Lion hunters only: Vote for your states top lionhunter

[RandTMcKnight]

I met a guy today that claims he used to be quite the lion hunter, his name is Don Kattner. Has anyone heard of him? googled him and found a picture and a book that has some quotes from him.

[smit7833]

Washington: Jack Shubert, Cody Basnaw, Tom MacArthur

[chancemarquette]

my vote for wyoming is jim holder you people have most likely never heard of him and never will, he lives way out in the sticks and has been breeding his own line of walkers for a very long time i was lucky enough to own a couple of his walkers and they were very good dogs. this man has no quit in him he will hunt all day long no matter what!

[Rockcreek]

a great old school team i go with on occasion, jon and tammy atencio, lots of new great hunters also, great thread, nice to hear some familiar names as well as some i hadent heard of.

I would have to agree on John Atencio. He's caught more lions then most people I hear about combined. I think the man is half hound. I have sold and given the man a few hounds and he makes DOGS out of them. John and Tammy are good people that sure know how to catch game.

The series of pics with John and that sub tom that he had bayed, where he put his cowboy hat on the cat... Well that will always remain in my mind as the best lion/hounds/houndsmen pic I have ever seen!

[Robskid]

I agree with the fellow who named Rob Donley and Pat Reed. For the record I am Rob's son. He killed 214 cougar, 40 with the bow. Idaho had a bounty on cougar of $50.00 in the mid 40's. They also had a derby seeing who could get the most. Prize was $100.00. Rob won both years but not by much. The first winter he got 26 while Reed got 24. The second year Rob got 19 while Pat got 18. I doubt this has been beaten in any state. By the way Pat's dad was Dead Shot Reed of the Idaho primitive area. Google him. Interesting story.

[kwalker]

Bein from az and growin up around hounds my whole life and hearin stories from my dad i would have to say ben lilly, lee brothers, and dub evans of beverhead NM. Also corwin estes of eagar, az

[toptom]

My vote for the top Utah lion hunter would be Garrett Woolstenhulme. Has run cats for years with his dad who has run for about 47 years. Real sportsmen. Tree on the average of 35 to 50 cats a winter. Use primarily Redbone hounds. Good job!!!

[REM]

robskid, one thing you should point out is that your dad and Pat did the majority of their hunting off of foot or snowshoes. Maybe a willies jeep to get there and back.
You remember Don Shoemaker?

[sswhitney]

Hell I think I am the best lion hunter, I just cant catch any. But I hunt for all the time and with all the desire, got a bunch of dogs that I love to death but don't think I could catch much more than a cold with em..... Well not yet, hoping to get some schooling from one of our best known NM hunters soon. Thanks Mike. SW

[catenaround]

oregon, only talking about putting longtail up a tree! it would be Terry Clearwater.

[Benny G]

PERFECT answer Scott!!! As my wife just pointed out -- we don't call it lion catching, we call it lion hunting.

[desertcathunter]

The best lion hunter from Arizona is Weldon Hopman. He has flown under the radar because he is not a self promoter. Most good lion hunters have to promote themselves, ie guide to get to spend the kind of time it takes to get a good pack and keep it. I am not going to tell you how many lions Weldon has caught because I would be called a liar, but I have hunted with Weldon for 4 months of the year since 1991, and I have photos and video of almost 400. (Most hunting with Weldon some with my own dogs.) In the early days Weldon guided one or two hunters a week all year long in Arizona. He guided the Vice President of Mexico and Jim Carmichael to big toms. After winning the Grand America in the 50's Weldon walked away with enough money to start a construction business and in time became a wealthy developer in Prescott AZ. He has hunted from 4 to 6 months of the year since he quit guiding full time. Weldon is one of the few houndsmen to have also caught Jaguar. He caught one in Mexico the year he met his wife Marie a Mexican Embassator from Spain. He also caught one with Ervin West an old one legged Indian, in the 50's on Mingus near present day Prescott. When Weldon started breeding Walker Hounds he went to Ted Fergussen who bountied the most lions in Arizona during the bounty days. He found that Ted had the same bloodlines and they did some hound breeding together. For the last 30 years Weldon has spent a lot of time in Utah. In the late 89's he took what would have been the world record lion to this day on the old Diamond Fork unit in Northern Utah. It was measured and green scored at the Springville Game and Fish Office. Nose to tail it was pushing 11'. (I have photos) A once well know taxidermist from Arizona (Bob Elisner) lost/stole it during his divorce. It is rumored to be owned by a Texan. A couple years later he caught an even bigger lion but the lion was on the Ute Indian Reservation when they caught up to it. There were 4 utah houndsmen from the Provo Springville area with Weldon when his dogs treed it. They all swore the lion weighed close to 300lbs with a chest like a draft horse and a head like a bear. I have photos of the lion and it will scare the shit out of you. The lion had a 7 inch track. One dog got his head crushed like a grape but survived with a deformed head. Weldon has hunted with and knows all the greats. If you talk with any old good lion hunter they have heard of Weldon Hopman. I asked Weldon who the best lion hunters from utah and Arizona were and he said without hesitation, the Lee brothers (although he hated Bluticks)and Warner Glenn from Arizona, and Bud Hutchins with his pack of Black and Tans, from Utah. He talked highly of some of Jeff Allens dogs and Stan Mecham's dogs.