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I was told if lion is in a smaller tree that you’re worried about him jumping from to come in from the downhill side. I have had the last two jump and we were way below them. But I have also walked in from above and been eye level with them in a juniper and had them stay. Just wondering everybody’s thoughts on this. Are some just jumpers and runners and some aren’t?

I don't put any thought into it, just get there by the easiest route possible, it could be the closest, least brushy, and/or least rocky route. The dogs caught the varmint once, they should be able to do it again if necessary.
Pat

I will sometimes come into a tree pointing back the way I came. Hoping if the cat jumps it might with any luck go back toward the truck.
As far as jumpers, some do and some don't. Just my two pennies worth.

dawger wrote:I will sometimes come into a tree pointing back the way I came. Hoping if the cat jumps it might with any luck go back toward the truck.
As far as jumpers, some do and some don't. Just my two pennies worth.

Now thats good thinking

dawger wrote:I will sometimes come into a tree pointing back the way I came. Hoping if the cat jumps it might with any luck go back toward the truck.
As far as jumpers, some do and some don't. Just my two pennies worth.

Thats always what I do.

I tree 20 to 30 lions a year and I have on average only one a year jump on there own. If they jump they are attemping to get away and you are in viritually no danger. I have found that they are more likely to jump after dark and also if you come in on a ledge either above them or eye level.

If they do jump on there own or with persusasion, they always go down hill.

We catch a lot of lions out in the southwestern country on the ground or in bay ups in the rocks. Many times these lions will bail and break and run several times from the dogs or as the hunter approaches so you need some real scooters and atheletes in the rocks to be able to corral them again before they get into some real bad real estate and lose you for good. These lions are more likley to become what we called spoiled lions. They learn when they can get away they catch their wind and go again. Some of them will get really goosey in the tree and you better be very careful if you want to slip in under them and take their picture.

My suggestions in these ares are as follows. No human conversation nothing rattle a primitive cryptic beast like a cougar more than the human voice. Walk light no breaking brush and rolling rocks and sounding like a bull rhino coming to the tree. Watch the wind but even if you have to cut around a bit try to approach from below. Yes if he jumps he is going down anyway but you will see him go. If you have a real skitzo in the tree let them settle a bit and even if you have to get down on all fours like a dog slip in low on them.

Some years ago i had an old lion hunter from upper northwest come to spend a winter and hunt with me. This guy had treed tons of game but most of it was in the giant tree areas and he was never much bothered by bail outs. We had a particular large tom in the area that had been run and lost by a lot of hunters becasue he hung in some incredibly rugged country. This fellow had some good fast coastal dogs and they could flat put it on a jumped lion and by golly we hit him right one morning and down off into the bluffs they went well it wasn't long and they had him stopped. Now this was a big old tom I would say 160 pounds plus and he had a really good big head on him and was pretty old i figured and this guy was going to take him becasue he wanted a lion mount. well he was a good deal older than me and so I told him I will bail off and go to them dogs and you just come along as you can but be really quiet when you come to the tree and get down below us befor you come up. Well he sort of scoffed at my instructions and said i will be a long. Well I get to the lion and I slip up under him and he is up a small juniper and not very high and he is pretty relaxed until I show up, but i got down low and got in there under the tree and just set down on a rock and waited. the dogs were treeing nice and no real tree climbers in the bunch so all was well. Well the lion would look at me and occasionaly grin at me but after a little bit he just settled down on a limb and watched the dogs. Well i figured pete would get there pretty quick but it was steep and he had bad knees so it took him a good while. but all of a sudden that lion just stood back up on that limb and looked up that hill and I knew he was coming. Well he just came off that hill talking and saying man that's a good one and rocks rolling and all and I just puckered up inside cuz i knew what was going to happen. I waved him down and put my hand over my mouth as if to say shut up and be quiet but he just came on rattling like an auctioneer. Well that old tom had enough and boom! out he goes and off that set of bluffs taking 20 plus foot leaps and in no time he was long gone. those dogs tried hard but they were hung up all over that mountainside and he just went off into some real ledges and cliffs and although they tried hard he plumb got away. We never did get that lion and to tell the truth i never saw his track again in that area he seemed to give up on it. We later got this man a nice lion but it wasn't anything like that grand old cat that we lost by not following a few simple guidelines.

as always mr leonard your advice and stories are no dissapointment. we have had the same happen here with bears in wv u take some buddies along that have never been and u give them some simple tips thinking they are listening and when the action starts they act like 4 month ole pup. sometimes its more entertaining then the bear chase.

Thanks Mike, good advice

I like what's been said so far. We treed a female several weeks ago that was a continuous jumper--jumped three times before she stayed put long enough for us to there and leash the dogs. The first tree we approached from uphill, then we tried approaching from downhill on the second tree, on the third tree we approached it level, but she jumped each time we came within sight of her (except for the fourth tree, where she looked pretty tired). It was good for the young pups to get all those trees in, but all the deadfall was taking its toll on me. I don't know anything compared to most guys on here, but I think each situation will be different depending on location and the cat being chased. With that female, we had a quiet discussion before approaching each of the first three trees, trying to decide which way to approach from, and we were even pretty quiet on our approaches. On the fourth tree, there was no debate, we got to the area with a to-hell-with-it sprint, which slowed down to a quiet walk at the end, all we cared about was grabbing collars before she caught her breath and jumped again.

On the other hand, the old-timer who first introduced me to hounds always said to "stalk" the lion tree, and he hunted in some high-hunting pressure areas in Utah.