[tinkerinWstuff]

I was sitting in a ground blind archery hunting Elk last week and I ended up being hunted by mountain lion. Attached is a photo of the smaller of the two cats that came in on me. I got them to back off by firing warning rounds from my sidearm into the dirt. The cat in the picture was as big as my german shephard so I'm guessing it at 80lbs. The second cat that came in with it was at least 20lbs heavier.

I was sitting in the blind and at about 5:30pm all the squirels started going nuts chattering. I looked out one of the windows in the blind and saw this cat making a b-line straight at me. Grabbing my G27, I fired a warning round in the dirt in front of it and it sat down there looking at the blind.

I told kitty to go away and then realized no one would believe this so I peeled down the camo netting, grabbed my cell phone, and snapped a picture. Now kitty is sitting there 10-15yards from me and we are looking face to face. She starts making this noise and her partner sticks it's head up over the berm 30 yards behind.

Now I'm looking at the cat and saying, "get the F' out of here kitty" over and over when it stands back up and takes two more steps toward me. Fired another warning shot in the dirt in front of it and it stops again. I yelled at it to get the flying hell out of here and it takes two steps backwards, turns around, and both of them circle around the water-hole and come around behind me. I could hear the cat making that wierd noise they make behind my blind.

Now that I can't see them, I'm pretty nervous and packed up my crap getting the heck out of there myself. I spent a lot of time looking over my shoulder, and the next day, I found the paw print in the mud on the same trail I hiked out on.

There was a lot of bull elk sign around the water hole and I was cow calling about twice an hour hoping to call in the bull. Apparently I called in the cats instead.

The DOW website asks that you report lion sightings. I explained the situation to the lady on the phone and got the feeling she didn't approve of me taking warning shots at the cat. She said I should have "been loud and make yourself look big." (as if .40 caliber isn't loud enough?) I said we were looking face to face and it's tough to make yourself look big inside a ground blind. Her response was that I could have got out of the ground blind and should have been fine. I figured rustling around with the blind would have got me pounced on and I wasn't turning my back on kitty.

 

[wine6978]

Are you not allowed to shoot them? In TX we are allowed to and I would have a kitty at the Taxidermist right now

 

[purwater]

That's a mean looking cat. If you aren't allowed to shoot at them in CO then warning shots are the next best thing. Main thing is the warning shots got the job done and you got out of there safe.

 

[tinkerinWstuff]

Are you not allowed to shoot them? In TX we are allowed to and I would have a kitty at the Taxidermist right now

I wasn't sure. Which reminds me to go check the regs right now. I have a perfect spot on a suspended beam above the kitchen that would have been perfect for a mount.

Regardless, it was a neat experiance to see them and I'll hope I don't have to see them like that again.

Here it is from the CO DOW website
http://wildlife.state.co.us/Hunting/MountainLion/

Hunting License: You must have a lion license and carry it when hunting. You can buy licenses online or by calling, 1-800-244-5613. Credit cards accepted for phone or internet purchases. Licenses also are sold at Division of Wildlife (DOW) offices and license agents.

Required Mountain Lion Education Certificate: It is illegal to obtain a mountain lion license or hunt lions without a mountain lion education certificate issued by the Division of Wildlife, attesting to successful completion of the DOW’s Mountain Lion Education and Identification Course. Hunters must carry the certificate while hunting lions. The written portion of the course is available as a PDF file (1.5MB) or from DOW offices.

 

[WHEC724]

That's amazing that she told you that you should have showed yourself, and you'd be fine. Like the cat is some sort of responsible hunter that knows not to poach human beings!

I think there woulda been two unsolved kitty-murders on my watch... Nice job on the photo, BTW!

 

[RoadRunner71]

Kitty sure was looking perplexed in that photo! I know for a fact that if kitty had come up on me like that I would NOT have been jumping out of a blind. Warning shots and yelling was likely your best choice.

Good job, but next time you go out there, take a wind-up mouse toy and a ball of string. Kitty looked like she wanted to play!

 

[Jackle1886]

We are starting to have them here in lower MI. Crazy things are even brave enough to go after a full grown horse. Me thinks something might happen if one comes up on me. Just as if a coyote or a "big coyote" comes up.

 

[fox2102]

Glad it turned out ok. That is a beautiful cat though

 

[Censored]

Brings back memories

Some 45 to 50 years ago, am I really that old, yep, I was camping, horseback in the Pike National Forest. On the way back to the ranch, late in the afternoon, the horse started acting real strange, nervous. When we made a turn in the trail, I heard the most awful scream I'd ever heard, horse went nuts. In a tree was a BIG kitty. I did have an old 30-30 with me but the horse was moving around too much for a good shot. I fired one into the ground and managed to not get bucked off. Let's just say it got Western real quick. Result-cat left-horse got retrained so he could be shot off of- got home to a good bowl of red. That was all too long ago, sure miss those days.

 

[2edgesword]

I would not want to mess with anything even close to an 80 lb cat!

I remember seeing a video on TV showing the details of the wounds inflicted on a woman in a grocery store by a fairly large house cat (if I remember correctly it was close to 20 lbs). The cat jump off the top of a shelf and tore the woman's face up, requiring scores of stitches to close the wounds.

 

[orangevol]

I read your note where it is illegal to hunt them without all the necessary documents and licenses...but you are forgetting one important thing here...you wern't hunting them, THEY WERE HUNTING YOU!!! :gah:

 

[tinkerinWstuff]

Yea, if it came down to my health or kitty's life, I'd have defended myself. Kitty would have been hidden dead in the woods and none of you would be hearing about it now.

Fortunately, we were able to come to an understanding.

Now I need to find a good shoulder rig so I can carry my Ruger .44 comfortably while hiking in the woods and still shoot my bow. Hiking with my Super Blackhawk on the hip was just too heavy and I went with the G27 early in the week.

Kind of funny; no one in camp was carrying a sidearm while bow hunting or muzzleloader hunting except me. Even my uncle brought his SP101 and left it down at the house every day. After I saw the cat and had pictures, everyone who had a pistol was carrying it.

 

[rottkeeper]

Kitty sure was looking perplexed in that photo! I know for a fact that if kitty had come up on me like that I would NOT have been jumping out of a blind. Warning shots and yelling was likely your best choice.

Good job, but next time you go out there, take a wind-up mouse toy and a ball of string. Kitty looked like she wanted to play!

:rofl::rofl::rofl: I just had a mental picture of tinkerin trying to play with the nice little kitty.

Tinkerin, you should invite the lady on the phone to go hunting with you so she can demonstrate how to chase off these piles of fur and claws. Glad all worked out and you got a picture to boot.

 

[Ragin Cajun]

Yea, if it came down to my health or kitty's life, I'd have defended myself. Kitty would have been hidden dead in the woods and none of you would be hearing about it now.

My back would still be hurting from digging the hole. It's unfortunate but you have people like the one you spoke too at the DOW. If some jack ass at the DOW decides you should have done this or that and decides you could have done more, then you will end up in court facing charges. I'm glad it worked out for you and you didn't get hurt. If I were personally faced in that situtation I would have shot the cat and took my chances with the DOW.

keep us posted on the Elk. I just hunted Muzzleloader season and didn't tag out.

 

[tinkerinWstuff]

keep us posted on the Elk. I just hunted Muzzleloader season and didn't tag out.

I was down in the San Juan's. Had an opportunity on a shot at a huge bull standing 42 yards from me but I'd just finished pulling up my draws from squatting in the woods. (how's that for a visual Rottkeeper??).

My cousin and I stalked in on another bull about 40yrds away but he saw/winded us before we found him and he was outta' there.

Lots of chances on deer. My uncle got four seperate opportunities and three different muzzleloader shots off before he was finally able to close the deal and we ended up with some meat in the freezer. We were giving him a lot of crap about being a hack.

My tag is still valid this week but I'd have to run up somewhere in the crowded front range. And being by myself this week, I don't know how I'd get the thing out of the woods.

 

[Rcher]

Thats cool. I've had some really great close encounters with other wild animals while bowhunting. Most of the time, I sit completely undetected even to other predators. This tells me that "we" are the ultimate predator of all. Make sure to post your elk harvest too. Good luck.

 

[Patti]

Firing a 40 caliber didn't phase the cat!

I guess you should have said "shoo....go away".

 

[rottkeeper]

I was down in the San Juan's. Had an opportunity on a shot at a huge bull standing 42 yards from me but I'd just finished pulling up my draws from squatting in the woods. (how's that for a visual Rottkeeper??).

My cousin and I stalked in on another bull about 40yrds away but he saw/winded us before we found him and he was outta' there.

Lots of chances on deer. My uncle got four seperate opportunities and three different muzzleloader shots off before he was finally able to close the deal and we ended up with some meat in the freezer. We were giving him a lot of crap about being a hack.

My tag is still valid this week but I'd have to run up somewhere in the crowded front range. And being by myself this week, I don't know how I'd get the thing out of the woods.

:shocked: :gah:

 

[Bark'n]

When using scent attractants when hunting, make sure you don't rub Catnip over your clothes to dull your human scent. :rofl:

Btw... Very cool pictures.

Are you planning on pursuing your lion permit in the future?

 

[DaWhip]

This is something I always think about when I call coyotes. The cats like the distressed rabbits as much as the coyotes, but the dogs will run right up on you and let their buddies know too, but the cats will sneak around behind you. Seen a few bobcats that way, but never one of the big ones. I finally got nervous having to keep an eye on the 6 the whole time and decided to sit on top of an old building with a ladder as the only way up (for me or a cat).