Ever call in a Cougar?

[MLayden]

While on a 3 day back country trip we were setup on a bench just outside of a known bedding area off of a trail. We setup and did a cow calling sequence for 20 minutes and sure enough 5 minutes later my eye catches something coming up the trail we were hoping the elk would come from. First look I thought it was a deer. Second look (now broadside and at 20 yards) I see it has a large tail. I immidiately got up and started yelling at it and it took off down the edge of the mountain. My hunting parnter was very confused as to why I was yelling at a doe!

Has anyone else ever called in a cougar?

[poisonarrow]

I haven't but one of my friends did.

[Olydog09]

I've called in 2 in N. Idaho. One of them I was with a guy whose son the year before had cow called in a 160lb tom so close he shot it without using his scope 200 yards from where we called in a female cat.

[Lefty]

Never called a cougar in. Ive tried to walk one down( no hounds).
Walked up on three adults once during the rifle hunt, I messed with them kissing the back of my hand squeaking or some time , once they winded me they just slinked off
I got peed on by a fair sized female cougar about 40 plus feet up a tree

I have a cougar and wolf tag, either show up in bow range, im sending an arrow
Last Saturday I called a coyote in. squeaked her in with my elk diaphragm call
She saw we were something and just hung around at 150 yards for twenty minutes, Good color, in 5 weeks her pelt will be at the top of the Idaho market

[msd1228]

Called one in to 5 yards while doing a cold calling setup. That cat was no more afraid of me than it was a field mouse. Interesting experience, to say the least.

[Indian Summer]

Yelled at it? There's no reason to fear a lion. Like any feral cat or other wild animal they will run in a flash if they smell or see us.

I have never had a lion come to my calls. But I did tree three of them once. Saw them from the truck and got out and starting bawling like a hound dog. When we chase them with hounds it can go on for miles before they tree. But these ones were 3 youngsters with their mother and like they were taught they treed instantly. Here's a pic of a couple of them. The one hanging on the side of a tree was only 6 feet off the ground. Funny.

I did call in a big timber wolf one time. I knew they were around because they had been howling a lot. I got uphill of a major game trail and started cow calling. In less than 5 minutes one came strolling right down the trail to 10 yards.

[Viking]

Yesterday lol....came with a cub.

[ishy]

I shot one at 20 yards. Another buddy shot one this year.

[Lefty]

Yelled at it? There's no reason to fear a lion. ....

Nothing like a big cat screaming close to you in the dark ,.. Im not sure it is just pure excitement that causes goosebumps when one does scream
Really to me the sound I like best in the woods even if I am behind hounds

[elkmtngear]

I was cow calling from a treestand many years back. I climbed down, and started to walk away from the base of the tree, and I got a weird urge to look back over my shoulder. There was a big lion crouched with his ears back at 8 yds...he had watched me climb down the tree. I slipped my bow off my shoulder, started to draw, and he flipped a 180 and walked away (he did not run).

That was my closest cougar experience. Walking out of that hole in the dark was a little sketchy that night.

[Drawnandpinned]

Second weekend out scared me pretty good I was solo hunting so I loaded the pistol and had the bow ready and backed up the hill an hour later I didn't want the big cat I saw seeing me ha pretty awesome encounter though

[Drawnandpinned]

Second weekend out scared me pretty good I was solo hunting so I loaded the pistol and had the bow ready and backed up the hill an hour later I didn't want the big cat I saw seeing me ha pretty awesome encounter though

[Heartwood]

One of our party called one in on a cold calling setup and ended up killing it. This was 3 or 4 years ago. He said it was staring him down as he went to move to his next setup. I called one in years ago after hearing one chirp nearby it came right in after some distressed calf sounds. Partner almost got a bow shot.

[jensenrw.2000]

2012 in the Idaho back country, my hunting buddy Grant was estrus calling a bull for me in the early predawn light in thick lodge pole. I was 60 yards in front. While calling he got the heeby geebies and looked behind him. There was a rock that looked alot like a cougar. He went back to calling and looked back again a minute later at the rock. Now it really looked like a cougar! He stood up, ranged it at 23 yards, it was crouched down facing him and staring at him, "Head as big as a pumpkin". He then fight postured at it to spook it off. Nothing happened. Well, being a good hunting partner, he continued calling while making sure the cougar knew he was a human. Cougar wouldn't move. So he picked up his bow, walked a quarter circle so the cougar was now broadside to him and postured again to spook the cat off. Cougar wouldn't move. He ranged it again, 18 yards broadside and crouched down, just watching him. He postured again, cougar wouldn't move, just crouched and staring at him like he owes him money. Bull bugling in the background. Decisions, decisions. Bulls bugling, cat won't go away though it knows he's a human. So he did the sensible thing, knocked an arrow and shot it. He hit it perfectly in the crease; the cat elevated straight up 6 feet, did a double barrel rodeo flip in midair, arrow flipped out, cougar landed on it's feet and slowly walked away. As a good partner Grant went right back to calling so I could eventually shoot a log that was crossing the bulls vitals. Unfortunately Grant didn't account for bone/ humerus placement in a crouched down cat which puts it directly over the crease. Later we found Grant's arrow penetrated less than 2 inches on the cougar despite over 85lbs KE, must have hit the bone straight on, blood trail was very minimal for 30 yards and then gone. After 6 hours of searching we never found the cat.
Moral of the story: In areas where there isn't a lot of pressure, cougars may not have a lot of fear of man.
Also, he should have shot Muzzies.....

[elkaholic]

Yes. Many years ago I had one at 10 yrds while elk hunting. Looking into its eyes is something I don't think I will ever forget.

[StartMyHunt]

Only at the bars.

[WapitiTalk1]

Only at the bars.

Was waiting for that one. Ref throws a yellow cautionary flag