collapse

Advertisement


Author Topic: Jumped by a cougar?  (Read 7240 times)

Offline RidgeWalker

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Pilgrim
  • *
  • Join Date: Apr 2011
  • Posts: 2
  • Location: Season dependent
Jumped by a cougar?
« on: April 25, 2011, 09:25:17 PM »

Hi All -

I'm new to the site and a bit of a rookie when it comes to turkey hunting.  I've bagged a number of birds the last few years, but still am learning how to finesse those big toms.

I was out on Friday with my three young sons and getting a few long distance responses from some reluctant tom's.  We moved in a bit closer to a couple of birds that seemed to be a bit more responsive and set up.  I started calling and after about 15 minutes got another gobble fairly close.  About that time I noticed a slight movement off to my left.  I started slowly turning my head, thinking it was the gobbler but instead saw a Mountain Lion crouched about 10 feet away.  I was just barely processing the fact when it leapt right at me.  I started shouting at it and swinging my gun it's direction.  It's front feet landed less than a foot from my stool, and whirled and ran behind me.  I popped a shot over it's head and then ran to my boys who were huddled in a ground blind about 20 yards off to my right.

Now I haven't been turkey hunting very long, so I'm wondering if this is relatively normal?  I've been using a predator call for years to call coyotes, bears, and cats but have never been jumped by anything.  In fact most of the time they come in fairly cautiously.  Has anyone experienced this before?  If so, what do you do to prevent this from occurring?  Would decoys help?

Rich Walker

Offline blacktailcrzy

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Hunter
  • ***
  • Join Date: Feb 2011
  • Posts: 236
  • Location: kitsap
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2011, 09:29:11 PM »
wow thats crazy most people never see one let alone get jumped but cool story thanks for sharing

Offline phishisgroovin

  • Washington For Wildlife
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Dec 2007
  • Posts: 924
  • Location: In the heart of Ghetto Kent wa
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2011, 09:36:33 PM »
dang, my roll of mountain money would have came in very handy.
TANNERITE needed for target practice on opening day of each hunting season.

Offline GoPlayOutside

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Jan 2009
  • Posts: 590
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2011, 09:39:26 PM »
1 ft from your stool?   I would have pooped my pants too!
"Aim small, miss small."
Genesis 27:3, "Now then, get your weapons, your quiver and bow, and go out to the open country to hunt some wild game for me."

Offline ORCA_SIX

  • RLTW!
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Scout
  • ****
  • Join Date: Mar 2011
  • Posts: 456
  • Location: Snohomish, WA
  • Bring out your dead!
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2011, 09:44:00 PM »
 :ass:
 :crap:
“If a man’s life is not long enough, a dog’s is even shorter and anything you can do to make that fuller is worthwhile"

"Be worthy of your game"

George Bird Evans

Offline Alan K

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (+8)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Sep 2008
  • Posts: 2953
  • Location: Lewis County, WA
  • University of Idaho Alumni
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #5 on: April 25, 2011, 09:54:19 PM »

Offline longknife

  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2010
  • Posts: 642
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #6 on: April 25, 2011, 09:56:04 PM »
Crazy story! Glad to see no one was hurt! Its amazing how many cats are around.
Paddle faster!!,,,,I hear banjo's!!!!

Offline predatorpro

  • WA State Trappers Association
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: May 2010
  • Posts: 1718
  • Location: Wenatchee, WA
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #7 on: April 25, 2011, 09:57:23 PM »
i know someone that pretty much had the same thing happen to him while calling turkeys, heard a twig crack behind looks back and theres a cougar staring at him about 15 feet away, not as life threatening as your story tho! lol glad you made it out alive! welcome to washington!

Offline agchawk

  • AGCHAWK
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Sourdough
  • *****
  • Join Date: Dec 2007
  • Posts: 1256
  • Location: Clarkston, WA
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #8 on: April 25, 2011, 10:11:28 PM »
DAMN! Glad to hear that you and kids came through unscathed! I's be shakin' for weeks after something like that.

I BELIEVE that is a story on this site somewhere where someone had a similar experience while elk hunting. He was trying to get a bull to respond but ended up with a cat coming in for a meal. I've never heard of it happening to a turkey hunter before although I suppose it could happen to anyone trying to call in an animal that the cat perceives as a meal.

Offline Wazukie

  • Business Sponsor
  • Trade Count: (+2)
  • Frontiersman
  • *****
  • Join Date: Nov 2009
  • Posts: 2671
  • Location: The Woods
  • Groups: NRA
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #9 on: April 25, 2011, 10:12:00 PM »
That happened here where I live last year, different ending though.  The cougar ended up with about a 1 1/2 hole in it.  Scary for sure.
Matthew 6:33

Offline Big game archer

  • Political & Covid-19 Topics
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Hunter
  • ***
  • Join Date: Feb 2010
  • Posts: 205
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #10 on: April 25, 2011, 10:15:13 PM »
Crazy! We've had a couple friends in years past call cougars to within about 10 feet while calling for turkeys, too. A couple years ago my dads buddy was walking towards us while we were calling for turkeys and he walked right up on a big cat that was laying down watching us from about 100 yards away. Scary stuff.

 

Offline JKEEN33

  • Trade Count: (+9)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Apr 2010
  • Posts: 952
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #11 on: April 25, 2011, 10:18:26 PM »
Turkey is pretty much at the bottom of the food chain. Everything is out looking for one. I was calling to a tom opening weekend when I heard somethig moving. My dad nudged me and pointed out a coyote about 25 yards out in the bushes. I was surprised he was that close, but we had the wind in our favor. Didn't get a shot before he caught me moving.

Offline JimmyHoffa

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (+2)
  • Explorer
  • ******
  • Join Date: Sep 2010
  • Posts: 14351
  • Location: 150 Years Too Late
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #12 on: April 25, 2011, 10:23:59 PM »
Yikes.  I have this fear every time I try to call anything.  Need a bayonet.
But I did hear if you put up a goalpost near your site, the cougars won't come near it.

Offline Wacenturion

  • Non-Hunting Topics
  • Trade Count: (-1)
  • Old Salt
  • ******
  • Join Date: Apr 2008
  • Posts: 6040
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #13 on: April 25, 2011, 10:24:25 PM »
I had a similar thing happen to me while I was turkey hunting in western Washington using decoys.  Female cougar suddenly appeared 8-10 yards in front of my buddy and I ready to pounce on the decoys while we was sitting in a depression blind.  The reason I know it was female was her two half grown kittens made it to within five feet of us.  Had to spook them with hand movement as we were both completely invisible from camo.  They were coming right at us.

Spooky thing was we had been scouting and crawling through the same brush for two months prior to the season armed only with a couple cans of coke and a couple sandwiches....lol.  Really makes you think...they are incredibly quiet.

When you are out there in the woods in full camo, completely quiet and not moving and calling like a hen....you are in reality ringing the dinner bell. :chuckle:



"About the time you realize that your father was a smart man, you have a teenager telling you just how stupid you are."

Offline phishisgroovin

  • Washington For Wildlife
  • Trade Count: (0)
  • Longhunter
  • *****
  • Join Date: Dec 2007
  • Posts: 924
  • Location: In the heart of Ghetto Kent wa
Re: Jumped by a cougar?
« Reply #14 on: April 25, 2011, 10:26:09 PM »
Two years ago i had a big one following me in the colockum, my footprints broke crisp snow and no other prints anywhere around mine on the way down the rvine, on the way back up though there was Cat prints in MY prints.

Scared as heck and alone (before my last back surgery) I was walking up farther about 200 yards when a small herd of 10-14 Cow elk crested the hilltop like freight trains with only a tiny tree between me and them, i could have gotten a few handfulls of cow hair lol!

I went back to camp right afterwards and collected my thoughts near the fire and coffee.
TANNERITE needed for target practice on opening day of each hunting season.

 


* Advertisement

SimplePortal 2.3.7 © 2008-2024, SimplePortal