Mountain Lion Questions

[Art Eatman]

A buddy of mine did a good bit of cougar hunting in the south Texas brush country. SW of San Antonio, down around Freer on the 120,000-acre Manges ranch. His bait was a few days of meat scraps from the table, a fresh-killed rabbit, and a handful of bulk catnip.

We tried that here in the desert; it worked. Unfortunately, he got so excited he missed the shot. Some time later back home in Austin, he was telling the story and got so excited he missed three more times...

[A_Gamehog]

Idaho Lion and Wolf....

[carprivershooter]

The Michigan DNR just recently admitted there are cougars in the upper peninsula of Michigan. I have heard talk about how this is going to impact whitetail hunting. The wolf population has shown a big increase and is blamed for the decline in deer population. And is also being blamed on Moose kills. Moose were reintroduced to the UP in the 90s. While not a hunter or a wildlife biologist I am not an expert. As has been stated by some other posters man has more of an impact on wild life then predators. There has been a study that has been going on since 1958 on Isle Royal National Park in Lake Superior. The study of Moose and Wolf interaction the population balance each other based on the dominance of the other. more Moose= more wolves. -moose -wolves. Of course this is in a closed system. look at the study. I favorite hunt is for a good steak. As one member stated if there is a increase of cat the deer will move to safe pasture.

[SRH78]

I don't know how effective calling would be but, as far as the hunter being likely to end up a meal, you don't have to sit on the ground and use a mouth call. You can be in a sturdy blind with a call on the ground a good ways off.

[603Country]

Several folks around where we live (east central Texas, east of Waco) have reported seeing big cats with long tails. Too many people say it for it to not be real, though the Parks and Wildlife guys say there are no cougars in our part of the state. I have game cameras in many places, and after 5 years, still no pictures of a cougar. I keep hoping for a picture. And if I see one in the dim light of morning or evening, I just don't know if I will shoot it. Probably I won't, but if I don't shoot it I'll just be one more guy that saw something that 'doesn't exist'.

I did get something on camera a week ago that I couldn't identify. It was the back end of a critter with a long tail. Wasn't a normal coyote tail, though it may possibly have been a coyote with mange. It was a night infrared shot, and it wasn't a great picture. I just don't know what it was.

[FrankenMauser]

I did get something on camera a week ago that I couldn't identify. It was the back end of a critter with a long tail. Wasn't a normal coyote tail, though it may possibly have been a coyote with mange. It was a night infrared shot, and it wasn't a great picture. I just don't know what it was.

If you haven't deleted the image, post it here. There is a lot of experience and knowledge pooled on this forum.

[603Country]

I was trying to find the picture to show it to my oldest grandson, and couldn't find it. I'm sure I kept it, so I'll look again. I'll have to then figure out how to attach the photo. Can't be that hard, but I've not done it on this forum.

[Capt. Charlie]

I'll have to then figure out how to attach the photo. Can't be that hard, but I've not done it on this forum.

http://thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=292842


.

[603Country]

I guess I deleted the picture. I had assumed that it was just a coyote with mange, since the back end of the critter didn't really look that much like a cat.

[cloud8a]

There are alot of sightings of large cats in the burbs of northeast tarrant county texas. Some say they could be large bobcats. There are alot of creek bottoms that snake through the area

[Art Eatman]

If it's big-dog size and has a long tail, it ain't a bobcat. If you see a paw print that's as large or larger than the palm of your hand, it ain't a bobcat.

[doofus47]

I saw a black panther crossing the road near Leonard, texas back on Easter Day, 1993.
No, really, and I had two other friends there who saw the same thing. Next, we all doubted our collective sanity, so we hunted around until we found a track.

[603Country]

I still haven't seen a cougar in our central Texas area, but neighbors (some crazy, some drunks, and some thought to be sane) report sightings. A few years ago I did see big cat tracks, but don't know how big the track would have to be to be too big for a bobcat track. The local Parks and Wildlife guy swears that we have cougars in this area, and he'd buy beer forever for anybody that can provide him with a picture of a cougar (so he can shut up the naysayers in Austin). I've moved my game cameras to areas in my woods where critters of all types would be most likely to move through. I have bobcat, coyote, dog, snake, buzzard, crow, deer, coon, squirrel, dillo, skunk, grandkid, and hog pictures, but no cougar shots so far.

[snipecatcher]

That print is about 3.5 inches across.


I arrived at our land in Lampasas, TX a couple of weeks after we put 30 goats out. When I got there, I walked the entire 70 acres with my rifle hoping to see a pig, and just looking around. In the lowest place, where there is a water hole that keeps water all year, I found a deer leg with fur still on it, and a pile of turkey feathers within 100 yards of each other. Later, as I'm walking back to camp, I saw the track that is pictured. When I got to camp where the goats hang around, I looked around a bit and found a goat skull, with the fur still on it. It is tough to count all of the goats, but I counted twice and came up with 27. I used to sleep on a cot out there right by the campfire, but it's not something I plan to do anymore. Irrational as it may be, lions are the only thing that scare the hell out of me when I'm hunting alone.
-Dan

[macsters]

There's no reason to shoot a mountain lion.

if you can't tell, that is the neck of a horse.




note: the dog was defending an 11 year old boy.





enough said.

[gyvel]

Can anyone tell me what the average span is between fangs on a mountain lion?

[big al hunter]

I was stalked by a lion while elk hunting in western Washington. When I spotted the cat he was 20 yards behind me and crouched, ready to pounce. I had to chase him away as I did not have a tag and he did not charge or make any further attempt to get closer. I had spoken to a local resident that had seen the cat several times over the coarse of 2 years. 4 other people I know have been followed by the same cat. The last one shot it. Weighed 140 lbs.

The state of Washington Dept. of Fish & Wildlife did a gps collar study on lions. They tracked the cats continually and sent biologists to search the area when a cat stopped roaming for more than a day or so. The search usually led to the latest kill. It was determined that females took an average of 1 deer per week and that males prefer elk, though not as many per month. They also determined that a cat will roam large areas of home territory. Females had ( if I recall correctly) 20 square miles and males had 60 to 80 square miles that overlapped with 3 or more females territories.

So I say yes cats will take a large percentage of the deer or elk population in a given area over time. Will killing the cat in your area solve the problem? Not according to the study done here in Washington. When a cat was killed, regardless of the cause of death, a younger cat took over the territory very soon after. One of the collared males was pushed out of his mothers territory when he matured and wandered from Cle Elum to the Columbia River and half way back when he was killed by another male. That is well over a hundred miles. Any open territory with available prey will have cats if they are in the area.

If you can find a recent kill the cat will likely stay close until it is gone or rancid. Set up to watch the kill and you will eventually see the cat.

[TX Hunter]

Last weekend I walked up on a Couger while Coonhunting.
All I had on me was a Single Six, loaded with .22 Long Rifle.
My hounds were out of pocket, Im glad the cats are scared of us here.
This cats been spotted a few times in the same area by a pond.

[Art Eatman]

big al, that behavior pattern for range and territory holds quite similarly for cats down here in Texas, as well.

[markj]

They shot one in town in Kearney Nebr over the weekend. Horse was hurt by one 3 or 4 miles from my place, the dogs get locked up at night now.

Farmer lost calves so a bunch of guys got the atvs out and run the field, found a den with mom and cubs all were killed. One hit right by the high school in Harlan IA I was there 5 min before on my motorcycle

Kill em and sell the bodies to south korea win win

[big al hunter]

Yeah Art, I imagine it would be very similar in most parts of the country they inhabit. After the vote to ban hound hunting in washington the cats seem to be everywhere. Used to be you had to put in for a draw permit for cats. Now you get the cougar tag free when you buy a bear tag. I have had both every year since the cat followed me, but tags where not available over the counter the year it happened.

[cloud8a]

speaking of lions in texas

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42979045/ns/us_news-life/

[Art Eatman]

"A short time later, a passerby saw the animal enter the parking garage of a state office building at 401 E. Franklin, where Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens have their offices, along with several other government agencies."

I can hear that lion now, "Sanctuary! I claim sanctuary!"

Response: "Tough luck, kitty."

[A_Gamehog]

Now that's funny ART!

[doofus47]

"A short time later, a passerby saw the animal enter the parking garage of a state office building at 401 E. Franklin, where Texas Parks and Wildlife Department game wardens have their offices, along with several other government agencies."

I think he was going there to lodge a complaint about noisy hikers, or maybe to check when deer season began...