Just ordered Steve's hand call package and the license should arrive in a few days. Season opens November 23rd, but with family visiting 21st through 27th I won't be at it till December. Season runs to the end of March so I should be able to get some hunts in. I'm retired so timing will be easier to work with.

What's a good fawn distress call?

I’ve figured out how to tune a great fawn voice. Use it aggressively and it’s a super raspy nasty jackrabbit distress, but if you blow it gentle and smooth it’s a perfect fawn cry. I can do it in a simple molded call body, on up to Slag’s leftover antique ivory! (Price will vary!)

Ivory!! Way above my social security pay grade, but thanks for the thought.

Hunting deer over in idaho today, almost shot a forky muley (he was actually pretty ridiculously big for a fork horn, bigger frame than a lot of 4xs that get killed) just so i could get to lion hunting sooner, but i didnt do it. I know id regret killing a forkhorn after 3 hours hunting deer in idaho for my first time. On the way out, right as it was getting too dark to shoot, im pretty [beeep] certain i heard a lion whistle below me. One of those "did i really just hear that?" Stopped and listened, never heard it again. But i really dont think i was imagining it.

Still not a single lion track seen here in idaho after 9 days hunting. Stark contrast with washington where it seems like every track in the snow is a lion track. Still going at it though as my deer tag is yet unnotched and im still waiting for "mr right." Finally got on some monster wolf tracks today but they were a few days old, of no use to me. Kinda more hoping to find smoking hot lion tracks in the morning than to find a proper buck.

So rainshadow, school me on whistlin. If im on tracks, and stop to do a little whistling, should i expect a vocal response if a cat is coming in? Not sure what im doing there, just experimenting with it. Like today following a lukewarm track, the cat went through a big draw that is a lion highway. Tons of activity there. So i stopped and sat at a good spot down low in the draw and was doing a little whistling, like maybe 5 times in 20 minutes. The sound was echoing real well, reaching out. If im not getting any vocal response does that generally mean nothings going to happen, or will they commonly come in to check me out without vocalizing back at me?

Depends on the cat. Toms typically don't vocalize... much. When they do it's a low gutteral quiet kind-of rattle sound. REAL easy to miss. And often a big tom will respond to the whistle in a predatory way, sneaking in to observe or ambush. Other subadults and females often call back, but it depends on how pressured they are. If they're overcalled, or real used to living around houses and such, they'll be a lot more quiet. Getting a vocal response is definitely not a sure thing.

Guess next time im on a track and just doing vocals like that ill do it with as much time and focus as if im distress calling, expecting a sneaker to crawl up my [beeep]. Thanks. Dealing with non hunting stuff today, back on the lion hunt tomorrow. Id love to call one in just by whistling. The down side to calling that way is that no way will i get a bonus yote or bob.

I've run Bobs out with the whistle. 30 min into distress, switch to whistle and hear them boogeying out!

Well if i was a 25lb cat i wouldnt want to be anywhere near a 100lb cat, cant say i blame em for turning inside out.

Speaking of bobs, right before i cut my lion tracks yesterday i cut a hot set of monster bobcat tracks. Giant tom bob. Did the classic rabbit thing and failed. 50 yards later cut luke warm lion tracks and switched gears. Should have just stuck with the smokin hot giant bob tracks

Now dealing with 5 day old, outrageously crunchy snow. Sucks for tracking, sucks for sneaking. The rational thing for me to do would be to wait until we get fresh snow before continuing, so as not to burn myself out. But no fresh snow in the forecast until next saturday.

Posted another story on my call in story page... O32

http://www.rain-shadow.com/cougar_callin_stories.htm

This one is a little different, but it's something that I've heard of happening repeatedly, so it needs to be covered!

Check it out! - O32

Posted a new Call-in Story. Youtube Video of the entire thing after the shot! Look for "O33" on the call-in story page!

http://www.rain-shadow.com/cougar_callin_stories.htm


HS Football Coach goes 1 for 1 on targeted Cougar Stands!

HS Football coach visits friends, they go cat hunting, he runs the stand with his ICOtech and RainShadow sounds.... and he goes 2 for 2 on lion stands (even though he didn't do the shooting!)

No, that isn't 'typical' either!

I told him, someday he'd have the satisfaction of having 30 dry stands in a row... but he's just a beginner, so he can't expect to get to that level immediately!

I will post the story as soon as I get it from the shooter!