Capturing Great Mountain Lion Photos with Trail Cameras

[Healy Arms]

Here is a pictures I´d like to share with you guys... On early july I started getting pictures of bobcats and mule deer together in the same shot, I was amazed to see they could share water together, as the weeks went by I got this picture.

 

To me and a couple of people I have shown it to, say it is indeed a small mountain lion, what do you think?... Saludos

 

Beto T.

 

This pictures were taken before the rain, so water was very scarce

 

Beto,

 

My vote is bobcat - after looking at loads of photos of lions and bobcats. That dark colored ear tuft feature seems exclusive to the bobcats.

 

Some of the very small lion kittens have a small pointed tuft, but it goes away quickly as they grow and the ears take on the smooth round top shape with the dark colored back side.

 

Based on the pronounced ear tufts and the light colored back side of each ear of the critter in your photo, I can't find any evidence to support anything other than a bobcat.

 

Regards,

 

Mark Healy

 

 

[Healy Arms]

I don't think my wife would be too happy finding a bag of scats next to our steaks or shrimp!

 

[Beto]

Here are some other pictures of bobcats with deer around, on these pictures the bobcats look much smaller then the first picture I posted...

 

 

Here are two pictures of mountain lions from a couple of months ago:

 

 

Saludos

 

Beto T.

[CouesWhitetail]

Cool...thanks for sharing those pics Beto!

[azpackhorse]

I hear the poo attractant trick works well for Jaguars also, just ask AZGF

[CouesWhitetail]

I hear the poo attractant trick works well for Jaguars also, just ask AZGF

 

 

LOL!! Good point!

 

My guess is AGFD will see this thread and will start working on banning the use of scat as an attractant....

[Azlongears]

How many lions that you have "scouted" have you actually called in?

[TREESTANDMAN]

I've always wanted to put my trail cam on video mode and put some catnip down to see how they react. One of these days I'm going to try this.

 

Mike

[Jcubed]

Awesome pictures and thread... THANKS all who participated thus far!

[Healy Arms]

How many lions that you have "scouted" have you actually called in?

 

We really don't call in an area that's not been scouted to some degree. In the absence of obvious lion presence/activity/scat/etc. I move on. No evidence, no time spent.

 

I'd have to say that we've called all of them using some small or more grand level of scouting tehchnique that puts us into calling spots that have a higher likelihood of actually calling a lion. Since we started learning more about them, talking to ranchers, hunting with and talking to people who know a lot about them, reading about them, looking at Western US lion bio data, calling specifically for them (to the exclusion of all other responding predators that we could take but don't), using lion vocalizations, we've called seventeen.

 

Some callers have called more, and some say they've called more, but the reaility is most guys will call for a lifetime and never see even one. We're happy with the success, we enjoy it, and we get to see lots of curious animals while we're calling (predators, deer, elk, eagles, and more).

 

The good news is: a guy who likes calling and wants to call a lion, can do it with some learning, scouting, focused calling, time on task, and patience.

[Healy Arms]

Here is a link to a cool video from Yavapai County I found this morning on YouTube. I've talked about lion lay-ups and rocky areas surrounded by brush that are adjacent to travel areas and ridge saddles...

 

Watch this group of javelina running through some thick brush, just below a rocky outcropping and see what they kick out of its bed.

 

[CouesWhitetail]

Here is a link to a cool video from Yavapai County I found this morning on YouTube. I've talked about lion lay-ups and rocky areas surrounded by brush that are adjacent to travel areas and ridge saddles...

 

Watch this group of javelina running through some thick brush, just below a rocky outcropping and see what they kick out of its bed.

 

 

 

cool video! and considering how deadly lions are on javelina, it's amazing they just run him off. guess the lion just wasn't in hunting mode at the time.

 

 

[TREESTANDMAN]

Cool video. Tim aka TAM and I watched a javelina chase and tree an adult sized lion and then video'd a trio, (we were assuming a mother and her two large cubs) as they tag teamed this javelina and finally killed it. It was an amazing scene to behold and Tim actually got some good footage!

 

Also, regarding the "lion scat trick", I'm wondering if other types of scat would work just as well? Or perhaps catnip? How about a piece of rubber from a tire? Most animals are naturally curious and if there is a unique or interesting smell nearby will stop and smell it. Just a possible theory.

 

Mark, when you say you've called lions in using lion calls, do you only do that during certain times of the year? When is the lion "rut"? I've heard them call once before and it was a crazy sound almost like a baby whining..

 

Mike

[Healy Arms]

Cool video. Tim aka TAM and I watched a javelina chase and tree an adult sized lion and then video'd a trio, (we were assuming a mother and her two large cubs) as they tag teamed this javelina and finally killed it. It was an amazing scene to behold and Tim actually got some good footage!

 

Also, regarding the "lion scat trick", I'm wondering if other types of scat would work just as well? Or perhaps catnip? How about a piece of rubber from a tire? Most animals are naturally curious and if there is a unique or interesting smell nearby will stop and smell it. Just a possible theory.

 

Mark, when you say you've called lions in using lion calls, do you only do that during certain times of the year? When is the lion "rut"? I've heard them call once before and it was a crazy sound almost like a baby whining..

 

Mike

 

Mike -

 

If you get a chance to put that video on YouTube - please put a link on here. That sounds like a heck of a show.

 

Re: the lion scat trick. I have not found that any other scat will get their attention. Bobcat and coyote scat dropped on the trial doesn't seem to stop them for long if it does at all. I've never tried a piece of tire or other item to try a curiosity response. A foreign lion scat is the hot ticket for me. I talked to a former trapper up by flag who told me housecat urine would work well and possibly some commercially available trapper's lure.

 

When I am targeting and calling specifically for lions I use lion vocalizations on every standregardless of the time of year. Lions can and do breed all year round, so lion in heat calls can be effective anytime. From my reading it seems that MOST of the breeding happens around December with spring births (approx 89 day gestation), but that rule is not hard & fast.

 

For the most part I am not calling with the estrus calls. My main vocalizations are communicative female and juvenile sounds.

 

 

 

 

[azmetalman]

I appreciate the scat information and intend to give it a try.

After reading about collecting lion scat to use for "bait" on trails where trail cams are set up I did a little research and came to the conclusion that we need to be careful when examining or collecting any carnivore scat. There are numerous studies about the pathogens and viruses found in carnivore scat. In the case of cougar feces numerous bad pathogens and some viruses exist. Things like e.coli bacteria, staph, salmonella, and listeria not to mention feline distemper are ALWAYS present.My reason for passing on this information is just make everyone aware that these pathogens can infect humans and could also be transported home to your cats, dogs or worse your families.

Use latex gloves and at the very least.....plastic bags on your hands if you collect poop. Be careful with storage.

I'm sure this is more information than you ever wanted but let's be safe out there.