BigGameHoundsmen.com

Chilcotin,

New Mexico is a very diverse state and we run from nearly sonoran type desert in the southwest to Alpine forests and peaks in excess of 12,000 feet in the north. Prey species also varies a great deal. Mule deer and elk are abundant in the northern sections with abundiant feed in the high country and well established winter migration routes leading to more open high desert areas. In the south many lions excist on Coues deer( Small species of whitetail), javelina, a scattered mule deer or lost elk here or there and livestock that is allowed to roam mostly unattended in rugged desert mountains. In the areas that border the high country of Colorado is where they largest bodied lions seem to come from. Several adjoinging counties of New Mexico and Colorado boast extreemly high numbers in the Boon and Crockett all time records books. These old high country toms can reach great size as you have seen and they spend a good deal of theri time in remote high country and or on large expansive Tribal Reservation where public hunting is very limited. Most of these large lions are killed in the snow after the winter storms drive they prey into lower country. In the southern most regions nearly all lion hunting is done on bare ground and precious few hunters these days can consistantly catch lions in thse conditions so live stock growers and depredation people use leg hold traps and snares to trim the lion numbers and as we know thse methods are very non-discriminatory and will snap on any sized animals.

One more thing I'd like to add to Mikes post is that here in New Mexico especially in southern NM our winters are quite mild compared to those of northern states. The easier the winter is, the less fat is required to sustain body temperature at night. So a lion from southern NM with a skull that measures identical to that of a lion from northern Colorado will have a large variance in body weight. Another factor is the availibility of prey. Like some have talked about before most ungulates have a wintering ground where it is pretty easy for lions to hunt. Down here they can stay spread out and the lions must cover alot more ground between meals. This gives them a leaner body as well. Last but not least the availibility of water plays a key role in body mass. Animals here have had to adapt to drought conditions year in and year out. A smaller body requires less water to maintain hydration. These size variances are quite noticeable where I live in all the animals. When you drive off the mountain to the deserts the deer aren't much taller than your hip and the foxes are hardly bigger than house cats. It seems like anywhere the conditions are rough the game is a bit smaller and leaner. These are also the same reasons that antler growth can maximize down south here. Antlers are grown from excess proteins and other minerals. If the body is using them for nutrition there is simply nothing left to grow antlers. I hope this info is useful to you guys.

dirtydan,

Excellent information!

What a fricken stud! If you dont mind me asking who is going to mount him?

Mike Leonard wrote:dirtydan,

Excellent information!

That is good info from both of you.
The hydration theory makes the most sense as a lot of our northern lions don't carry any fat and still weigh 160lbs.

One day i will head south and hunt some of those southern lions as i think dry grounding on horse would be a blast. Hunting these snow lions can be real bore, give me a lynx any day.