Uhhhh, fellas I need some advice… Quick!!!

[Jeff Thomas]

E505, very interesting thread. I do hope you'll followup, and let us know how the old fellow died.

I too am glad you weren't too quick on the trigger. Respect for wildlife is high on my list of what I look for in fellow hunters.

Take care. Regards from AZ

[jdthaddeus]

I used to be of the opinion that I could never shoot an animal as magnificent as a mountain lion. I can shoot prey animals that are populous, but I have trouble eliminating the rare magnificent animals. That has changed recently though, in regard to mountain lion.
Mountain Lion in Arizona is overpopulated. Their numbers are high enough that they are not able to live off of the decimated antelope population and they now are preying on the very endangered Big Horn sheep. (Antelope populations have been decimated by the extremely overpopuatied coyote, which is another animal I hunt avidly).
Game and fish says that there are too many mountain lion right now and they want at least 7 killed in the area I hunt. So I bought a tag for $14 and I am hunting mountain lion. If they were at all endangered, there is no way I would, but when they are endangering humans and they are decimating other animal populations and throwing off the ecosystem, you can bet I will hunt them.

On my last hunt just recently, I was attacked by a mountain lion in my camp at night. I guess he was just showing me that he was the superior hunter . Mountain lion 1, Thaddeus 0 for that hunt.
It is quite exhilarating to hunt a predator that is hunting you back.

[yorec]

E505,

Glad to hear things worked out for you, but where's the pictures? Hope you took some!

Let us know how he died too?

I told you you were lucky didn't I? The memories of last night will remain with you forever - the big ol' boy's unintentional parting gift.

Thanks for the story.

[Seronac]

COOL! Thanks.

What an interesting post! I'm glad it turned out OK for you, sorry about the cat, though...

I remember one time hiking in the Wasatch range in early spring - snow still on the ground. I saw some tracks and got curious, so, I followed.

My string of thoughts were as follows: 'Hmmm. What kind of animal was this? Fairly large, no toenails, that means feline, probably wild... Wow, fresh ones here. Line in between from tail-dragging... ummm... mountain lions drag their tails... these are pretty fresh... (Sudden mental connection made, self-preservation kicks in. ) Whoa! Time to go!' It was pretty scary at the time, but looking back, it's just funny that I didn't make the connection sooner! DUH!

So, whatever happened to FUD? I haven't seen much from him lately.

[TexasVet]

Cap'n, in West Texas it is very common to go after Lions with a 22. They are not really very tough to kill. And 22's don't mess up the trophy very much. BTW, in Texas they are a varmit species and a free fire target all year long.

[444]

Thanks for the great story. I am happy to hear that you were mature enough to handle the matter in a reasonalbe manner, and one that might benefit the species as a whole. Let us know what you find out.

[yankytrash]

I've seen one bald eagle for certain and another possible.

Spartacus - If you ever want to see more bald eagles, come to Richmond County in Virginia (btw - that's nowhere near the city of Richmond, look up zip code 22460 on the Yahoo maps....).

Bald eagles are as plentiful as turkeys around here. You see'm all the time, chewin on roadkill by the side of the road, and they're so used to people they won't move out of the way for your truck.

Pretty neat watchin'm. Beautiful animals. You can stand on the Tappahanock bridge and watch them pluck fish out of the river all day.

[Byron Quick]

That's how I saw the one-he was eating road kill.
I was driving to work and had just crossed the Savannah River Bridge on US 301 into SC. I saw what I thought was a vulture about a half mile into SC. As I passed, he raised his head from feeding and I saw his head. So I drove down the road about a quarter mile and turned around. That wiley bird was watching me. Drive by once is okay. Turn around and come back? Time to fly off. By lucky chance, he flew parallel to the road over the shoulder and I paced him for a couple of hundred yards. I got to watch him fly with just the width of a lane between us.

[jhisaac]

Seronac
Been there done that. I crossed a Mt. Lion track elk hunting one year. My thoughts were 1. COOL!, but then a seriously advanced case of the willies kicked in. Since I was no longer sure of my status as "Top of the Food Chain" I backed out of there and hunted elsewhere that day.

jhisaac

[Quartus]

in West Texas it is very common to go after Lions with a 22.

Do they require a head shot? And would you use a .22 close up, or only with a rifle?

[hkg3]

Pictures!

[hkg3]

oops, didn't notice pages 2 & 3.

[TexasVet]

Cap, a 22 out of a rifle in the boiler room (heart and/or lungs) will take a cat down fairly quick. But even a head shot with a 22 doesn't hurt the hide very much. 22's leave small enough holes that taxidermists don't have any trouble with them. Our friendly neighborhood lion is back for the winter. Last year she had two kits with her. I hope they have found a range of their own. I can live with one ol' lady wandering around, I just watch my Cocker when he's out at night to do his business, but if two new young unskilled hunters are around too, I'll be carrying outside at night until spring. Momma got a neighbors dog last year.

[DAKODAKID]

Come on guys, I am an animal lover as much as the next guy but if a Mountain Lion comes knocking on my back door, he ain't there to sell me Avon or bring me the welcome wagon.
Goodnight kitty.

[griz]

I chanced upon this great thread fairly late but I gotta ask, do you have the pictures?

[Fred Hansen]

DR.Rob,

I hunt in lion and bear country. Lions and bears mean the deer and elk population is healthy.

I meant to respond to this the first time around. The presence of lions and bears alone is not a clear indication of the health of the local deer and elk population. A healthy lion and bear population is.

Again here in WA st. we have seen our lion and bear population rise out of control. The end result has been damage to virtually all of our other game populations; an astronomical increase in expenditures by the state to deal with problem animals, this includes: "Lockdowns" of schools in our state at the rate of one every 2-3 months. In peak season (late winter/early spring) this number goes up substantially. Repaying farmers and ranchers for everything from destroyed livestock to demolished bee hives. The bear population alone in eastern WA has caused millions of dollars in damage to an already besieged apple industry.

The toll on families in our state has been even more devastating. For the first time in over a century we have children in our state who are maimed and scarred from what the animal rights people euphamistically call "encounters" with "charrismatic mega-fauna".

A cat deep in the woods is to be treasured, and shown the deepest respect and admiration. The same cat made sick or lame from population pressure or lack of suitable habitat, becomes a real threat. All threats to life on my porch recieve the same treatment. I wouldn't even bother with a leg count.

[dZ]

E505, you should be very proud of your dogs

first of all, they returned when you called them off

second of all, their ferocious barking killed that moster cat
(at least thats what they are telling the other dogs in the neighborhood)

[SamAdams]

Just remember...

"It's comin' right for us!"

[Steel]

I say if you can avoid shooting it, do so. Throw boiling water on it, but keep your firearm handy. I like the idea of buckshot.

[dZ]

throw boiling water at a cornered big cat?
Darwin has a special coupon for that ride

Shooting them DEAD is less painful & dangerous to the neighborhood

Buckshot at back porch range would blow a nasty hole in mr kitty,
if it didn't kill him, it would make things "interesting" for the locale,
injured animals will prey on easy targets

if you wanted to run one off, a string of firecrackers should do the trick in a kinder, more gentle fashion

[capnrik]

For pictures!

[Steel]

dZ:

"throw boiling water at a cornered big cat?
Darwin has a special coupon for that ride"

Sure, if one was outside of the house, confronting the cat on the porch.

I was thinking of more of a stealth but safer method (through the window, etc.) if possible....

[rkc]

I am glad to let wildlife live, I see deer and big cats occasionally around here.
however, there is always some peckerhead who has to have a growling snapping prothesis to make up for this own shortcomings.
to get rid of neighbors dog that wanders in my yard around children a .22 in the head works. Then run over it and put it in the road and it looks like roadkill, so as to stave off vendettas.


ps
am i kidding?


how many of you agree?

[WESHOOT2]

Being in a place where animals may be bigger than my own self, I think "45 LONG COLT (added LONG just to irritate purists), 300g XTP-HP, dead big animal".

After all, I got kids.

I don't hunt on my property, I don't molest the deer, bear, moose (or cats) that roam nearby, and I only kill a day when I hunt.
However, when they become pests (like gangbangers, terrorists, or Democrats) I think "Orkin time".

So tell me I'm wrong (have this mental image of bear walking away with kids' legs sticking out of mouth LOL).

[BogBabe]

This discussion, with all the divergent viewpoints expressed, has been very interesting!

Here in central Florida, I've never encountered problems with panthers (very endangered), but the gators are out of control. This year, pre-9/11, there was a spate of gator attacks around the state, with some people getting killed. After approaching extinction some time back, gators were protected and now, with the exception of a handful of gator hunting licenses granted each year, they cannot be killed, and the gator population is completely out of control.

My boyfriend has property bordering a river, with several acres of swampland, so we see lots and lots of gators. They regularly try to sneak up to eat the dogs when we take the dogs down to the river. Not a problem, though, because we can see them coming across the surface of the river in plenty of time to call the dogs away and leave the gators to go find some other prey.

Occasionally, though, a gator will decide to camp out in the pond in the front yard -- which is about 15 steps from the house. The dogs and cats live outside, and frequently visit the pond to drink or to cool off, not to mention the neighbor kids who come over to swim in the pond -- thus a gator will present a real threat when it takes up residence in the pond.

I find it absurd that the law says that my boyfriend cannot simply dispatch a pond gator in order to protect life and limb of humans and domestic animals. He doesn't go out looking for gators to kill, but when one poses a direct threat to humans, he should be able to protect the humans before worrying about the reptile.