AllPredatorCalls
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After more stands then I can count over the years, checked off a bucket list item. Came into the call at the 62 minute mark.
Bucket List Lion
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AllPredatorCalls
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Utah.
AllPredatorCalls
Active member
Originally Posted By: crapshootPlease, please, PLEASE share the story.
Okay here's the rundown. First, I'm by no means an "expert" on calling lions, but here's a rundown on the stand and some of my experiences that someone may find helpful in achieving their goal to call and shoot a lion.
This is my second lion called in. The first is detailed on PredatorMasters 15 years ago.
Because of Utah's healthy population of Mt. Lion and there devastating affect on deer herds, My home state of Utah recently went to year-round Lion hunting with no special license or bag limits.
As for my recent lion, I took the week off work to 100% focus on lion stands. I hunt alone typically backpacking into remote rimrock canyons, ravines, and drainages.
Because my first lion came so quickly to the call (under 6 minutes) and really didn't show any interest in lion vocals, over the years I based my calling strategy on this experience and primarily relied on prey distress sounds and purposely avoided lion vocals. I also usually sat on stand 20-30 minutes maximum. In hindsight this strategy is flawed. My two lion call in's are about as different as as they can be in terms of time on stand and sounds used.
In this particular stand I shifted up my calling technique and decided I was going to use lion vocals at some point and stay at least an hour.
I used the following calling sequence:
- Cottontail distress (first 10 minutes)
- Then a mix of the following (10 thru 50 minutes)
Muledeer fawn FP-263
Whitetail doe & fawn mix FP-Z01
Whitetail young distress FP-D06
Male Antelope Distress FP-D56
Kid Goat distress FP-M00
- 50 - 62 minutes mix of following using recall button (used mainly lion vocals)
Lion whistle FP-373
Lion female call FP-375
Lion begging FP-372
Muledeer fawn distress FP-263 (2 or 2 times)
I looked down at the remote to check the time on stand (62 minutes), looked up to scan the area one last time before standing up and breaking the stand, and a lion was standing approximately 70 yards away from me broadside staring in the direction of the ecall and decoy (which were about 30 yards away from her).
For the first 61 minutes I had my rifle resting on my shooting sticks with the rifle butt up and ready resting against my shoulder. When I decided to check the call stand timer on the remote I sat the rifle butt on the ground with foregrip still resting and balanced in the shooting sticks yoke.
After I spotted the lion, I ever so slowly reached for the butt of the rifle to bring it back up to my shoulder. At about halfway to my shoulder the lion turned an stared intently in my direction and I froze - It was and absolute stand off for 2 minutes... I was busted, my heart sank, I just new it was going to turn and run... Then it finely looked back to the caller and decoy, took another step which blocked its view of me and I quickly brought the rifle butt up to my shoulder, positioned my sticks, and sighted the lion in the scope cross hair. The lion took another step, I found the sweet spot behind the shoulder and fired..
AP's 7 Lion Hunting Lessons Learned & Tips (which are not really terribly profound or enlighten)
1. Each lion is different. Some charge-in and some take there sweet time
2. I will stay on stand 1 - 1 1/2 hours an ALL future lion stands
3. Lion communicative calls/sounds work
4. Packing a lion by yourself is work. It's a [beeep] to maneuver the dead weight of a lion onto your shoulders without help. Its not like a buck that you can grab and maneuver the antlers to aid in getting it on your shoulder. Although I could carry it on my shoulders with no problem, It was a goat rope getting it up and on my shoulders. If you down a massive old tom you better know how to properly skin for a rug or life-size mount because its likely you are not going to be carrying it out whole by yourself.
5. Always use shooting sticks for a steady shot. Always keep the butt of the rifle against your shoulder and the foregrip of the rifle resting at the ready in the yoke of your shooting sticks while on stand. Trust me, when a lion is standing in front of you at close range, it is not the time to be raising, moving or setting your rifle up on the shooting sticks or the butt stock on to your shoulder.
6. If you hunt by yourself and are somewhat technology challenged, understand your cell phone camera functionality and features with regards to how to set a photo timer so you can be in the photo with your lion (only took me 30 minutes to figure it out)
7. Have a mindset for achieving fulfilment from the adventure not the kill. This will keep you motivated and still targeting them after literally 100's of "dry stands" and likely many years.
Edit add: I was using a FOXPRO CS24C, Mojo Critter Decoy, REKON CFS-1 Shooting sticks
AP Jones
Okay here's the rundown. First, I'm by no means an "expert" on calling lions, but here's a rundown on the stand and some of my experiences that someone may find helpful in achieving their goal to call and shoot a lion.
This is my second lion called in. The first is detailed on PredatorMasters 15 years ago.
Because of Utah's healthy population of Mt. Lion and there devastating affect on deer herds, My home state of Utah recently went to year-round Lion hunting with no special license or bag limits.
As for my recent lion, I took the week off work to 100% focus on lion stands. I hunt alone typically backpacking into remote rimrock canyons, ravines, and drainages.
Because my first lion came so quickly to the call (under 6 minutes) and really didn't show any interest in lion vocals, over the years I based my calling strategy on this experience and primarily relied on prey distress sounds and purposely avoided lion vocals. I also usually sat on stand 20-30 minutes maximum. In hindsight this strategy is flawed. My two lion call in's are about as different as as they can be in terms of time on stand and sounds used.
In this particular stand I shifted up my calling technique and decided I was going to use lion vocals at some point and stay at least an hour.
I used the following calling sequence:
- Cottontail distress (first 10 minutes)
- Then a mix of the following (10 thru 50 minutes)
Muledeer fawn FP-263
Whitetail doe & fawn mix FP-Z01
Whitetail young distress FP-D06
Male Antelope Distress FP-D56
Kid Goat distress FP-M00
- 50 - 62 minutes mix of following using recall button (used mainly lion vocals)
Lion whistle FP-373
Lion female call FP-375
Lion begging FP-372
Muledeer fawn distress FP-263 (2 or 2 times)
I looked down at the remote to check the time on stand (62 minutes), looked up to scan the area one last time before standing up and breaking the stand, and a lion was standing approximately 70 yards away from me broadside staring in the direction of the ecall and decoy (which were about 30 yards away from her).
For the first 61 minutes I had my rifle resting on my shooting sticks with the rifle butt up and ready resting against my shoulder. When I decided to check the call stand timer on the remote I sat the rifle butt on the ground with foregrip still resting and balanced in the shooting sticks yoke.
After I spotted the lion, I ever so slowly reached for the butt of the rifle to bring it back up to my shoulder. At about halfway to my shoulder the lion turned an stared intently in my direction and I froze - It was and absolute stand off for 2 minutes... I was busted, my heart sank, I just new it was going to turn and run... Then it finely looked back to the caller and decoy, took another step which blocked its view of me and I quickly brought the rifle butt up to my shoulder, positioned my sticks, and sighted the lion in the scope cross hair. The lion took another step, I found the sweet spot behind the shoulder and fired..
AP's 7 Lion Hunting Lessons Learned & Tips (which are not really terribly profound or enlighten)
1. Each lion is different. Some charge-in and some take there sweet time
2. I will stay on stand 1 - 1 1/2 hours an ALL future lion stands
3. Lion communicative calls/sounds work
4. Packing a lion by yourself is work. It's a [beeep] to maneuver the dead weight of a lion onto your shoulders without help. Its not like a buck that you can grab and maneuver the antlers to aid in getting it on your shoulder. Although I could carry it on my shoulders with no problem, It was a goat rope getting it up and on my shoulders. If you down a massive old tom you better know how to properly skin for a rug or life-size mount because its likely you are not going to be carrying it out whole by yourself.
5. Always use shooting sticks for a steady shot. Always keep the butt of the rifle against your shoulder and the foregrip of the rifle resting at the ready in the yoke of your shooting sticks while on stand. Trust me, when a lion is standing in front of you at close range, it is not the time to be raising, moving or setting your rifle up on the shooting sticks or the butt stock on to your shoulder.
6. If you hunt by yourself and are somewhat technology challenged, understand your cell phone camera functionality and features with regards to how to set a photo timer so you can be in the photo with your lion (only took me 30 minutes to figure it out)
7. Have a mindset for achieving fulfilment from the adventure not the kill. This will keep you motivated and still targeting them after literally 100's of "dry stands" and likely many years.
Edit add: I was using a FOXPRO CS24C, Mojo Critter Decoy, REKON CFS-1 Shooting sticks
AP Jones
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