I was not sure whether I would share this story but after relaying it to a friend last night he pushed me into sharing it. I hope it will give you something to think about before you pull the trigger on female cougar and the consequences that may affect others.
The story starts back in Febuary during a a cougar hunt I was guiding. Usually all my lion hunts are done on my own, but this one was different with not one but two helpers along for the hunt. Both guys are up and coming houndsmen and where here wanting to learn a little about hunting the big cats. Little did they know that this day would give them a memory that would last a lifetime.
We had loaded up some sleds on my truck and with the dogs loaded in Mike’s dog box inside of his canopy we headed off to the most easterly section of my guide block. I don’t usually go to this area as it receives lots of pressure from the Williams lake cat hunters and it’s an 1 1/2hr drive to get there.
We unloaded the dogs when we got there and let them empty out before loading them back up. One of mikes dogs had ventured down the road a couple hundred yards before being called back, this was to set the stage for what happened next. I unloaded a sled to check a spur road and sent Mike and Darcy to drive the road we were on to check for lion tracks. Mike had not gone 100 yards down the road before he stopped and called me over to check out a cougar sitting on the road. Sitting on the road!!!! I called both hunters over to take look at this strange situation. I knew something was wrong with this cat as it sat 40 yards from us on the road watching us intently. I moved around to the front of the truck to get a better look at the juvenile cat looking for a trap or sign of sickness, something that would of explained this strange behavior! As I cleared the truck, the cat came for me running down the road locked on with bad intentions. Caught off guard and with no weapons handy I backed up a couple paces and considered my options, none where looking good right now. Both Mike and Darcy where standing in the truck cab with doors half open getting a good look at the cat when this happened, both watching this unfold in disbelief. As the cat cleared the front of the truck and prepared for the final attack Darcy bailed me out temporarily with some quick thinking and tried to smoke the cat with the truck door. This stopped the immediate attack on me but changed the cat’s direction which ended up being the inside of Mike’s truck! Now with the cougar at Darcy’s feet trying to get in the truck Darcy and I took to defending ourselves with our boots. Stomping and kicking madly with enough affect that the cat took cover under the truck. I quickly took a look under the truck to see where the cat went and to my surprise the cat popped its head out right beside me, I kicked once again at it head putting it back under the truck. I quick went to back of the truck to release a dog, not so much to chase the cat but to distract the cat long enough that we could arm ourselves to kill the cat. As Vicki (whom should have been named bait) hit the ground the cat ran out between the two hunters and grabbed the dog. I attempted to open the dog box to give Vicki help as she was obviously in distress but instead jumped out to help Vicki out myself. I was happy to see the boys fighting for the dog’s life, with Mike using his 30-30 as a club and one of the hunters beating the cat in the face with his fists. I jumped into the fray and when a couple quick kicks to the head didn’t make the cat let go of the dog I stepped on its head to keep it from moving, it was at this time when Darcy stepped forward with his homemade custom Bowie knife and stuck the cat in the ribs quickly killing it. I now know what a huge knife like that is good for and was glad to have someone with one, standing beside me.
With a few holy craps and what the hell just happened, everyone was a happy to have it over with. Vicki was by now having a chew on the cat but was still shaken up but in good shape with only one hole in her side.
Shortly after this was over the local rancher happened by and let us know another juvenile tom cougar had been shot a few days previous at a nearby ranch as the cat tried to get into a dog kennel. Both of the these cats where starved and in desperation mode caused by a missing mother. Whether the mother was killed by a hunter or died of natural causes these two juveniles where orphaned and in tough shape.
I am sharing this story to show people what the consequences of killing females whether with dogs or killing a cat in a chance situation when deer hunting. (70% of females have dependant young)This cat could have easily ran into a kid walking to the bus or a housewife out for a walk. Instead the cat ran into 5 capable men that came out on top with little more than memories and a small hole in a dog.
I hope people will think before they shoot the first cat they see, as there can be terrible consequences for some on suspecting person.
