A lion hunt last weekend
Posted: Mon Jun 29, 2009 6:09 pm
"The Nose knows more than me"
A game warden buddy of mine called and said he had a lion kill a goat and a lamb and wanted me to bring my hounds and try and catch it. He wasn't 100% sure it was a lion kill because the buzzards had ate up the goat kill by the time he got there, and the lamb kill was never found. But since the kill had been drug about 400 yards and he found a couple canine punctures in the neck of the sheep he was reasonable sure it was a lion. I said sure lets try it but we need to get there early.
Alarm goes off at 3am and wonder to myself why the hell do I do this. Soon images of a long tail in a tree quickly erases those thoughts, and I load 3 hounds and start the 2 hour drive to get to the ranch. I meet up with the officer about 5am and we ride together the rest of the way to the ranch.
This ranch the kill was on is mainly desert type with rocky rugged slopes consisting of some cactus, grass and a few cedar tree that are about 15 feet tall. There is a nice river that flows through it with irrigated pastures and apples orchards and this was where the kill was located. 100 degree days are common there this time of year but luckly the monsoon moisture has arrived so it cooled it down a bit and added some humidity which would help the trailing conditons.
We got to the kill about half hour after sunrise only to be greeted by 20 or so turkey vultures. The kill had been pretty much cleaned up by them and it appeared the lion hadn't been back. The dogs acted a little waggy but never opened on anything. We decided to walk through the orchards downs towards the river. Getting close to the river the dogs struck a track and trailed down to the river then kind of stalled out. The ground was either tall grass or rocks which made finding a track near impossible. Down by the river there was big cotton woods and black walnuts and a maze of Algeritas and thorn bushes. Around the cotton woods there was some dirt and all I could find were coon tracks and I figured thats what the dogs were trailing. The rancher had told the game warden there was of a couple of side canyons that lions like to travel when they are in the area. So I whooped up the dogs and we walked about 1/2 down the river to the side canyons. As we walked up the hillside the dogs opened. They trailed a little but could line anything out. We kept walking up the canyon unable to find any sign. After a bit a could hear my old bluetick trailing down on the river bottom. I tried to whoop him up ut he wouldnt come. I started cussing him you "hard headed mofo blankity blank bluetick" were hunting lions not coons. A tapped him a bit with the hot collar but he still wouldnt come. I said screw him and took the other two dogs and walked out the canyon. Didnt strike anything so we headed back down to the river. Back on the river all the dogs began trailing around with the old bluetick in about a 100 yard area. I told the Game Warden I think there coon hunting but lets give then a while and see what happens. We walked up to the edge of the river bottom where the dogs were and listened. After about 10 minutes of the dogs trailing around in the same place I was just about to whoop them up when the game warden caught a little movement in the tree. He walked near the tree and told me how about we shoot this lion in that tree. I said that would probably be a good idea! The lion was treed in a big black walnut with lots of foilage that hid her pretty good. The dogs or dog should I sat had treed but were unable to locate for whatever reason. I got the dogs in and helped them locate and got them treeing good. My old bluetick stood on my leg while i was crouched down and looked at me as if to say "i told you he was here dumb ass". Not the first time ive screwed up and probably not the last.
The game warden found a good hole to shoot through and shot the lion between the front legs. It was a good hit but the lion bailed out of the tree and hauled ass. I turned the dogs loose and they caught her in a cave in about 400 yards away. She was expiring but had a lot of fight left in her. A snapped a couple of pictures (which didnt turn out) and then lion grabbed my bluetick by the head. The game warden jumped in and dispatched her before she could do much damage. She was an adult female weighing about 70-80lbs which is average for desert lions.
Made for a fun morning but im getting to where I hate to see them longtails die(im getting a little soft I guess). A track that will never be chased again. But when they kill livestock you dont have many options.
Happy hunting!!
A game warden buddy of mine called and said he had a lion kill a goat and a lamb and wanted me to bring my hounds and try and catch it. He wasn't 100% sure it was a lion kill because the buzzards had ate up the goat kill by the time he got there, and the lamb kill was never found. But since the kill had been drug about 400 yards and he found a couple canine punctures in the neck of the sheep he was reasonable sure it was a lion. I said sure lets try it but we need to get there early.
Alarm goes off at 3am and wonder to myself why the hell do I do this. Soon images of a long tail in a tree quickly erases those thoughts, and I load 3 hounds and start the 2 hour drive to get to the ranch. I meet up with the officer about 5am and we ride together the rest of the way to the ranch.
This ranch the kill was on is mainly desert type with rocky rugged slopes consisting of some cactus, grass and a few cedar tree that are about 15 feet tall. There is a nice river that flows through it with irrigated pastures and apples orchards and this was where the kill was located. 100 degree days are common there this time of year but luckly the monsoon moisture has arrived so it cooled it down a bit and added some humidity which would help the trailing conditons.
We got to the kill about half hour after sunrise only to be greeted by 20 or so turkey vultures. The kill had been pretty much cleaned up by them and it appeared the lion hadn't been back. The dogs acted a little waggy but never opened on anything. We decided to walk through the orchards downs towards the river. Getting close to the river the dogs struck a track and trailed down to the river then kind of stalled out. The ground was either tall grass or rocks which made finding a track near impossible. Down by the river there was big cotton woods and black walnuts and a maze of Algeritas and thorn bushes. Around the cotton woods there was some dirt and all I could find were coon tracks and I figured thats what the dogs were trailing. The rancher had told the game warden there was of a couple of side canyons that lions like to travel when they are in the area. So I whooped up the dogs and we walked about 1/2 down the river to the side canyons. As we walked up the hillside the dogs opened. They trailed a little but could line anything out. We kept walking up the canyon unable to find any sign. After a bit a could hear my old bluetick trailing down on the river bottom. I tried to whoop him up ut he wouldnt come. I started cussing him you "hard headed mofo blankity blank bluetick" were hunting lions not coons. A tapped him a bit with the hot collar but he still wouldnt come. I said screw him and took the other two dogs and walked out the canyon. Didnt strike anything so we headed back down to the river. Back on the river all the dogs began trailing around with the old bluetick in about a 100 yard area. I told the Game Warden I think there coon hunting but lets give then a while and see what happens. We walked up to the edge of the river bottom where the dogs were and listened. After about 10 minutes of the dogs trailing around in the same place I was just about to whoop them up when the game warden caught a little movement in the tree. He walked near the tree and told me how about we shoot this lion in that tree. I said that would probably be a good idea! The lion was treed in a big black walnut with lots of foilage that hid her pretty good. The dogs or dog should I sat had treed but were unable to locate for whatever reason. I got the dogs in and helped them locate and got them treeing good. My old bluetick stood on my leg while i was crouched down and looked at me as if to say "i told you he was here dumb ass". Not the first time ive screwed up and probably not the last.
The game warden found a good hole to shoot through and shot the lion between the front legs. It was a good hit but the lion bailed out of the tree and hauled ass. I turned the dogs loose and they caught her in a cave in about 400 yards away. She was expiring but had a lot of fight left in her. A snapped a couple of pictures (which didnt turn out) and then lion grabbed my bluetick by the head. The game warden jumped in and dispatched her before she could do much damage. She was an adult female weighing about 70-80lbs which is average for desert lions.
Made for a fun morning but im getting to where I hate to see them longtails die(im getting a little soft I guess). A track that will never be chased again. But when they kill livestock you dont have many options.
Happy hunting!!
