Just got back late Sunday night from Idaho where I had an extremely successful hunt. The weather hasn't cooperated all season and since I didn't have the flexibility to wait for the ideal conditions, I just picked a date and bought the tickets months ago. Needless to say, I wasn't expecting much, if anything, but mother nature cooperated at the last minute and on the day before the hunt we got 4 inches of fresh snow.
Hunted with a buddy of my uncle's that is an excavator by trade but in the winter when he's shut down he runs hounds. He's fond of the Owyhee Mtns in SW ID since, so far, it's devoid of wolves.
The first day we hunted we found this guy's tracks around 1pm and after a lengthy chase he bayed up in some rocks. We literally sprinted for a mile or so to get to him before he killed any of the dogs! An experience I'll never forget!!
Pics don't do him justice (keep in mind I'm 6'4" and 220)...houndsman estimated him at 150-160ish, but standing there snarling on that rock he looked damned big enough, let me tell you!!

He's getting a full body mount on a rock that'll hang in the foyer. Unbelievably the wife is happy about this....

Great cat
jeff~

Very cool hunt...Congrats

Nice cat! This is a hunt I would like to do soon. Congratulations.

Awesome....congrats!

Good on you.

Beautiful, congratulations

Great cat I have always found hunting with hounds to be a good time.

wonderful cat and beautiful scenery.Congratulations

Congratulations on a great cat! Love the color

O

Great cat. He looks kind of dark, is that typical for that area?
I took a big Tom in CO a few years back.Those hunts are a really something. Nothing like a cat a bay to get your heart pumping.
Congradulations!

quote:

Originally posted by Alaska Hunter:
Great cat. He looks kind of dark, is that typical for that area?
I took a big Tom in CO a few years back.Those hunts are a really something. Nothing like a cat a bay to get your heart pumping.
Congradulations!

I have absolutely no idea on coloration. That cat is exactly the second cat I've ever seen in the wild.

My hunt was unique in that we didn't chase any other cats prior to this one. In fact, as I said in my report, the houndsman hadn't located any cats all season until this guy. I was very lucky indeed! My uncle stayed on and hunted up until today with him and they had zero luck due to melting snow and overall weather conditions.

Oh, and yes it certainly does get the heart pumping!!! Especially when he's just standing on a rock at 20 yards snarling at you and tearing up the dogs!!! It was an experience I won't soon forget.

Cool hunt
Good job

Awesome! I can't wait to try my hand at cat hunting!

Cool Cat! Congratulations!

Good job. Did you bring any of the meat out? Cougar is surprisingly good to eat. Very lean with a really mild flavor.

quote:

Originally posted by Flags:
Good job. Did you bring any of the meat out? Cougar is surprisingly good to eat. Very lean with a really mild flavor.

Yes, I brought it all out. If you look carefully you can see the quarters sticking out of my pack. It's in my freezer right now. My wife has researched a few recipes and I'm looking forward to trying it! From what I hear, it's delish!

Great photos and report.
I killed my cat 20 years ago in Colorado and when I look at him up on the wall, I can still hear that wonderful hound music.

Congratulations and thank you for posting.

Beautiful cat....a Mt. Lion hunt is on my "to do" list.

Nice Kitty, well done your full mount will look awesome in your trophy room.

Congrats on your cat! My cat hunt was one of my favorites, and one of the most physically challenging. Nothing like having a big old tom cat (or two!) treed and those big old eyes glaring down on you.
Enjoy that meat, it is way under rated. Cougar fajitas were my go to.