Channeling The Mountain Lion Spirits
The art of lion hunting and the pursuit of mountain lions with dogs can be one of the most controversial endeavors in the hunting world. For some, the activity is polarizing, and emotional. The reasons for that are no doubt numerous, and complicated. Yet, whatever the reason, the controversy truly mystifies me.
Dogs were bonded to human beings long before they were fully domesticated. They have been our protectors, and partners, and they were instrumental in the survival of the human species. They were in fact, born to hunt, as were we.
Afterall, mountain lion hunting, particularly in the western United States, is legal, and biologically sound. It fits the very definition of fair chase, in the truest sense of the word. To hunt up a lion can be extremely difficult, sometimes impossible, no matter what you may have heard. A smart old male can really show you a trick or two.
Lions live in some of the most rugged and unforgiving country to be found. Put an experienced and dedicated hound on their track, and you may never know where the fates will take you. Usually, it is somewhere so nasty that it may make you question your sanity and physical fortitude.
And houndsmen...let me tell you something about the people of the bawling pack. They are themselves a very special breed of human, cut from some very rare cloth indeed. I don't know who is tougher, more determined, and fierce - the lion, the dog, or the lion hunter, but I have some ideas about that too! Above all, it is an ancient and primordial contest, outcome unknown.
Below are some photographs from a couple of my lion hunts in the mid-1990's. The first cat in the tree was a young lion, and I can tell you that we were all quite content to let him live to fight another day. Of course you never know what the dogs may ultimately bring to bay, and in this case it was not the original animal that we had initially set off to find.
It nearly wore us out too. We finally treed it after a few hours and more than a few miles through slick and treacherous terrain, mostly of the "straight up" variety. No matter it's size, it was a most worthy opponent, found at the end of a long and chilling day. I suspect that this young one was much harder to tree the next time, if in fact it was ever caught again.
I have yet to harvest a cat of my own. But still I hope that there is a big, pumpkin-headed Tom out there, with eternal fire in his eye, just for me, or for you.
The lion in the photo with the impressive dentition was taken by another archer, and he earned it, fair and square, like most lion hunters do.
No doubt he could tell you some stories about it too...
By Michael Patrick McCarty
Looking To Cut A Track
Hunt's On!
"Watch It There Buddy"
Who Knew - Dogs Can Climb Trees Too!
Mission Accomplished
A Difficult Shot Ahead
Stay Away From The Business End!
Photographs by Michael Patrick McCarty
Active Member Outdoor Writers Association of America
"One does not hunt in order to kill; on the contrary, one kills in order to have hunted". From Meditations on Hunting by José Ortega y Gasset
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Photograph of dustacket from Abebooks.
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