Mine Shaft Tom

[FullCryHounds]

About a month ago, I received a phone call from a ranch owner about two hours from my place. He was looking for a houndsman to run some lions on his place. He stated that there hadn’t been any lions taken off his place for 3 or 4 years. His place was around 6 thousand acres but few roads, extremely steep and rocky terrain. He also mentioned that the last lion hunter on his place refused to come back because it was too rough and the lions were too mean! I immediately said I’d be down to look at it the following week. I looked at the ranch using Google Earth to try and get an idea of the roads and trails on the place.
A few days later, another houndsman buddy and I decide to head down to the ranch. Steve lives about a mile back in and I get a call from him. He’s got three tracks on his road, two females and one good Tom. He asked me what do you want to do? I said, I’m sure we’ll find a good track down at the ranch and we’re loaded up, let’s go to the ranch! We’ll get this guy another day.
We got to the ranch around sunup, unloaded the quads and hadn’t gone two miles before we hit our first track.

[FullCryHounds]

The track was a large Tom headed west. It had some snow in it from the previous day so we figured it was about 24 hours old . The dogs were off in a flash up over the first ridge. The dogs only went about a mile and a half before they lit up the canyon with their barks and baying. When we finally got there, the lion was up on a huge rock ledge and the dogs were right in his face.

When we got close, the cat took one look at us and off he went. The dogs followed and treed him about a quarter mile away. Fortunately, it was back in the direction we had come from. This time when we got there, he was in a tree and again, took one look at us and took off. This time he went over a large hill and out of hearing. When we got to the top of the hill, we couldn’t hear any dogs for some time. We were stumped. What happened, they should be right below us. A short time later, we heard one dog so we headed that way. When we arrived, we found the lion had gone into an abandoned mine shaft.

[FullCryHounds]

There weren’t too many tailings out front so I figured the shaft wasn’t too deep, maybe 10-15 yards long. The entrance was a bit caved in and only about 2 foot tall. When we looked inside, we could hear the lion in the back of the shaft growling and carrying on. Another buddy was leaning down looking into the shaft when a large boulder rolled down the hill and smashed his knee into the ground. The knee swelled immediately and I was worried how we were going to get him out. The shaft was about three feet wide but was tall enough to stand up in once you got inside. There wasn’t much we could do if we wanted the cat so we had to go inside after him. I told Sean not to worry about the cat, he wouldn’t be after us, he would only want to get out of there and run right past us. Not sure why I thought that, probably just as much hopeful thinking then anything else.
We both had .44 revolvers so in we went. We sat near the entrance for a bit letting our eyes adjust before heading farther in. . Fortunately there was enough light and you could see the shaft made a ninety degree turn to the left about 10 yards in. Sean and I headed in next to each other, eyes as big as saucers, listening to a very upset lion somewhere ahead of us. We convinced my other houndsman buddy to crawl inside with us with the video camera, no sense leaving him out of the fun. We were about 5 feet from the left hand bend in the shaft when I noticed a shaft going straight down right at the bend. I figured the cat was down in that shaft so I took a few more steps and leaned forward to take a quick look down that shaft. I didn’t get far but immediately realized the lion was less then 5 feet to my left. He was not down in the shaft but backed up against the back wall of the mine just out of sight. He was sitting down, staring right at me.
I backed up right away, knowing he was going to come through us now that he knew we were so close. Nothing happened. He was still carrying on with his low growl. Sean and I came up with our plan. A lot of thought went into this. It was going to be a six foot shot. Sean, you go back up there, lean around the bend and shoot him! OK said Sean! Really!, Your going to do it!!?? So off he goes, leans around the bend, BANG!

[FullCryHounds]

………..nothing happened. I expected one very upset cat to be coming around the bend but nothing, not even a growl. OK, he’s dead, lets go! So off we went, back to the bend. I peeked around and was looking right in the face of the lion, again! OK, retreat again, plan B. Sean, you go back up there, lean around the bend and shoot him! Second shot, BANG, Sean runs back towards Steve and I at the entrance with one very large angry cat on his heals.


The cat clears all of us by at least a foot and out he goes. I have a young dog tied up right outside the entrance and he goes crazy, I quickly crawl out the entrance and see the cat going up through the trees about 40 yards away. We kick the young dog loose and off he goes after the cat. The other four dogs are down the hill a ways so off Steve goes to let them go. Sean and I take off up the hill after the lion and dog. Half way up the other dogs pass us by and out of hearing. When we get to the top of the hill, the dogs have the lion backed up to a 40 foot drop, the cats ears are pinned down on his head. Video camera going, I tell Sean to get down there about 10 yards away and kill him. Seans first shot hits the rocks in front of the cat,

[FullCryHounds]

second one is perfect and the cat falls over the cliff.


We grab dogs to keep them from going over with the cat and head down to take a look at him. He has a large gash on his face from a bullet, probably Seans second shot in the mine which is what made him decide to leave.
We skinned him out, boned out the meat and headed back to the quads. This took some time because our wounded friend’s knee was in bad shape. We took our time and all made it back before dark.
A few days later, we head back down to the ranch. We find two Tom tracks. We didn’t get back to the house till around 5 that afternoon. I get a call from Steve. The one dog he left behind that day was gone. Her chain was stretched tight with the collar still attached. A lion had come in and grabbed her while we were gone. Steve followed the drag mark about 200 yards down the hill and found his dog. She was one of 5 pups we got out of Steve’s female. Steve had bought her the previous year from Jeff Allen. The following day, Steve turned out his female and a couple of the other pups and killed the lion.

[savage]

Hell of a story there Dean.Thanks for sharing.

[chilcotin hillbilly]

Great story sounds like a whole pile of fun. I guess next time you should send in a guy that can shoot.

[BlacktailStalker]

Awesome, thats WILD.
Too bad about the dog though.
Any video clips you can post up ?

[Stitch]

Wow Dean, thats some story.
Could have done without the last part, thats to bad.

[tylers dad]

sounds like one hell of an adventure. glad there aren't many mine shafts around here and plenty of trees to climb.

[spruce mountain]

Great story,thanks for shareing

[Arkansas Frog]

what happens to your ears when you fire a 44 mag in a cave?

[Ike]

See I told you that Colorado was better lion hunting than Utah!

Just joking Dean, Good read and sounds like a fun day. However, you better be careful in those old mines that they don't become you tomb..........
ike

[Catman]

Good read Dean....I was right there with you the whole time Sounds like you found you a little more country to have some fun in

[catdogs]

Good read for sure Dean! - too bad about the dog!