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I know I am bad but I have to tell about a funny thing that happened today.

To day was my birthday so I was told to do exactly what I want to do the most on my birthday. Well it doesn't take too much guessing for most that know me. Yep I went lion hunting. Well I pulled out early with six dogs and my horse and trailered to an area that I have been working for the past few weeks. I knew there were a couple of lions working this country but it's a big area so it usually takes some riding to check things out. Beautiful morning for bare gound hunting. Didn't get very cold last night maybe 30 deg. but was 36 already as I stopped the truck and I knew it would get close to 60 or so during the day. We had a little wind but nothing to worry about. The ground was puffy and dry on top and I knew there was still some moisture underneath in most places except where it was very sandy. Well we had a great ride and the dogs worked super. Now I would love to tell you we hit a fresh tom track and trailed it up and caught it, but we didn't this time. I did cut two seperate tracks and the freshest was possibly two days old but I would say on the long side of two going on three. Anyway the dogs struck it and went to work but it was slow patient work and hitting blow sand hillsides and sand washed it took some swing out to keep the line of tracks going. I was pretty sure it was a mature female lion and I never found a scrape along the trail. Well about 10.20 am this trail crossed another set of lion track and this was a big old tom. He really laid down a track but they were several days older yet. Funny the dogs could smell them however and really got fired up for a bit on some sand rocks and oak brush he had been thru but they couldn't carry the track anywhere. Well I called them and went on the females track to give them some trailing work and thought maybe I would get lucky and she would make a kill or lay up and we would jump her. Well it didn't work out that way, and shortly before noon we pulled off. I was a pretty good long ride from the trailer so I decided to swing out in the direction the tom's track had been going and see if I could figure where he was headed. Well I road along a ways and I cut his tracks again and so I followed them for a ways and they crossed an old dirt road and he actueally walked downt eh side of the roads for 100 yards or so and then crossed over and went down a sandwash. Well I just turned back and went to the trailer. I loaded up and headed in and I came right down that road where he had crossed , and I saw some human tracks on the road and the tracks of one dog. I thought for a minute maybe somebody saw the lions track and got a dog out to check it, but then I noticed the tracks were pretty small and tennis shoe prints. Well I had gone just a little ways and came over a rise and here was a woman jogging up the road. I slowly went by and said hello. She said I am fine I am just running with some friends and they are up ahead of me I am sort of slow. I said ok and eased ahead up the road well I went a bit further and here that lion had crossed the road going the other way but the tracks looked about the same age. Well I got out and was looking at them and this woman catches up to me. What are you looking for ? She asked. I said well look here a great big old mountain lion crossed the road here see his tracks? She looked and her hands flew to her mouth. Oh MY Lord! those are huge! I had no idea they were around here. I said well we are in deer country and they can show up just about anyplace. Now these tracks were way old and that old lion could have been 20 miles from there by now and it was up in the middle of the day and I doubt if a lion would have been hunting at that time, but she was concerned. I said well I think you will be fine, but if you are out here early or late it might be a good idea to keep you group together when you are running. She said you mean the lion won't attack a group? I said not usually they usually wait for the stragglers. And then I told her you have a great day, and I got in and drove on. I couldn't help but notice she really picked up the pace as I drove off. LOL!


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Would that qualify as adding some incentive to an excercize routine? LOL!

LMAO

That sure sounds like a good incentive program.

Happy birthday.
Yes, you are bad.........but in a good way good one. Sounds like a fine day.

Lol! Evil Bet she trys harder to keep up with her group from now on!

Happy Birthday Mike, I always enjoy your stories

Thanks friends! Yes I have a little of that Irish Develtry to me at times,but I temper it much more these days. LOL!

We have so many of these folks that want to stop lion hunting and these sort of things but then when they get out there with the very remote possibility that they could encounter a creature that could actually end their excistance they pee all over themselves. It is great to ridicule the hunters while setting safe in their cute little mindless meetings but to think that they could actually become part of the food chain is most disturbing.
I wish more of them would go for a jog in the Lions's Backyard, maybe they would run on to a helpful cowboy, or cowgirl (LR) or lion hunter or worse yet both with a little piss and vinegar left in their bones that would challenge their securtiy a bit and then allow them to see that pursuit and hunting still play a vital role in the managment of wildlife.

I really think more states in the west even more so those who have seen the dreaded sub-urban sprawl need to consider pursuit season on lions. If you have spent a good deal of time around lions or bobcats you will notice at times their very non-chalant manner about the actual presence of humans. Yes they may hide but seldom run or bolt unless they have been pursued in the past and no a thing or two about these two legged creatures. Hunt coyotes in very remote country and you will get some amazingly easy shots from the truck as they stop to gaze back at you. Hunt these dudes in the oil patch where just about every truck has a guy with a 22-250 rattling around in it, and the ones you are lucky enough to see will haul butt the moment you hit the brakes. Liions and cats are not nearly as adept as the canine predators, but none the less they get the message. Run on a female lion that has been run and treed and had sticks and snowballs throwed at her for a bit and you wil find when she hears a car door or a hound she is making tracks to the roughest piece of real estate she knows. The reason I single females out is because in this day and age most toms are shot if their spots have faded. ( And that brings up another whole host of things we can chat about. ) LOL! for me I think I will get a little Rocky Road ice cream and call it a year.


You all have fun!

Happy Birthday Mike.....
And that was kinda mean but I'll bet it sure was fun as well.......

I loaded the little mule today as well Mike, but it wasn't my birthday. The hounds struck a couple old tracks and I let them trail one a ways before I called them off, then went on looking for something overnight. No such luck, so I loaded two dogs down below and put four up top to let them rig on the way out.

As usual, I got on the cell phone checking in with the boss and then a friend. I could see a golden eagle flew off the ground ahead of me and shortly before I reached where it had been that damn dog box of mine blew up like they were looking at a bear, so I got off the phone and found a dead yearling mule deer close to the road.

The kill was pretty darn fresh and I could see the dried up blood spots where a struggle had probably taken place. About half that young deer had been eaten and for the life of me I couldn't find a track in that frozen ground, so I dumped Ike and Choco of the dog box.

Those two jug heads sniffed around and couldn't show me anything but a damn bobcat track, so I put them back on top. I never saw a coyote or lion track on the deer or around that area and went away scratching my head? But for a short time I thought I was gonna have to go run a lion ha...........

My question is why does the fun stuff and meeting the exciting people always happen to other people?

keep'em treed,
ike

You made my day with that Mike.
Super birthday choice by the way. Congrats

Mike, Happy b-day great story.

Mike Leonard wrote: Yes I have a little of that Irish Develtry to me at times,but I temper it much more these days. LOL!

Perhaps you can blame my own Irish heritage for this little stunt......

I was was walking a friend's 11 year old son and his buddy up to their first lion tree. They were excited to see a lion and were practically running up the hill leaving this old man lagging behind. Finally, I gathered them around and cautioned them. I told them that cougars are the king of the forest and are used to having there way. I told them that when they get to the tree, they can't show any fear.....that lions can sense fear and will focus on them should they choose to escape.

All the way up the hill I kept repeating this warning. Soon, they were no longer running ahead of me. By the time we got within 100 yards of the tree, both those kids wanted to head back to the truck. I told them I was only joking and there was nothing to worry about. Still, as we finally walked into view of the lion, I could feel them peeking around from behind me.

Nice story Mike.

Mike,
I bet she isn't a straggler anymore. You may just see her running on our next Olympic team. Snow is thinning nicely here. Will be nice when the nights are not so cold and the ground doesn't freeze as bad. Its pretty hard to find a track right now. Keep up with your devilish ways
Catman

Kevin you have to be Irish, I like that!

Happy B day Mike Great story Keep em coming, So may I ask how old old Mike is today?

No you can't ask that question. LOL!

Most people who have read some of the stuff I write always have a picture in their minds of a beat up old gnarly cowboy, gray beard, beat up old hat, ragged clothes and they are just about right. LOL!