Being the stalked hunter

[Tsalagi84]

For nearly a year now, I have been sighting, hearing, and finding cougar scat/prints, on my family's land.

The first time I encountered it, I was walking on a ridge, at night, and heard it coming through the tall grass. I shown the light on it and aimed,not knowing if it was the neighbors dog, a deer, or something i hadn't encountered yet. It froze, and I walked toward it, not fifty yards from me.

As soon as I, unfortunately, stepped on a twig, it took off, making no sound.

After a fair bit of tracking in the morning, I came to the tenuous conclusion that it was a cougar.

I have tracked it for a year now, and have chased it from the property several times.

My friend and I did a bit of exploring, and found that the neighbor is baiting feral hogs. additionally we have a large population of white-tail, and mule deer.

From our tracking, it seems as though this is the cougar's range. And it appears to be close to its den, from the spread of the tracks, but I can't find a way to get it in my sights.

Is there a surefire way to trap/shoot a mountain lion?

It has become a menace, as it seems to have very little fear of human presence.

We are building a house on the the site, currently, and I need to get rid of this cat!

[Barnacle Brad]

If setting traps is out of the question, why don't you do a setup with a predator call and smoke him? Stake out a goat or one of your least favorite dogs (I jest) as bait.
You must have him patterned after a year of tracking him. Set him up and take him out. Just don't miss. Last thing you want is an educated lion around the house.

[hartcreek]

First off you need to have a talk with your neighbor. It could well be that he already knows about the cat and plans on taking care of it as well as the hogs. After the talk then depending on what he says then you may have to purchase a night scope or night vision and or a varmit light for your rifle and you need to dig through your states game regs to see what you can legally do.

I would have talked to the neighbor first before posting here. One of the reasons that I modified my 624 so that I have a laser mounted below the grip is because of cats is our cabin tract. The tracks quit showing up so someone in our tract quit doing something stupid.

In any case the cat is after the feral hogs but children and pets will be stalked......

[Deerhunter]

After checking the regulations for your area to make sure it is legal to kill the cat.

Get you a good light for your rifle scope. Elusive Wildlife Technologies makes a really good light.

Get a couple of them wild pigs or even a gut pile from a deer and put it out in one of the fields. If you are feeling froggy, build a pen trap and catch a hog then rope the thing and stake it to the ground. Or just build the cage trap for the pigs and sit on it once you have one or two in there. That cat will come looking for dinner.

[Sure Shot Mc Gee]

Perhaps a light conversation with the local game warden is needed. I'm sure those fellows would know what to do about a big cat roaming a bit to close to humans. They might even come in and help by live trapping it for you.

Having a neighbor baiting to hold pigs sure isn't helping matters any. Does your neighbor know he's got a cougar prowling about?

[Doyle]

After checking the regulations for your area to make sure it is legal to kill the cat.

Ding, Ding, Ding. We have a winner. There are VERY few places where killing a Mt. Lion is legal.

[psalm7]

Kids /Grand Kids vs legal to kill the cat . Cat better move to a new home .

[NoSecondBest]

Just because you have a cougar on your land doesn't entitle you to shoot it. If you have that much fear of wild things you might consider building your house in an urban neighborhood. There's no evidence that the cat was stalking you and you haven't stated that any attacks have been made to people of domestic animals near you. I have bear on my property constantly. I've been false charged by a sow with cubs and had a large boar chuff at me when I hollered at him to get off my porch. In one week alone I got 86 bear pics off my game cameras. I haven't shot one of them and no one in my county has been attacked and no domestic animals killed. Call the game warden and get some professional advice. Your story has some drama built in (by you) but no facts to justify killing, or attempting to kill, a cougar. Chances are you'd be breaking the law if you did shoot it.

[old roper]

We have lion's east side of town and they are big game animal with hunting season.

http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/L...lifeLion1.aspx

DOW pays for crop damage from wildlife and they also pay if lion or bear kill's livestock and it is market value. Once they kill livestock DOW has contract hunters they hire.

[Doyle]

http://www.azgfd.gov/w_c/mtn_lion_attacks.shtml

Between 1980 and 2004 there were 20 fatal and 88 non fatal recorded Mt. Lion attacks in the US and Canada combined. During that same period there were many thousands of people killed and injured by lightning strikes.

If you aren't walking around with lightning rods attached to your skull for fear of lightning, then why would you be in fear of something with a much smaller chance of happening? Heck, we got way more incidents of alligator attacks in FL alone than that.

[Bella]

Here in the Silver State you can shoot a cougar in self defense. However, it better be legitimate. Every hunting season I purchase a Mountain Lion tag in case I have a close encounter, that way I will no legal problems.

[TimSr]

Just because you have a cougar on your land doesn't entitle you to shoot it. If you have that much fear of wild things you might consider building your house in an urban neighborhood. There's no evidence that the cat was stalking you and you haven't stated that any attacks have been made to people of domestic animals near you.

I tend to agree with this.

I first have to wonder how much knowledge and experience the OP has had with lion encounters. I would discuss it with the local fish and game authority in your area. I can assure you that at the very least, your state has a season and probably a tag for lions. Yes, you can kill in self defense, but what you are describing is hunting, not self defense.

NoSecondBest brings up a good example with bears. We have very few in Ohio, and they are protected within the state. We've never had huntable populations in my lifetime. In more recent years we occassionally get a drifter sighted in the area which always makes local news. Sadly, last year, some small town cops decided to kill one because "it looked like it was headed towards a populated area" and "there were children in the area". There was a lot of outcry over this needless killing done out of sheer ignorance, as so few in this area have any bear experience. Everybody knows all bears are bloodthirtsy killers who can't wait to snatch your kids off the lawn in broad daylight, right? God knows how people even survive in Denver or Anchorage.

I'm not saying the lion may not pose a threat, as I have lived in areas where their lack of fear from being protected did constitute a real threat, (including two attacks on children), but I'm saying that I am questioning whether you are qualified to make such a determination. Please talk to your local wildlife authorities, and make absolutely certain that this animal needs to be destroyed before you go ahead and do it. Lions are very sparsely populated, and detroying a single lion has a lot more impact than other game animals.

[Husqvarna]

look if there are are hunters with cougardogs in the area and invite them?

if it is legal to do so I mean

[buck460XVR]

Is there a surefire way to trap/shoot a mountain lion?

It has become a menace, as it seems to have very little fear of human presence.

We are building a house on the the site, currently, and I need to get rid of this cat!

........another "saw cougar tracks, must kill!" thread.

My apologies to the OP. Not trying to be an arse. But if the cougar has been there for over a year and has not attacked any humans or domestic animals, what kind of menace has it become? Just because it is there? Seems you are the one invading it's territory, not the other way around. Predator encounters are increasing all the time with folks trying to "get away" and move to the country. Unfortunately for the animals already living there, they are in the way and must go. Don't matter they've been there for a millennia without so much as a human seeing them in person, much less attacking them or their pets/animals. They must die!

Asking for advice on a sure fire way to kill a cougar tells me, without a whole lot of luck, you probably would be better off to let someone else do it for you, if it is legal. Otherwise get a dog and let it patrol the perimeter of your property. Odds are it will not only keep the cat away but also the feral hogs that the neighbor is trying to get rid of. If it is truly cougar territory and has an abundant food supply of deer and feral hogs, there may always be cougars around. A dog will keep them all away, and the cats will learn the area is not a safe place to be. If it is legal to hunt them, then learn about them and enjoy the hunt. Doing that will teach you that their presence does not automatically mean a threat.

[Barnacle Brad]

S.s.s.

[buck460XVR]

Originally posted by [b]Barnacle Brad[/b[

S.s.s.

S.S.S. = S.F.Bs.

[old roper]

This is what Co puts out about living with MT Lion.

http://cpw.state.co.us/learn/Pages/L...lifeLion1.aspx

We have them on east side of town. We do have hunting season for lions

[Tsalagi84]

Thanks for the trapping Ideas!

Also, you guys are right to advise me to talk to the neighbor. If he's ever out there to actually hunt the pigs that he has been baiting... So far, I haven't been able to get in contact.

The property is in a rural part of Texas, and the house is a replacement for my stubborn mother-in-law, who refuses to leave the property.

Hence, I need to get rid of this thing.

In regard to the guy who was saying that since it had been around for a year, it was likely not a threat:

Re-read my original posting. Then, shut your F____ing mouth.

This cougar has taken at least three pet cats, and some deer entrails from a hunt, which were located about 500 feet from the house. it dragged a portion of the entrails to within 20, or so feet of the house, and apparently ate the rest.

I have spoken to Texas parks and wildlife, and the game warden.

Their advice: Shoot it.

Im going to try live-baiting it, and some of the pig trap ideas.

If you have a problem with shooting a cougar... Feel free to come trap this thing.

[Doyle]

This cougar has taken at least three pet cats, and some deer entrails from a hunt, which were located about 500 feet from the house. it dragged a portion of the entrails to within 20, or so feet of the house, and apparently ate the rest.

How does that in any way relate to a threat to a human? It doesn't.

[Bella]

Around here birds of prey will occasionally snatch up a cat or small dog, yet I don't feel threatened by them.

[Barnacle Brad]

How does that in any way relate to a threat to a human? It doesn't.

Let me explain...
The lion gets conditioned to finding food in the back yard. Eats all the dogs and cats with no adversity. Introduce children into the food chain... most prudent folks can come to the next conclusion....

Don't wait for the kids to become cat scat...

[psalm7]

This could lead to a nice archery safari .

[Tsalagi84]

It has stalked me.

That is how I found it.

That was only the first time it has come near my family.

Understand?

Ya getting the big picture yet?

[Tsalagi84]

Doyle Might Be Mentally Impaired

[Tsalagi84]

Bella.

I'm not talking about a bird.

You are talking about a bird.