Who else hunts mountain lion?

Mountain lions were hunted almost into extinction in California because of cattle ranchers and hunters. At one time there was even a bounty on them.

After many decades of a moritorium the population is coming back.

The biggest problem is when the cats and humans interact. Be aware, these animals are just like bears...dangerous. Like bears, they will usually head the other way when encountered, but not always.

When out in the woods, I am always packing...be it fishing, camping, and of course hunting. Anyone who dosnt do so is putting themselves a risk. Slight risk, but risk nonetheless.

If you go out into the wild...expect the wild...its not a zoo with the animals caged. If you go and arnt prepared, dont expect me to have any sympathy for you or blame the animal for doing what it does naturally.
 
sc928, problems arise when the bunny-huggers get in the way of the wildlife biologists when hunting issues arise. In California, the hunting is not controlled; it is forbidden. That has meant a population growth of the cougar such that it's no longer just a wild-country animal; it's around towns and the edges of cities.

Another example is the ending of bear hunting in Florida. Now, it's fairly common for the bears to do nightly "dumpster diving" around the edges of Tallahassee. I figure that it's just a matter of time before some kid walking to school gets between a mama bear and her cubs.
 
Art speaks the truth

+1 for Art's post.

I spend a lot of time along the Colorado Front Range - from Fort Collins to Colorado Springs. There are always people losing their precious pets to cats in the foothills - that fact seems especially prevelant around "the peoples Republic of Boulder."

If someone is looking to hunt cats, I'd definitely say look at Colorado. Cat populations there are definitely up.

Florida Bears.

I am working in the Everglades at the moment on a construction project as part of the Everglades Restoration Project. Spotting bears in the Everglades is not infrequent.

Two years ago I spotted a bear ON THE BEACH while fly fishing in the surf at Hobe Sound Wildlife Refuge, just north of Hobe Sound - no $h!t - it blew my friggin' mind!
 
+1 for art as well
colorado huh? i might have to find myelf in vacation mode there now that you have said that :D
 
Another Oregon cat hunter here.

I enjoy hunting for cats but still have never seen one. I have found tracks around where I was sitting and found where they were following me through the woods but never laid eyes on one. I nearly always have a rifle with me and most of the people I work for want the lions shot, so it is just a matter of time. Some of my friends do much better than me keying in on fawning grounds and wintering deer and elk.

A friend and I are planning on heading to Idaho this winter to see if we can find a cat.

GAR
 
Kaizer:

If you are really considering CO, the blast me an IM and I can share a few specific factoids.

Also, I think, CO is draw only for cats - could be wrong - you might check.
 
We were at the taxidermist today picking up my son's bear, and they had a cat in there that was BIG........measured 8' 10" from nose to tip of tail. Someone shot it while elk hunting.
 
They have been re-introduced, I believe that 4 were released into our county.
Click to expand...

I have never heard of mountain lions being re-introduced here in Georgia. I would like to know specifics. Now out of the re-introduced lions in southern Florida, one made a beeline over five hundred miles to eastern central Georgia years ago where some yahoos killed it.

I'm with Art, I'd never kill one here in Georgia as there's not a huntable population. I do know that cougars have been spotted here and by people who are reputable observers-including a retired assistant director of the Georgia Bureau of Investigation, Harry Coursey.

I hunted for mountain lion over bait when visiting Art a few years ago. No luck.
 
I too live in Jackson Co. (Oregon) and taking a cat is high on my "wish list", so obviously this thread caught my eye. I'm interested in learning how to better locate the cats around here. I've only seen one in the two years I've been exploring our woods. I was unarmed at the time, but now when I go out, I always carry (both a gun and a cougar tag, just in case).
 
good eating you say? well now i am sure we all know there are more than one ways to skin em' but could some one tell me how exactly you COOK a cat?
 
I live in the mountains of Colorado and can tell you for sure that they are here!

I was up in the tree stand in my back yard bowhunting elk and when I tried to call in an elk a mountain lion came strolling up, scared the crap out of me.

A few years back a guy at church was elk hunting with his son, both of them were over 6 feet tall. They were just walking along in the woods and they said they just heard two foot steps from behind and all of the sudden the father was pinned to the ground with a big mountain lion right on top of him! He said the cat got his paw stuck in his pack somehow and got scared, jumped off of him and went after his son. The father had just enough time to pick up his elk rifle and nail him. Never reported it, still frozen stiff up in the mountains. He has the scratches to prove it, even got up in front of the church and told us about it.

After that I got a concealed carry so I could carry my side arm up in the hills. I'm an avid wild mushroom hunter. About a year after that incident I was stalked by a mountain lion when I was alone and hunting mushrooms up in the mountains. Let me tell you they will stalk you hiding in the bushes and you'll never see them, but if you're aware enough you'll hear them. When I was stalked I keep circling away from the lion till I got to my truck then he popped out and boy was he big. Good thing I was packing my 45 caliber Glock. Watch the african cats on TV and you'll see how big cats hunt and stalk and kill.

Oh yea, one other time I was in the dark loading up some pipes on my trailer and a mountain lion was 'screaming' and each scream was closer and closer and closer and closer WOW. Freaked me out.

If you want to hunt them around here just walk around at dusk or at night and use yourself as bait LOL.
 
I have never hunted them, but have a few friends that do. In SE Utah (the 4-corners area, the big cats are thick. Same with the black bears now. When I lived down there (about 12 years ago) my wife and kids went for a walk just above town on a regular hiking trail and got stalked by a cat. I've crossed paths with a couple while out on horses and also have a friend who's horse is kind of doing a zebra impersonation on one side thanks to a cat. There also seems to be quite a few of the critters throughout the central and northern part of the state with at least a few sightings each year in the foothills around Salt Lake City (along with moose, elk, deer, bobcats, and coyotes but not all at the same time). People build houses right in the front room of all kinds of wildlife (cats included) and then bring in all those "exotic" gourmet dogs and little kitties to feed to the bigger kitties. :rolleyes:
 
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