Rookie Cougar Hunter

[rocksteady]

So I made contact with a neighbours co-worker and got to tag along on 4 days of cat hunting (with a tag of course)

Day 1 - 04:30 am he picked me up, went touring, looking for cats, only located 1 track and it was fair old....

Day 2 - Same pick up time, while touring got a call from his buddy that they had cut fresh tracks (figured it was a female), so just for practice, we ran the track with a couple other groups and treed the young female (ssorry no pics, just crappy video)...First time I had ever seen a LIVE cougar in the wild...Very pretty.....

Day 3 - Cut some tracks, but had been snowed in, we got a radio invite to come join 3 other groups, as they had cut some fresh tracks and they think its a tom.....Now the fun begins:cry::cry:

Cut the dogs lose and off to the races they go.....FINALLY, when they have the cat treed, it takes us the better part of 2 hours to hike to the spot....Over hill, dale, gullies, blowdown, rocky cliffs, you name it, we came across it.....

Finally get to see the kitty, mature male, not a B/C 'er but still a nice coug....Unfortunate for me, the way these guys operate is whoever locates the track gets dibs on if it gets harvested by his shooters (friends)......I was 3rd in row, 1st guy passed it up (I will tell you why in a second) 2 nd fella decided to take it....

The cat only had a stub of a tail (about 6 inches long or so)...The young fella decided that he liked the character of that and took him with a perfect shot from his .270....
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c372/rocksteadyrifle/Cougars/IMG_0105.jpg
http://i31.photobucket.com/albums/c372/rocksteadyrifle/Cougars/IMG_0102.jpg

[rocksteady]

We skinned and butchered it and it still took us over an hour to get back to the trucks......Was a great hunt and I am happy for the hunter (I won't post a pic of him with his cat, as I am not sure if he would approve)...

Anyways, IF I had the opportunity, I would have harvested him as I plan to only ever take 1 cat, hopefully a decent, respectable tom to get a rug made.....

The cat had a lot of character, besides only being a stubby, he had shredded ears (from fightin I would assume), and one broken canine tooth...

Day 4 - Tonnes of other cat hunters out, no one cutting any fresh tracks...We cut a fair fresh set of bobcat tracks but could never catch up to him.......

Not sure when I will be going next but it sure was an experience....:mrgreen:


Also have a bunch of video from the 2 successful runs, but have never uploaded video to Youtube etc, so it may take me a while.....

[bruin]

Good pics and story, I've been on a couple and dream of one day getting my own dogs. Interesting that he only had a stub. Any idea how old it was roughly? Was was the weight and/or measurement. Hopefully you get a chance to get out again.

[rocksteady]

Good pics and story, I've been on a couple and dream of one day getting my own dogs. Interesting that he only had a stub. Any idea how old it was roughly? Was was the weight and/or measurement. Hopefully you get a chance to get out again.

Differing theories about the stub....

Some said froze off, others said they know hunters who will shoot off the tail so trophy hunters will leave him alone, injury maybe, birth defect ??? WHo knows....

Weighed probably 140 lbs, but he was skinny as a rail (belly wise) so it had been a while since he killed a deer or elk....

The guys I was with figured maybe 6 or 7 years old...

[yama49]

nice job, hopefully u get one for yourself this season....

[BlacktailStalker]

Chasing cats is a lot of fun. Most guys realize "sheep shape" ain't sh!t til they've been pursuing a pack of hounds :biggrin:
Hopefully you get under a good one.
Dont let anyone convince you to take anything inferior to what you have your mind set on, sounds like a gong show over there for the amount of houndsmen you talk about.

[srupp]

I may get out this season .....for cougar...looking forward to it..gotta pick up a tag...sheesh

sr

[Will]

Looks like a blast !
Thanks for sharing :-D

[weatherby_man]

Good story, love the pics when snows falling.

[rocksteady]

Dont let anyone convince you to take anything inferior to what you have your mind set on, sounds like a gong show over there for the amount of houndsmen you talk about.

I have already decided I want a decent male...no need to be B/C....

There are a lot of cat hunters in this area, how many I would hate to hazard a guess....

I tell you my knees were very large and swollen on the morning of day 4....Ah well, nothing that a bunch of tylenol, coffee and copenhagen could not shake off:mrgreen:, oh and my tensor knee braces....:wink:

[J_T]

Rock, consider hunting the cats with a bow. It's great. Obviously you're going to be up close. If it's the only one you're going to take, make it just that much more exciting.....

We had 4 cats go past our tree stands (3 in one group) while we were sitting in our late season deer stands.

[GoatGuy]

I have already decided I want a decent male...no need to be B/C....

There are a lot of cat hunters in this area, how many I would hate to hazard a guess....

I tell you my knees were very large and swollen on the morning of day 4....Ah well, nothing that a bunch of tylenol, coffee and copenhagen could not shake off:mrgreen:, oh and my tensor knee braces....:wink:

A handful of vitamin I (ibuprofen) in there and you'll be dialed.

Sounds like you got some good exercise.

[Fisher-Dude]

I have already decided I want a decent male...no need to be B/C....

There are a lot of cat hunters in this area, how many I would hate to hazard a guess....

I tell you my knees were very large and swollen on the morning of day 4....Ah well, nothing that a bunch of tylenol, coffee and copenhagen could not shake off:mrgreen:, oh and my tensor knee braces....:wink:

The most fun happens when you set the hounds on what looks like a fresh track, but it turns out to be 5 or 6 hours old - you think your knees hurt now? :mrgreen:

Go see the doc and get a prescription for Celebrex - way better than any over-the-counter-bad-kneed-cat-hunter drugs! :wink:

[J_T]

Man if we're going to give medicinal advice look up Zyflamend herbal. Celebrex is brutal on your guts.

[Fisher-Dude]

Man if we're going to give medicinal advice look up Zyflamend herbal. Celebrex is brutal on your guts.

I haven't had any problem with my innards with Celebrex as long as I eat something. A granola bar is all it takes. Even on an occasional empty stomach I'm fine, but if you make an empty belly a habit at the time you take it, you might start to feel shitty. Good thing I'm a frikken pig and eat everything in sight. :redface:

Surgeon explained to me that getting the inflamation out of the joints was the only way to keep pain away, and to heal joint irritation. I'm not big on herbal stuff, but if it works for ya, give 'er.

[GoatGuy]

Man if we're going to give medicinal advice look up Zyflamend herbal. Celebrex is brutal on your guts.

Wash it down with whisky and you'll be fine.

[eastkoothunter]

I'm glad I came upon this, that cat looks way to familiar. (It was me who cut the track). Hopefully you end up getting yours, I wish I didn't have to leave for school again cause I would have loved to run with you and Jason again.

Cris

[hunter1947]

Mike Its very nice that your friend took you out on this cat hunt ,one time the cat will be yours to keep if you keep going out with him or others.

The pic and your story are http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon6.gif thanks for filling us in on your hunt http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon14.gif..

[rocksteady]

I'm glad I came upon this, that cat looks way to familiar. (It was me who cut the track). Hopefully you end up getting yours, I wish I didn't have to leave for school again cause I would have loved to run with you and Jason again.

Cris


I also have some other pics for Tom, do you have his email???


Mike

[Kody94]

WTG RS! That cat hunting is addictive, eh? I'd have gotten into it in a big way if I had a job that let me get out enough. 5&2 really doesn't cut it.

[rocksteady]

Been up for an hour drinking ccoffee......Ride will be here ina bit...

-12 this morning with it snowing til after 8:00 last night(about 4 inches of the fluffywhite stuff)....

Today is my day to bag a kitty!!!!


Hard to believe, but H1947 is not on yet this morning.....Sorry Wayne, had to post that, not very often I beat you out of bed !!!!

[hunter1947]

Been up for an hour drinking ccoffee......Ride will be here ina bit...

-12 this morning with it snowing til after 8:00 last night(about 4 inches of the fluffywhite stuff)....

Today is my day to bag a kitty!!!!


Hard to believe, but H1947 is not on yet this morning.....Sorry Wayne, had to post that, not very often I beat you out of bed !!!!


Well im on now Mike ,LOL http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/images/icons/icon7.gif papers to deliver ,LOL...

[rocksteady]

Temperature dropped like a stone, when we got down near Lake Kookanusa it was -27:eek::eek: Did not warm up to above -20 til 11:00 ish....

Cut one set of small female cougar tracks, ran it for a couple kms and then they just vanished:confused::confused: Think the cat may have doubled back on the road or something.....Oh well, it lives to see another day......And hopefully attract a BIG boyfriend..:-D

[835]

3:33 Am for a minus 27 deg cat hunt?
that right there shows commitment.

[sawmill]

3:33 Am for a minus 27 deg cat hunt?
that right there shows commitment.

Or brain damage.:mrgreen:

[835]

Or brain damage.:mrgreen:

Ya but i didnt think that would come off right

[rocksteady]

Or brain damage.:mrgreen:
It was either stay in a nice warm truck with the possibility of some vigorous excercise in teh snow...OR....go ice fishing and stand around outside in that crap, freezing my butt off hoping to catch a fish.....I don't have a "snuggie" hut like you Joe....

I think I made the right choice...:mrgreen::mrgreen: