Mont. Governor Killed Collared Mountain Lion

[moosedog]

I can see using hounds to run a dangerous animal when it is on a collision course with mankind in populated areas outside of it's normal habitat.
But I have seen the results of Bear hunting with dogs in Michigan's Upper Peninsula. It has basically ruined the hunt for those of us who like to hunt bears in the traditional way.
The dog guides start running their dogs before the season and force the bears to go nocturnal before opening day.
Then the dogs run the bear until it is exhausted and is forced to tree. Then some fat lazy guy gets out of a vehicle and blasts it.
Sorry, not my style.

 

[steelslaver]

Bears and cat are way different. I can go out and find a bear if any are around. I could look around where I know a lion frequents for weeks and never see anything but tracks.

 

[Smoke]

He was a paid guide. He would drive his client around the back country until a few of the dogs picked up the scent. He'd release those dogs and follow them. The dogs still in the truck would get the scent, he'd call in the tired dogs and release fresh ones. The process gets repeated until the exhausted cat stops running and climbs a tree. He drives to the tree where the client shoots the exhausted animal off a branch. The guide said his clients had killed 58 lions in the last year.

That's not hunting.

I could see hunting down a problem animal like that but not just hunting.

 

[.455_Hunter]

Our immediate next door neighbor's dog was attacked by a mountain lion last Saturday evening in their backyard. They managed to scare it off before the dog was fatally wounded. I have no problems hunting mountain lions to maintain a reasonable population.

 

[brendonjames65]

It was a legal hunt and legal kill so just the media trying to stir up controversy. I happen to like the governor, he's very pro 2nd amendment, signed constitutional carry into law, is pro hunting and conservative.

I think he's light years better than his predecessor, who was born and raised in Montana, so I don't care if he came from another state. As a congressman, he body slammed a snarky liberal reporter so he had my vote for governor right then and there! Not that I condone violence but yes, it gave me a chuckle.

A friend just gave us some mountain lion burger and steak, so we're looking forward to trying it. I've heard it's very good, just needs to be cooked well done like Pork due to trichinosis.

 

[S&WIowegan]

Iowa Lions

We are seeing mountain lion young males in Iowa as they search for a mate. Unfortunately they don't get lucky. We had one in our back yard this winter. He showed up on a trail camera. A few years ago a deer hunter in a tree stand spotted a lion in a tree close enough to the hunter. The guy called DNR with his cell phone and got the OK and shot the lion. They are so scarce and secretive the DNR was pooh-poohing reported sightings until one got killed on a highway. We also are seeing bobcats now too. In the old days farmers couldn't afford to have stock killed off so the cats gradually died out.

I'm not interested in hunting any more but I wouldn't tolerate stock killing either.

 

[LVSteve]

Sure are a lot of folks about who just cannot stomach that Mother Nature has made better predators than they are straight out of the box.

 

[.455_Hunter]

We are seeing mountain lion young males in Iowa as they search for a mate. Unfortunately they don't get lucky. We had one in our back yard this winter. He showed up on a trail camera. A few years ago a deer hunter in a tree stand spotted a lion in a tree close enough to the hunter. The guy called DNR with his cell phone and got the OK and shot the lion. They are so scarce and secretive the DNR was pooh-poohing reported sightings until one got killed on a highway. We also are seeing bobcats now too. In the old days farmers couldn't afford to have stock killed off so the cats gradually died out.

I'm not interested in hunting any more but I wouldn't tolerate stock killing either.

What part of Iowa?

My in-laws are in SD near the SD/IA/MN triple-point and there are occasional sightings in their area.

 

[Imissedagain]

Just as well, might have saved you a trip to the clinic.

Never an issue.
In addition to my primary SN&T(MOS) I was a a member of the Air Force Hazard Survey Team and always carry a Girlgie Counter and rubber suit.

 

[jaguargolf]

35 years ago my good friend rode horseback perimeter guard at a Federal Prison on the Shawangunk Ridge in New York. (about 80 miles NW of NYC) He was armed with an M-16.

He told me back then there were cougars in NY, even saw a black one.

I believed him back then. I saw a fawn colored adult with kit hunting that same area 20 years ago. Only time I saw them, and I hunted that area for more than 30 years. My friend was on that ridge 5 day/nights a week for many years.

A few years ago one got hit by a car and killed across the Hudson. NY DEC had scat samples tracking it for 1500 miles over several years. Claim was always "No Breeding Pairs"

 

[Imissedagain]

We have lotsa critters in South Florida and in the late '70s my Dad and I were harvesting grapefruits in the trees.
He was above me and I told him to get down quickly.
When he looked up there was a really BIG SNAKE above him.
Fast descent for sure.
12'-15' was my guess.
Called the Cops as kids played there.
Always carried my Colt GM/45 but not for sky busting constrictors.

Gave my brother my new Colt Ace in the early '80s for Bear protection. He is neighbors with Hank the Bear and friends.

Our kids live West of Denver and hike often so a G gun in 10mm is now carried or the 629/4" we had here.
Hooked up with a retired Detective, recommended by Cops here, when they moved there to get the lay of the land. In town for two legged critters as well as those on four.

 

[steelslaver]

Here is an interesting cougar story. I was driving along a road a road in the Missouri breaks with my brother in law and he point out a spot and said one of the local ranchers shot a female lion there. The he said several days later another rancher on came along and found another lion right there acting weird. Ir tried to run and ran into a post. He killed it with a shovel. Ir turned out to be stone blind with whitish eyes and they figure it was at least 2 years old. Mom took raised and took care of a blind cub. He was toast once she was gone and had followed her scent to where she was killed. Kinda sad really.

 

[steelslaver]

Sure are a lot of folks about who just cannot stomach that Mother Nature has made better predators than they are straight out of the box.

Mountain lions make wolves and bears look like pikers when it comes to being predators. Wolves mostly hunt in packs. A lion can kill a mature elk all by itself. No tearing on it as it is run to death. Elk never knows the lion is anywhere around until it has one on its back biting its neck.

Look a pack of dogs put on a lion take a long time to chase one down using their noses which are 1000 times better than any human. A dog can run mile after mile after mile. A human following a set of lion tracks thinking he will be able to track it down is laughable. If you get anywhere close the lion will know you are there, may well decide to observe you and you will never see it unless it decides to show itself.
check this out
hidden mountain lion photos - Google Search

 

[johnbeaver]

I've seen one in the wild. Late seventies on Hwy.90 west of Uvalde. Early am. I wasn't driving and was watching the brush for deer and such.
Big lion was fixing to cross the road, I guess. Saw him spin and head back deeper in the brush.
Beautiful animal.

 

[mtgianni]

I have seen 6 since I moved to MT in 87 and 2 in Idaho before that. They are elusive, though I have spent plenty of time hunting in the breaks where their smell is enough to gag you. Easily spotted 3 different track sizes that day.
Lions do not tree because they are exhausted, they tree because the dogs are near. If they get down and fight the dogs they often go 5 miles or more before re-treeing. I have never bought a tag or had an interest in hunting them. The one I ate a piece of tasted OK but nothing anyone would hunt for the meat.

 

[brendonjames65]

Here are a couple from my trail cam taken a little over a year ago, about 100 yards from the house. I believe it's a female and her 2 year old juvenile. She probably cut the juvenile loose soon after, looks almost the same size as her.

I've only seen 3 in the wild during my lifetime but I'm sure I've been watched by a lot more! They are an amazing animal. It's a good thing they are generally shy and reclusive. If they had the attitude of a leopard, they would rack up a pretty high body count!

 

[steelslaver]

I have seen 6 since I moved to MT in 87 and 2 in Idaho before that. They are elusive, though I have spent plenty of time hunting in the breaks where their smell is enough to gag you. Easily spotted 3 different track sizes that day.
.

seeing 6 in 35 years is pretty good. Finding tracks and other signs isn't that hard. If you could smell one's scent there is a good chance it was watching you.

 

[mtgianni]

Yea I never say them but had the hair standing up on the back of my neck that day. It was a river drop off so I was kind of stuck as I worked my way in a circle then back to my pick up point.

 

[DesertFox]

Seen 3 here in over 30 years of stomping around in the woods, hunting, otherwise enjoying nature. I've hunted elk, mulies, white tails, speed goats, black bear, birds - lots of species. Hunting over bait is unethical IMOHO. I'm a spot and stalk guy... If I saw a bunch of dogs tree a cat, I'd shoot the dogs.

Someone hit the nail on the head - MT gov is a carpetbagger, which as someone else pointed out, is pretty easy in a small population state. His history of actions involving wildlife/hunting infractions or bad decision making is public record. These ******bags are hard to stomach. I barf a little every time I drive by his house...

 

[Nevada Ed]

Similar setup in Arizona. In certain areas, lion control is an important component of maintaining the desert bighorn population.

Reno's Game Dept. planted bighorn in the mountains north of Reno and expected big things to happen.

They did......... and all the mountain lions thanked them for a change in their diet.......... to the very last one.