Lion Tales - Jonathon Kibler

[catdogs]

Just another dry grounder riding a High Horse or High mule in his case.

Some of my favorite quotes from the book include -

"most snow hounds can't smell a track on dry ground unless its two hours old or less."

"There is no real challenge to snow hunting, nor does it require any particular skills or lion lore to be successful."

Alot of his clients booked dry ground hunts with him, because hunting lions in the snow was to easy and they found no saisfaction in the hunt.

Here is Jonathon's take on snow hunts. (BTW these are all direct quotes)

"Usually two to four hunters are involved in driving roads in 4x4 trucks or quads until fresh tracks are located. Radios are used to contact all groups, which then assemble at the track. Hounds are put down on the track, which generally is not more than two hours old. It may be neccesary to follow the hounds on foot from that point, but in most areas, the hounds are followed in vehicles on the numerous old roads. If the hounds get out of hearing, tracking collars are used to locate them. Often, it's possible to drive within a quarter-mile or less of where they are treed. The client then walks to the tree and shoots the lion. End of hunt."

[Spanky]

I received mine and did not get past the first chapter. Should have known better after watching the Best of the West and listening to all the slamming we snow hunters took

Funny thing about the two part show 7 days of hunting and treed one Tom. The hunters camo changed several times through out the show and made as if they were on the same cougar the whole time

Why is it they can not just promote their hounds, their kennels and their hunts without bringing someone else or other styles of hounddawgn down

Hey Cody I like to know the last time he had to put on a pair of snow shoes and hike in several miles in roadless areas or better yet how many times have their mounts had to high step through 2-3 feet of snow to get to the tree Same old bullshit, again they have to discredit other forms of hound hunting to promote their own style.....

[Rico]

I'm supprized you two even know how to read.

[Spanky]

yea this coming from a grad student that can not even spell "SURPRISED"

[Rico]

I'm not a grad student. I'm still taking the lion hunting 101 course. Give me a break on spelling surprised I was to busy studing the word REED to see if I had that right.

[Spanky]

so did you finally pass your coarse. Cody and I are gonna hold a class in a few weeks if you want to come along

[Mike Leonard]

I just got this book a short time ago and haven't got it completly finished yet. I agree with Spanky it just isn't right for someone to be critical of a segment of the sport they know so little about.I have been judged in the past( and I am sure I had it coming) as being hard on snow hunters and acting like dirt hunting was the only true lion hunting. Beleive me I am not expert on either type but I have done enough of both to know they both have their place and lion hunting is never easy.Right now dry ground sounds pretty good to me because it is snowing hard, and piling up and it is hard to get around and it snows tracks in fast. I have me snowshoes in my rig, and my treking poles, and if any dry ground hunter thinks that is an easy way to go, well just come on down.

I is probably human nature to think the way one does it the most is the only true way to do it, but like the old saying goes there are more than one ways to skin or catch a cat and skin it. LOL!

John grew up in the shadow of guys like Dale Lee who without a doubt was one of the greatest ever, but it was sort of like a kid growing up with a hero to emulate and try to live up to. Pretty hard to do in this day and age. It won't be long and many of you will get the opportunity to listen to Dale Lee talk for hours again about his years of hunting. You will be surprized to hear tales of hunting in the snow right here within 20 miles of where I am setting right now. Battling the drifts and the cold, trying to pack out frozen lions. thawing them out in a cabin by a wood stove to skin them. Hunting lions in the rain and snow of the Oregon forests and such a lot of folks don't think of when they think of Dale Lee. I will keep you posted on this project.
So Kibler just preaches the gospel that he knows and like a lot of church folks the dogma he has had all his life is one way, so surely everybody else is wrong to him.I really think John is a pretty good old boy and he knows a lot about lions and their habits. I don't know him, but I do know Steve Smkith who hunts the same areas, and lives just a few miles from John. Steve is the same way dry ground to the core still living in the shadow of Dale Lee his here, and he will tell you that. He is a great guy and fun to be around and a true entertainer and wonderful cook. I think some of these guys would be afraid to run a lion on snow because sombody might see them and report them to the dirt hunter law and court of justice, and they would be banned from the Billy Kiene old time lion hunters annual BBQ at Reserve, New Mexico. LOL!

I reckon if they were hunting for bounty money to feed themselves and their dogs they would be like old Dale Lee and turn loose on a lion regardless if it was in the dirt , snow rain or whatever. LOL!

I would suggest just go ahead and read the book enjoy it for it's entertainment qualites, and take it for what it is, one guys opinion.

Another good book is the Longwalkers, By Jerry Lewis. Jerry and I use to go around and around about snow and dirt and all these things. We had a great time and the debate never hurt anybody's feeling too much.

Well I better pitch my horses some more hay, and put another coat of marine spar varnish on my snowshoes because come snow or deep water I am going to get these barking damn walker pups out to run some of that energy off! LOL!

[Spanky]

Thanks Mike for a great post

[Big N' Blue]

I was very dissappointed to see the negitive reviews of a great book.
I have hunted both dry ground and snow and they both have their challenges. Lion hunting is not easy no matter what the conditions.
Mike's post says better than I ever could of the reasoning why Jon worded some of the things he put in the book.
Saying that, It is a great addition to anyone's library.
Hope all of us can get over ourselves and our hounds so we can continue to persue the greatest of all big game animal's. Long live cold nosed hound's and the mountain lion. Don't want to leave out a good mule.

David Sudduth

[liontracker]

You know this really does remind me of the old gun vs bow debate. Then they throw in compounds and muzzleloaders. In the end - hunting is hunting - and hunters need to stick together.

[Big N' Blue]

Amen, Brother!!!!