My first cougar !

brooky · #1 12-13-2014, 07:28 AM

I got to go on one of my dream hunts last week and take a nice cougar with my Mathews chillR! Monday I met up with my guide at 9 am he said he seen some cat tracks a couple days ago near a deer kill when he was helping a friend cut new tracks. So we loaded up the truck and dogs and set off to where he had seen these tracks 2 days earlier. Once we arrived we set off with the dogs to see if the dogs will pick up on the old track because he couldn't find any fresh tracks the day before or early morning. We walked probably 1km into the bush down a old cutline till we arrived on the old track, the dogs reacted quickly! it was a positive sign for me cause I didn't know if they would due to the rain that night. My guided tied the dogs up before letting them go cause he wanted to run up the line and see if the cougar has back tracked and crossed the line anywhere, thank god he did he came back about 5 minutes later and said he seen tracks over his tracks he made this morning before meeting up with me. we wrangled up the dogs and set off for another 2km walk till we got on the fresh track. How he seen it was way beyond me barely a imprint and a sled track, I would of never of seen it myself that's for sure even close up when he was pointing it out it was hard to see. Now it started getting exciting for me knowing were on a cat!
We let the dogs go and off they went following the tracks like there biggest joy in life was finding this cat. watching the GPS and hearing the beep as each dog looked up as if it has a cat in a tree. My guide says the words I've been wanting to hear for years " looks like they got one treed! look at the GPS and it says on the other side of a creek canyon. so we back track to the truck and drive to another service road closer to where the dogs have the cat. we unload with my Mathews bow in hand and walk into the bush. hearing the dogs barking puts a huge smile on my face as we get closer we spot the cat in a tree! walk all the way up there and get a closer look at him take a few pictures, make sure its a tom, judge the size ( 7'3" in length and 164 lbs ). I decide that this is my cat! Soon as the thought crosses my mind the cat starts scaling down the tree and breaks a branch and comes crashing down to the ground.
So as he hits the ground the chase is on again dogs go running after him and he runs down to the creek and half way up the other side before he decided to have a pit stop in a large spruce tree. we pack up are stuff again and scale down this steep ravine down to the creek and back up the other side, was no easy task. once we spot him way up there we take a few more pictures and I start look for a angle to get a shot at him. Once I find a spot to shoot from I get set up catch my breath from the climb and excitement. I had a small window to tuck a arrow in there and let a arrow fly! stuck my arrow just a little forward didn't know if it was a kill shot. I hear a big growl and crash down comes the cat and he takes off a million miles a minute! I find my arrow at the bottom of the tree blood and hair on it ! we start following his tracks and good blood with it. scared and excited I just stuck a ****ed off cat with a arrow we proceed to follow it. knowing these animals will hunt you we let the dogs go to be on the safe side. good thing cause he stopped on a ledge and watched up climb up till the dogs caught up with him and ran him up another tree.
Once we got to where he climbed up again he was on his last leg looked at to be dead up in the tree. got a little close and seen he needed one more arrow to end this quickly and away it went and down he came landing on top of the dog which were sitting on a deadfall 15' off the ground. Dogs and cat were flying everywhere ( thankfully it didn't hurt a dog couple scared but all ok!)
Having taken one of the animals I've always wanted and being so close to such a amazing animal was a great feeling !! took a bunch of photos of my trophy and I and loaded it in a toboggan and started the 2 hour hike out of the bush. I would do that hunt again no question and recommend it to anyone !!

brooky · #2 12-13-2014, 07:32 AM

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abbgdr · #3 12-13-2014, 07:35 AM

Great hunt, beautiful cat!

SilverHowler · #4 12-13-2014, 07:36 AM

Man that's a nice cat. Congratulations.

C Taylor · #5 12-13-2014, 07:44 AM

Awesome cat, congrats. Something about them dogs going full tilt down a cat track an just a bellowing makes it one of the funnest hunts there is. Once treed an walking in to get that first look at the cat is like no other hunt!