Hunting Washington Forum

Big Game Hunting => Other Big Game => Topic started by: andrew_in_idaho on February 24, 2020, 11:40:47 AM

Title: First Mountain Lion
Post by: andrew_in_idaho on February 24, 2020, 11:40:47 AM: Hey guys, just wanted to share the story and pics from my first ever mt lion that I got here in Idaho yesterday. This was my 3rd day of cat hunting this winter and I feel so lucky and blessed to have gotten this warrior. We were hunting in an area where my buddy had taken another cat just last Tuesday. We hadn’t gone but 1/4 mile from the main highway when my buddies best dog let loose, at first we thought it might not be that fresh of a track as all of the dogs didn’t seem to be getting that excited and they were having a little trouble sorting it out but within a few moments it became apparent that this was a hot trail. We started following them up the ridge, my buddy had snowshoes but I was postholing a lot of the way. We were not very far up the ridge ourselves when Morgan said that the dogs had treed about 900 yds from our location. The only problem was we had about 1000 vertical feet to climb and by the time we had hit the top the dogs hadn’t moved but we had only cut the distance to 650 yards. We followed the ridge top for a very short distance before peeking over into the canyon where the dogs were treed. From about 600 yds away across the canyon we could see the dogs and a lot of blood in the snow. We quickly lost nearly all of that vertical gain and then climbed about halfway up the next canyon and when we got there this is what we found(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200224/9665445e4eb08fd88f106e282b25b4d7.jpg)
We checked the dogs for injuries and decided that Egg must have caught up to the cat in the rocks by herself before the rest of the pack got there and she had some blood on her rear haunch and minor wounds to her tail but nothing major, after all she was still at the tree trying to get after that cat.

We leashed the dogs(including Morgan’s lab Anna who thinks she is a cat hound) and prepared for the shot. At the shot the cat leapt out of the tree and was out of sight behind some rocks in an instant. Also Anna slipped out of her collar and started chasing after the cat. Luckily the cat was stone dead a couple of hundred feet down the hill.
(https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20200224/5a03dbc2f1e7c98c1a63c363935a4adb.jpg)

He’s a big tom that we guessed was about 160 lbs live weight but we may be a little low, for reference I’m 5’11” 180. Didn’t get any pictures of it but he is missing about half of his nose that is all scarred up. I owe all the thanks to my buddy Morgan and his dogs.

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Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: Machias on February 24, 2020, 11:47:26 AM: Awesome, congrats!!!
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: Skyvalhunter on February 24, 2020, 11:52:46 AM: :tup:
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: gramps on February 24, 2020, 11:53:51 AM: Congrats!!!

Life time memories right there.
I still remember an experience or two like yours from when it was legal in Washington to use hounds
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: TheStovePipeKid on February 24, 2020, 11:58:16 AM: Great Cat! I bet that was a fun packout :tung:
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: elkrack on February 24, 2020, 01:45:48 PM: That had to be a great hunt! 👍🏻
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: jstone on February 24, 2020, 02:08:04 PM: That is awesome
Thank you for sharing
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: 2MANY on February 24, 2020, 02:15:50 PM: Really cool.
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: greenhead_killer on February 24, 2020, 02:15:59 PM: Congrats on a great experience! Thanks for sharing it. One day I’ll get to do that too
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: carpsniperg2 on February 24, 2020, 03:25:30 PM: dandy cat congrats :IBCOOL:
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: Rainier10 on February 24, 2020, 03:31:36 PM: Awesome story and cat. Congrats. :tup:
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: huntnfmly on February 24, 2020, 03:36:40 PM: Congrats on a nice cat
Thanks for sharing
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: Tracker0721 on February 24, 2020, 03:45:18 PM: That’s awesome! Dream hunt of mine.
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: HAGEMANIAC on February 24, 2020, 03:49:52 PM: Great job! That thing is a beast!
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: 7t9cobra on February 24, 2020, 05:48:10 PM: Nice work! that thing's a tank!
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: zwickeyman on February 24, 2020, 07:44:43 PM: Dandy Tom, congratulations
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: Taco280AI on February 24, 2020, 08:00:00 PM: That's awesome :tup:
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: Monsterbull11 on February 24, 2020, 08:01:36 PM: Nice cat. :tup:
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: jackson7 on February 24, 2020, 08:10:24 PM: stories like this are what makes hunt wa a great site. thx to all who contribute. much appreciated.
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: wheels on February 26, 2020, 01:03:35 PM: congrats
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: ballpark on February 26, 2020, 03:04:03 PM: You now have an AVATAR :tup:
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: bowhunterforever on February 26, 2020, 04:25:37 PM: Nice work :tup:
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: robodad on February 26, 2020, 05:22:27 PM: Thank you very much !!
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: jackson7 on February 26, 2020, 07:24:49 PM: Truly enjoy how much so many of the members of this site contribute interesting stories and pictures.
better than outdoor life!
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: HighlandLofts on March 03, 2020, 12:34:25 PM: Good score, nice size cat.

Is that a yellow lab in the picture?
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: ShaneTyTrey on March 03, 2020, 08:52:59 PM: Congrats, first cat is one the most exciting hunts you will ever have.
Title: Re: First Mountain Lion
Post by: andrew_in_idaho on March 04, 2020, 01:36:51 PM: Quote from: HighlandLofts on March 03, 2020, 12:34:25 PM
Good score, nice size cat.

Is that a yellow lab in the picture?
Yea, my buddies lab also hunts cats

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