Absent the draw of any big game tags, my efforts for calling mountain lion have been invigorated. I can't imagine any other success in calling that could be more rewarding and memorable, at least for me.

On Aug 6 through 9, I'll head out for some good calling country, tag in wallet, ammo in rifle. In some ways this is far more challenging than mere elk or deer hunting. For me, it is a discipline of patience and endurance.

So, if you see an old Ford 150, white, crusing down the backcountry roads with binos on the dashboard, wave, it could be me. Regardless, you may make some new friends, depending on how you wave.

Report to follow.

Good luck Handloader. It would be awesome to hunt something that can "hunt back". Just make sure you are the winning hunter mate.

Cheers, Vince

Handloader,
Good luck, I think that the mtn. lion would be the ultimate North American calling trophy!

Here in Central Kansas, there have been reports of sightings from very reliable people. KS Wildlife and Parks denies that they are here, but it is pretty sparsely populated in our county, with lots of river bottom, canyons and gullies. Lots of deer and plenty of young calves to bag here and there, so I just think there might be a few around. So much so that some places I go to call coyotes I pick up my .270 instead of my .22 Hornet which is my usual calling rifle.

We were on vacation in Colorado last week, and went to the Denver Zoo. There is a pretty chilling picture right by the mountain lion exhibit. It shows the picture of a mother and daughter having their picture taken--a vacation type picture. About 10 yards away, over the mother's right shoulder, a lion is looking out of the grass with it's ears pinned back. Looks like it is ready to spring!

The caption under the picture indicates that the people did not even know the cat was there until they noticed it in the developed picture! That would have made me pucker just a bit!

Good Luck!
Tim

Tim and Vince: thanks for the "good luck". Its appreciated.

I called a bit last year for lion; calling stands for mountain lion are very different than those for coyotes or bobcat. Usually, I am on stand for three to four hours.

There is a tendency to get bored and doze a bit, afterall, I usually get on stand prior to daylight. Too, lion stands for me are usually in an area where there is a natural depression, so visability isn't the best. On several occassions I have broken a stand only to find fresh lion tracks nearby. Tim, "chilling" is a good word for that. Still, there have been a few successes over the years.

Many of us on this board varmint call and I've wondered over the years how many times lion has approached and departed unnoticed. More than we might imagine I suspect.

Follow Up: No, I didn't call one in, but, in two days of ardent effort I did find some fresh tracks in the mud. Mud. Let me simply state that it took two hours to get the F150 washed and washed again.

It rained some and water was running freely, over the dirt roads, over the culverts. Huge thunderheads and spectacular rainbows were my companions for the past three days. Camping was "challenging" but manageable. In the time hunting I didn't see another person or another vehicle; I assume they were smart enough to avoid these areas when rain was in the forecast.

I'll return to this area in a few weeks for another two or three days. Prospects are good.

Handloader:
I thought Arizona was dry!?!?!?
Tim

tbox61: Arizona's weather is amazing. We have more climatic diversity than any other state I can recall. On Monday around mid-day, it was 105 degrees in Phoenix, raining hard in eastern Arizona, hail on the northern rim and dry as a bone everywhere else. Some don't realize the elevation differential in the state ranges from just a few feet over sea level to over 12,000'. I know of no place in the state where mountains aren't visible. Too, Arizona has more rocks (IMHO) per square foot of land than any other place on the face of the earth. At least, it seems that way whenever I take to the backroads.

Come visit.