew: Thanks for sharing....
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: winston2789 on December 06, 2010, 06:50:29 PM: WA Hound Hunt (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=46feNYM1dJw#)
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: Machias on December 06, 2010, 06:56:51 PM: Absolutely AWESOME, thanks for taking us along on a great hunt and a super nice cat!!!!!!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: whacker1 on December 07, 2010, 08:21:09 AM: Thank you very much for posting the video. Great stuff.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: Hornseeker on December 07, 2010, 08:25:36 AM: Love them Puddy Tats!!!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: luv2hunt on December 07, 2010, 10:01:35 AM: Congrats to you... Great video, great cat, great write-up.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: woodywsu on December 07, 2010, 10:22:18 AM: Nice cat Mike, glad it worked out. Those memories will last forever.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: winston2789 on December 07, 2010, 10:35:58 AM: Thanks everyone for the great feedback!!! I had a blast and have some GREAT memories!!! :)
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: Idabooner on December 07, 2010, 10:45:46 AM: Very nice cat, thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: MuleySniper on December 07, 2010, 10:59:04 AM: What an awesome cat! Sounds like it was a blast. Archery too :tup: Man you'll be replaying that hunt in your mind daily for at least a year.
MS
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: teanawayslayer on December 07, 2010, 11:01:06 AM: awesome cat. Great video
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: gramps on December 07, 2010, 07:25:20 PM: Great cat...love to see dead Cougars. Congrats and nice shot !!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: Wea300mag on December 07, 2010, 07:31:17 PM: Nice cat and great pics and video. Congrats
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: Boss .300 winmag on December 07, 2010, 07:33:52 PM: Wow nice video and cat congradulations. Glad to see it wasn't your house cat!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: CastleRocker on December 08, 2010, 04:03:14 AM: Sitting here after a cold wet night at work, this made my morning. Thanks!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: rasbo on December 08, 2010, 04:26:42 AM: nice cat congrats
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: Pathfinder101 on December 10, 2010, 07:20:48 AM: Man, thats a great looking cat! Way to go!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: powwowoutfitterstaxi on December 11, 2010, 11:50:58 AM: Great video, Makes me want to hit the woods.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: carpsniperg2 on December 11, 2010, 07:57:54 PM: Very nice cat! congrats :IBCOOL:
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: saylean on December 11, 2010, 08:04:10 PM: Very nice looking cat! Congrats.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: DeerThug on December 11, 2010, 08:42:06 PM: great color on this cat. think of the deer you saved. They say a cat needs a deer a week. that is 52 deer by next year that will still be arou nd. Maybe in 5 years one of them will be a big hog that will show up here as a massive buck.

Good job.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: bearpaw on December 22, 2010, 12:18:13 PM: Mike I love it when a plan comes together. I just got back home a couple days ago from ID/UT and just now found your story. Glad you had a good time with Brian and congrats on a fine cat. I will get a lion video made up after my season ends and send you a copy.

If you don't mind I would like to post your footage on my youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/BearpawOutfitters (http://www.youtube.com/user/BearpawOutfitters) and your story and pics on my website http://bearpawoutfitters.com/washington_cougar_hunting.html, (http://bearpawoutfitters.com/washington_cougar_hunting.html,) let me know if that is OK.

Hey, be sure and get your skull scored, good chance he will make P&Y. If you need to know where to take it to get scored, let me know, I can advise you of someone to score it.

Preparation of your skull is important too, it must be clean when you have it scored, I would advise having it cleaned by beetles, do not boil it, that can cause it to shrink up to 1/4 inch, which is enough shrinkage to cause it to place much lower or maybe even not make the book. After the required 60 day drying period from the kill date, get it measured as soon as possible as skulls continue to shrink a small amount over time. Please let me know how it scores.

Again congrats on a great cat, and we all hope to see you again for another hunt someday.
Dale
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: Craig on December 22, 2010, 12:21:39 PM: Great cat. I want one so bad.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: longrange7mm on December 22, 2010, 01:52:22 PM: congrats nice cat great pics!
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: JCClement on December 22, 2010, 02:02:05 PM: Congrats. Great pics, great story, great video. Thanks for sharing. I don't know that I would be that cool on the video. I would be running around acting like a little kid. Absolutely awesome.
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: winston2789 on December 22, 2010, 06:43:04 PM: Quote from: bearpaw on December 22, 2010, 12:18:13 PM
Mike I love it when a plan comes together. I just got back home a couple days ago from ID/UT and just now found your story. Glad you had a good time with Brian and congrats on a fine cat. I will get a lion video made up after my season ends and send you a copy.

If you don't mind I would like to post your footage on my youtube channel http://www.youtube.com/user/BearpawOutfitters (http://www.youtube.com/user/BearpawOutfitters) and your story and pics on my website http://bearpawoutfitters.com/washington_cougar_hunting.html, (http://bearpawoutfitters.com/washington_cougar_hunting.html,) let me know if that is OK.

Hey, be sure and get your skull scored, good chance he will make P&Y. If you need to know where to take it to get scored, let me know, I can advise you of someone to score it.

Preparation of your skull is important too, it must be clean when you have it scored, I would advise having it cleaned by beetles, do not boil it, that can cause it to shrink up to 1/4 inch, which is enough shrinkage to cause it to place much lower or maybe even not make the book. After the required 60 day drying period from the kill date, get it measured as soon as possible as skulls continue to shrink a small amount over time. Please let me know how it scores.

Again congrats on a great cat, and we all hope to see you again for another hunt someday.
Dale

Dale- Go ahead and put the video and everything on your sites :tup: , as for the skull.... :bash: I hope he didn't boil it!!! I planned on getting it scored and failed to mention that to him, I'm sure it's already done. I will find out tomorrow how it was done and will start looking for someone to score it once the 60 days is up. If I can't find someone on this side I'll get ahold of ya. Thanks again for such an amazing and memorable hunt!!!

Thanks for all the great comments from everyone on the site!!!

Here's a couple pics of us packing him out
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: bearpaw on December 22, 2010, 07:55:42 PM: Quote
Dale- Go ahead and put the video and everything on your sites

Thanks, I appreciate that and I will let you know when I get that video done.
Thanks Again, Dale & Crew
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: mulehunter on December 22, 2010, 09:42:34 PM: Very cool..... sweet....

Mulehunter
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: sirsnap on December 23, 2010, 04:29:32 PM: Way to go Mike I wish I could've been there. Very nice cat.

Rich
Title: Re: Got my Cat!!!
Post by: Skyvalhunter on December 23, 2010, 04:41:02 PM: Nice cat Mike wish I could have go along with you on this hunt!!! Maybe next time, Congrats