naturegirl Report post Posted December 15, 2013 A few years ago we had a trail cam on a very popular tank south of the valley in early December. We had quite a few cameras out that year and had been watching a family of lions (mom, 2 older youngins) frequent different tanks in the area. It was the first and only lions we have gotten on camera and we ended up with a lot of pictures from multiple different locations. We pulled our cards and reviewed the pictures. Sure enough the lion and her cubs were on film again, but here's where it gets interesting. We have pictures showing the lions at the tank and seconds later we show an archery hunter on film. He retrieves his arrow and starts combing the ground (appears he's looking for blood). Next thing you know our camera is being messed with (all on film). it was very obvious they were trying to tamper with or steal our camera. Then the two hunters put on face masks and combed the area for about 45 minutes. All of this might have been pretty fun to watch on a trail camera, but the problem is the kittens still had spots. I had spoken with the G&F officer down in the that unit on multiple other occasions so I forwarded him all the pictures. I know the G&F officer came down to review the area because we also got him on camera, but I never heard what happened after that. This is probably one of the most interesting things we have caught on camera. How very tempting it is to post the pictures, but I'm not sure of the legality of it because we are all innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. I would've thought he missed, but he spent too much time in the area after the shot and I also was able to identify a spot on the ground after the shot that appears to be blood. This is a picture of the lions. Down below in a reply I posted more pictures. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
stanley Report post Posted December 15, 2013 Interesting. How do you know it was poached? Maybe they had a legitimate tag....... Or was the unit closed to lion hunting at the time? S. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
missedagain Report post Posted December 15, 2013 Maybe it's just my poor resolution but I don't see spotts on those young lions. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZDOGMAN1 Report post Posted December 15, 2013 Can you see the guys face clearly? I also had a similar situation this year. Had a guy on camera spreading apples on the ground on the archery buffalo hunt in kiabab. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
trphyhntr Report post Posted December 15, 2013 spot and stalk archery lion, what a bad butt. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
bowhuntaz1 Report post Posted December 15, 2013 Interesting. How do you know it was poached? Maybe they had a legitimate tag....... Or was the unit closed to lion hunting at the time? S. Not allowed to shoot a lion with spots... 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZDOGMAN1 Report post Posted December 15, 2013 Sitting a tank is not spot and stalk. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Matt Meyer Report post Posted December 15, 2013 Maybe it's just my poor resolution but I don't see spotts on those young lions. +1 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Siwash Report post Posted December 15, 2013 Interesting. How do you know it was poached? Maybe they had a legitimate tag....... Or was the unit closed to lion hunting at the time? S. Not allowed to shoot a lion with spots... Also not allowed to shoot mom if she is with spotted kittens. 2 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Critter Report post Posted December 15, 2013 Few things... while yes there are some spots still on the legs... the accompanied lions are no longer kittens. Although they still may be with momma doesn't mean they can't fend for themselves in the wild... no doubt the ones in the pics could without a problem. I'm surprised they are still with the adult. Per the pic they are fairly large. Not trying to argue the legality of it... just saying it's not like they are little cubs and rely. I understand spotted kittens and family are not fair game. but realistically these cats would be fine without their mom at that age. 1 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Couzer Report post Posted December 15, 2013 I would of left a note thanking the archer for taking out a sheep/deer killer! 9 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
rossislider Report post Posted December 15, 2013 I'm 100% in favor of getting rid of a few lions, but I also believe in following the rules. I don't like and agree with all of the rules relating to hunting, but I do my best to follow them. Doesn't matter how many lions there are, how big the young lions are, there ability to fend for them selves, etc. The law about not shooting a female with spotted cubs must be followed. 6 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muleskinner Report post Posted December 16, 2013 Apparently in some people's mind only deer and sheep deserve respect...when it comes to lions you are perfectly justified in violating laws and ethics. Hypocrisy...double standard...if not outright stupidity! 8 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Big Tub Report post Posted December 16, 2013 So what laws were violated? These are not kittens! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Couzer Report post Posted December 16, 2013 If this was proven to be illegal mule skinner I completely agree with you, but all I see is a bunch of folks on the net already speculating that this person is wrong. Let's see what our G&F find out. Brings up a interesting question, how does one determine spots? From the pic posted I can see blotches of dark patterns that could resemble spots? Are these truly considered spots? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
