Another cougar bites the dust

[Artwo]

I got a call last night from my buddies son on his cell phone from their camp that he got his first bow kill. Apparently while setting up on a spot where they have gotten into elk in the past about 11:30 they had been cow calling for about an hour when he caught some movement out about 25 yds in front of him. Well as he raised his bow to be ready what he thought was a deer because of the light tan color turned out to be a cougar walking along a downed tree. When it stopped he drew and shot and his arrow ended up t-boning a 2" tree between him and the cat. At this point the cat froze and started looking around so he knocked another arrow to shoot again, this is where it gets real exciting. When he stood up to shoot the second time he caught some movement directly below him (siting on a steep slope that ran out onto a flat) at about 6 yds was another cat facing him just squatted down and staring right in his direction. What he saw next really filled his shorts, not only where there the 2 cats that he has now seen there were two others between the one he shot at and the close one for a total of 4 cats from 6 yds to 25 yds away. He then took aim at the one that was at 6 yds, he said it was so close that when he looked through his peep it filled his whole sight window. He said he doesn't even remember aiming with a pin he just let the arrow fly. Well he hit the cat in the chest and the arrow exited out behind the front shoulder with the cat taking off on a dead run. His dad had heard him shoot both times and heard the animal bust through the brush not knowing what his son had shot. When his dad got down to his location he said he was freaking out (excited and scared and he is a 21 yr old young man). So they got out the video camera (always hunts with one to record the hunt), they waited about 20 mintues and started tracking. He said they had a good blood trail but the cat had gone about 200 yrds when they found it. As they approached it they noticed it was still breathing so they backed out, marked their spot and walked back out to the truck to get their packs and some gear. They waited about an hour and when they got back in the cat was dead. When he took it into ODFW they told him it was a female cat about 1 1/2 yrs old, it weighed about 65-70lbs and it measured from tip of nose to tip of tail at 72". It is now at the taxidermist being made into a rug and he is one happy bow hunter.

The part the blows them away is the fact that there were 4 cats all together apparently stalking in on their cow calls in some sort of ambush style. I told him that experience right there is why you should be wearing a side arm while bow hunting.

All this took place in a drainage somewhere above Green Peter reservoir.

I hope you enjoyed the story and sorry but I don't have any pictures to show you as they are still hunting for the rest of the week. He said he would email me some pics when they get home from their trip after next weekend.

JK

[fishboys]

I would have filled my pants, Glad he got it done

[ehunter]

Wow 4 cats I wonder how common that is it seems weird but good for him.

[MarshBum]

Thanks for sharing!

Geoff

[Abalone]

I have heard of Wolf Packs but Cat Packs ! Jesshhh..

Great story ! Thanks

[younggun20]

WOW that is down right scary!!!!!!!! I don't carry a side arm while archery hunting, but I definately will be next year. Good story, and tell your friend nice job! What unit was this in? I am not familliar with the name of the area you said.

[Hunt'nFish]

Holy smokes! yea, that would give me the shakes too!
Sounds lika a similar story to the couple out of Enterprise last year calling coyotes.
It' appears that they are not the lone hunters we thought.
Cool read, glad things worked out as they did.
What! that cell phone doesn't have a camera? :depressed:
Can't wait to see pics!!
Hunt'nFish

[Artwo]

younggun20,
I believe they are in the Santiam unit, Green Peter reservior is out of Sweet Home.

JK

[fishinpox]

Holy crap, I think my shorts almost filled from reading that.

[nwsteelheader]

wow, cool and unnerving all at once.

give me the gps coord's and i'll go take my shot at the other 3!

Shawn

[younggun20]

younggun20,
I believe they are in the Santiam unit, Green Peter reservior is out of Sweet Home.

JK

Ok thanks, now I know what unit to avoid, lol.

[Limbhanger]

Wow 4 cats I wonder how common that is it seems weird but good for him.

A friend of mine at work here killed one a few weeks ago and when he took it in the bio told him it was common for females and young to hunt together. That is pretty spooky.
Nice job of keeping his wits about him !!

[GSD]

From info I've gathered on cougars:

As a rule cougars are solitary animals.

Females produce up to 6 cubs.
Cubs sometimes remain with the mother for up to 24 months.

info from:
http://www.kats-korner.com/bigcats/cougar.html

Could be all 4 were from the same litter!

[Limbhanger]

Could be all 4 were from the same litter!

Yes, that is what I mentioned the biologist talking about above.

[Teton]

Congrats!! Another feline meets its maker...

Did I ever tell anyone I don't like cats??

[Woodguy]

Great story, glad it worked out! I read a story about a park ranger in California some time ago. He had one cat out in front of him at about 100 yds. and was focused on scaring it off, when he heard a noise behind him. Another cat was about 7 yds. away. They were actually stalking him! If I recall, the cat pounced and a .30-06 changed its mind. In either case, it makes you think, are we really doing the hunting? I'll be carrying an equalizer!

[jaysea]

Getting to be more and more cats in that area. Access is restricted in many places and the big kitties just keep on expanding their range. Glad it turned out OK.

[gsp0817]

Nice Job! Can't wait o see the pictures

[Cool Texan]

[lentz]

I would probbably have lost it right after the shot. Congrats



111

[jokester]

That would definitely make a guy fill his under-roos Holy cow!! !

-jokester

[redfish89]

Nice work.....I would Love to see some pics.

[RoscoeP]

That's almost too much excitement for this boy....good reason to carry a pistol!

[MarlinMark]

That's why I don't wear my nice Under-Roos when I'm calling. :smile:

Mark

[JIMBOUY]

Here Kitty Kitty Kitty! Nice Work

[Katie Ann II]

some friends were driving down the pavment and there were five cats in the road they got two of them 2 days later same thing but only two of them got them too so 4 cats in 3 days and they all had tags some elk hunting trip that turned into

[Bugle4em]

Katie Ann,

Any pics?

[Katie Ann II]

i can never figure out how to put them on here

[Bugle4em]

If you want to email them, I will try to post them for you.

pm sent