Outfitter: Mark V Outfitters. E-mail: rmrhunt@earthlink.net, Web: www.markvoutfitters.com
Guide: Dave Martinez DVM Outfitters Espanola NM Tel 5050-753- 8390
Hunting area: Around Espanola –Santa fe national forest
Gun: Ruger Redhawk cal 44 magnum.
Ammuntion Hornady 240 gr.
Period: December 31 2008
Finally I’ve got him! Last year I hunted for 6 days the first week of january without to see one good track. The team of Mark V outfitter, specially David Martinez, worked very hard but the wheather changed and the temperature was gone up: from -20 celsius to + 15.The worst wheater for hunting the cougar. I was very disappointed. So the guys urging me to return. So after one year, the morning of Dec 31 th, 4,30 AM, - 15 celsius I was again in Espanola ready to continue my hunt. With David we drove to the north east of the town, in the mountains for about one hour. There a couple of kids who helped us in the tracking location called us saying they had found a fresh track of a big lion not far from us. So we reached the place called Coyote canyon for checking the tracks: were fresh and looked like left out from a large animal. David released the dogs and immediately they started to following the tracks down in the canyon and on the other side. After they followed the lion in a valley behind the canyon and they disappeared. Them just felt very distant barking. About an hour after they returned to the other side of the canyon where they disappeared again and they began to bark at the bottom of it.
The lion was treed!
Quickly we reached the place where the hounds were e where we could spot the huge tom treed about at the middle of a high pine, 17/18 meters from us. We made some pictures and after I’ve shot him straight on the chest with the Ruger 44. He fell almost upon us and rolled down in the canyon where he disappeared. We found him about 100 meters away, badly wounded, unable to move. One of the kids shot the “coup de grace” and finally, after two trips of 20000 km, I have taken my great, beautiful, mountain lion of 155 pounds.

http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...mountainlion6rid.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...mountainlion5rid.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...mountainlion7rid.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...mountainlion2rid.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...mountainlion3rid.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...mountainlion4ird.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...mountainlion4rid.jpg

Super Big Congrats

Congratulations Mario, that is a beautiful cat!

thanks guys. Tomorrow I will add more pictures

Hey Mario,

Congrats on a really nice lion!!!!! He will make a great full body mount!

Good Hunting,

Bob

That's a great cat Mario - good going! I hope your time in NM was all you hoped it would be.

Way to go, Mario.

That is a VERY nice lion.

Nice lion Mario. 155# is a good on for NM. Congratulations.

Congrats Mario!

The pictures are worth a million.

Thanks guys.
I'm very satisfied about this trophy. In fact as european I cant go to hunt "on call" when the weather is right, as normally is done in this type of hunt. I must book the flights months in advance so is not so easy to be enough lucky to take a good animal.
I add more pictures:
the tracks we found early in the morning:
http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...mountainlion7ird.jpg

the hounds are ready to release:

http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...mountainlion8rid.jpg

the lion treed:
http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...ntainlion10rid-1.jpg

again the lion from shorter distance:
http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...mountainlion9rid.jpg

http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...ountainlion11rid.jpg

the big hole of the 44 magnum

http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...ountainlion12rid.jpg

the claws

http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...ountainlion13rid.jpg

the mouth:

http://i43.photobucket.com/alb...ountainlion14rid.jpg

Wow!!!
Who was brave enough to stand under the cat and take the pictures? I would have been wearing a mountain lion necklace if I had done that.

Great hunt.

some pictures me some from the guide.

I hunted with the same outfitter in January 2005 and got a great cat. Mark works with some really good guides.

yes they works 1000% for find a cat for you. Great people. And they have great dogs too. With one "Drum" they killed almost 100 lions and many bears.