treed a monster tom and then......

[houndnem]

I was out hunting and having a hard time finding a track. it was afternoon and I headed down into a cliffy place that I hate to hunt, but can almost always run a cat. about an hour drive down in I found a fairly fresh large tom track. it was in snow for about ten feet and then in the dirt. I hiked it out about 100 yards and decided I would go back and get the dogs despite how late it was getting. I must have bumped the cat while hiking it out because on the way out I cut him fresh ontop of my tracks! by the time I got back down to turn out it there was only 1.5 hrs of light left. I should have just came back in the morning, but I thought I could smoke him up a tree and be out before dark. the dogs nearly drug me off the fourwheeler when I pulled up to the track. they ran with their heads in the air and about ten feet off the track and within 30 min they were treed. it was nearly dark by the time I got to the edge of the 500 foot cliff the cat was bayed on. he sat there fighting and then locked eyes on me and bolted. about 200 yards away my dogs started going nuts again. they were barking off the cliff as if the cat had went off. It was now dark so I leashed up and headed out of there. I figured either the cat was dead at the bottom or at least I could cut his tracks where he escaped. it was a long sleepless night, and I was back in there at first light. I circled and circled above the cliff, no tracks? below the cliff no tracks? the dogs were still saying he was off the cliff. I couldn't contain my curiosity, so I found 100 foot of rope and down I went. I really need to get some repelling gear or at least a harness if I'm gona keep huntin down here. everywhere there was a dirt shelf there was a big cat track until I dared go no further. I have no idea where that cat was hiding down there, but mountain goats aint got nothin on these big pumas! maybe I will cut this big guys tracks again someday and catch him before he goes cliff jumpin. I made it about 75-100 feet down this 500 foot cliff and I get sick just lookin at the pics now.



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[BlacktailStalker]

The things a man will do to see some pussy.
Pretty wild country, hope you catch up to him, they (dogs) must have been picking him up in the thermals as if he was standing right there.

[Geno]

nice pics looks like nice country

[George Streepy]

Houndnem,

And you wonder why I headed home. Everywhere we went was a damn cliff. I knew it was only a matter of time before I would be dangling over a cliff trying to rescue dogs. I still wake up in cold sweats thinking of all those cliffs, bluffs, drop offs and rim rock. We were sitting in town looking up at the hills and noticed the highways are built on over hangs. No guard rails and everyone drives and 80 MPH on icy roads!!

Warning to people afraid of heights.... Stay out of Southern Utah!!

[007pennpal]

You can fassion a harness out of rope. What you need is just a snap link and a climbing partner. Looks like you had a partner if someone was working the camera. Probably a good idea if at least one of you has some type of training/experience. I almost got into my car with a rope and drove down but I calmed down and realized the cat was probably gone. Maybe you could daisy chain a couple hounds down like fishing them over the edge. Maybe a bulldog that could latch on and bring the lion back up with a deathgrip. Ok, just joking but I'm kinda dumb when it gets crazy like that. I'm not so sure I'd send a client down there for a kill.
Sean

[Powder River Walker]

That looks this the $hit I have been hunting in. Good cats but then you think at times is this worth it??????HELL YES IT IS.

[desertdog]

You have MUCH larger balls than I do.

[LIONHOUND1963]

Some serious pucker factor there. WOW

[snakerivercatman]

That's some awesome country.....stay after em, you know he'll screw up sometime! Keep the pics comin, we northern boys like to see that rugged country! Just black timber, and rollin hills up here. Love that red @#$%

[WAcoyotehunter]

you're crazy!!!

[razorrb]

Look its Tarzan of the south!! Wished I was there.

[liontracker]

Bad ass..and brass cahones. You should take a climbing class. I did and learned alot that I never would have thought about. JMO of course.

Out of curiosity, did that Tom make it down to that finger ridge?

[dandavidson]

oh man, oh man, that is some cool, crazy stuff!!! You might want to get a parchute!!!
Dan D

[houndnem]

thanks fellars. I would have loved to have went back and found where the big guy made his exit, but after three days gone and mama seen the pics I couldn't score a hall pass to go back. I made loops and kept making the loops bigger the last day and I'm conviced he never left that cliff face. there were caves that I didn't make it down far enough to see in, but the most amazing part was where the cat walked, jumped or flew across 15 foot sections of straight vertical. I would like to take a class on repelling or climbing and get some propper gear, but that's just gona get me into more trouble. oh and don't let george sh%t ya, he drove down worse than that in his tracked up tacoma. man I wish it was still here. and george too, but mostly the truck

[Emily]

Holy crap! Anybody who isn't afraid to dangle over that cliff is afraid of a lady that won't issue a hall pass? She must be some formidable woman!

I guess you weren't thinking of dangling on that rope one-handed with a pistol in the other hand, eye to eye with a p.o.'ed kitty on a narrow ledge? Or were you, and your curiosity just got the better of you?!!!