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Author
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Topic: Lion pic
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Curt2u
Knows what it's all about
Member # 74
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posted March 17, 2007 02:06 PM
Some of you might have seen this already. Sorry if it's a re-run. I don't know how you feel about cross posting Leonard. You can delete it if it's not allowed here.
Got this Sunday before last. A week before the close of the season. On the exact same day as the last one and about 15 minutes of the same time of day as the last one. Right up there with being as weird as my son being born on my birthday. lol!
Not a montser for sure but made my season.
Good hunting
Posts: 236 | From: NW | Registered: Jan 2003
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Leonard
HMFIC
Member # 2
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posted March 17, 2007 04:22 PM
Hey, great, Curt! Congratulations! Nah, no prob with cross post this kind of thing, you're proud and of course you want to share it with everybody. So, where else can we find it?
Good hunting. LB
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EL BEE Knows It All and Done It All.
Don't piss me off!
Posts: 31462 | From: Upland, CA | Registered: Jan 2003
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UTcaller
NEVADA NIGHT FIGHTER
Member # 8
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posted March 17, 2007 04:30 PM
Great job Curt,Quite an accomplishment calling and killing a Lion.Good Hunting Chad
Posts: 1612 | From: Utah | Registered: Jan 2003
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J_hun
Knows what it's all about
Member # 872
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posted March 17, 2007 08:43 PM
Curt, What sounds did the cat come in to? Would like to try calling a cat next year when season is on.
Posts: 141 | From: Pierre,S.D. | Registered: Jun 2006
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Curt2u
Knows what it's all about
Member # 74
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posted March 18, 2007 08:47 AM
Thanks fellas!
Leonard, it's posted at PM too. Thanks for allowing it here.
J_hun, it was a mix of distress and lion vocals.
Posts: 236 | From: NW | Registered: Jan 2003
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Rob
Knows what it's all about
Member # 75
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posted March 18, 2007 10:43 AM
Nicely done!
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"Where did all these #$%^&* Indians come from?" Gen. George Armstrong Custer
Posts: 224 | From: Clancy Montana | Registered: Feb 2003
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Az-Hunter
Hi, I'm Vic WELCOME TO THE U.S. Free baloney sandwiches here
Member # 17
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posted March 18, 2007 12:37 PM
Nice cat Curt. You know; a guy calls a lion, it deserves more than a passing photo and a brief description of the sound used to call it. A few more details are in order. Length of stand, way the cat came in, rifle, range etc.
If your not Steve Craig, a guy can make a lot of stands, in what looks to be good lion country, for a long time, before ever calling, or maybe ever calling a big cat. You've rang the bell twice....go buy some lottery tickets my friend:)
Posts: 1627 | From: 5 miles west of Tim | Registered: Jan 2003
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Curt2u
Knows what it's all about
Member # 74
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posted March 19, 2007 05:42 AM
Thanks Rob and Vic. Appreciate it. I wasn't sure if anyone wanted the long winded story. I think I'll take your advice on the lottery ticket. lol!
Take care
The rifle was a Win mod 70 in 22-250 using handloads with a 55 gr. Sierra BTHP. Didn't get a chance to do near as much coyote calling this fall and winter. Between work, weather, and a shin injury around Christmas I didn't get out as much as I would liked. Oh well more for next season. About the end of Jan work slowed down a bit and I was finally able to put a boot on loosely and get out a few weekends after cougar.
We had some local sightings by landowners. I got permission from one rancher who had several cougar sightings through the fall and winter. It wasn't uncommon to see 100 deer on his property and that many turkeys in years past. Those numbers are way down now. Unfortunately the cats were never around when I was out there calling and I just got a lot of exercise. Not a bad thing though.
The close of cougar season was fast approaching. I took a couple extra days off to get some more calling in. Called in some elk, a lot of deer, but still no cougar. Saturday I hunted my butt off. No takers and no tracks found.
The next day I was pretty burnt. I slept in till 8:00 am. Got up made some breakfast, watched some 50s black and white movie for 2 hrs, messed around on the computer a bit. Finally decided to go hunting about 1:00 pm. It was pretty foggy at the house. When I got up in the hills it was even thicker fog. I came upon a pretty good patch of mud and fearing getting stuck nearly wussed out and went home. The road improved once past the muddy spot and I finally arrived at the place to park the truck and walk to my first stand at the crack of 2 pm.
I hadn't scouted this particular spot this year but had seen cougar tracks and a deer kill in there last winter. The ground had patchy snow left and I hoped to see some tracks on the way in this day. After getting about 1/2 mile or so from the truck and not seeing any tracks I decided to set up a stand and give it a try.
It was still pretty foggy and visibility was only about 25 yards. When I got the caller set up and myself sat down the fog miraculously cleared up. After calling for about 40 minutes I was considering quitting and moving on. Then to the left I heard a chirp/whistle. It wasn't the normal whistle cougars make. I slowly turned my head to look and was quite surprised to see a cougar standing about 20 yards away trying to talk to my caller. I lowered the volume a bit and between the slight hand motion and slowly turning my head, the cat picked up on movement. I froze and a 2 minute stare down began. I'm trying to decide if I should try quickly swinging my rifle on it or waiting to see if it goes back to watching the caller. I elected to stick with the stare down hoping it would look away so I could get my rifle pointed the right way. During all this I could feel the adrenaline start to dump and was trying to keep my breathing from getting loud enough to hear. I feared the cat would hear me and turn and leave. It would only have to turn around and take a couple steps and it would be out of sight. Each breath I could literally see the lions ears turning back and forth as if tuning into the source of a slight sound. Finally it directed it's attention back to the caller. Then it turned a bit and started walking away skirting the clearing in an attempt to get to a better place to see where the sound was coming from. As it walked quartering away slightly, I adjusted my rifle towards the cat. After walking about 25 yards it quartered a little more and stopped looking at the caller again offering a decent side shot. When I pulled the trigger I could see the impact and the cougar jumped 4-6 feet straight up and bolted for the thick cover. I was sure it was a good shot but when they get out of sight you can't help having a doubt in the back of your mind.
Time to go look for it in the thick brush. I hoped it fell quickly because if it went too far it eventually drops off into a steep heavily wooded and brush choked ravine. Waited about 15 minutes before venturing out. Thought to myself that with the patchy snow I was sure to find tracks indicating her path. Wrong. There was no tracks or blood to be seen. I zig-zagged along where it ran hoping to find sign. Nothing. I went back to the beginning and started over. This time I found a small spot of blood and a disturbed piece of snow. Not a track but a spot where the snow was kicked. Made an imaginary line on these two clues and found another spot of blood followed by squirt of fecal matter. Then a place where it stopped and allowed a trickle of blood for a moment. Still keeping a line with sign I could see a small patch of fur through the vine maple ahead. Walking ahead cautiously I could see it laying in the bushes appearing to be quite dead. I gave it a poke with the barrel to be sure.
After getting back to the truck I called my wife. She didn't believe me at first. Then I called my friend John to see if he was available to work his magic skinning it for me. He can skin an animal with his eyes shut better than most with them open. He did not disappoint and did an excellent job preparing in for a full body mount. Not one hole and every cut straight as a arrow. The taxidermist will be relieved that I didn't do it. lol!
Anyway, that's about it. Anyone have about $2100 they can loan me? Man taxidermy is getting expensive.
Good hunting
Posts: 236 | From: NW | Registered: Jan 2003
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Tim Behle
Administrator MacNeal Sector
Member # 209
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posted March 19, 2007 06:00 AM
quote:
I wasn't sure if anyone wanted the long winded story.
You will need some personal instruction from Scott before you can begin to compete on that level!
But that's a hell of a nice cat and great story!
It's just not fair that you keep having all of the luck!
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Personally, I carry a gun because I'm too young to die and too old to take
an ass kickin'.
Posts: 3160 | From: Five Miles East of Vic, AZ | Registered: Jun 2003
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JoeF
resides "back east"
Member # 228
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posted March 19, 2007 08:05 AM
I thoroughly enjoyed the long-winded version. Don't hold back!
Awesome.
What did it weigh, length, etc...
Congrat's on having the cool head and composure required to wait for the shot. I'd have blown it just from the sound of the "knee knocking shakes" alone.
Posts: 646 | From: Midwest | Registered: Aug 2003
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DAA
Utah/Promoted WESTERN REGIONAL Hunt Director
Member # 11
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posted March 19, 2007 08:33 AM
Nicely done and well told Curt. Congrats!
- DAA
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"Oh yeah, they're gonna talk to you, and talk to you, and talk to you about individual freedom, but they see a free individual, it's gonna scare 'em." -- George Hanson, Easy Rider, 1969.
Rocky Mountain Varmint Hunter
Posts: 2676 | From: Salt Lake City, UT | Registered: Jan 2003
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varmit hunter
Knows what it's all about
Member # 37
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posted March 19, 2007 01:04 PM
Curt. Congratulations with great envy. Years ago I was calling the South Texas brush country for Coyotes from a tripod trying to get one with a bow.
I had always herd that Lions took a long time to respond, and came in very slow. I had made my first series when a Lion jumped the fence about 200 yards away and was heading strait for me wide open.
The brush country was in the third year of a drought. What wasn't dried up brush was dust. The Cat wove in and out of the brush till there was nothing between us but 60 yards of barren ground. He hung up behind the last bush,crouched down and popped his tail for what seemed like a year. I pleaded through that call and I think with my own voice for that Cat to give me a shot with a bow. I have no idea how long he was there. When he decided to leave he turned around and just vanished.
I thought calling a Bull Elk to within twelve yards was a thrill. It paled compared to that Cat. I was halfway through the 500 mile trip back home when it dawned on me, what if that Cat would have come out from behind that bush and headed up that tripod?. Maybe I was way luckier than I thought.
Sorry this was so long, but after reading you're great story six times I am fired up.
[ March 19, 2007, 01:05 PM: Message edited by: varmit hunter ]
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Make them pay for the wind.
Posts: 932 | From: Orange,TX | Registered: Jan 2003
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Steve Craig
Lacks Opposable Thumbs/what's up with that?
Member # 12
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posted March 19, 2007 08:53 PM
Nice lion Curt. Great story too.
Tim,
It aint luck. He is learning how to do it right!
You will see him call more and more as long as he keeps at it.
Vic,
For every lion I call for a client, I have around 80 to 100 hours of scouting for that critter as well as several others too. Patterning a lion is not an easy thing to do, but still duable IF a feller has the time. I am blessed to be able to spend alot of time doing just that. Right now is the best time to figure out your big Toms movement patterns. Nobody around, Toms checking on every female there is. Find the female, and you can find and call your tom.
[ March 19, 2007, 08:56 PM: Message edited by: Steve Craig ]
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Yes, we did produce a near-perfect republic. But will they keep it? Or will they, in the enjoyment of plenty, lose the memory of freedom? Material abundance without character is the path of destruction. - Thomas Jefferson
Posts: 442 | From: Cottonwood,Az, USA | Registered: Jan 2003
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Curt2u
Knows what it's all about
Member # 74
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posted March 20, 2007 05:39 AM
Thanks for kudos guys.
Tim, I'll have to contact Scott to see if he has any openings for "instruction". lol! (just kidding Scott)
Joe, I'm not sure what she weighed. We didn't have a scale handy. She was only 79". Although she looked and felt about the same weight as the last one she was a bit shorter in length. Mostly in the tail. I have the last ones measurements written down somewhere. I'll have to compare.
varmint hunter, that would have been sweet getting one with a bow. I'm sure it won't be the last one you will see.
Steve, I have to give credit where it is due. Tips you have offered over the years came in handy. I hope this isn't the last longtail for me. It's kind of addicting.
Thanks again fellas.
Good hunting
Posts: 236 | From: NW | Registered: Jan 2003
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Kelly Jackson
SECOND PLACE/GARTH BROOKS LOOK-A-LIKE CONTEST
Member # 977
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posted March 21, 2007 03:28 PM
thx for sharing...made my day......Kelly
Posts: 997 | From: Comanche OK | Registered: Oct 2006
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Curt2u
Knows what it's all about
Member # 74
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posted March 23, 2007 07:08 PM
Glad you enjoyed it Kelly.
Take care
Posts: 236 | From: NW | Registered: Jan 2003
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Locohead
World Famous Smoke Dancer
Member # 15
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posted April 09, 2007 09:34 PM
I only just now read your post Curt. Awesome!!!
P.S. I've lost the "count the "I"s trick. Can you email it?
CONCATS again, I mean CONGRATS!!! Awesome, I'm so jealous. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
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I love my critters and chick!!!! :)
Posts: 2219 | From: CO | Registered: Jan 2003
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rainshadow1
Knows what it's all about
Member # 899
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posted July 27, 2007 08:31 PM
Off we go again... Wednesday! Hope to figure out how to buy a second tag this year!
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- - Steve
RainShadow Game Calls & Custom Knives
Cougar E-Sound Library, Hand Calls, & Call-In Story Library.
www.rain-shadow.com
Posts: 152 | From: NW Washington | Registered: Jul 2006
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Curt2u
Knows what it's all about
Member # 74
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posted September 30, 2007 10:31 AM
Thanks much Danny! I'll see if I can dig up the "count the "I"s trick". Sorry took so long to respond. I took a break from the boards for a bit.
Steve, good luck on getting that cat this year. I'm sure you will be successful.
Good hunting
Posts: 236 | From: NW | Registered: Jan 2003
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