With the hounds tethered the mountain lion started to get nervous and appeared ready to jump from the tree. I quickly concentrated on the spot chosen earlier, drew, and released. The arrow flew eight yards striking lion an inch or two high. The lion exploded up the tree, Lance and Ray both thought I had missed and told me to shoot again. As another arrow was knocked the lion was quickly descending the tree, I picked a spot and the arrow was in flight, going a little high and to the right, out into the canyon below, or so I thought. The lion exploded strait down the avalanche chute disappearing into trees a hundred yards lower. Following fifty yards behind were a string of hounds, Lance, Ray, Megan, Randy, Lenny, and myself. The first three had a good lead on Randy, Lenny, and me because we were storing cameras and strapping the quiver back onto my bow. At the base of the tree I found the second arrow shaft missing the front eight inches and saw the first arrow broken, lying in the tree branches. I was confident the lion was fatally hit. However, I could still hear the hounds down the mountain; I grabbed the second arrow, put it into my quiver, and headed down the avalanche chute. I made it about five steps before starting to slide and managed a semi controlled descent on my butt for another eighty yards before regaining my feet. A twisted knee and pulled groin later I caught up with Randy and Lenny. The hounds had stopped howling for the most part as the three of us tried to catch the others.
Down the hill Ray and Lance start yelling that they had lost the lion and we had better hurry up. At this point I am having trouble believing the lion had made it this far and start replaying the shot sequence over and over in my mind while continuing down the hill. Doubt started to creep in: maybe what I saw really didn’t happen it would not be the first time. When we get to the others I am thinking what the he** is everybody standing around for, lets get the cat. Suddenly, Lenny exclaims good joke, after seeing the lion behind a tree and everybody starts laughing. For myself, I felt a range of emotions including exhilaration, relief, satisfaction, and sorrow. Pictures were taken while everybody recalled their version of the shot sequence. Lance, Ray, and Megan all thought I had missed with the first arrow and made a good shot with the second arrow. Lenny and Randy thought the first arrow was good but had very little penetration while I believed it was both good and had good penetration. Lenny and I thought the second arrow had missed and Randy thought it had hit the lion but wasn’t sure where. Everyone’s version might have been influenced by the sun being directly in their eyes; that is my excuse and I’m sticking to it. Checking the lion it was determined the first arrow had hit where I thought about an inch ad a half high and angling up, going through the near lung and grazing the top of the second lung. Later that evening I found six inches of arrow shaft (two pieces three inches long) in the lungs. The second arrow hit mid body, just below the spine; Randy found the broadhead from the second arrow with the broken shaft half way between the cliffs and the lion. My personal belief is the first broadhead is stuck in the tree, and I will verify that theory next spring during bear season, if we don’t tree another lion in that area later this season. Last year two mountain lions were taken in that same set of cliffs.
Next, Lance and I started the drag down the hill which for the most part was controlling the descent. That is when he let me know earlier he had serious doubts about ability of a traditional bow to take a mountain lion. It was the first time he had seen a selfbow and it was a “recurve" as far as he knew.
I have had a numerous questions regarding the size of the mountain lion and my answer remains the same: He is big, but might look bigger in the pictures then he really is, or he could look smaller. DOES IT REALLY MATTER?
Mickey: Pigger in now offically retired and will have a place next to the mountain lion when the full body mount is finished.
Tracy: You are welcome to visit anytime.
Walt Francis
Topic: Ere Kitty, Kitty, Kitty (Read 8558 times)
