GRONG Report post Posted March 12, 2007 A couple of you have asked what a lion scratch is so yesterday while shed hunting I took a couple pics of ones I saw. Hope this helps some of you out. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
111 Report post Posted March 12, 2007 That's pretty neat looking country, steep and quadless. It looks like a male lion is marking his territory.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
AZbowhntr Report post Posted March 12, 2007 I saw a bunch of them while elk hunting in a canyon that looks alot like the one you where in. I was in unit 23 in AZ. It took us a long time to figure out what they were. My buddy even got down and tried to smell them but couldn't smell anything. Didn't see any elk but we did see some coues. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GRONG Report post Posted March 12, 2007 Ya Mike you're right, I guess I should've elaborated a little more on what a lion scratch's purpose is. Quadless country INDEED! I hate those things that's why I stick to the big canyons. A lion scratches to mark his territory. A lot of times he'll scratch in the same spot each time he travels through that area so it's a good place to check if you're hunting them or wanting trail camera shots of one. We've learned, through using trail cameras, that a lion doesn't always scratch each time he travels through. Many times he'll come check the scratch and move on without making a new one. Hard lesson learned there!! We thought that if he didn't scratch then he didn't come by yet.... WRONG!!! Now we check the cameras to make sure! You can also tell which general direction the lion is headed after he's scratched. The mound on the scratch is the back of it and in these pictures I've posted the lion was travelling up canyon. A lot of times you'll find a scratch without finding tracks. Once you have then you know which direction to keep your dogs working. We've trailed lions for half a day w/o knowing if we were going the right direction or not. This can happen a lot when trailing females cause they don't scratch. Anyway, hope that helps. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GameHauler Report post Posted March 12, 2007 Thanks for posting the pics and info Josh I really find it interesting Mike Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted March 12, 2007 A lion scratches to mark his territory. A lot of times he'll scratch in the same spot each time he travels through that area so it's a good place to check if you're hunting them or wanting trail camera shots of one. We've learned, through using trail cameras, that a lion doesn't always scratch each time he travels through. Many times he'll come check the scratch and move on without making a new one. Hard lesson learned there!! We thought that if he didn't scratch then he didn't come by yet.... WRONG!!! Now we check the cameras to make sure! Have you found that they visit a scratch at any type of interval, or does it seem completely random? If you knew he was coming back every 5-7 days or something like that, it'd be worth sitting on. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
az4life Report post Posted March 13, 2007 Interesting stuff Josh. Thanks for the Edu-macation. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GRONG Report post Posted March 13, 2007 Have you found that they visit a scratch at any type of interval, or does it seem completely random? If you knew he was coming back every 5-7 days or something like that, it'd be worth sitting on. If they visited scratches on a regular basis I'd show you many many pics of dead lions. Unfortunately lions are so dang random it's almost impossible to pattern them. Like my Dad says, "A lion is not that smart, it's just they're nature that keeps them alive". That pic I got on my trail cam last week of that tom, was in a place where he'd been scratching nearly every day for several days. Just when we think we're gonna catch him he doesn't show up for 2 dang weeks!! Since that picture he hasn't even been back. I think these pics of the scratches might be from a different tom though. Never know I guess. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SilentButDeadly Report post Posted March 13, 2007 here's a nice pic of a lion walking in the snow... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted March 13, 2007 If they visited scratches on a regular basis I'd show you many many pics of dead lions. Unfortunately lions are so dang random it's almost impossible to pattern them. Like my Dad says, "A lion is not that smart, it's just they're nature that keeps them alive". That pic I got on my trail cam last week of that tom, was in a place where he'd been scratching nearly every day for several days. Just when we think we're gonna catch him he doesn't show up for 2 dang weeks!! Since that picture he hasn't even been back. I think these pics of the scratches might be from a different tom though. Never know I guess. That's what I expected to hear, but since I've never spent any time trying to find one, I figured I'd throw the question to those w/ more experience. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
muleybull Report post Posted March 13, 2007 I agree with grong. But if you wanna try to call one of these guys in, I think your better off calling close to scratches that you know are there. History shows that the lion will come back to his scratch eventually so now you just gotta get lucky and be there when hes there. Helps take the guesswork out of it, at least you know theres a lion that uses that area. This of course is just an idea, it hasnt worked for me yet, but if it ever does, you'll hear from me. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
.270 Report post Posted March 13, 2007 i got lion scratches all over me. that looks like where one took a dump. Lark. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
mattys281 Report post Posted March 13, 2007 I agree with grong. But if you wanna try to call one of these guys in, I think your better off calling close to scratches that you know are there. History shows that the lion will come back to his scratch eventually so now you just gotta get lucky and be there when hes there. Helps take the guesswork out of it, at least you know theres a lion that uses that area. This of course is just an idea, it hasnt worked for me yet, but if it ever does, you'll hear from me. Here's an idea. Maybe some of you lion guys have already tried this. I can't find any lion scents in my distributors catalog (go figure - who'd want to collect that!), but I did find coyote urine & bobcat scent gland. Maybe if you dispersed some predator scent around the scrape every day for a week or so you could get that lion feeling like he's being imposed upon & he'll stake out the area to protect his turf. They're supposed to be pretty territorial right? After all, those scrapes are meant to mark territory & bobcats & coyotes are both competitors. Just a thought. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
TREESTANDMAN Report post Posted March 13, 2007 You can also try what Trappers have been using for ages. CATNIP!! I've never actually tried it but I've read it works quite well bringing the Toms back again and again. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SilentButDeadly Report post Posted March 13, 2007 Fresh lion kill, mmmmmmmmm. Well, it was fresh yesterday My vizsla found this for me yesterday, Littlebear checked it out today, unfortunately the coyotes had gotten to it, lion's trail had gone cold.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
