Walked a cougar down

Rainier10

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Location: Over the edge

Walked a cougar down

« on: December 04, 2023, 07:10:03 AM »

I had my buddy that filmed my 2021 raffle elk hunt up to my cabin this weekend and another member from here to hunt archery cow elk. There were about 300 elk and we just couldn’t get close with that many eyes. Elk were really spooky and wouldn’t stay bedded. They just kept getting up and moving all day.

Sunday morning as soon as it hit shooting light I’m looking out the cabin window and see movement close to the ground. I’m thinking coyote but when I throw up my binocs it’s a cat.

It had snowed all night and was lightly snowing. I couldn’t get a shot before it dropped out of sight so the chase was on. We followed the tracks into two thick draws one on my property that just knew the cat was going to bed down in. He circled in the brush around a big pine but then kept walking.

Second draw was even thicker with some cliffs. Problem was it wasn’t my property. I own all the way around this 40 acre piece so we walk the perimeter. No tracks coming out. I call the neighbor and explain the situation. He says he was there on Saturday and the deer were acting really skittish, he figured there must be a predator around do by all means go after the cat and report back.

With permission granted I went to a vantage point above the draw where I could see really well. My buddy went back to the tracks and followed them into the thick stuff. I just kept scanning for movement he came out the other side still on the tracks. He got to the base of the rock cliffs and found the cars bed and fresh tracks coming out of it.

How did I not see it leave?

He walks another fifteen yards and looks back into a crease in the cliffs. There is the cat ten yards away looking at him. All I see is his throw his gun up and the cat walks out away from him. My buddy is 6’1” tall and this cat looks big walking away from him.

I have the scope on the walking cat and wait for it to get over the first cliff and away from my buddy. My buddy was moving backward trying to get a better view up the cliffs to get a shot. Just as the cat got to the next cliff and at 150 yards from me I touched the trigger. Boom smack cat down. Oh know cat back up, three bounces straight down hill covering 30-40 yards easy and into the thick stuff.

I’m frantically scanning the draw but he doesn’t come out. I yell at my buddy the cat went into the thick stuff and hasn’t come out. He says it sounded like a solid hit. I agree and tell him I knocked it down but it got up and went straight downhill.

He cautiously heads towards the thick stuff. Crosses the cats tracks and starts scanning the draw. His rifle quickly comes to his shoulder. The cat is bed under a log staring at him 30 yards away. He squeezes the trigger boom smack and the cat jumps up and runs right at him. 30 yards boom smack cat still coming boom smack 15 yards cat down.

What a rush for both of us but certainly more for him.

Lots of high fives snd hugs. Just an amazing hunt. We actually walked a cat down and shot it. I had this same cat on trail can 30 yards from my cabin in September and two different deer kills on my place. I had told my wife when the snow flew this cat was going to be my focus.

Mission accomplished and one big fat Tom taken out. Cat weighed 145 pounds and was covered in fat.

Logged

Pain is temporary, achieving the goal is worth it.

I didn't say it would be easy, I said it would be worth it.

Every father should remember that one day his children will follow his example instead of his advice.

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