I'm going to make a point to get out more this year... I'm still over-busy, homeschooling 6 kids, still have to do late deer, late archery elk, and I'm still not completely moved over here to central Washington, but I'm getting lion withdrawls!

How about you guys?

Seems I'm seeing a lot more surprise sightings and livestock damage stories. I predicted that, seems like it's happening.

Not sure how the cougar numbers (or habit patterns, lowland influx, livestock damage, etc.) are going to react to the influx of wolves, but the fact that more big predators are out cutting into the herds has the same effect.... and "they" are still regulating the humans out of the equation. Closing the most impacted areas at the end of the year here in Washington.


What do you think about lion hunting this year? What are you guys seeing?

As soon as im done with my deer tags, and we have fresh snow on the ground, ill be cougar hunting. Too many of them around not to.

As soon as elk season is over in November I will go out every weekend.

Buying your cougar kit this nov and hitting it hard. Here in Ferry county the cougar and wolf sightings/ encounters are insane. Everyone and their brother are having issues. Called 4 bears with that little bawler you sent so I'm hoping the cougar call is just as good when use appropriately! Talking to the old timers and the local ex state hunter, we used to take 4-5 times as many cougar as they allow now in this unit. And the wolves are eating everything and pushing all the other predators to have to try new things, like sheep and a horse now. The colvilles can now come hunt wolves up here but not enough of them will. Got my CDL with one of them that runs hounds and he does a number of the Cougars and bears with his dogs.

Met a guy here in Yak who claims to have met a couple guys in N E WA who've been tagging one each year for 3 years, calling. Have a friend in Colville who knows a state bio with 22 cameras in the corner, cats on all of them at the same time.
........... then they close it down end of Dec! SO aggravating!

I have a fishing camp property in Northeast now. Heading there for late deer, I have a second deer tag in the Spokane North unit.

WAY too many cats there (And in SE, and in Yak county) and the state is protecting them.

The jan 1st closure does suck. The one i called in on dec 30th last year ended up being number 12 for unit 121 last year, doubling the quota. We have a lot more lions around here than the biologists claim.

As for the bio with 22 cams out, i have about that many spread around the ne corner, every single one gets frequent lion activity. I have hundreds of lion pics. [beeep], its rare for a week to go by on my small property without lions on cam. I counted at least 8 different ones on cam at my house in a 6 month period, and thats just on 21 acres.

They need to take about 20 out of that corner every year. They might be trying to force the wolves to spread by over predating the prey species... without selling tags to do it, of course. Likely it's just over bureactatized management by apartment dwellers... like everything else. (We'll have to accept or reject their legislative mandates on a case by case basis soon, I can see that coming too.)

Im really getting excited for cougar hunting. If there is snow by nov 24th, which there almost certainly will be, im going to forego elk hunting for cougar hunting. I missed early archery elk, and late archery is kind of a crapshoot. Id rather call lions than freeze my butt off hoping to ambush an elk in freezing temps. This might be the first time in 7 years that i dont even buy an elk tag.

Looks like the snow is headed up there sooner than later! I'm going to have to go there to re-rent my tiny house and do late deer, gonna snow next week already! (Know anyone who wants to winter over in a tiny house outside Usk?!?!)

Went out to check a cam today that i set up this spring, in a new area id never been to
Couple nice lions on it, and found a fresh lion scrape. Also found a cow elk carcasd with a humongous pile of bear crap next to it. Dont know what to make of that. Its clearly been dead before elk season opened.

If your property by usk has some big whitetails, id be happy to go check in on your place from time to time for a while here. I do have the whitetail raffle tag

A monster dinger 5x5 got killed there last day of early season. 50yds from my place! He was actually living on my property and two neighbors' lots. I'm hoping for a couple bucks and have one more kid to tag out! We're going to do late turkey too and I have one place to try second deer, but would like to secure one or two others.

I haven't gotten out to call this year yet. They're still hunting on the ranch where I go. They should be finishing up here in the next few weeks and I am off the week of thanksgiving so I am hoping to get out there then. I'll be waiting to be near some success stories.

Good luck guys,

Hope you get onto one, Zag!

Just ordered up a Shockwave, Got my first Bobcat last year, and it's still at the Taxi being made into a rug. Really looking to try Cougar this year. I've spent most of my time Yote hunting throughout our valley, but have been getting some good info on Cougar spots too. Looking for advice on caller sequences for the Cougs, Are you just randomly throwing out rabbit distress calls or bid calls, seeking the knowledge of the wise.lol