elk_hunter
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Enough with the suspense already! Post your monster bear already! 
Montana Mountain Lion- The Rookie Hunt
- Thread starter Gerald Martin
- Start date
Goldtip
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- Jul 29, 2009
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Congrats Gerald, looking forward to more story and pics.
Gerald Martin
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The rest of the story as promised...
Zarech and my B-in-law Junior joined me yesterday morning to help look for tracks. We met at 3 a.m. and headed for the drainage where we had run the cat two weeks ago. Our plan was for Junior and I to run a couple roads that were gated while Zarech ran the bottom road and we would all report back at the truck by 6:45. If we found a track by that time, we would call Rick and Charlie and have them bring the dogs. Junior and I made it to the area where the last race had started from and immediately saw fresh tracks not far from where the lion tracks had been. Trouble was they were fresh wolf tracks.
I told Junior it was no use we even checked the rest of the area for lion tracks. We weren't going to turn dogs out there anyway. I had another area that I wanted to check so we backtracked to where the truck was parked and took a gated road on the opposite side of the drainage. This road went up about a mile then split and we could run each fork for probably six miles. The last time we had been in there we had seen a bunch of elk and I had high hopes that we could find a track.
Over the past two weeks we had gotten probably 3-4 inches of rain so the 18 inches of accumulated snow was now melted down to a crusty, icy, mat 4-6 inches deep. We did have a dusting of snow on Wed night that laid about 3/4 of an inch of snow on the old snow, so conditions were prime for finding tracks. Since the snow was a day and half old, the chances were good that any track we did find was going to be old.
We hadn't gone a mile up that road before we saw what we wanted. A single track lined out the road. Now the question was, was it fresh or a day old? This cat was hunting up the road and we followed his track for almost a mile before the road forked. I told Junior to take the left fork and see if he crossed over it while I stayed on the track that seemed to be following the right fork. Twice, the track went up the bank but both times the cat came back on the road within several hundred yards. Finally the track pitched off the downhill side. I was pretty sure that this track had been made that night, but the temperature had been in the 20's since Wed. so even a day old track was going to look pretty fresh.
After the track went over the edge, I kept going, I wanted to make sure the lion didn't come back on the road further up. A 1/4 mile further I saw another track coming down the road the opposite direction this lion had been traveling. Further examination revealed ice in the bottom of the track. No doubt about it, this track was from yesterday and the track I had been following was much fresher. I snooped around on another spur road for about 15 minutes and then headed back to meet up with Jr. We had agreed to meet at 6 where we had split up.
Junior had found two old wolf tracks heading in the direction where we had cut wolf tracks that morning. It was most likely the same two wolves. He had also seen two sets of day old lion tracks, one small and one about the same size we were following. We both felt sure this track was fresh but the only way to find out for sure was to let a dog smell it.
I went out to the main highway to call Rick and Charlie and let them know we had a track. Before I even made it to the main road I ran into Rick. He was planning on staying home until we called and get some work done, but he couldn't stand waiting so he loaded up Bailey and came out to snoop around and find out for himself what we were seeing. I jumped in with Rick and we went to call Charlie. Rick had talked to Charlie on Thur. and Charlie had mentioned he was taking Fri. off. Rick and I both assumed that Charlie was planning on hunting. Unfortunately, Charlie was taking the day off to go to Missoula with his wife. He was totally dissapointed when he heard we had found a track, but there was no way he could avoid going with his wife. Our five dog pack had suddenly dwindled to a one dog pack.
Fast forward to daylight.... We let Bailey smell the track and she let us know it was fresh enough to run. Rick wanted someone to be right behind Bailey, so Zarech and I strapped on our packs and took off after her as hard as we could go. The track went down through the bottom of the canyon and up the other side. We had hoped the cat was bedded up for the day,but the further Bailey went it was obvious that this cat had covered a lot of ground. Bailey trailed the cat back up the other side of the canyon to where the cat had crossed the road again. Zarech had run this road right before we turned Bailey loose so either he had missed the track or the cat had just crossed. Rick and Jr could hear Bailey coming so they got to the road just before she crossed. It was a good thing too because snow had burned off right above the road and she was having a hard time telling where the lion went up the bank. Rick got her on the track again and she was off.
Meanwhile, Zarech and I finally made it to the road ourselves. Bailey was already 600 yards up the mountain. So much for staying right with the dog! After looking at the GPS unit we thought we could get closer from a different road so we took off on the sleds to try and close the distance. It took us a while and by the time we decided we couldn't get closer than 500 yards, Bailey had turned around and was following her backtrack out. ??????? Not Good!!!!! We ran back to where she had crossed the road, picked her up and Zarech headed out on her track to see what had taken place. She had spent a lot of time in a small area on top of the ridge and we wanted to make sure she didnn't have a lion in the tree that she couldn't see. In the meantime we took her down another road that we had traveled on the sleds while we were looking for her. This road was on the back side of where she had been and it was covered with tracks of at least 4 lions.
What Zarech found when he backtracked Bailey was that she had taken the first lion right into the middle of where several other lions had been bedded up the day before. It was a riot of lion tracks going every which way. Zarech couldn't even tell which lion was going where and no doubt Bailey was quite confused with that mixture of old scent and new and had lost the track. She did act like these new tracks were a lot fresher and wanted to take off on them. We were pretty sure that these lions had been spooked up by the commotion and that the lion we had originally been running was now running with these lions.
We had two dilemnas now. We had one dog and four fresh tracks. One track was obviously bigger than the others. There wasn't a very good chance we could get the right lion up a tree even if we treed one. The other dilemna was that Bailey had already run about two miles and her feet were starting to bleed. We wanted to shorten the track up as much as possible before we turned her out. Thankfully there was a road about 500 yards below us that joined the road we were on. If the cats had traveled more than 1/2 a mile they would have to cross the road. Either they were close by or we would see the tracks where they crossed the road.
Junior ran both roads and came back with a great report. The cats had crossed the road and the biggest track was about 25 yards from the other three. We might have a chance to get her lined out on him.
When we got Bailey to this track it was all Rick could do to keep her restrained. There was no doubt about it. This track was smoking hot! Once again I got my pack on and this time Junior joined me. Bailey was smoking the track, chopping and baying every 5 seconds. At one point we thought she was treed but then she made a big loop and went charging down canyon. She covered 300 yards in a minute or two and we knew that she had a cat up and running. It wasn't long until she was barking "TREED" and the gps unit was flashing "Bailey had treed her quarry!" Her baying was a constant chop now and we knew she was looking at a cat.
Zarech and my B-in-law Junior joined me yesterday morning to help look for tracks. We met at 3 a.m. and headed for the drainage where we had run the cat two weeks ago. Our plan was for Junior and I to run a couple roads that were gated while Zarech ran the bottom road and we would all report back at the truck by 6:45. If we found a track by that time, we would call Rick and Charlie and have them bring the dogs. Junior and I made it to the area where the last race had started from and immediately saw fresh tracks not far from where the lion tracks had been. Trouble was they were fresh wolf tracks.
I told Junior it was no use we even checked the rest of the area for lion tracks. We weren't going to turn dogs out there anyway. I had another area that I wanted to check so we backtracked to where the truck was parked and took a gated road on the opposite side of the drainage. This road went up about a mile then split and we could run each fork for probably six miles. The last time we had been in there we had seen a bunch of elk and I had high hopes that we could find a track.
Over the past two weeks we had gotten probably 3-4 inches of rain so the 18 inches of accumulated snow was now melted down to a crusty, icy, mat 4-6 inches deep. We did have a dusting of snow on Wed night that laid about 3/4 of an inch of snow on the old snow, so conditions were prime for finding tracks. Since the snow was a day and half old, the chances were good that any track we did find was going to be old.
We hadn't gone a mile up that road before we saw what we wanted. A single track lined out the road. Now the question was, was it fresh or a day old? This cat was hunting up the road and we followed his track for almost a mile before the road forked. I told Junior to take the left fork and see if he crossed over it while I stayed on the track that seemed to be following the right fork. Twice, the track went up the bank but both times the cat came back on the road within several hundred yards. Finally the track pitched off the downhill side. I was pretty sure that this track had been made that night, but the temperature had been in the 20's since Wed. so even a day old track was going to look pretty fresh.
After the track went over the edge, I kept going, I wanted to make sure the lion didn't come back on the road further up. A 1/4 mile further I saw another track coming down the road the opposite direction this lion had been traveling. Further examination revealed ice in the bottom of the track. No doubt about it, this track was from yesterday and the track I had been following was much fresher. I snooped around on another spur road for about 15 minutes and then headed back to meet up with Jr. We had agreed to meet at 6 where we had split up.
Junior had found two old wolf tracks heading in the direction where we had cut wolf tracks that morning. It was most likely the same two wolves. He had also seen two sets of day old lion tracks, one small and one about the same size we were following. We both felt sure this track was fresh but the only way to find out for sure was to let a dog smell it.
I went out to the main highway to call Rick and Charlie and let them know we had a track. Before I even made it to the main road I ran into Rick. He was planning on staying home until we called and get some work done, but he couldn't stand waiting so he loaded up Bailey and came out to snoop around and find out for himself what we were seeing. I jumped in with Rick and we went to call Charlie. Rick had talked to Charlie on Thur. and Charlie had mentioned he was taking Fri. off. Rick and I both assumed that Charlie was planning on hunting. Unfortunately, Charlie was taking the day off to go to Missoula with his wife. He was totally dissapointed when he heard we had found a track, but there was no way he could avoid going with his wife. Our five dog pack had suddenly dwindled to a one dog pack.
Fast forward to daylight.... We let Bailey smell the track and she let us know it was fresh enough to run. Rick wanted someone to be right behind Bailey, so Zarech and I strapped on our packs and took off after her as hard as we could go. The track went down through the bottom of the canyon and up the other side. We had hoped the cat was bedded up for the day,but the further Bailey went it was obvious that this cat had covered a lot of ground. Bailey trailed the cat back up the other side of the canyon to where the cat had crossed the road again. Zarech had run this road right before we turned Bailey loose so either he had missed the track or the cat had just crossed. Rick and Jr could hear Bailey coming so they got to the road just before she crossed. It was a good thing too because snow had burned off right above the road and she was having a hard time telling where the lion went up the bank. Rick got her on the track again and she was off.
Meanwhile, Zarech and I finally made it to the road ourselves. Bailey was already 600 yards up the mountain. So much for staying right with the dog! After looking at the GPS unit we thought we could get closer from a different road so we took off on the sleds to try and close the distance. It took us a while and by the time we decided we couldn't get closer than 500 yards, Bailey had turned around and was following her backtrack out. ??????? Not Good!!!!! We ran back to where she had crossed the road, picked her up and Zarech headed out on her track to see what had taken place. She had spent a lot of time in a small area on top of the ridge and we wanted to make sure she didnn't have a lion in the tree that she couldn't see. In the meantime we took her down another road that we had traveled on the sleds while we were looking for her. This road was on the back side of where she had been and it was covered with tracks of at least 4 lions.
What Zarech found when he backtracked Bailey was that she had taken the first lion right into the middle of where several other lions had been bedded up the day before. It was a riot of lion tracks going every which way. Zarech couldn't even tell which lion was going where and no doubt Bailey was quite confused with that mixture of old scent and new and had lost the track. She did act like these new tracks were a lot fresher and wanted to take off on them. We were pretty sure that these lions had been spooked up by the commotion and that the lion we had originally been running was now running with these lions.
We had two dilemnas now. We had one dog and four fresh tracks. One track was obviously bigger than the others. There wasn't a very good chance we could get the right lion up a tree even if we treed one. The other dilemna was that Bailey had already run about two miles and her feet were starting to bleed. We wanted to shorten the track up as much as possible before we turned her out. Thankfully there was a road about 500 yards below us that joined the road we were on. If the cats had traveled more than 1/2 a mile they would have to cross the road. Either they were close by or we would see the tracks where they crossed the road.
Junior ran both roads and came back with a great report. The cats had crossed the road and the biggest track was about 25 yards from the other three. We might have a chance to get her lined out on him.
When we got Bailey to this track it was all Rick could do to keep her restrained. There was no doubt about it. This track was smoking hot! Once again I got my pack on and this time Junior joined me. Bailey was smoking the track, chopping and baying every 5 seconds. At one point we thought she was treed but then she made a big loop and went charging down canyon. She covered 300 yards in a minute or two and we knew that she had a cat up and running. It wasn't long until she was barking "TREED" and the gps unit was flashing "Bailey had treed her quarry!" Her baying was a constant chop now and we knew she was looking at a cat.
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Gerald Martin
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- Joined
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Gerald Martin
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 3, 2009
- Messages
- 8,643
Someone commented on another thread about how they didn't feel it was really sporting to shoot a lion in the tree. On one hand I have to agree. The actual shot is a pretty certain deal. If all you did was walk up to a tree and kill a lion it would probably seem easy. However after all the work of looking for tracks, following the dogs, and all that goes with it, it was a good feeling to be looking at a cat I knew I was going to kill when I walked up to the tree.
When I saw that lion in the tree and Bailey jumping at it, trying to climb the tree, I wanted to kill it to reward her as much as for my gratification. She was the one that did the hard work and in a dogs mind, chewing on a dead lion is all the reward they desire.
Out of those four lions, she had stuck with the one with the biggest track and now she had him up a tree!
As you can see from pictures even though the lion was in a tree the actual shot was going to be difficult. We wanted this lion dead when he hit the ground, not wounded and chewing on Bailey. We took our pictures and video and then set to the deadly task of executing the shot. It must have taken us over half an hour trying to find a shot that would let me get a bullet into the cats vitals. Finally, I decided that trying to get a shot around branches, cat paws, tree trunks and what not and into the heart/lungs wasn't a sure thing. Rick convinced me to shoot the cat at the base of the neck and break its spine. My best angle was about ten yards from base of the tree and laying on my back. At the shot the lion stiffened then went limp. He was dying, but I ran up and put an insurance shot in his lungs before we turned Bailey loose to get her mouthful of fur.
When I saw that lion in the tree and Bailey jumping at it, trying to climb the tree, I wanted to kill it to reward her as much as for my gratification. She was the one that did the hard work and in a dogs mind, chewing on a dead lion is all the reward they desire.
Out of those four lions, she had stuck with the one with the biggest track and now she had him up a tree!
As you can see from pictures even though the lion was in a tree the actual shot was going to be difficult. We wanted this lion dead when he hit the ground, not wounded and chewing on Bailey. We took our pictures and video and then set to the deadly task of executing the shot. It must have taken us over half an hour trying to find a shot that would let me get a bullet into the cats vitals. Finally, I decided that trying to get a shot around branches, cat paws, tree trunks and what not and into the heart/lungs wasn't a sure thing. Rick convinced me to shoot the cat at the base of the neck and break its spine. My best angle was about ten yards from base of the tree and laying on my back. At the shot the lion stiffened then went limp. He was dying, but I ran up and put an insurance shot in his lungs before we turned Bailey loose to get her mouthful of fur.
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Gerald Martin
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Bailey's reward.
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highmountian
New member
Very very cool. Congrats on a great looking cat! Love all the pictures too!
Brisco
New member
Excellent hunt report. Looks like a really nice lion.
T
tjones
Guest
Very nice, headed out in the morning myself. We will be trying a different area, trying to get away from wolves. Fresh snow so just maybe,,,,,,,,,,,,
Gerald Martin
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A couple more pictures. My story got interrupted for a few minutes so I could show my kids the video.
I would like to see how big you think this lion is. How much do you think he weighs?
We weighed him whole so I'll tell you the actual weight tomorrow.
We dragged this lion out about 1/2 a mile down the canyon to the main road. I haven't been that whipped at the end of a hunt for a long time. Junior and I took Bailey down with us and Zarech and Rick climbed out the top and brought the sleds down. Bailey was so footsore and tired that Junior had to carry her down some of the steeper places.
Bailey and her lion.
I would like to see how big you think this lion is. How much do you think he weighs?
We weighed him whole so I'll tell you the actual weight tomorrow.
We dragged this lion out about 1/2 a mile down the canyon to the main road. I haven't been that whipped at the end of a hunt for a long time. Junior and I took Bailey down with us and Zarech and Rick climbed out the top and brought the sleds down. Bailey was so footsore and tired that Junior had to carry her down some of the steeper places.
Bailey and her lion.
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Congrats, Gerald. That looks like a great tom.
arffdog875
New member
Congrats on a great Tom! Awesome story and photos!
RockyDog
Member
wow, congrats. ill bet the adrenalin was pumping during the chase with Bailey.
SagebrushSlayer
Active member
Sweet story and adventure! Nice job of shooting a cat, especially with a single dog.
wingman1
New member
Congrats, really awesome! 140-150 lbs. White teeth, 3-4 year old. Is that a new England arms single shot? I used the same one in a 223. Very compact and deadly.
Horn Seeker
New member
Super nice looking cat and I have always loved those red dogs.... althought, Im shameless and love any good dog, regardless of color...
I agree with wing on the weight, but have been burned on that before due to stomach contents. A true 150# cat can go 180 with a full belly!!! So...????? I'll revise, I'm saying 165...
I agree with wing on the weight, but have been burned on that before due to stomach contents. A true 150# cat can go 180 with a full belly!!! So...????? I'll revise, I'm saying 165...
HUNTMAN
New member
Congrats Gerald. Thats so cool. 145 on the weight. Who is the dealer for building blocks? I been using them on most of my forms and real like them. I was up in t falls and got some yellow one for cheap. Is that your place?
