Colorado Mountain Lion
12-06-2015, 03:40 PM
#1
Typical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: SW Montana
Posts: 550
Colorado Mountain Lion
I've dreamed of a mountain lion for over 40 years. I've bought resident lion tags for a number of years, hoping to come across a cat while deer or elk hunting. I've even seen several lions within 1/4 miles of my house, and have gone out several times with friends that lion dogs, but never found a cat while hunting.
Then a couple of months ago I saw an ad for a "discounted" lion hunt in western Colorado for the week before Thanksgiving. Since I had plans of going to Colorado for Thanksgiving, I decided to give that hunt a try, so I booked with JT Robbins of Allout Outfitters of Fruita, Colorado. A family tragedy prevented me from doing the hunt before Thanksgiving, but JT graciously rescheduled me for the week after Thanksgiving.
I drove from Denver to Fruita on Sunday, November 29th, and my hunt started at 3 am Monday morning. JT and I spent the morning driving old uranium exploration roads on BLM and Forest Service lands without cutting a lion track. That afternoon we switched areas and just before we got to the top of a plateau, we crossed a fresh track. I measured the track at over 4" wide, and JT said that it looked like it was made by a large tom.
JT released 2 dogs on the track, and it didn't take long for them to catch him high in the rim rock cliffs. We tried a couple of roads, and eventually got to the top of the plateau, less than 1/4 mile from where JT thought the dogs and the cat were. JT released the rest of his dogs, and we followed.
We found the cat high in a large pinion pine tree a little below the top of the rim rocks. One dog was also high in the tree, almost next to the lion.
I had hoped to shoot the cat with a pistol, but I had also brought a Winchester Model 94 .30-30 along. JT thought the dogs had kept the lion in the tree for at least 1/2 hour before we got there, and he was concerned about the safety of his dogs, especially the one in the tree, so he asked me if I would quickly shoot the lion with my Winchester.
The cat was facing us, and as soon as I found a clear opening in the branches, I put a 150 grain Hornady Flat Point handload just inside his shoulder. He fell dead out of the tree, and landed at the edge of a 20' rock cliff. The dogs were immediately on him, and again, JT was concerned that one of the dogs would slip on the snowy edge and fall off the cliff.
We were able to get a leash on 3 of the dogs and pull the cat up to a safe spot for a couple of quick pictures. We then decided that it would be best to take the cat the rest of the way down the mountain. So JT went down with the cat (and his dogs), and I climbed back up to the top of the plateau and drove JT's truck around to the road below the plateau where we could control the dogs and get a few more pictures.
Here's me with my lion near the top of the plateau. The blood on my hand is mine, not the lion's. I sprung a leak on the brush or rocks getting down to the cat.
With my lion down by the road.
JT and I with my lion on the back of JT's truck.
Then a couple of months ago I saw an ad for a "discounted" lion hunt in western Colorado for the week before Thanksgiving. Since I had plans of going to Colorado for Thanksgiving, I decided to give that hunt a try, so I booked with JT Robbins of Allout Outfitters of Fruita, Colorado. A family tragedy prevented me from doing the hunt before Thanksgiving, but JT graciously rescheduled me for the week after Thanksgiving.
I drove from Denver to Fruita on Sunday, November 29th, and my hunt started at 3 am Monday morning. JT and I spent the morning driving old uranium exploration roads on BLM and Forest Service lands without cutting a lion track. That afternoon we switched areas and just before we got to the top of a plateau, we crossed a fresh track. I measured the track at over 4" wide, and JT said that it looked like it was made by a large tom.
JT released 2 dogs on the track, and it didn't take long for them to catch him high in the rim rock cliffs. We tried a couple of roads, and eventually got to the top of the plateau, less than 1/4 mile from where JT thought the dogs and the cat were. JT released the rest of his dogs, and we followed.
We found the cat high in a large pinion pine tree a little below the top of the rim rocks. One dog was also high in the tree, almost next to the lion.
I had hoped to shoot the cat with a pistol, but I had also brought a Winchester Model 94 .30-30 along. JT thought the dogs had kept the lion in the tree for at least 1/2 hour before we got there, and he was concerned about the safety of his dogs, especially the one in the tree, so he asked me if I would quickly shoot the lion with my Winchester.
The cat was facing us, and as soon as I found a clear opening in the branches, I put a 150 grain Hornady Flat Point handload just inside his shoulder. He fell dead out of the tree, and landed at the edge of a 20' rock cliff. The dogs were immediately on him, and again, JT was concerned that one of the dogs would slip on the snowy edge and fall off the cliff.
We were able to get a leash on 3 of the dogs and pull the cat up to a safe spot for a couple of quick pictures. We then decided that it would be best to take the cat the rest of the way down the mountain. So JT went down with the cat (and his dogs), and I climbed back up to the top of the plateau and drove JT's truck around to the road below the plateau where we could control the dogs and get a few more pictures.
Here's me with my lion near the top of the plateau. The blood on my hand is mine, not the lion's. I sprung a leak on the brush or rocks getting down to the cat.
With my lion down by the road.
JT and I with my lion on the back of JT's truck.
Last edited by buffybr; 12-06-2015 at 03:43 PM.
12-07-2015, 11:37 AM
#10
Nontypical Buck
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Illinois
Posts: 3,695
I do have a question that maybe you can answer Buff. I myself have never went after cats except for predator hunting of Bobcats and a couple mountain lions that were harassing cattle for a buddy of mine years ago. I have heard lately that mountain lion actually tastes very good. I've never been one to trophy hunt simply for the trophy, I eat what I kill except for the predator and pest control. So, my question is, do they actually taste good? Anyone that's actually tried it sound off please. One of my favorite things in the world to do is rabbit and coon hunt with dogs. Not much on this planet makes more beautiful music to my ears than a hound sounding off on a hot trail or an old coon hound hitting on a hot den tree! But since, as I said, I eat what I kill I haven't really pursued mountain lion.