Catch and release lion hunting?

[howa243]

As I agree that shooting from a high seat is hardly sporting, I guess its ok to see shooting something out of a tree in the same light.

 

[Cut+Squirt]

Cougar.....I used to take the attitude that I only wanted to shoot things I could eat and would/should shoot no more than I might eat myself. I was about 11 when I thought that and shot rabbits with an airgun. My "ethics" of safety, "fairness" and humanity in the field were instilled from the outset. At home, we reared animals with care and devotion... for food... and in early childhood I was surrounded by all manner of countrymen. Against this early background I quickly graduated from the airgun to equipment that could shoot moving game, my old man's 12b it was. Now, after some practice, I could hit those rabbits even when they weren't sitting still and a new world of flying ducks, pheasants and partridges opened up to me too (delicious) but still I stuck to the idea of shooting only what I might eat or, as things developed, what my family and some friends might eat. Then the equipment improved again, my dad's .22rf next, and suddenly at the extremes of my ability a 100yard off hare became potential "fair game" and hare soup is still one of my favourite game recipes. However, since I was, as I say, brought up on a farm, there was also always the job of vermin control, mainly mice and rats around the steading and the corn stacks. Traps, poison and at threshing time; sticks, collie dogs and terriers, came into the picture, as did grown men and other laddies of the district, we all seemed to share a certain "excitement" on those ratting days. Can you see where I'm going with this?

Time passes.... and the often play-stalked roe deer of my childhood days become a minor fascination, infatuation even, in adolescent days. Other interests also developed, but I needed to upgrade the equipment . For deer, SSG's were the first thought. And so it was that by the age of 14 I had made a total hash of my first deer stalk and wounded a roe doe with two barrels of SSG's out of the old man's BSA 12b, the day was only saved by dad and a collie bitch of exceptional talent. She could hunt-on the dairy cows, nipping mercilessly and barking at their heels, herd lambs by shoving them where she wanted them with her chest, at the gallop too (and never marked a lamb either) she could house the chooks at the darkening and even nail rats as well as any terrier, aye! while at the job of housing those hens, and damn me if she couldn't blood scent a wounded roe deer at the first asking too... What a great wee bitch old Nell was (Bred by the late Donald MacIntyre, for those who know/knew the great old shepherds, dog breeders, drinking men and boxers of the Southern uplands) Anyhoo, In the end the .22 rimfire was used to put the poor doe out of it's suffering and dad was absolutely furious about the whole escapade. Thus, the remainder of "that" box of SSG's had all to be shot into the midden at one session, forth with. So, a bruised ego and the shoulder to match but.... my first Roe Doe's venison was very fine all the same and much appreciated, in the end.

Maybe I should call this an essay and entitle it "a sporting life"... or something , but if you allow me the indulgence I'll continue now I've started.

The whole deer = forbidden fruit thing led to much scheming in my young mind. As it happened, I also had an uncle with a Parker-Hale rifle in treble two. He only really used it to shoot foxes on his hill farm. Now, I was brought up on an upland dairy farm and our only sheep were much cosseted pedigree ones, who seldom needed to be concerned about Mr. Todd (the fox) in-wintered as they were and only allowed out with lambs when the better weather of April arrived. But... on my uncle's hill farm, his "cheviot" hill ewes and their lambs had to fend off every tooth and claw. Outdoors and exposed to pretty much every risk, but with a little bit of armed suppport from my uncle. So, obviously, I just had to help my cousins and uncle out with their vermin problems ....and thereby gain some experience of this amazing smoke stick. At that point my "only shoot to eat" theory and my vermin control experiences all began to become fused into one process with little emotional or ideological distinction betwixt and between. My next Roe Deer (six months after the first) was a late May Buck to the treble two, cleanly dropped on the spot, but with Nell for company... just in case... Dad was inclined to be furious again... but I recall his stern looks melted to a shake of the head and a laugh once he thought through all that had just happened. Later followed my own ownership of centrefires and eventually the astonishingly, amazingly, exciting experience of accompanying the foot hounds...

Dog sport seems to get a bad reputation in this country, in my opinion, mainly in the minds of those who know little about it and are either biased against "Toffs on horse back" (the unspeakable in pursuit of the uneatable) or the badger baiters and fighting-dog men of criminal kind. In reality there's a world of "good" sound, ethical sport with man and hound and gun. Some of the variations of which many on this board will be acquainted with and approve of e.g. the, labs, spaniels and HPRs, etc of the walking gun or of pickers-up, on bird shoot days, the tracking dogs of the well equiped stalker and so forth, all totally ethical and acceptable... However, there's many an other sporting dog too, not one bit less ethical, from ratting terriers to mountain lion hunters with their hounds.

These days, I'm an unsatiated addict of the driven boar hunt, largely strung out waiting for my next chance to score. The music of the hounds and intensity of concentration when that crashing through the trees finally yields game for the taking, make for proper sport. I mean food, essential control of wild animal numbers, man, dog and gun all in one fluid and dynamic process, excellent! And.... frankly, if you want to see "ethics" you need to see our continental neighbours' standards. They put the word venery into veneration.

Personally, I still love it all, From ratting to deer stalking and a rabbit for the pot. Oops! there's the title of a short story in'it?

My point... Oh yes, there was one.... mtlion your cat and hound "sport" must indeed be a very intense and rewarding experience. I'd happily join you if I ever had the chance. Those who don't understand it are unfortunate souls. Bambislayer and me are not the only ones who get it though..

Hi mate,
The guy you mention, Donald, what area did he live and shepherd ?
PM if you wish....

 

[mtlion]

Well gentlemen I have a 2 day trip planned for this weekend, if lucky I will have some pictures to show. It will have to be a very large cat for me to shoot it, if it's a smaller animal and we have someone in the group who hasn't killed one they will dispatch it, otherwise we'll let it go.

And as to the above posts about eating lion, yes people do eat it but it differs from other animals here in that you are not required by law to keep the meat and may leave it in the field if you choose. Before eating you must have the flesh tested for Trichinella spiralis, a parasitic worm it may carry.

 

[norma 308]

Good luck and good hunting mtlion
regards
norma

 

[mtlion]

Well no luck over the weekend, although we found some tracks. Here are a couple pics.

The terrain.

My partner glassing for wolves.

A little wolf and lion bait, a bighorn ewe. Lions have been hammering the bighorns in our area so we are always trying to pick one up as it hangs around the herds.

We are back at it again this coming weekend.

 

[mtlion]

Heading back out...Look for a report next week. I'm feeling lucky.