Mountain Lion hunt...... March 2015

Gary and Don have gone Mt. lion hunting - trying to call one in.  They haven't been successful so far.  This year thru a friend of a friend they were invited along on a hunt in Custer State Park ......with dogs.  This is a special tag - that not many people get.  So it was just cool to be invited along.

Luckily there was a small amount of snow in the area and as it would happen......they found one track in the snow - on a rock.   The dogs were off.  As I understand it --- the men (8 of them) were on foot following a pack of 6 running dogs --- after a mountain lion.  One gun in the group.   The sound of the dogs baying told them they  had a lion treed (or at least something in a tree).  So the gun was readied and the men began their approach.  Upon arrival --- the cat leaped from the tree ...into the pack of dogs.  Up another tree......out of the tree......up another tree... (which way is he going NOW) --- with dogs and men on the run behind - following the cat.

Is your heart racing --- mine is!!!!   And be assured - so was the cats and the dogs and the mens.......

As the story was told --- it was hard to get a good shot because of a tree branch right across the cats chest.  But finally --- the shot rang out......  the cat came out of the tree and took off with the hounds on his trail.  He got about 100-200 yds (it's hard to measure when your heart is beating so fast) and there he was with the hounds still at work. 

The pictures tell you a bit more.

Is that a huge paw or what?!?!?!?!?!?       Gary explained to me that the one way to tell if it's a cat track or a dog is that largest pad --- those 2 dimples or whatever you would call them --- are only on a cat.....dogs are smooth.    The lion weighed in at 125 lbs......a 5 year old male.

That was one exciting hunt ---- which I'm sure will be told over and over again.

Barb -- with Gary's approval.