collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: Hours of Anticipaition, Seconds of Exhiliration!  (Read 2826 times)

Online Katmai Guy

  • Retired
  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jul 2014
  • Posts: 1436
  • Location: Covington
Hours of Anticipaition, Seconds of Exhiliration!
« on: January 28, 2018, 09:51:26 PM »
Sunday morning, two weeks ago, I woke up and decided to go predator calling.  Got my crap together and out the door I went.Drove to the property I wanted to hunt and hiked in behind the gate a few miles, seeing quite a bit of both bobcat and coyote sign, intending to hunt my way out at locations I picked going in.  Primarily hunting for a bobcat, I spent around an hour at each location. Only critters called were a redtailed hawk, that sat in a tree watching my decoy spin around, at one set and a sparrow hawk, that tried to take the topper off my decoy about 3 times before  leaving, at the next set.  Only had a couple of hours left so had a sandwich and tried to decide which 2 sets to call before heading home.  First was on a brushy road with a landing at the end, along the top of an old clearcut.  Sat for another hour, nothing.  Next and last was on a road at the bottom of that clearcut, paralleling a creek/swamp. Walked the road for about 400yds, set my caller and decoy up, backed off about 40yds and got up on a bank about 6' above the road and stood next to a big fir tree.  Started with  rant'n rodent for about 10 min and switched to wail'n woodpecker for another 10 min.  Every few min I would look behind me, not really expecting anything to come from where I walked in from but from the road in front of me, just past where I set the caller.  Switched to snowshoe in distress and prepared to wait for the remainder of the hour.  A few minutes go by, I look behind me, nothing.  A few more minutes go by, I look behind me, HOLY S###! here comes a cougar trotting down the road about 20 yds behind me, fully focused on my decoy.  I'm leaning on the tree with my rifle pointed down the road away from the cat, looking out the corner of my eyes, thinking "I'm screwed, something is going to go sideways and this cat is gone"  The cougar just kept coming down the road towards the decoy but when it got even with the tree I was leaning against, it stopped suddenly, like it smelled or heard something.  At this time, it's 15' from me, and I'm not going to lie, I was Excited! I'm thinking I'll let it keep going to the decoy and shoot it when it gets far enough by me where it can't see me move.  It starts walking again, gets by me about 10yds and I brought my rifle up, sighted on it thru my scope and tried to lip squeak, didn't work, lips were to dry. Licked my lips, squeaked again, this time it stopped at about 30yds and turned it's head to the left towards the creek and I just HAMMERED the trigger.  When I picked my head up off my rifle, that cat was in the air higher than my head. I figured It jumped straight up in the air at least 15', the only thing I can't swear to, is if it did a somersault or not.  When it hit the ground, it jumped off the road towards the creek/swamp and I lost sight of it. I figured it would be lying just off the road but didn't see it so I started looking for blood where it was standing when I shot, nothing.  Looked for sign for an hour till dark and then for about an hour after till my flashlight batteries went dead.  No blood, nothing.  I had to work on Monday, MLK day, but let my son skip school and we went back on Tuesday and spent all day looking in and under trees and working thru the vine maples, roses and dead devils club of the creek bottom and the lower end of the clearcut trying to find any sign at all. Nothing.  *censored*! 
  All I can think of, replaying it in my head, is that when I hammered the trigger, I pulled right and gutshot it.  Or I missed. The really crappy thing is I had a Tactacam that I was going to mount on my rifle when the mount arrived in the mail but it didn't come till Tuesday. I could have reviewed the shot and had more info on what happened. Wish I would have had my bow, that thing would be at the taxidermist right now.  Thanks, Ken
"Keep shootin, when there's lead in the air, there's hope"

Offline Eric M

  • WA State Trappers Association
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Sep 2015
  • Posts: 1538
  • Location: somewhere in time
Re: Hours of Anticipaition, Seconds of Exhiliration!
« Reply #1 on: January 28, 2018, 09:55:37 PM »
That's too bad. Good story though. Interesting title.

Offline huntnfmly

  • Trade Count: (+36)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2007
  • Posts: 4707
Re: Hours of Anticipaition, Seconds of Exhiliration!
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2018, 04:32:55 AM »
Cool story thanks for sharing. Sorry you couldn't find it
I'm your dam tour guide Arnie please don’t wonder off the dam tour.
Take as many dam pictures as you want ....
Are there any dam questions ..

Offline Skyvalhunter

  • Washington For Wildlife
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Explorer
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2007
  • Posts: 15706
  • Location: Sky valley/Methow
Re: Hours of Anticipaition, Seconds of Exhiliration!
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2018, 05:15:57 AM »
Nice write up chances are it expired a ways away. They can take a beating
The only man who never makes a mistake, is the man who never does anything!!
The further one goes into the wilderness, the greater the attraction of its lonely freedom.

Online pianoman9701

  • Mushroom Man
  • Business Sponsor
  • Trade Count: (+5)
  • Legend
  • *****
  • Join Date: Mar 2011
  • Posts: 42828
  • Location: Vancouver USA
  • WWC, NRA Life, WFW, NAGR, RMEF, WSB, NMLS #2014743
    • www.facebook.com/johnwallacemortgage
    • Apply for a loan
Re: Hours of Anticipaition, Seconds of Exhiliration!
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2018, 07:16:40 AM »
Pretty cool story. Thanks for sharing.
"Restricting the rights of law-abiding citizens based on the actions of criminals and madmen will have no positive effect on the future acts of criminals and madmen. It will only serve to reduce individual rights and the very security of our republic." - Pianoman

Online Katmai Guy

  • Retired
  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jul 2014
  • Posts: 1436
  • Location: Covington
Re: Hours of Anticipaition, Seconds of Exhiliration!
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2018, 09:21:08 AM »
Thanks guys.
"Keep shootin, when there's lead in the air, there's hope"

Offline Gringo31

  • Washington For Wildlife
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: May 2009
  • Posts: 5605
Re: Hours of Anticipaition, Seconds of Exhiliration!
« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2018, 11:39:15 AM »
Congrats on doing something very few of us have ever done  :tup:
We must reject the idea that every time a law's broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.
-Ronald Reagan

Online Katmai Guy

  • Retired
  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jul 2014
  • Posts: 1436
  • Location: Covington
Re: Hours of Anticipaition, Seconds of Exhiliration!
« Reply #7 on: January 29, 2018, 06:38:24 PM »
Thanks Gringo, blind luck.  After 40+ yrs of hunting, the closest I've ever been before now was tracks in the snow minutes old that I tried to walk down and a tail going into the brush while walking down a gated road.
"Keep shootin, when there's lead in the air, there's hope"

Offline fishngamereaper

  • Trade Count: (+6)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Oct 2011
  • Posts: 7989
  • Location: kitsap
Re: Hours of Anticipaition, Seconds of Exhiliration!
« Reply #8 on: January 29, 2018, 07:29:20 PM »
Cats are tough..I hammered a bobcat with a 7 mag a few years back...I found it a day later still alive. Had to belly crawl into where it was under huck brush to finish it...freaked me out for sure.

Offline CaNINE

  • Trade Count: (+5)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jul 2015
  • Posts: 1362
  • Location: Gig Harbor
Re: Hours of Anticipaition, Seconds of Exhiliration!
« Reply #9 on: January 31, 2018, 08:43:50 PM »
One heck of an experience Katmai! Sorry you didn't find the cat. 
The lazy do not roast any game, but the diligent feed on the riches of the hunt.

Proverbs 12:27

Offline Kit Carson

  • WA State Trappers Association
  • Trade Count: (+8)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Dec 2015
  • Posts: 1040
  • Location: Snohomish County
  • Groups: NRA, WSTA, NTA
Re: Hours of Anticipaition, Seconds of Exhiliration!
« Reply #10 on: January 31, 2018, 10:03:48 PM »
Sorry bout not finding it. Thanks for sharing the story

Offline Calvin Rayborn

  • Trade Count: (+1)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Oct 2013
  • Posts: 1383
  • Location: Columbia Basin
  • Groups: NRA Life Member, ATA Gold-Card Life Member
Re: Hours of Anticipaition, Seconds of Exhiliration!
« Reply #11 on: February 10, 2018, 11:12:10 AM »
 :bash:

 


* Advertisement

* Recent Topics

Walked a cougar down by Rainier10
[Today at 11:17:49 AM]


Springer Fishing Opportunity 3/29 & 3/30 by xXLojackXx
[Today at 10:13:39 AM]


Bearpaw Season - Spring 2024 by Machias
[Today at 09:19:44 AM]


SB 5444 signed by Inslee on 03/26 Takes Effect on 06/06/24 by hughjorgan
[Today at 09:03:26 AM]


Springer 2024 Columbia River by WSU
[Today at 08:31:10 AM]


Average by lhrbull
[Today at 07:31:56 AM]


Let’s see your best Washington buck by Pathfinder101
[Today at 07:22:11 AM]


CVA optima V2 LR tapped hole for front sight by Remdawg
[Today at 07:09:22 AM]


Which 12” boat trailer tires? by timberhunter
[Yesterday at 08:22:18 PM]


Lowest power 22 round? by JakeLand
[Yesterday at 08:06:13 PM]


1x scopes vs open sights by JakeLand
[Yesterday at 07:29:35 PM]

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal