BigGameHoundsmen.com

Ol' Two Toes.....


I've been out hunting the hounds on and off all winter, and have been cutting tracks about every day and getting treed from time to time as well. I've also had a hunter or two along but we've walked away from a few toms for one reason or another. Anybody that's ever been under the tree with me knows I seldom push anybody to kill, and more times than not I'm tickled to death to see them walk away, cause to me killing is a personal thing and has little to do with hunting, but is only the end result of the hunt if a person chooses.

We put this lion up one day last week for a hunter and he chose to walk away, and I told him before and after it didn't bother me one damn bit. This tom had some of his right ear missing, a scar under his left eye and two or more toes gone on his left front foot. He had plenty of character but personally I like to know there are lions living and roaming my hunting areas that have lived a rough life like many of us have.

I believe that the lion population is making a come back, as I've found tracks in the dirt or snow every time I've gone afield this year since the end of deer season.



Just another nice tom lion I left in the tree.........

Hope that you all have had a great winter and are looking forward to bear as much as I am..........

ike

I love it, now if we can get the other guides out there in are state to do this I think Ike, we could get a few more big cats back in UT. Thanks for the photos I like to see a big cat left in the state.

THIS IS WHAT IT'S ALL ABOUT!!!

Nice looking tom in a rugged way. Looks like he's been hangin around a few seedy bars on the wrong side of the tracks for to long. Nice catch Ike, better release.

good job, ike.

thanks for sharring.

It would sure be neat to see a track in the snow next winter and that track has only a toe or two. Thats when you know your conservation really paid off! Good job.

And wyatte, that's running the hounds and catching game is what it's all aout--not the killing. Too many people in this sport measure their success by what they kill rather than what they walk away from, and that's kinda sad........

That was funny chilcotin hillbilly, seedy bar wow! I've been in a few of those a guy could have all that happen on more.......

And good luck to you sonofabeach on getting other guides to walk away from a potential kill and money, cause odds are few ever will.....but it would be nice if everybody didn't want to be the hero and slam a lion for just anybody that came along huh?

Thanks for all the great comments guys.........

ike

I have to say Ike guides should not be taking clients to the female trees. I will only run a female if I think it will be a quick one and I know the client understands this is just for fun . I have had a few hunters that are only after trophy toms and turn down average toms a few years in a row to get one of those ellusive 200 pounders. Those are the clients I love as they are truely in it for the hunt.I have no pressure from other hunters in my neck of the woods ,so walking away is much more important down your way I hope by you posting those pictures and stories that it will change hunters views for better conservation. Once again nice catch.

I'll agree with you chilcotin hillbilly about not taking hunters to a female lion tree, cause too many of them are ready and willing to give up and take that lion so they don't have to walk into another tree. A few years back, I had a Book Cliffs bear hunter on the fall hunt. He told me straight up that he didn't want to go to any trees where we didn't plan on harvesting the bear, so I found myself rigging and looking for tracks before dumping. It's guys like that that have driven me away from guiding because I don't like driving past tracks day after day looking for Mr. Big, which is why I like to run alone and just let'em run.....

Count yourself lucky for the large hunting area you have and the limited pressure you have to put on it, cause that isn't the case in this country. A comment was made by Lil Joes about cutting that lion next winter and then a guy would know whether he really saved anything by walking away. Truth is walking away may only result in that lion being killed the next snow storm. An outfitter and long time buddy of mine once said, "the number of lions harvested in this country is directly related to the number of Friday snow storms we have over the winter." And no truer words were ever spoken. All you have to do is watch the DWR Harvest Objective page in Utah and when the ground is open almost ZERO lions die, but when a Friday storm comes along the public about always have a lion to check in.............

Good luck in the coming spring on bear and let us poor guys down south know how you're doing hillbilly..........

ike

It's more then sad it's pathedic, I almost hate to say it, but it doesn't take any hunting skills at all to shoot a animal out of a tree, I buy my Bear tag every year along with my Bobcat tags and the last time I took a Bear was 1987, we ate the meat and I have my rug, I would rather come back the next day or week and do it all over again!

Hate to say it,but I make a living off of dead lions. They are shipped to me from all over the west and when I open the boxes I try not to think of the poor guys that treed that cat several times and let it go only for it to be killed by a guy that has never gotten that look from his old lady late at night when Scrappy won't shut up. I have become discouraged by the need to fill every tag and quota. I can honestly say I hate to see lions die. It amazes me when I hear of someone letting a six or eight year old tom go, but I must admit those that do that sort of thing do every lion hunter a big favor. I drew a tag this year and looked over about a dozen different toms. None showed the age that that one does. It is hard to catch a younger tom only to have someone kill it the next weekend. Even harder to see a whole family group wiped out for no other reason than
"we killed more lions than you guys". Some guys out grow the need to kill every cat, unfotunately some don't. My hat's off to you Ike, we need a few more guys like you.

Very well said Yaak Attack.

Ike, much respect my friend for letting that lion go. Wish we could get a few of the boys down here to let 1 or 2 go.

That was a really good post Yaak Attack, and one that gives a little food for thought as well. Too many of the people pulling the trigger these days are only visitors to our sport, never fed a hound, never listened to ol' Scrapper howl or moan late at night after a female hound in season, never had to load, train, hunt, care for, care about or shovel the crap of a pack of hounds either......yet they believe they have a right to pull that trigger because they drew a tag or bought one.......

Walking away from a large tom probably only comes after a person has truely gained alot of respect for that tom. I can remember walking away from this tom lion back in November of 2006. It was only noon, on open ground, I had a tag that would expire in less than two weeks, it was not far to the truck, and I was alone with no one to push me. I did have cell service and telephoned my wife and hunting buddy looking for support to take this brute, and they both gave it, but as the film in the camera rolled on I made the decision to walk away and hope a man is not measured by what he's killed but by what he's done.........





One thing I have learned over time is we can't control others, and choosing to shoot or walk away is an individual decision and one that we can't make for others. We as houndsmen should probably ask ourselves in those situations a few questions, such as how will the taking of this animal benefit me? and most importantly how will it benefit the public and the lion population? I will say that dead lions don't leave tracks, and until there are plenty of lions again I will walk away from most unless they are a threat to health or public safety...........


This is what running hounds is about, a man or woman and their hound and not about how many lions they kill..............

Keep'em treed and thanks for the comments,
ike

Great posts guys. I cant believe the amount of people that want to shoot any cat. What a shame. We let a young 130lb tom go a few times then about a week ago somebody shot him. He started running farther and was a great pup trainer. I have a tag for the unit the cat was treed in but have passed on him. I would really have liked to see him in two years. It would need to be really big for me to shoot it.

Well hopefully you will cross paths with that trophy tom that you're looking for whoflungdung, then maybe it will all come together and you'll have that trophy of a lifetime.........



Here is another tom lion I had up and walked away from, was the middle of the day on dry ground, had a couple helpers along and a tag in my pocket. This old tom had yellow teeth, a huge head and one canine broken half off.....he'd really been something to put on the wall! This lion is probably one of the old boys that I walked away from and will most likely always wish I hadn't...........

But gambling on whether our path's will ever cross again or not is what makes life interesting........

ike