Washington lion

[Dunning Kruger]

Got this female lion in ferry county wa on dec 5th. Called her in making calm fawn bleats. Calling for about 23 minutes, when i noticed some really slow movement in my peripheral vision. She was creeping up on me on the other side of a thick bush just 5 paces away. It was my 8th or 9th attempt calling lions for the year.

 

[teej89]

That's awesome man!

 

[mdeerjunkie]

Great job!

 

[Jape]

Excellent and well done!

 

[MITCHMO]

Wow very cool!

So how he heck did you get a shot off to your side that close without it running off?

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Wow very cool!

So how he heck did you get a shot off to your side that close without it running off?

I barely managed. Its all really fuzzy, but heres how it is, far as i can tell. It was right there on top of me, brush in the way. When i realized what it was, i swung my gun toward her slowly, the only thought in my head being that i was scared she was going to run when i pointed my rifle

She was walking straight on to me when i saw her. With my scope all the way down to 2x, it still took me what seemed like a long time to get fur in my scope, and i shot, not even knowing point of aim. I knew every second counted, and i had a damn lion about to pounce on me, so i wasnt being picky, just shoot fur.

So despite her being head on when i saw her, it took a few seconds to get fur in scope, and somehow i ended up shooting her perfectly broadside, but a bit high. Entrance wound was on her right side, exit on her left. Only thing i can figure is, when i lifted my gun, she turned 90° getting ready to run, and i hit her right before she bailed. That explains the broadside shot, and my difficulty getting her in my scope. But really, its all kind of a blur to me, but thats the best explanation i got. I puzzled over the whole thing myself.

I didnt even figure out what happened until the following day when i thought about it rationally, how it was facing me when i saw it, where the entrance and exit wounds were, it didnt add up at first. I was just so hyped on adrenaline i guess, i wasnt operating at full mental capacity, even for me. When i met up with a game warden a few hours after i made the kill to have the hide sealed, and he asked male or female, i didnt even know. Thats how scrambled my brain was, i didnt even lift her legs to check, i just threw her over my shoulder and packed her out whole, guts and all, a half mile. Even with a completely empty stomsch and not much fat, that was still a 90lb animal i carried out no problem thanks to the adrenaline rush. Really, i was geeked bad.

 

[MITCHMO]

Love it! Saw my first lion this year and now I want one. I’m very jealous but not sure I’d have the stones required to be that close....not that you had a choice in the matter

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Love it! Saw my first lion this year and now I want one. I’m very jealous but not sure I’d have the stones required to be that close....not that you had a choice in the matter

Just call where they cant bust ya until theyre point blank, then the size of your stones is irrelevant, youre in the situation regardless. I pack average sized stones. Im no jim corbett

 

[Montana4Life]

That is awesome! Congratulations. Those suckers are so elusive.

 

[JohnCushman]

Awesome!! Another calf killer is dead!

 

[fishing4sanity]

Congrats! That's a great looking cougar.

 

[MT_elk]

Congrats!

 

[wyoboypt]

Freakin amazing! Did you use an electronic caller or a mouth call?

 

[Dunning Kruger]

Closed reed call. Its the chunk of ivory with a lion track carved on it in front of the stump in the second picture.

 

[rmyoung1]

Wow. That’s something that’ll stick with you forever. Nice work.

 

[wheels]

awesome congrats nice cat

 

[Guy]

OUTSTANDING!

 

[Joe Hulburt]

Definitely something I need to get done! Way to go.

 

[Matt Dworak]

That is awesome!

 

[Carl 9.3x62]

Where did you get the ivory and associated tusk (I presume) in the pic?