BigGameHoundsmen.com

ok so i had a friend of mine give me a call and he has a shot lion but after i looked over the sign there was very little blood but the cat did not go more then maybe a 100 yds at a time before he would lay down. now he does not have hounds and i have never just turned loose on a wounded animal thats why i ask this. i told him that i was not turning loose because i was afraid of getting dogs hurt or worse whats your guys opinion on these need some feed back asap as i am going to try to help him recover the animal one way or another.guess i should mention he said that the cat was slightly up hill looking at him when he shot it with his 223. he said he aimed about a 1/4 of the way up from bottom of brisket.

If your worried, leash up a dog who you know will trail it up. It won't travel to far if it is really hurt. Or take your least valuable dog and let it go. Sometimes trailing a wounded lion is just part of the business and you have to make a snap decision and live with it. In this case if there is snow I would trail it with out dogs and kill it that way as your buddies poor shooting doesn't deserve a hurt dog.

thats my opinion i would probably do it with the dogs if i was the one who shot it or was atleast there when it was shot, but i dont care to kill them so i just tree and leave to grow bigger. thanks just wanted someone to confirm my thoughts. he thinks i am crazy for not wanting to turn my dogs loose but there not his so why would he be concerned right.

I had the exact thing happen last year and ended up tracking the lion down on foot and the fellow finished what he started. Chances are if the lion is bedding up every 100 yards it is sick, probably gut shot. It is probably dead , or will be soon.
Good luck with this.

You can't be scared your whole life.............. :

the spot and stalk season has been over for quite a while in MT if that is where this took place, he's gonna need to give someones name with hounds when he checks it in to be legal........ he started it without dogs, he can finish it without dogs.

Larry you are wrong about the spot and stalk. It is legal all season as long as you do not shoot a female when the sub quote has been filled.

live to hunt wrote:Larry you are wrong about the spot and stalk. It is legal all season as long as you do not shoot a female when the sub quote has been filled.

I would be interested to know how to determine the sex of a lion looking at me from the hillside.

MThound wrote:

live to hunt wrote:Larry you are wrong about the spot and stalk. It is legal all season as long as you do not shoot a female when the sub quote has been filled.

I would be interested to know how to determine the sex of a lion looking at me from the hillside.

I may be wrong, not sure. Would like to see it in writing on the regs where I am wrong given that there are two lion seasons in MT. Far as sexing one from the hillside, theres a bunch of guys on her ethat claim to be able to to that! ha ha!

There is 3 lion seasons as of this year, bow season, general and with hounds. If I'm correct you don't have to use hounds during hound season just supposed to make it easier, from what I hear I can't find any either way.

I had the same question for one of my buddies that has ran hounds for thirty years and he told me turn em.loose that will make dogs out of em!!!

$4000 and 3 surguries for one dog and another dog killed. That was the first and last time I let dogs go after a wounded lion. It couldn't climb and it was big enough that the dogs couldn't get it stretched when they got to it, shot through the ankles and couldn't climb. That was my expensive lesson, won't need to learn that one over.

there are units where you do not have to sex a lion before you shoot it, either sex no sub quotas. just my two cents

well to help here its not illegal to hunt during winter lion season with out dogs its just simpling legal to use hounds and this took place in hd170 which is unlimited unit in flathead county. this lion was causing some issues at his house so he tried to fix the problem and did not do a very good job but maybe he will not come back. And yes i am scared to turn my dogs loose on a wounded animal because i dont have deep pockets like some of you guys to pay for vet bills or to replace dog.

Bearkiller wrote:You can't be scared your whole life.............. :

Kinda my attitude as well. Turn 'em loose in reverse order of importance, give the young dogs a chance to earn their "stripes."