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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Gehrke145 on April 29, 2008, 11:11:00 AM
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Well I don't post about my hunts much but figured this would be one to post! As some of you know I'm still working on getting my turkey by stalking but ill save that for later. This morning I get out and do the 2 mile hike to the canyon I chase birds in. Its slow now birds talking, but seeing a mess of deer and elk makes the time fly by. A few hours pass when I catch a glimps of tan on the hillside. After a closer look I see its a Mt. Lion I think sweet grab my camer and take a few pics. He starts walking so I take a few steps to get a better angle. He spots me and stares at me a bit. Then it starts, he crouches down and starts the stalk. He cuts 30 yards in seconds, then another 30 till he's about 30 yards from me,and closing. I snap one last pic before we had words. Needless to say I couldn't get rid of him but he followed me almost a half a mile before I lost him. When he was following me he stayed between 40, and 60 yards at first till I walked at him with a arrow nocked and yelled a bit then he moved back to about 80. Man he was a gutsy cat thats for sure!!! Sorry for the big pics but they are easier to see if they are deleted its ok.
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v683/wifishkiller/Turkey%20hunting%20and%20a%20hungry%20cat/Cat005.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v683/wifishkiller/Turkey%20hunting%20and%20a%20hungry%20cat/Cat006.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v683/wifishkiller/Turkey%20hunting%20and%20a%20hungry%20cat/Cat007.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v683/wifishkiller/Turkey%20hunting%20and%20a%20hungry%20cat/Cat008.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v683/wifishkiller/Turkey%20hunting%20and%20a%20hungry%20cat/Cat009.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v683/wifishkiller/Turkey%20hunting%20and%20a%20hungry%20cat/Cat010.jpg
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I should add I nocked in arrow when he was under the tree (4th pic down) He closed the distance so fast it was amazing, from the tree till I confronted him was seconds he ended up about 20 yards at the closest point. He almost got a souvenier!
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:scared: Pucker Factor.....10+!!!!!!!!!!
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WOW thats scary, nice picks .
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Too cool and too scary at the same time. My wife and I found tracks last fall showing a lion had jumped an elk. No body though. Made us walk on the balls of our feet for the rest of the day. I can imagine what seeing one trying to stalk you would do:)
Jon
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Awesome :thumbsup:
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Nothing like a reminder your not the top predator in the food chain to get the heart beating!
Great pics!
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Last while Deer Huntin we ran into one....
Mt.Lion in area means good deer population....And it makes you watch your six....
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really cool pictures! :thumbsup:
I'll bet the phrase "here kitty kitty" never crossed your mind? :archer:
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Incredible!!!!!!
Way to keep your cool and get some awesome pics!!!
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Cool!!!
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I bet that was an experience! ;) :thumbsup:
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Way to pay attention!! my buddy got stalked, he did not know it until he met some hunters on hiking out, who where glassing from the other side of the canyon
they said the cat was behind him as he was looking down at the valley floor.They said it was pretty scary, the cat looked very agitated, tail twitching,they said it finally backed off after about 15 minutes.My buddy said he saw them glassing him, but just thought they where keeping an eye on him.
Watch your back out there
Kurt Bel5
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WOW!!!!!!
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Here kitty kitty kitty come get a nice surprise. Twang....thump!
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How is it getting pooh out of wool????
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WOW and all I saw this morning were turkeys! :cool:
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That cat looks hungry! marco#78
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Glad to see this did not escalate into a bad situation for either of you.
Cool pic's also!
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We are at the TOP of the food chain...it's the challenges to that title that worry me! Nice story and pics.
Quinn
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Curios as a cat! He looks like a sweet kitty, I'd have gone up and pet him. I bet he woulda liked that.
Greg
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Beautiful young cat and nice pictures,I think maybe it was just waiting for you to call a turkey in. Mountain lions like turkey, even the few in Iowa eat turkey. I don't think I want to shoot a lion though, although we have had a close call with our group. shooting it didn't seem the right thing to do at the time.
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They prefer turkeys because of the oils in their skin and feathers. Twenty yards? Perfect bow range! He looked like he has been eating well. I called one in while cow-calling a herd of elk. I didn't have a tag. From now on I always have one. The state says they kill on average one deer a week!
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Good Lord! My dog looks at me like that- at dinnertime!
I understand not feeling right about shooting him, but I think I'da been wishing I had the Super Redhawk out, just in case. I'da probably had to swap out my shorts, too- no shame in admitting it.
Do lions respond to a blunt, or do you think you'd have had to kill him?
-Charlie
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wow!!! :scared:
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Last fall I called in the neighbors house cat and he came and sat in my lap in the blind while I called in a bunch of hens. After the shot she sprang out of the blind and chased the missed turkey a few feet. Somehow I get the feeling this cat of yours would not be sitting in my lap and wouldn't have "missed" that hen!
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That is awesome. We have had 10-12 shot in ND in the past two years. It really makes walking out of the bush after dark a little more interesting knowing they are out there.
Great Pictures
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Darned if that aint the coolest posting Ive ever seen here.Congrats on the pics.Controlled fear is one of lifes great pleasures isnt it?
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You should have shot that varmint. He's showed a curiousity to people and maybe the next guy won't see it coming. I had a big boar black bear run into me a few years ago while rifle elk hunting and we had a face off at about 10yrds. I was easing into the trigger when he turned and ran. But this cat was definitely checking you out.
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I agree Mikecc. Once they loose fear of man it is time to take them out of the gene pool.
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ohhh man i would have smoked that cat as soon as he got within 30 yards. i dont like kittys that are bigger than me....come to think about it i dont like any cats lol
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A similar situation made it so I NEVER go in the woods without a firearm. I know it might be hearsay with a bow... but... you know....
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I'm glad you like the pics! It was a great morning. I thought about shooting a few times but thought he had to get a little closer before I was in real trouble (plus I want my future lion dogs to have some action). This area has a ton of cats. No roads that people can drive on so the cat hunters dont go in. I plan on hunting it alot when I get my hounds. Theres also a ton on deer and elk in there now, I saw prolly 200 deer, and a 100 elk. I'll never forget the way he moved so low to the ground so fast!! also the way he kept tabs on me while I left his canyon! the only thing I heard was rocks slip twice. If I didn't know he was there I never would of though otherwise. It really makes me think though a few times last year when I'd be glassing deer i would move around to glass a diffrent ridge I'd cut tracks (only happened 2 times that I know of) makes me wonder if one was watching me then 2?
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Charlie Cole
not sure about the blunt, I'm a believer in having what will work in my hand instead of what might work lol, Just Like at work :thumbsup:
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If this area has a "ton of cats" they will deplete the deer population and become hungry and even more aggressive. Be aware of this.
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gehrke -- I live 15 miles from you and have hunted the same country for 28 years now. In all that time I've seen only two lions I can recall, and neither saw me ... but I'll bet quite a few lions have seen me and I didn't see them, as they're famous for hiding out and watching the world pass by. Having studied the cats a bit, I see no stalking behavior in your great photos, though it's understandable that with the cat moving toward and following you, you'd feel that way. According to both anecdotal and scientific info, because cats are relatively intelligent they are quite curious and frequently approach and follow people just to figure out what you're up to and what you are, and for entertainment. It's the cat we don't see that we have to worry about, since they are rarely face-to-face predators, but ambush hunters. Most cougar attacks on people have been either young male cats, starving because they've been pushed from prime habitat by dominant males and don't yet know how to kill deer,and females, also underweight for whatever reasons. The really big, fat and healthy cats (and yours looks healthy and relaxed) have no interest in us. And too, the primary targets for cougar attacks on humans have been small people, mostly women, moving fast ... like joggers. I envy you this experience and thanks for the photos. Dave
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Dave2old The pics dont do a good job of showing what happened Im kinda thinking your right though. The only part that was uneasy was when he came down the bank (the pic when he was under the tree facing toward me) he lowered his profile and came at me fast! Not sure if it was stalking or playing lol but it got the heart rate up a bit! I can tell you one thing though I pretty sure if I would of ran he would of been on me! The other cats I've seen just sat down looked at me a while and walked away prolly kept me in sight for a while but nothing this close.
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If a cat followed me, crouching, and stopping when I did, I would consider myself being stalked. Self preservation instincts would take over.
Out of concern for myself and ANYONE who might travel where I just did, I would do my best to put and end to that cat.
An animal like that, is a bad egg. Common sense tells me he was at least sizing you up. Maybe the next person he meets, he might think he can take.
I would have put my longer range practicing to the test. Just being honest.
Great photos.
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Pretty cool,since it ended well!! Nice pics,maybe the quick move he made was to see if you would flee!
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Heck of a hair raising story! Never had that happen so I can't say what I'd have done. Somewhere in the mix would have been new underwear though.
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This is a fantastic story. Can't believe you kept your cool. Fantastic pictures too. I've got the second to last one as my desktop!
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nice story and pics
my first thought while reading was along bonebusters thinking, cats hunting people, raised the hair on my neck, wow
but I'd sure hate to take a less then perfect shot at an animal like that(lookn to eat me), I'd really hate to make it mad :scared:
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It is normal for you to see lions in your area, we have had the DNR verify on three different occasions and at three different locations mountain lions in our area, we live about 20 mi. north of the Twin cities they have been verified 20 mi. north of us, and 100 mi. north of us. It is unusual to find them this close. They may be coming out of Canada. We also have a pack of wolves that are living in an area eastern and north of us by about 15 mi.
As we take more and more of their territory we will see things like this. And then you get people that have the stupid attitude, " we should wipe them out" Boy, I hate to hear that. As humans sometimes we don't have very much restraint, and we think it's all about us.
Pastor Carl
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To say seeing a Mt. lion in the woods is normal is like saying everytime I hunt I could kill a 400 inch bull elk or a 180 inch whitetail. I know people that lived out here all there life and never saw one in the woods! I should add that I'm not counting my buddys that hunt with hounds. These cats are amazing animals and I spend a lot of time looking for them and keeping tabs of there movments. Ive seen 2 in a year and I would say im vary lucky to see the ones I have.
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Well it certainly wouldn't be normal for you to see elephants, or maybe a shark swimming through the woods, mountain lions lived in your area, more so than they do in Minnesota. That's what normal means, it's normal for me to see Whitetail deer in my area, if I started seeing mule deer, I would think there would be something weird going on. Unless of course the DNR reintroduced mule deer in my area.
So normal, is living in an area, that you would naturally see those types of animals, not that you'd see them every time, but you have the possibility of seeing them more so than other individuals that live by skyscrapers or a large city !
It's a little more clear !
Pastor Carl
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BrokenArrow1
Im not really following were this is going lol. What town do you live by in MN? I used to live in WI and hunted wt. deer in NW MN a few times. There some monster bucks up there! Out of all the states I've hunted I'd say MN is way underrated. You hunt up that way? Its been a few years but I hunted a big strip of bow only public land and it was prime!!!!!!
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In the area that you're talking about, there is a 33 point buck, but, and that's a big but, the only thing they have found on that buck is the shed, they mount it on another deer head just for looks. But he is yet to physically be seen. And there are some monster bucks that die of old age and never see people in the northern area.
Hunting north in the boundary Waters, is like going on a trip in Elk country without the mountains. You better be ready to pack your deer out for 5 mi., quartering would be better.
I hunted in " bow only area " three years ago. It was too small and too close to the Twin cities.
It is certainly challenging, the public areas that is. The one I went to last year, is overrun by coyotes now, but that's an opportunity !
There might be some opportunity for wolves, Wisconsin is opening up hunting season.
Carl
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Gehrke, come out to Oregon. Since the good citizens of the civilized cities banned hunting with dogs there is plenty of cats to see! My friend was in elk camp and running right through his camp area was a doe followed by a large cat. Another friend was elk hunting with rifle when around the ridge came a doe running hard with tongue hanging out and up over the ridge comes a cat. When the cat got in full view of them he put it down! They are having a major effect on the deer and elk numbers here!
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cool
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S,S,S. Frank
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I wish we had cats here.Hunting where there are no challengers to our place in the food chain leaves something to be desired.
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Always black bear, Izzy...
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Mountain lions are plentiful here in SW Colorado, but to say seeing them is normal is absolutely a mis-statement. Even in California and Oregon where they have outlawed hunting with hounds and sightings have become much more frequent, it would not be considered "normal" to see mountain lions. To see elk and deer is normal. To see a bear ravaging through the neighbors trash is normal. To see foxes, turkeys, coyotes, and the occasional bobcat is normal. To see a big cat while you are in the woods hunting is not normal. Lions are very solitary creatures and are rarely seen in the wild. Personally, I have only seen five cats in the wild--one of those was the one we cought with hounds and I killed with my longbow. One was an almost dead tom laying in the highway that had been hit by a truck. Otherwise, I have caught glimpses of three other lions as they crossed my path. That is unusual. I know plenty of "oldtimers" who have lived and hunted in this country their whole life and have yet to see a mountain lion.
Those are some great pictures. Other than haviing to clean your underpants, that must have been quite an experience.
Mike
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It is exactly because of situations like this that I carry an extra pair of undies!!!!
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Out here, in the west, there are lot more kitties then most people think, you just don’t see them. Not only are they ultimate predator, they are the best critter I can think of at concealing themselves. I started big game hunting twenty years ago and have only seen four in the wild without the use of dogs. I’d guess I have walked by another couple thousand without seeing them. Here is a link to an encounter I had with a kitty a few years back.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=055765
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RE: "I wish we had cats here.Hunting where there are no challengers to our place in the food chain leaves something to be desired."
From personal experience I can tell you that tangling with a six pound, unhappy house cat is like grabbing a hold of the business end of a circular saw!!! Just think about that same cat weighing in at 180 pounds!!!
I've seen the pics of those unlucky enough to have found out just what a big cat is capable of.
Personally, I dont want any challengers to my place in the food chain. I'm happy where I'm at!!
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San Juan Slim your not "normal" :biglaugh:
I understand, what ya saying !
Pastor Carl
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baretraks lol you must trap to (I did till I moved to CO wish it was legal here)
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Incredible that was an experience of a lifetime.
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Originally posted by BrokenArrow1:
San Juan Slim your not "normal" :biglaugh:
I understand, what ya saying !
Pastor Carl
Thanks Carl,
You must have been talking to my kids. They woudl certainly agree with you. :)
Mike
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I have a button on one of my hats, I have had it since 1986. It says " Why Be Normal" the button on the other side of the hat says " my future so bright, I need sunglasses constantly"
"Life is just full of choices, not chances"
Carl
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Wow! Hunting the west offers some exciting opportunities.
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We have them around here all the time-in fact there are fresh tracks on the east side of the airport yesterday. It was working along the inside of my fenceline. I like to see them, although one doesn't get a lot of opportunity to see them-lots of opportunity to see where they have been. No mistaking a big cat track!