Killed a pretty big kitty down in Texas

trooperjd

New member
On 12/5/15 I was hunting my deer lease near Junction, TX. I was hunting with my newly built 260 Remington model seven rifle. I was hunting near a windmill with a brushy draw/creek. I was setting in a box blind and had a deer feeder to my left and right.

At about 4:40 PM I have deer at both feeders and I shoot a mature doe at the feeder to the left. She runs off and I decide to go find her. I climb down and walk the thick creek to the feeder. I find the deer and she is dead in the very bottom of the creek, and I let her lay in the creek as not to spook other animals. I make my way down the creek and back to my box blind. As I'm climbing back up the ladder to the tower blind, I see hogs at the feeder to my right. So I ease up the ladder and climb in the blind. I shoot and drop a spotted hog under the feeder. A short time later another group of hogs come out and I drop another.

Now all is still and quiet. I set the gun in the corner and watch a group of deer feeding on hand corn down a right of way in front me. About five minutes later I catch movement in my peripheral to my left. I look over into the thick stuff near the creek I had just come out of and I see a a long brown tail. I immediatly know it's a lion.

The lion briefly reappers from behind the huge cedar thicket and is low crawling and stalking the group of deer feeding on ground corn. He then gets behind a stand of thick Algerita. The deer bust him and they scatter like quail, and I mean in a hurry! The lion then sets on his hindquarters and is just watching the area the deer are in. At this point all I can see through a small opening in the brush is his back, mainly where his shoulder blades meet. I can see both tips of his ears, but only through the brush. He is facing directly away from me. So I put my 260 up and pick a small opening in which I can cleanly shoot through. He is only 40-50 yards from my stand, but it's so thick. I know this opportunity doesn't come along much, I figured now or never. I put the Leupold VX3 on the area where his shoulder blades are, and I squeeze off the shot. The cat drops and begins a violent flopping session. His long tail pounds the ground making a loud but deep thump. He does his for 2-3 minutes and then all goes still.

Of course by now im rattled, a nervous wreck and badly shaking. So I text my buddy I just killed a huge buck, as I wanted him to be surprised when I showed him my "buck". So about 5-10 before its dark I make my way to the cat. I slowly walk from the stand and round the large stand of Algerita. As I round the corner, I clumsily step on a large dead mesquite or cedar branch. It cracks loudly, and to my surprise the lion lifts his head, and looks right at me. So now my heart is really racing, and slowly retreat back. I'm inly 10-15 yards from him and buddy it's getting dark. I make a half circle and he is now licking his paw. I take a standing off handed shot at an angle from behind his rib cage angling forward. The cat jumps like I've never seen, and I cycle the gun to chamber a round. To my surprise I am now empty, as I forget to ammo up before making my way to the cat. So now I make beeline back to the stand to get ammo and wait for my buddy.

He arrives and it's now completely dark. I'm still excited, nervous, and pumped up as I tell my buddy the chain of events. A short time later and some very cautious searching, we located the cat. We were in awe, and the realization begin to sit in just how big this thing is.

He measured 6'8" and 120 pounds. He is truly a trophy of a lifetime and will be full body mounted. This cat has been killing a deer breeding facility bucks in a large enclosure. As a matter of fact, the biologist and rancher sent me trail cam photos of the deer in he enclosure, as well as the 2.5 year old deer he had killed.

If someone will PM an email or phone number I can send the pics. I'm not able to post pics but I would like to share them with the members here. Thanks
 
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WOW Sounds like you has a lot of fun and probably needed to change your drawers! I have heard them but never had the opportunity to get one yet. Definitely on the bucket list!
 
Let me get this straight... On one sit you killed a deer, two hogs and a mountain lion? I'm certified and officially jealous!
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Originally Posted By: GCLet me get this straight... On one sit you killed a deer, two hogs and a mountain lion? I'm certified and officially jealous!
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Some people have all the luck. I have trouble getting just one of anything.

Nice going by the way. That's one heck of a kitty for sure. Great stuff.
 
Thanks guys! That hunt was one that no one would normally believed took place. My friends who helped me recover the cat were stunned when they heard the story, and helped recover all the game. It was truly a onece in a lifetime hunt all the way around. I was glad I had hunting buddies who where there as a witness, including the manager of the lease.

I was using a Hornandy 129 SST. I have very mixed feelings about the SST and the H4350 hand loads. I've killed many animals with it this year, and I have had only one exit wound. The bullet goes in making a bullet sized hole, but does not exit. Unless it is a head shot, everything runs from 20 yds to 100 yards. All shots were broadside or dang near except the cat, which was from behind. That shot didn't have a exit with very little blood. All animals died so I guess it worked, but it's soooo thick in most areas I hunt recovery can be difficult. I'm considering switching to a bullet that smashes through the animal with hole in both sides. It is so thick that a blood trail is wanted to aid in recovering the animals in the thick under growth. Maybe someone can help me with the bullet issue or maybe it does as expected and I'm just crazy. Thanks
 
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