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Posted by George Ackley (Member # 898) on August 16, 2008, 08:20 PM:
Anyone know a guy that go's by the handle (Bob R) He used to frequent the Texas predator posse? i think he may have been a member of on PM also
i dont know if he spent any time here ..
we used to talk bear hunting and I haven't seen or herd from him in a long long time..
Just wondering what ever happen to him,
Posted by Dan Carey (Member # 987) on August 16, 2008, 08:31 PM:
Well, if he knew anything about hunting they probably banned him. ![[Smile]](smile.gif)
Posted by Steve Craig (Member # 12) on August 16, 2008, 08:37 PM:
I know him. Good lion caller too, and as you say good with the bears. I have a pic of him somewhere with a huge lion he called and killed.
He had a good teacher! ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
Havent heard from him in a while though.
Posted by brad h (Member # 57) on August 16, 2008, 08:42 PM:
Hi George,
I haven't seen BobR post anywhere in a long time, but I do know who you mean. I remember him from the TPP and I also remember he was familiar with an ADC man formerly from this area.
Let me see what I can find out and I'll be in touch.
Brad
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on August 16, 2008, 11:02 PM:
Is he active on the black board? Maybe?
Posted by Lonny (Member # 19) on August 17, 2008, 08:44 AM:
I used to stay in contact with Bob, but haven't seen him on any boards for several years. Bob didn't seem like a JH guy so I can't imagine him hanging out there.
I know Bob spent a heck of a lot of time in the hills learning about lions and bears. I remember in a post on PM I believe, somebody repeated the old statement that lions WILL NOT eat carrion and will only eat their own kills. Bob took a road-killed deer and placed it in a stategic location, set up a game camera and promptly got some picture of a lion feeding on the carcass. Blew that old theory all to hell.
Posted by George Ackley (Member # 898) on August 17, 2008, 10:22 AM:
Bob R definitely knows his stuff , I been hunting bear along time,it always seamed he had the same trick and technics as I did ,,
If anyone talks to him tell him I said hi.
George Ackley aka rem223pa
[ August 17, 2008, 10:22 AM: Message edited by: George Ackley ]
Posted by Bofire (Member # 221) on August 17, 2008, 04:20 PM:
remember the deer head he wore!!!
LOL
Carl
Posted by George Ackley (Member # 898) on August 18, 2008, 05:49 AM:
Bofire,,
I kind of remember someone putting on a deer head as a decoy,,,, was that him?
Posted by Bofire (Member # 221) on August 18, 2008, 06:02 PM:
I think it was George, there was a picture of him in a field, with the deer head sticking up. He said it was safe cause he was on private property, It was a Doe head as I remember. Ole Bearmanric went hunting with him once I think.
Carl
Posted by George Ackley (Member # 898) on August 18, 2008, 06:09 PM:
It was a Doe head
I do remember that LOL
Posted by Locohead (Member # 15) on August 20, 2008, 06:16 PM:
Sounds like a pretty cool that would have some great stories. I wish he would frequent here.
You know, I would love it if Steve Craig would take the time to post a tale or fourteen about his lion calling. Any great stories Steve? Scary moments? Snuck up on by lions? Seen them crouch and ready to pounch? Lions fascinate me! Funny stories about clients. Lions not running away after the shot? Anything...
Posted by Rich Higgins (Member # 3) on August 21, 2008, 06:56 AM:
Danny, I've got a bunch of lyin' stories.
Posted by Rich (Member # 112) on August 21, 2008, 11:15 AM:
I know Bob Ruse, and I was a guest in his home for a few days while I called for bear and lion. I did shoot a bear, but never recovered him. A black powder hunter found the remains of that bear quite some time later. Bob had saved the skull for me, but I guess the skull is still at his place. I also called a large animal that stood about two hundred yards away, just staring at me. I was 98 percent sure it was a cougar, but passed on the shot because I was afraid it may be a mule deer. Bob told me that I should have shot it. Bummer! I have his phone number around here someplace. Maybe I will try to call him. Real nice fellow. ![[Cool]](cool.gif)
Posted by Steve Craig (Member # 12) on August 21, 2008, 11:37 AM:
Here you go Danny,
I was set up on a really good stand. In fact I consider it the best lion stand in the state of AZ.
Perfect location and a natural crossing point for every lion in the country with several overlapping territories. And what makes it the best? Easy access for you and me.
Anyway, Me and a Olympic Gold Medalist in shooting(I wont say who) were on this stand. Tight location with only 30 by 40 yard opening. WT caller with a fawn decoy set in middle of clearing, client 30 yards to my right. 20 minutes into the stand I get a response from a large Tom. He starts barking at my sounds, then goes silent. I switch to a moose calf distress, and let here play. I catch movement out of the corner of my eye, and I see a HUGE Tom doing the belly crawl into my set up. He finally lays down and watches that decoy for a full 20 minutes. I peek over at client and he is like a statue. I think this is great, I am about to pick up a cool $500 trophy fee in a few minutes.
Lion finally gets up and starts easing towards the decoy. he stops under a juniper tree and client shoots. lion jumps 10 feet into the air....right into that tree and back down, and runs over towards me, and sits down not ten yards from me,and stares at that decoy! Starts licking his left front paw! I can clearly see a nice little cut across his pad! Meanwhile, client kicks a second shell into gun, lion looks at him!
Client shoots.......lion sits there and stares at client as he is kicking another shell into gun.
Lion decides that enough is enough. He takes off through the brush and a good lope. I watch as he climbs into a rock castle and is gone.
I ask Bill(not his real name) what happened? He says sights are knocked off! We set up a target at 40 yards(same as his shot distance), and he hits bulleye!
Moral of the story?..............
Just cause you can shoot the same hole on paper every shoot for days on end, doesnt keep you from getting a bad case of buck(lion) fever!
AND never count your Trophy Fee before it gets killed!
[ August 21, 2008, 11:40 AM: Message edited by: Steve Craig ]
Posted by Locohead (Member # 15) on August 21, 2008, 12:33 PM:
AAAAAAAAHHHhhhhhhh!!!
What a huge change of emotions in but a brief moment. Bummer dude. How disapointing.
Suprised that the cat reacted and then went back to watching again. LOL
How does a situation like that affect the lion next time he hears a call? Will you not used the moose calf in distress again in that area, or will not make a difference?
Thanks for the story! And thanks that it wasn't a lyin' story!
Posted by Steve Craig (Member # 12) on August 21, 2008, 03:06 PM:
A hound hunter friend of mine caught him a couple months later. 160+ pound trophy. He had the bullet crease right across the front foot pad.
I have called the same lion to the same stand, with the same lion vocals, many, many times. He is a cat. They do not get call shy like a coyote does.
Story #2:
I took a student that was having trouble calling the lions and bobcats. He was a good K-9 caller, but had trouble with targeting cats.
We set up on a high mountain saddle, at about 8 AM. Set the caller up, no decoy as i knew there was a female and a big cub with her using this ridge system.
He was here to learn, not shoot one. Turned the WT on and 10 minutes later the big female walks out right in front of us in the brush, pinion jays dive bombing her all the way. I turned around to see what student thought about this deal, and was looking square in the face of the big kitten! Student had his rifle on him, but was waiting to see what the kitten would do first. As soon as we made eye contact, he just turned and walked off following mama. Never knew that sucker was there.
On the way back home that afternoon, we stopped at that same stand, used the same sounds, as student didnt believe the teacher that said cat could be called back(big mistake), and I put mamma in his lap at about 30 yards. Some days are diamonds!
Steve
Posted by Steve Craig (Member # 12) on August 21, 2008, 03:27 PM:
Story #3 for Danny,
Had a husband and wife come on a hunt.
The guy kills his bobcat right away, and wants to shoot other stuff. He also wants his wife to shoot some grey fox. She is carrying a 20Ga. After they arrived, hubby explains to me that his wife a an eye disease and is slowing loosing her sight. She can only see in a tunnel vision while there.
(why do they always tell you this stuff after they arrive)
Well hubby is shooting everything that comes in and not allowing wife to even get a shot. I tell him he is pissing off wife as she tells me this privately. I tell him dont shoot anything on next stand. Wife has to sit with me as she can barely see to even walk along, so I have to help her to every stand.
We set up on a small canyon rim in the middle of a cactus field. Prickly Pear all over. She sits right down on one to begin stand!
So here I am pulling needles out of here butt, and hubby dont even help. He is mad at me for telling him he cant shoot!
We finally get the caller started and out pops a grey fox at 20 yards in about 30 seconds. She cant see fox, so I reach up, turn her head slightly in right direction(I cant believe fox is still there), she sees fox, jumps to her feet and emptys her 20 at that poor dumb fox, blowing cactus off all around him!!!!!!!
No more shells!
Fox still standing there trying to figure out what in the wide, wide world of sports is going on!
Wife begins in a loud whisper to hubby: Bill...Bill..Bill....shoot the fox! shoot the fox!
Hubby yells back,.....Steve said i cant shoot on this stand!!!!!!!
We get up, fox finally runs off, and both are mad at me!!!!!!
The life of a guide!
Posted by MULE (Member # 63) on August 21, 2008, 03:31 PM:
Thanks for the stories Steve. Keep em coming
I would imagine that "Lion fever" must be like buck fever times a hundred
How far away from your decoy/caller do you set up and do lions depend on thier nose to the same degree as coyotes? By that I mean, does the wrong smell spook them as much?
Posted by Steve Craig (Member # 12) on August 21, 2008, 05:40 PM:
I set the caller anywhere from 30 yards to 250 yards away, depending on the situation and stand.
Most callers do not use the remote callers to full potential.
Lions like all cats have a pretty good nose. Better than most give them credit for. Trouble is(for them), is they dont use it!
I have had an Airedale on stands with me and it doesnt stop them from showing up.
They just dont feel the need to use that nose as they are sight hunters for the most part.
Posted by rainshadow1 (Member # 899) on August 21, 2008, 08:49 PM:
How many call-ins before the heart stops pounding in the ears?!?!?!
No, seriously! It's a real handicap!
Posted by Leonard (Member # 2) on August 21, 2008, 08:54 PM:
I agree with that, 100% Steve. I'm positive that all cats have an excellent sense of smell. They sure don't take advantage of what they have, as does a coyote. I have yet to see a bobcat or lion circle downwind, unless it was purely accidental. Yes, sometimes they approach from downwind, and I think they react to mist, but if they decide to come in, it has nothing to do with scent.
I don't think I will tell about the time we had a lion in the headlights, (maybe 25 yards) just as we were pulling onto the road, after a stand. I was in such a hurry to get in the back of the truck that I failed to put the trans in PARK...it was between P and R and basically N. We were both in the back ready to shoot when the vehicle started rolling backwards downhill, pitch dark, at a scary clip. I managed to get back up front and apply the brakes, just before we would have gone into a fair sized ditch. Never able to light up that lion, afterwards? That was real close to disaster.
Good hunting. LB
Posted by Steve Craig (Member # 12) on August 21, 2008, 09:10 PM:
"How many call-ins before the heart stops pounding in the ears?!?!?!"
It is one of the reasons(there are more), that I decided to shut down AzPredatorHunts.
When a guy begins to loose the high heartrate on a stand, it is time to take a break.
I actually enjoyed it more teaching others how to do it themselves.
Even that got a little old on me.
It is called burnout.
The last 2 Campouts we had, I didnt even leave camp.
I guess I just needed to take a break for a while is all.
i will be out there this year with the guys. I owe a couple a shot at a lion.
Posted by Krustyklimber (Member # 72) on August 21, 2008, 10:15 PM:
I think it's easy to get into a mode of thinking, when dealing mainly with coyotes, that the downwind approach is purely defensive.
Most prey animal have an incredible sense of smell, the same as predators.
The downwind approach also assures the predator won't be smelled... same reason I point my nose into the wind leaving the truck, no?
Red still swears the lion I called had to have been following us. It definitely paralleled our course, which angled into the wind, from the downwind side.
It knew what we were. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
Krusty 
Posted by Locohead (Member # 15) on August 21, 2008, 11:19 PM:
What a riot Steve! Story 3 was a doozie! LOL
I'm with el MULA!!! Keep the stories coming. And Steve, you have a real niche buddy. You really ought to write a book. The amount stories you can tell about lion hunting, I'm sure cannot be matched. I bet there would be a ton of interest!!! Heck, I'd buy a jillion and give them out as gifts.
Posted by Joel Hughes (Member # 384) on August 22, 2008, 06:27 AM:
Nice stories. And I enjoyed your story in this month's FTA magazine. Bet you'd have a time toting 4 of those big bruisers in the "basket on your vehicle". LOL
[oops..edit to correct the name of the mag]
[ August 22, 2008, 02:27 PM: Message edited by: Joel Hughes ]
Posted by rainshadow1 (Member # 899) on August 22, 2008, 11:29 AM:
I know what you're saying, Steve, for certain.
But I do think I'd enjoy being able to hear their footsteps when they get in close. I'd like to hear THEM breathing for a change! Once I know I've got one in, it seems like I literally can't hear anything besides my heart pounding and my lungs pumping. (I can, because I know I've heard the call still going, and the vocals back at me, and etc.) I stay very still, I can control everything else, but the heart and lung dominate the ears! I'm not a high strung guy either, I'm very level headed and calm. There's just something about them...
Posted by Steve Craig (Member # 12) on August 22, 2008, 12:27 PM:
Thanks Joel,
I appreciate the compliment.
I will post the article here for those that do not belong to FTA or get that great MONTHLY magazine.
MY MOST MEMORABLE DAY OF CALLING
One of the most often asked questions I get from clients as well as students is, "what is your most memorable day of calling?"
Most expect me to answer with a Mt. Lion or a bobcat story, and then are quite surprized at my answer.
It happened on a Saturday in 1967, in Indiana. It was a very quiet, windless day. It had snowed all night and had stopped about 4 AM or so and I was really itching to get out to hunt. I got up early, did my chores, and grabbed my gun and an old Pied Piper call.
It was beautiful and a winter wonderland to say the least. I headed for a pasture east of my house. Picked a good sized walnut tree to sit in front of at the edge of the pasture, and let go a series of wails on the old Pied Piper.
Back then we did not have any coyotes in Indiana so red fox was what I was gunning for. Within a couple of minutes I see a huge old dog red fox heading my way on a dead run. I had stopped calling as soon as I saw him. He stopped at about 100 yards out and sat down in the snow, seeminly unable to locate where the sound had come from.
I already had the gun pointed at him and so I just gave a little toot on the call and that was all he needed to hear. He took a load of #2 shot from my 20 gauge at 10 yards! I was so excited, I didnt see the she fox starting to leave to my left. Instinct took over and I swung and rolled her at 25 yards.
To this day, I still dont remember kicking another shell into that old Mossberg bolt action shotgun.
I spent the rest of the morning skinning those fox, and waiting for the County to plow the roads.
That evening, just before dark I headed out in my vehicle with my shotgun, my call, and an old Carbide miners light that I used for coon hunting.
I pulled close to an old hay field, set up along the edge, and started calling. A pair of eyes came bouncing across the field and right up to me. It was a comical thing watching me adjust that old light I had wired to my cap, trying to get it and the shotgun pointed in the direction of the fox.
I managed to get everything lined up and shot him at about 15 yards. I loaded him in a basket I had on my vehicle, and headed down the road to my next stand. It was starting to snow lightly by now, so I wanted to get a couple more stands in before it got to bad out.
I stopped next to an old, over grown briar patch, and almost imediately another red fox shows up, and he went down at 20 yards! He went into the basket as well and down the road I went.
As I was heading for home, great big silver dollar sized snow flakes were falling, and it was starting to build up. I pulled into another pasture that was next to a woods, and started calling again. It only took 30 seconds or so for a huge grey fox to show up and I gave him a load of # 2's as well. I loaded him in the basket and barely made it home slipping and sliding all the way.
What makes this one of my most memorable days?
5 foxes shot with a 20 gauge shotgun with 5 shots, 4 of them reds, all called with a hand call that I still have to this day. And for a youth of 14, riding a bicycle over slick country gravel roads!
So there you have it. Things sure have changed since that day. But it is a day I will remember forever.
Hope you enjoyed it too!
Steve
Posted by MULE (Member # 63) on August 22, 2008, 01:02 PM:
Great story!
So I'm reading this story and getting this mental picture of a young Steve Craig hunting.
I read this part.."That evening, just before dark I headed out in my vehicle"
And then I have this mental picture of steve in a mid to late 50's model pickup.
Laughed at the end when I found out the vehicle was a bike!! hahhaahahahahahaah!!
Posted by Locohead (Member # 15) on August 22, 2008, 06:24 PM:
So now you've got one down, nineteen more to go to complete your book. You are off to a running and phenomenal start! Great staory!
Mule same thing happened to me, that little twist makes it a great story.
Posted by MULE (Member # 63) on August 22, 2008, 06:48 PM:
Hahhahahah!!
Danny mi amigo
I didn't even see the bike part coming!!
A great story
Posted by Tim Behle (Member # 209) on August 24, 2008, 02:59 PM:
Steve,
I sure can relate! How many times did you burn your fingers on that damned old Carbide lamp? ![[Confused]](confused.gif)
I think I might have been one up on you though. Most of my 14th winter, I either rode a horse or an old Ford 8N to most of my stands!
Posted by Steve Craig (Member # 12) on August 26, 2008, 05:59 AM:
Thanks for the kind words guys. I do appreciate it.
Tim,
Yeh them ole Carbide lights were a pain but man did the ever work.
UBB.classicTM
6.3.0