I tracked down a cougar in the mts yesterday!

snag_point

snag_point

New member
Hi,
It had just snowed about 2 inches Saturday night and I was itching to get to the mts. So Sunday morning I headed for the hills. Much to my delight I cut a fresh track and followed that cat for 2 1/2 miles, then it went into posted land. The hunt was over. Yesterday, I pulled my lazy bones out of bed at 5am. The snow had melted back some but I found a different set of tracks and off I went and tracked her for 1 plus miles. I almost stop to call on a semi open north face, but I felt that I should track a bit farther. When I found her, she growled at me with fire in her eyes and started to walk towards me. She was only 40 yds away and was closing at a fast walk. I went from a standing shooting position , to my knees, you know , one down one out. (you don't shake so bad, and your closer to the ground when you mess your pants) I waited as she came forward, her growls where deep and and rumbled through the early morning stillness. (yep my pants are still clean and dry) I knew I had just a 5" by 4" spot to hit her. She now is at 25 yds! My 7mm Stw roared (I think it's an excellent predator cal. Don't you?) She tore off down the steep hill. I sat down and waited about a half hour. (Yep pants still dry and clean) Then I started to track her, and I was not a happy camper. My head was filled with images of one mad cat meeting me in a split second. It took me 1/2 hour to follow her about 150 yrds. When I found her she was very dead and rigor had started to set in. She aged between 8 and 9 years old. I shot grandma cougar!
Snag Point

I'm working on the grim process of uploading photos, this site is the pits when it comes to this task. I will ad them as soon as I get my Phd in computer science /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

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Yes, I'll rug it, I spent the day skinning her out and fleshing the hide. She is a bit small, but what a story. If I don't rug her I'm doomed to never get another. If I do, I'll get a bigger and better one 1 day after I pay the rug bill!
 
Thats one pretty kitty congrats!I still waitin/wanting to get one. Rug is the way to go with a Lion IMO it really streches them out and lets you see how big they are. Good Job /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif
 
By the way. The bio told me that next year they want to set the quota for my corner of Washington at 4 females. Then the party is over. When the land owners find this out they are going to really get hot, let alone us hunters. Let Washington Dept of Fish and Wildlife know you are unhappy.
 
Congrats , but I believe in a female sub qoata and think it is a very good thing to happen.And most seasoned Houndsmen feel the same. We like to have those females around.
 
I would agree, if you had hound hunting, then a sub quota has its place. We have no hound hunting, and a growing cougar population. 4 females down and dead and the rest get to lunch on deer and elk.
 
Congrats.

How hard is it to tell male from female with out the luxury of having them tree by hounds? I believe hound hunting is illegal in WA. Might make it really tough for callers.
 
Fantastic work, Snag! Outstanding!

There shouldn't be a boot hunter quota at all. It's insane. WDFW bureaucrats sit around making laws to justify their salary. They have nothing to do with biology. Boot hunters HARDLY touch the population.

Lance, there's 3 or 4 counties where they're doing hound hunts. They're very convoluted and ridiculously regluated. Dogs were outlawed and are now special drawing depredation hunts, in limited areas, with gender based quotas, and heavily verbose and tangled up regulations. Washington regulations are a MESS and getting worse every year.

Great job, Snag! Well earned trophy. Really pleased for you!
 
Great job of tracking and shooting. I live over here just East of Clarkston Washington near Orofino. Our cat population is soaring and I've had a small one in my back yard now three years in a row and am seeing more cats and black bear in the last few years than I have in the last 30.

Washington is getting really sucky about their game laws and hunting. I really feel for you guys. Sure glad Idaho seems to have a little common sense about it. Now if we can just get rid of some of the wolves that are decimating our elk herds.
 
Tremendous!

Big congrats on getting your cat Snagpoint!

I like it ........ I LIKE IT ALOT! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif

I think you are on the right track in making this one a rug .... full mounts are real spendy ......

...... AND I am quite sure ......... you'll SCORE AGAIN! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grinning-smiley-003.gif

Something in my bones /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused1.gif......... LOL! ...... and a bigger one then ......! /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/bowingsmilie.gif

Three 44s
 
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that is awesome.we dont have them here in michigan but if we did i would be out tracking them.that is how i deer hunt,by tracking in snow,i totally love it and as long as there is snow will not deer hunt any other way.does anyone know if bobcats can be takin this way,anybody done it?
 
Thanks for the comments. I also want to thank my friend. When I called from the mt.s he stopped what he had planned for the day,and came a helped me get the cat out of the woods. His neat plastic sheet worked like a charm. A guy like that is hard to find.
Snag





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