Catch and release lion hunting?
- Thread starter mtlion
- Start date
mtlion
Well-Known Member
That's OK. Like I said It's not for everyone. Cat on the ground, cat in a tree. Kill it, it's still dead.
In my home state of Montana a great deal of money and time has gone into research on lions and how harvest affects the predator-prey dynamic. The state conducted an environmental assessment and determined that the only way to allow for a larger ungulate harvest by human hunters was to incorporate a hound season for lion. The level of harvest needed to achieve management of lions to the numbers required cannot be achieved any other way. If you find yourself in Montana hunting deer or elk you can thank our states houndsmen for providing you the opportunity. Antis and tree huggers in other states have outlawed the hunting of lions with hounds and they have found that lion populations have risen to the level that the cats are damn hungry and have turned to more unconventional prey i.e. joggers etc. And ask the hunters of those states how the deer and elk are doing. I for one, will let that dog hunt.
kevhumps
Well-Known Member
The teeth are one thing, but the claws are scary ! Wouldn't want to wrestle one !!A few good reasons to kill some lions:
mtlion
Well-Known Member
You are right about that! They can open up a deer with one swipe.
mtlion
Well-Known Member
Absolutely, derived from the foxhound. I love to watch the dogs work. A well trained dog is a pleasure to behold.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treeing_Walker_Coonhound
You can get mountain lions on the foxpro Steve.
Imagine calling one of those bad boys in.
I know, Ive got the calls on my caller, you will also when yours arrives....Your right that would be pretty scary...
Cougar
Well-Known Member
Its not the same at all. One is sporting and fair chase. The other isn't.
no experience , no comment . You dont know what its about so dry up
I dont think cougar will understand that . Over here anyone can get a rifle , rent a bit of ground and call themself an expert . Keep those hounds hunting , hunt hard , waste nothing , offer no excuses
I really love this topic. I would love to experience this type of hunting.
Very SELECTIVE form of hunting, and you get to see hounds work..... It must be pretty hard to destinguish male/female young/old in the outback like that.
Very SELECTIVE form of hunting, and you get to see hounds work..... It must be pretty hard to destinguish male/female young/old in the outback like that.
mtlion
Well-Known Member
Thanks guys. Cougars don't bother me, I have a few on the wall 
As far as sexing the cats the only sure fire way is as follows:
Even when treed you can have a hard time if the cat won't show you it's hindquarters. I have sat for hours watching them before you are sure sometimes.
As far as sexing the cats the only sure fire way is as follows:
Even when treed you can have a hard time if the cat won't show you it's hindquarters. I have sat for hours watching them before you are sure sometimes.
nick100
Well-Known Member
If only our law makers and so called experts were like this.
We are over run with badgers and buzzards, but we can not possibly control them in any way.
We are seeing less hares and ground nesting birds every year, but the 'experts' no better.
All they want to do is blame farmers for the declines. Rant over.
Mtlion,
How do they pick the scent of the lion up ?
The old guy we met used to have a hound on the back of a truck and drive forest tracks to find a trail.
How far will they run before they tree ? I appreciate its a bit of a how long is a piece of string question.
Is it a case of the lion getting tired or fed up ?
Sorry for all the questions, but I find it really interesting.
ATB
Nick
Cougar
Well-Known Member
I don't need experience to know how it works. I thought you might be an expert on this as you are on everything.
devon deer stalker
Well-Known Member
How can we comment negatively without living in the areas and experiencing the problems first hand, and how to deal with them.
Take a look at this link, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_cougar_attacks_in_North_America strangely most fatal attacks happened in California where Mountain Lion (couger) hunting is banned, in addition there are many more incidents of attacks that are not fatal but life changing.
To be honest when i first saw this many years ago i thought how unsporting, then i researched it, its a means to an end, just like us shining a light into a foxes eyes and giving it some lead.
Cheers
Richard
Take a look at this link, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_cougar_attacks_in_North_America strangely most fatal attacks happened in California where Mountain Lion (couger) hunting is banned, in addition there are many more incidents of attacks that are not fatal but life changing.
To be honest when i first saw this many years ago i thought how unsporting, then i researched it, its a means to an end, just like us shining a light into a foxes eyes and giving it some lead.
Cheers
Richard
mtlion
Well-Known Member
No worries I don't mind answering your questions. In MT our season generally coincides wth snow so the hunt begins by scouring the countryside for tracks. Because of competition from other houndsmen and because you want the freshest track you can get we typically wake up at 2-3 in the morning and start working whichever mountain range we are hunting. We start at one end and check every drainage we can access. We use truck, snow machine, or quad when there is road access, other areas we hike in to check if there is no vehicle access. You are looking for a good fresh track, preferably lion but we run bobcat if they are in season. Because of the law we must wait until sunrise to turn the hounds loose if we find one. If we don't find a fresh enough track by about noon we call it a day, turn the dogs loose any later and you risk being many miles from the trailhead when dark falls. My first lion took me twelve days to find and I literally hiked and rode a snow machine over hundreds of miles of forest road. When I finally did find the track it was a grueling 12 mile run from the bottom of the valley to to the very ridge of the Bridger Mountains. How far the lion runs depends on how fresh the track is, what the cat is doing (hunting, looking for mates...) and if it has a full belly or not. In the right conditions we can tree a lion on a two day old track but it may take 10 miles or more of tracking. When toms are looking for mates they wander long distances so you may find a track of one that is just straight covering some ground, if this happens it's generally a long chase. If it has just killed and has a full belly and you are lucky enough to cross it's trail it is usually a short chase they gorge themselves and if completely full they have a hard time running. The cats tree because they run out of breath before the dogs do. They are built for short burst running not endurance. When the dogs do catch up to the lion they will have it winded fairly quickly and bring it to bay. Often because it takes us so much longer to get there than the dogs the cat will catch it's breath and make another run for it sometimes this will happen two or three times before we catch up.
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John Gryphon
Well-Known Member
mtlion we have in Victoria Australia many hound pack`s that are used for hunting Sambar deer,its a no no in the US hunting deer with hounds but it has been here ever since year dot.
I hunted over one of the oldest hound packs here for a several years before i decided to stalk sambar only mainly due to time considerations at that stage of my life.
I have always wanted to hunt MT Lion or BB or both over hounds in the US...ever since my mate here went and joined a hunt,I love the sounds of the hounds hollering when they "are on". Put the vids up please they are great.
I hunted over one of the oldest hound packs here for a several years before i decided to stalk sambar only mainly due to time considerations at that stage of my life.
I have always wanted to hunt MT Lion or BB or both over hounds in the US...ever since my mate here went and joined a hunt,I love the sounds of the hounds hollering when they "are on". Put the vids up please they are great.
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