For all of you thinking of going on a cougar hunt in the future here is something to think about.
Don't let your outfitter talk you into killing a female and don't let him into tricking you into thinking it may be a tom. It take a few days of checking out and trailing a female before you know if it has kittens or not. Here is the story

I was not sure whether I would share this story but after relaying it to a friend last night he pushed me into sharing it. I hope it will give you something to think about before you pull the trigger on female cougar and the consequences that may affect others.
The story starts back in Febuary during a a cougar hunt I was guiding. Usually all my lion hunts are done on my own, but this one was different with not one but two helpers along for the hunt. Both guys are up and coming houndsmen and where here wanting to learn a little about hunting the big cats. Little did they know that this day would give them a memory that would last a lifetime.
We had loaded up some sleds on my truck and with the dogs loaded in Mike’s dog box inside of his canopy we headed off to the most easterly section of my guide block. I don’t usually go to this area as it receives lots of pressure from the Williams lake cat hunters and it’s an 1 1/2hr drive to get there.
We unloaded the dogs when we got there and let them empty out before loading them back up. One of mikes dogs had ventured down the road a couple hundred yards before being called back, this was to set the stage for what happened next. I unloaded a sled to check a spur road and sent Mike and Darcy to drive the road we were on to check for lion tracks. Mike had not gone 100 yards down the road before he stopped and called me over to check out a cougar sitting on the road. Sitting on the road!!!! I called both hunters over to take look at this strange situation. I knew something was wrong with this cat as it sat 40 yards from us on the road watching us intently. I moved around to the front of the truck to get a better look at the juvenile cat looking for a trap or sign of sickness, something that would of explained this strange behavior! As I cleared the truck, the cat came for me running down the road locked on with bad intentions. Caught off guard and with no weapons handy I backed up a couple paces and considered my options, none where looking good right now. Both Mike and Darcy where standing in the truck cab with doors half open getting a good look at the cat when this happened, both watching this unfold in disbelief. As the cat cleared the front of the truck and prepared for the final attack Darcy bailed me out temporarily with some quick thinking and tried to smoke the cat with the truck door. This stopped the immediate attack on me but changed the cat’s direction which ended up being the inside of Mike’s truck! Now with the cougar at Darcy’s feet trying to get in the truck Darcy and I took to defending ourselves with our boots. Stomping and kicking madly with enough affect that the cat took cover under the truck. I quickly took a look under the truck to see where the cat went and to my surprise the cat popped its head out right beside me, I kicked once again at it head putting it back under the truck. I quick went to back of the truck to release a dog, not so much to chase the cat but to distract the cat long enough that we could arm ourselves to kill the cat. As Vicki (whom should have been named bait) hit the ground the cat ran out between the two hunters and grabbed the dog. I attempted to open the dog box to give Vicki help as she was obviously in distress but instead jumped out to help Vicki out myself. I was happy to see the boys fighting for the dog’s life, with Mike using his 30-30 as a club and one of the hunters beating the cat in the face with his fists. I jumped into the fray and when a couple quick kicks to the head didn’t make the cat let go of the dog I stepped on its head to keep it from moving, it was at this time when Darcy stepped forward with his homemade custom Bowie knife and stuck the cat in the ribs quickly killing it. I now know what a huge knife like that is good for and was glad to have someone with one, standing beside me.
With a few holy craps and what the hell just happened, everyone was a happy to have it over with. Vicki was by now having a chew on the cat but was still shaken up but in good shape with only one hole in her side.
Shortly after this was over the local rancher happened by and let us know another juvenile tom cougar had been shot a few days previous at a nearby ranch as the cat tried to get into a dog kennel. Both of the these cats where starved and in desperation mode caused by a missing mother. Whether the mother was killed by a hunter or died of natural causes these two juveniles where orphaned and in tough shape.
I am sharing this story to show people what the consequences of killing females whether with dogs or killing a cat in a chance situation when deer hunting. (70% of females have dependant young)This cat could have easily ran into a kid walking to the bus or a housewife out for a walk. Instead the cat ran into 5 capable men that came out on top with little more than memories and a small hole in a dog.
I hope people will think before they shoot the first cat they see, as there can be terrible consequences for some on suspecting person.

Incredible story !
Thank you for sharing.
Cheers.

Holy crap Doug, that's incredible!
Glad everything turned out all right and that Vicki was ok.
Thanks for sharing.
Orvar

Wow!!!! That's a hell of a story! Thanks for sharing it Doug

Whoa! how many people can claim to have knifed a cougar?!!! That is nuts!

Great story. After five hard days of hunting my houndsman in Utah and I treed up a female. We had an "either sex" license.....but took her picture and let her walk.

Great story & thrilling experience! Thanks for sharing.

Crazy! Thx for sharing that story!

WOW!! Very interesting

Wow!
Next time I come, I will keep the gun loaded or a big knife in my pocket.

That is an incredibly desperate young Cougar to come after grown men. Very sad really.
I'll pass that lesson along.
Thank you for sharing it.

Needed the GoPro rolling for that!! Looks fairly grown, would think they would be on there own.
Thanks for sharing.

Doug,

Wow! That is the hunting Story of a Lifetime.

I'm glad things worked out well for those involved; 'cept, of course for the immature/juvenile Cat.

Your summation outstanding ..... Thx.

Wow, what a story. Thanks for sharing that.

quote:

Originally posted by chilcotin hillbilly:
For all of you thinking of going on a cougar hunt in the future here is something to think about.
Don't let your outfitter talk you into killing a female and don't let him into tricking you into thinking it may be a tom. It take a few days of checking out and trailing a female before you know if it has kittens or not. Here is the story

I was not sure whether I would share this story but after relaying it to a friend last night he pushed me into sharing it. I hope it will give you something to think about before you pull the trigger on female cougar and the consequences that may affect others.
Both of the these cats where starved and in desperation mode caused by a missing mother. Whether the mother was killed by a hunter or died of natural causes these two juveniles where orphaned and in tough shape.


I am sharing this story to show people what the consequences of killing females whether with dogs or killing a cat in a chance situation when deer hunting. (70% of females have dependant young)This cat could have easily ran into a kid walking to the bus or a housewife out for a walk. Instead the cat ran into 5 capable men that came out on top with little more than memories and a small hole in a dog.
I hope people will think before they shoot the first cat they see, as there can be terrible consequences for some on suspecting person.

Exciting events and I'm glad to hear you and your crew had the composure to deal with this cat under the circumstances.

I gather that you are saying that hunters should not kill adult female cougars. Correct?

These occurances of cougar attacks on humans are also happening in areas where there is no hunting allowed. What should we do about that?

Cougars in urban and high density rural areas are also becoming a significant problem to livestock, pet, and human safety. How are we going to deal with this problem without killing any mature females?

As you stated, the two cats in the story may have been orphaned for various reasons, or may have simply been unsuccesfull in looking after themselves after leaving Mom.... How are we going to prevent non-human caused orphaned cougars?

Female cougar seasons are in large set for populaton control, which in some areas is desparately needed. How are we going to reduce or stabalize cougar populations without any female harvest?

Maybe we should have a kitten only hunting season for population control?

While your experience is both unfortunate and revealing to the nature of cougar life, I find your advice to be simplistic and flawed. We cannot manage cougars effectively with a mindset that only Males should be hunted....

That is the wildest story I have ever heard. Thanks for sharing!

Walking Buff, I never once said you can't shoot females. I said you need to know what you are shooting, it takes time to figure out if there are dependant young. If there are, leave the she cat in the tree.

Wow! Definitely a unique story.