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Big Game Hunting => Other Big Game => Topic started by: NavyChief08 on January 03, 2018, 01:16:14 AM


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Title: Cougar Chills
Post by: NavyChief08 on January 03, 2018, 01:16:14 AM
Went to go check the mail the other night, so walked the 250 yards down the driveway to the mailbox and came back up. Next morning get up to snow blow the driveway and had this guy follow my tracks all the way down and then back up to the house. Then the the tracks went around the house twice and the edge of our property twice. My bad for no reference of size but I wear a XL glove and his foot print would have taken up 3/4 of my hand. Needless to say from now on to check the mail and gun is going with me.

Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: Thehowler on January 03, 2018, 06:14:21 AM
Could of had you so many times if he wanted.
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: lewy on January 03, 2018, 06:30:00 AM
The snow tells all
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: Ridgeratt on January 03, 2018, 07:29:20 AM
I wonder if this has anything to do with it. Your feed station has brought him to you.   :dunno:

http://hunting-washington.com/smf/index.php/topic,222807.0.html
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: MADMAX on January 03, 2018, 07:34:28 AM
 :yeah:
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: MooseZ25 on January 03, 2018, 07:52:54 AM
With all of those turkeys you'll end up with predators of all sorts.  Shoot first ask questions later.
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: Okanagan on January 03, 2018, 08:14:02 AM
Good story and pics!

Cougars follow humans.  It's a cat thing.  As said, if he'd wanted you, you wouldn't be posting this morning.  If those of us who walk outdoors knew how often a cougar follows us it would astound us.  Rarely do they attack, but they are so capable of it I don't trust them at all and am not saying “No big deal.” 

Usually their tracks don't show, and most people don't notice them when there is snow, mud or dust to show that they followed.  Good on you for noticing!  Yeah, I'd carry in that scenario.

I actively look for such things, and have had cougars follow me a number of times that I know about.  It is so usual that I have thought about how to ambush one but the problem is to know when one is following.  I don't know one is following till I turn around, see his tracks and realize that he has sneaked off, though likely is still watching me. 

FWIW I'd try to call him today, ASAP, while there is a chance he is still close enough to hear the sound. 
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: 724wd on January 03, 2018, 08:19:46 AM
I actively look for such things, and have had cougars follow me a number of times that I know about.  It is so usual that I have thought about how to ambush one but the problem is to know when one is following.  I don't know one is following till I turn around, see his tracks and realize that he has sneaked off, though likely is still watching me.

easy to do man!!! 
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: Timberstalker on January 03, 2018, 08:21:01 AM
 :tup:
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: Ridgeratt on January 03, 2018, 08:27:59 AM
Classic 724wd.  :tup:

Beats my idea of taking 3 steps and whirling around to check.   :chuckle:
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: bigmacc on January 03, 2018, 09:37:28 AM
I was dragging a buck in about 4 inches of snow one year(mid 80,s or so), it was late afternoon about an hour or so before dark. I was by myself and had about a mile and a half drag all downhill to my truck. About 20 minutes into the drag I realized I had left my binos back at the kill site, I turned around and went back for them, about a 100 feet into my backtrack I ran into cougar prints in my drag tracks heading my way :yike:, the hair stood tall on my neck as I slowely looked all around me, I knew he was there somewhere watching me! I got my binos and by the time I got back to the buck it was almost dark, I will never forget that feeling of walking out of there in the dark.
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: Special T on January 03, 2018, 09:42:47 AM
Experiencing a cougar following you is not easily forgotten! I had it happen in the snow once. If that don't get your heart pumping.....

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Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: WA hunter14 on January 03, 2018, 09:54:52 AM
You have any pics of those tracks that aren't messed You? Or a zoomed out picture of a line of tracks.
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: NavyChief08 on January 03, 2018, 05:17:13 PM
I totally agree Special T. No different photos guys. That day I did put out 2 game cameras where he came onto the property and near the area where the most tracks were. If he comes back I'll definetly post picks.
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: CAMPMEAT on January 03, 2018, 05:49:39 PM
Cougars make a circle about 7-9 days. Wait and they shall return.
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: NavyChief08 on January 03, 2018, 05:52:58 PM
Sounds good CampMeat. I really want to see how big this guy or gal is. Too bad GMU 105 is closed. I was hoping they would keep it open and I could end up with a nice rug.
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: KFhunter on January 03, 2018, 05:56:37 PM
Sounds good CampMeat. I really want to see how big this guy or gal is. Too bad GMU 105 is closed. I was hoping they would keep it open and I could end up with a nice rug.

105 has been closing every year Jan 1, there's so many cats and 105 has that late modern buck = quota filled well before the late season.


Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: NavyChief08 on January 03, 2018, 06:05:37 PM
KFHunter, Just moved into our new house in October. We live off of Northport Flat Creek Rd. I have always hunted 101 but never hunted 105 so got to learn this area more. I did 20 years in the Navy and was stationed on the west side  :bash: :bash:. So glad to be back home and on the right side of the state.
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: KFhunter on January 03, 2018, 06:22:33 PM
welcome back,  I can't tell you how many cats I've seen on that road.  I even seen a couple lions making kittens right in the middle of the road  :chuckle:
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: Okanagan on January 03, 2018, 06:25:47 PM
I actively look for such things, and have had cougars follow me a number of times that I know about.  It is so usual that I have thought about how to ambush one but the problem is to know when one is following.  I don't know one is following till I turn around, see his tracks and realize that he has sneaked off, though likely is still watching me.

easy to do man!!!

 :chuckle: :chuckle:

Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: NavyChief08 on January 03, 2018, 06:35:59 PM
 :chuckle: :chuckle:
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: Calvin Rayborn on January 03, 2018, 10:55:25 PM
Death from above!
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: bigmacc on January 16, 2018, 02:25:48 PM
I was visiting an old cowboy friend of mine back in 85(give or take), it was the 1st week of December in the Methow and we had just got back to the ranch after a day riding horseback and looking at deer(back in those days they were everywhere). we settled at the kitchen table and were taking shots of Wild Turkey with a nice fire his wife had got going for us before we pulled in. My buddy all the sudden said "did you hear that", I said no, what. We both sat quiet for a few minutes and thats when I heard it, a sound like no other I have heard, almost like a growl/gurgle/scream. My buddy jumped up and yelled for his wife to grab the 30-30 while he was grabbing a flashlight. As we were heading for the door he was asking his wife where "Frank was", (Frank was his lab), we made it out behind the house where a hole had been dug by the foundation where he was doing some work, the hole was big enough for a man to crawl through and get under the house. I had the flashlight at this time and my buddy had the rifle, I shined it in the hole as we were hearing more of the "sounds", there about 15 feet back under the house was a cougar with a death grip on Frank, Frank was long gone but the cougar wasn't going to give him up, my friend got a bead on the cat as I held the light on him and a shot between the eyes finished the ordeal. The wife was gone running errands while we were out looking at deer and noticed Frank didn't greet her when she got home, but thought he was just out with the cows(he loved being around the cattle). Later we found where it all happened, it looked as though Frank was protecting the calves that were in a separate pen, there in the pen was a site that looked like world war 3 ! Blood and hair everywhere from Frank and the cat and some damage to one of the calves along with tore up fence railings etc. etc. RIP Frank, you were a good old boy.
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: bigmacc on January 16, 2018, 05:05:54 PM
There is a few folks that probably remember that story, in fact another one similar happened years before when a bunch of pets went missing and it turned out a "sick" cat (that weighed about 40lbs) that couldn't hunt naturally had taken a liking to easy prey, they ended up killing it under a house somewhere around Winthrop with a bunch of dog tags, collars, bones etc. If I remember right it was somewhere around 15 different animals that cougar had drug under that house. Whats bad is back then cougars were hunted and hunted hard. It was very rare to see one, now days they are a dime a dozen over there, I seen 4 in 10 days in the Methow this year, yes we tried to kill them all, aleady told the story in another writeup.
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: W_Ellison2011 on January 16, 2018, 10:50:31 PM
There is a few folks that probably remember that story, in fact another one similar happened years before when a bunch of pets went missing and it turned out a "sick" cat (that weighed about 40lbs) that couldn't hunt naturally had taken a liking to easy prey, they ended up killing it under a house somewhere around Winthrop with a bunch of dog tags, collars, bones etc. If I remember right it was somewhere around 15 different animals that cougar had drug under that house. Whats bad is back then cougars were hunted and hunted hard. It was very rare to see one, now days they are a dime a dozen over there, I seen 4 in 10 days in the Methow this year, yes we tried to kill them all, aleady told the story in another writeup.
My wife has a friend whose mother lives out in the Twisp/Winthrop area. A couple years back they got video and pictures of a GROUP of 4-5 mt lions trying to get into their chicken pen in the middle of the night. Kind of makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up!
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: bowhunterforever on January 17, 2018, 12:16:50 AM
There is a few folks that probably remember that story, in fact another one similar happened years before when a bunch of pets went missing and it turned out a "sick" cat (that weighed about 40lbs) that couldn't hunt naturally had taken a liking to easy prey, they ended up killing it under a house somewhere around Winthrop with a bunch of dog tags, collars, bones etc. If I remember right it was somewhere around 15 different animals that cougar had drug under that house. Whats bad is back then cougars were hunted and hunted hard. It was very rare to see one, now days they are a dime a dozen over there, I seen 4 in 10 days in the Methow this year, yes we tried to kill them all, aleady told the story in another writeup.
Where is the other write up at?
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: Skyvalhunter on January 17, 2018, 04:52:14 AM
next to the first one
Title: Re: Cougar Chills
Post by: bigmacc on January 17, 2018, 10:18:17 AM
There is a few folks that probably remember that story, in fact another one similar happened years before when a bunch of pets went missing and it turned out a "sick" cat (that weighed about 40lbs) that couldn't hunt naturally had taken a liking to easy prey, they ended up killing it under a house somewhere around Winthrop with a bunch of dog tags, collars, bones etc. If I remember right it was somewhere around 15 different animals that cougar had drug under that house. Whats bad is back then cougars were hunted and hunted hard. It was very rare to see one, now days they are a dime a dozen over there, I seen 4 in 10 days in the Methow this year, yes we tried to kill them all, aleady told the story in another writeup.
Where is the other write up at?

I think its somewhere in the deer hunting section, In a nutshell, in the area we were hunting in the Methow this year we seen 4 cougars(and one dead one a young guy had killed). My brother came across over 20 cached cougar kills in a couple areas he was hunting, some fairly new, some probably from early summer, couldn't get shots off in time at the live ones, that valley may have a brewing wolf problem but the cougar problem is out of control.
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