Calling Cougars?

[7t9cobra]

We went out saturday morning. We cut 3 different cougar tracks before noon. The first set was an extremely fresh, nice sized set but went into permit land that we didn't have a permit to hunt about 2 hours before daylight. The second set we found on a paved road surrounded by legal land about an hour later. They were fresh but the snow was so dry and the wind was blowing so they were being covered fast. They were walking on the road and we followed them for 3.5 miles. It was zig zagging all over the road. It would leave the road and come right back. The further we folllowed them the fresher they looked. Eventually it bailed off the road to our left. We drove up the road and around to the backside of the timber patch it went into. We couldn't find ay tracks leaving the cut but it is possible the cat slipped down the timber line and avoided the road altogether. We walked a spur road and did some calling on the timber edge for about an hour. The wind was still blowing pretty hard and it was hard to get sound out. We knew that would more than likely be the case but we figured it was better to try than to ignore a set of fresh tracks. After about an hour we decided to head back to the truck and try to pick up another set. about 10:30 or so the wind died down and we cut another set in a different area. They were not real fresh (atleast 4 hours if I had to guess) so we decided to circle around the area and try to pick up on the tracks somewhere else. I started having mechanical issues with my 4wd. My transfer case would randomly kick in and out of 4wd so we decided to stay in the low lands and couldn't find any more tracks. Sunday it rained so I stayed home. Saturday a buddy of mine found a fresh set of tom tracks but wasn't ale to call him in. Hopefully that's not the last of the snow we see but I'm sure it's over here.

[pd]

6-12 hours after a storm is gold for finding tracks. While it's happening is a waste of time.

Hey, Steve.  A couple of us went out Saturday for a few hours.  This was just after the Friday night snow dump.  There were 6" to 8" of fresh snow.  We saw diddly squat (one of the partners found a bobcat track, but that's it).  It was calm, eerily quiet in the woods.  No movement of deer or big cats, nothing moving.  We gave it the college try, but nuttin. 

Any suggestions?  We are probably done with snow in our area for the season.

[Limhangerslayer]

6-12 hours after a storm is gold for finding tracks. While it's happening is a waste of time.

Hey, Steve.  A couple of us went out Saturday for a few hours.  This was just after the Friday night snow dump.  There were 6" to 8" of fresh snow.  We saw diddly squat (one of the partners found a bobcat track, but that's it).  It was calm, eerily quiet in the woods.  No movement of deer or big cats, nothing moving.  We gave it the college try, but nuttin. 

Any suggestions?  We are probably done with snow in our area for the season.

if it’s an area that has cats and deer or elk, I’d do the same route a few days in a row.  No different then when we used to hound hunt.  If a cat makes a kill in the right area he may not cross a road for a couple days.  Had it all melted for you already?

[TheStovePipeKid]

We had 6 to 8 inches where I was Saturday. Spent three hours trudging on foot and about an hour calling. No cat tracks for me. Cut several sets of deer and a coyote track on my way home. It was a tough day but I kept reminding myself the only place I had to be was home before dark. Probably the only snow in my area for the year. I'll keep at it when I have the time.

[rainshadow1]

6-12 hours after a storm is gold for finding tracks. While it's happening is a waste of time.

Hey, Steve.  A couple of us went out Saturday for a few hours.  This was just after the Friday night snow dump.  There were 6" to 8" of fresh snow.  We saw diddly squat (one of the partners found a bobcat track, but that's it).  It was calm, eerily quiet in the woods.  No movement of deer or big cats, nothing moving.  We gave it the college try, but nuttin. 

Any suggestions?  We are probably done with snow in our area for the season.

Find more area!

I know it's frustrating, but you have to run all the area you possibly can for them. They're low density animals. They avoid each other, which spreads them out.

I know it's frustrating, I've ground off more than 30 miles in a day, with chains on all 4's, lots of technical snow driving, and hopping out and hiking three or four times without seeing a single track. (I've also done just that and cut a fresh one on the way home, right at the soggy slushy edge of the last possible little bit of snow!)

They go where they want when they want. They're cats. Completely unpredictable.

[coachteeter]

Cool video captured by elk hunters of a female and 2 sub-adult cougars on the edge of a clearcut and timber interacting with a young bull elk.

If the video doesn't automatically load to the correct spot, skip ahead to the 11 minute mark.

[rainshadow1]

Wanted to let you guys know that I have my website back in business.

If you had a Cougar Call In Story that I haven't posted yet, please let me know. I have them, and I'm planning to update soon. But things are a mess, and a reminder is always handy!

I'll be working on adding the old pics back in and making it more readable and easy to see (don't forget the 'read it to me" right click function.) But meanwhile, It's alive!

If you haven't sent me your story, please think about doing that. I'd love to post your latest encounter with the big cats!


I keep telling it to have the same link, but it keeps refusing...
If I can't get it to change, here's the link it's creating...

http://www.rain-shadow.com/cougar-callin-stories.html

[nwwanderer]

Can get to it from your call/knife page but not the link, 404 error.  Thanks for what you do!!!

[rainshadow1]

Can get to it from your call/knife page but not the link, 404 error.  Thanks for what you do!!!

Switched it to the link it's creating now...

http://www.rain-shadow.com/cougar-callin-stories.html

I'll figure it out eventually!


(Grrrr... hyphens, not underscores... I don't know if I can change that......)

[rainshadow1]

Just reviving this because I'm seeing a lot of random Archery and Muzzleloader season Cougar Kills on social media and local hunting forums... I'd sure love to get a short story and a pic if you kill a Lion!!!

[ThurstonCokid]

Is this a kitty crap? There was a bigger one just as fresh right up the road.. might be time to give calling a try


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[rainshadow1]

When you can't clearly discern anything but hair... yeah, that's very likely kitty! Size, location, and sign around it is important to observe too.

[ThurstonCokid]

Tracks were tough to tell but looked kittyish.. just looked different than coyote so i have to assume both were cat.


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[rainshadow1]

Just posted A-29 . . .  Great surprise call-in story!

http://www.rain-shadow.com/cougar-callin-stories.html

[Southpole]

Thanks for the hairy poop distinction, was always wondering about that.