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 Folks, I shot a cougar opening day of deer season. Here's a photo of it with Shawn (my buddy) and Lisa (my wife). Here's the story. Lisa decided to come along for opening day this year. Although she's been to Africa with me hunting, this is her first time deer hunting with me. She's not a hunter, but does like to shot a bit. Shawn and I decide to hunt out of camp and go into this draw that's about a mile out. It had snowed a bit that night so there was about a 1/4 inch on the ground when we left. Lisa I were about an hour into the hunt, mainly still hunting (for those of you who don't know what that is, it's when you take a few steps, stop, look around, listen. Then move on a bit more and repeat. As we were coming up out of the draw, we hear screaming in front of us about 40 yards. I turned back and whispered to Lisa, "That's a cougar. I have a cougar tag". She whispered back, "Shoot it." We inched forward a bit more and it screamed again. I couldn't see it, so I dropped to one knee and brought my rifle up (pre 64 transitional 300 H&H for those interested). As I looked through the scope I saw the cat looking at us. I thought that the cat was fairly broadside to me. As it turned out it was quartering towards us. I brought the rifle down on it's shoulder and let it have it. The cat spun around and was off. I turned to Lisa and said that I hit it. She had a big grin and we high fived. We went up to where is was and I found hair and a bit of skin. A few feet away was blood. As there was just a bit of snow of the ground and the soil is loose in the area, tracking was easy. Big patches of loose soil on top of fresh white snow. After going a bit further, we found a bit of gut. It was gut shot. Damn... I called Shawn on the radio and told him that I'd wounded a cougar. He radioed back that he be right there. Lis and I continued tracking until we got to a spot where it got thick. I told Shawn that I was going to hold up and wait for him. As we were waiting for him, I told Lisa that I needed her to stay right behind me. If I moved to one side, she needed to move with me. That way the cat, if it felt cornered and decided to charge, that it would mark on me and not her. I honestly didn't think that it would, but... Shawn got there and we talked it over and look a the situation. We moved forward about 20 yards and the jumped the cat. Luckily it ran away from us. The bed was bloody and the blood trail away from the bed got thick. We held up for 20 minutes to let the cat calm down and keg up. Shawn kept trying to distract me with conversations with Lisa about other things. Didn't help as I must have looked at my watch 40 times in that 20 minutes. After we waited the FULL ENDLESS TWENTY MINUTES, we started inching forward. bout 50 or so yards, Shawn sees a raven fly off. He then says he sees the cat and that it's down, but moving. I put a shot into it's spine, between the shoulder blades. After that the shouting, hooting, and hugs occurred. Anyway, it was a large female. According to the ODFW biologist, it was probably in heat due to her screaming. The first shot, as her angle was not what I thought, ha skimmed across her shoulder and entered her at her lower chest and exited her opposite hip., thus the gut shot. Anyway it was a hoot. Lisa says that it was one of the most exciting things she's ever done. --------  www.zonedar.com If you can't be a good example, be a horrible warning DRSS C&H 475 NE -------- | ||
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  Great picture - Congrats Lance Lance Lance Larson Studio lancelarsonstudio.com | |||
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Hey Steve, Congratulations on tracking it down. Better luck next time. | |||
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Fantastic! What a great trophy. | |||
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Wow, what a way to start off the season!!! Congrats!! Bob There is room for all of God's creatures....right next to the mashed potatoes. http://texaspredatorposse.ipbhost.com/   | |||
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Graet job and a wonderful story, thanks for sharing!  Member NRA, SCI- Life #358 28+ years now! DRSS, double owner-shooter since 1983, O/U .30-06 Browning Continental set. | |||
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Heck, a cougar is quite a way to start the deer season...congrats! Bobby Μολὼν λαβέ The most important thing in life is not what we do but how and why we do it. - Nana Mouskouri | |||
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Steve, Very cool. Mike Legistine actu quod scripsi? Never under estimate the internet community's ability to reply to your post with their personal rant about their tangentially related, single occurrence issue.  What I have learned on AR, since 2001: 1. The proper answer to: Where is the best place in town to get a steak dinner? is…You should go to Mel's Diner and get the fried chicken. 2. Big game animals can tell the difference between .015 of an inch in diameter, 15 grains of bullet weight, and 150 fps. 3. There is a difference in the performance of two identical projectiles launched at the same velocity if they came from different cartridges. 4. While a double rifle is the perfect DGR, every 375HH bolt gun needs to be modified to carry at least 5 down. 5. While a floor plate and detachable box magazine both use a mechanical latch, only the floor plate latch is reliable. Disregard the fact that every modern military rifle uses a detachable box magazine. 6. The Remington 700 is unreliable regardless of the fact it is the basis of the USMC M40 sniper rifle for 40+ years with no changes to the receiver or extractor and is the choice of more military and law enforcement sniper units than any other rifle. 7. PF actions are not suitable for a DGR and it is irrelevant that the M1, M14, M16, & AK47 which were designed for hunting men that can shoot back are all PF actions. 8. 95 deg F in Africa is different than 95 deg F in TX or CA and that is why you must worry about ammunition temperature in Africa (even though most safaris take place in winter) but not in TX or in CA. 9. The size of a ding in a gun's finish doesn't matter, what matters is whether it’s a safe ding or not. 10. 1 in a row is a trend, 2 in a row is statistically significant, and 3 in a row is an irrefutable fact. 11. Never buy a WSM or RCM cartridge for a safari rifle or your go to rifle in the USA because if they lose your ammo you can't find replacement ammo but don't worry 280 Rem, 338-06, 35 Whelen, and all Weatherby cartridges abound in Africa and back country stores. 12. A well hit animal can run 75 yds. in the open and suddenly drop with no initial blood trail, but the one I shot from 200 yds. away that ran 10 yds. and disappeared into a thicket and was not found was lost because the bullet penciled thru. I am 100% certain of this even though I have no physical evidence. 13. A 300 Win Mag is a 500 yard elk cartridge but a 308 Win is not a 300 yard elk cartridge even though the same bullet is travelling at the same velocity at those respective distances. | |||
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how cool is that? WOW@@ i would like to do the same opinions vary band of bubbas and STC hunting Club Information on Ammoguide about the416AR, 458AR, 470AR, 500AR What is an AR round? Case Drawings 416-458-470AR and 500AR. 476AR, http://www.weaponsmith.com | |||
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Wow ... that is SMILES all around! A most hearty CONGRATULATIONS is due for sure ... and a very appropriate amount of ENVY too!  Mike -------------- DRSS, Womper's Club, NRA Life Member/Charter Member NRA Golden Eagles ... Knifemaker, http://www.mstarling.com | |||
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Oh hell ya!!! Two thumbs up!! Graybird "Make no mistake, it's not revenge he's after ... it's the reckoning." | |||
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Mountain Veal, the other "other white meat!" One morning I shot an elephant in my pajamas. How he got into my pajamas I'll never know. - Groucho Marx | |||
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Thanks All! It was a hoot. She did taste like mild pork. -------- www.zonedar.com If you can't be a good example, be a horrible warning DRSS C&H 475 NE -------- | |||
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Steve...nice cat and very good story about it as well. | |||
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Steve, That was an awesome opening day!!! Good looking cat too. Don | |||
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