Calling Cougars

[325]

I have a Foxpro predator call enroute. I want to try calling in a cougar. Any tips from those with experience would be appreciated!

[.308SLAYER]

Cut some tracks one time whaled on a double cottontail hand call...watched a cat slink through the thick towards us not 5 minutes later 22 250 did the trick

[dracb]

Hunt them like you would lynx or bobcats. The first step is to get close enough that a cougar can hear your call. Get out early on new snow and look for fresh tracks. If possible try to make certain the animal has not moved on by circling the area the tracks are headed into. Based on your observations try to pick a set up where you can sit comfortably for an hour and have good sight lines. Set your caller and decoy at some distance. The distance will depend on the site conditions, but try for 30 meters or more. Sit down, get settled so you can sit motion free and after five minutes or so start the caller on low volume. After five minutes or so increase volume, repeat as necessary. The last 30 minutes on stand you should be stepping down the volume. That method works for the smaller cats and while I have never killed a cougar using it, I have twice found tracks on leaving the setup that proved a cougar had come close enough to watch me.


I am convinced that most people using calls bring in more cats than they ever see and probably a higher percentage has at some time gotten bored and left their setup with cats on the way. Cats commonly come in slow and hunting along the way.

It seems like every year I get one or two cougars brought in for inspection where the successful hunter was just sitting quietly and blowing every once in a while on a deer call or his partner sitting on a nearby stand was calling when a cougar slinks out of the bush stalking the source of the sound.

[twoSevenO]

Hunt them like you would lynx or bobcats. The first step is to get close enough that a cougar can hear your call. Get out early on new snow and look for fresh tracks. If possible try to make certain the animal has not moved on by circling the area the tracks are headed into. Based on your observations try to pick a set up where you can sit comfortably for an hour and have good sight lines. Set your caller and decoy at some distance. The distance will depend on the site conditions, but try for 30 meters or more. Sit down, get settled so you can sit motion free and after five minutes or so start the caller on low volume. After five minutes or so increase volume, repeat as necessary. The last 30 minutes on stand you should be stepping down the volume. That method works for the smaller cats and while I have never killed a cougar using it, I have twice found tracks on leaving the setup that proved a cougar had come close enough to watch me.


I am convinced that most people using calls bring in more cats than they ever see and probably a higher percentage has at some time gotten bored and left their setup with cats on the way. Cats commonly come in slow and hunting along the way.

It seems like every year I get one or two cougars brought in for inspection where the successful hunter was just sitting quietly and blowing every once in a while on a deer call or his partner sitting on a nearby stand was calling when a cougar slinks out of the bush stalking the source of the sound.

How many do you get brought in every year in total? Curious about how many are hunted each year.

[dracb]

I did not go back to get an accurate count, but I would think somewhere between 8 and 15 depending on the year and the numbers killed by local C.O.'s. due to cougar depredation on pets or livestock or some other human/wildlife conflict. It is not a huge number and is probably on average closer to the lower number than the higher. I think most of the hound hunters basically tree and release.

What I find interesting is the apparent frequency of non-guided hunters out deer hunting who have a cougar come into their calling. In theory there is a lot of space out there between cougars and I do not think there is a huge number of people turning over cans or blowing on whistles for deer. Most hunters spend a lifetime enjoying their sport seasonally and never see a cougar. Most of them likely never see a cougar foot print.

The fact that I see one or two a year that are called by accident is suggestive of the potential efficacy of cougar calling done with a well thought out protocol.