Hunting over water

[452b264]

 

 

Anyone have any experience hunting lions over water? I've found 5 kills all within a 1/2 square or so of each other all with in the last few months. I see tracks but the kills are never very fresh and I haven't been able to glass them up yet.

I would call though out that area, just dont sit down on the ground when calling.

He gonna climb a tree?

 

A good friend and I hiked deep into an area we know holds a decent population of bears, with a late start we dodged several rattle snakes in the 100 degree heat, and spotted a few coues deer on the way in. At about the 11 mile mark our water supply had depleted to very low levels, and with at least another 4.5 miles to go, and sundown approaching fast we camped in a saddle with plans to hunt back to the truck and water at first light. On the way out I spotted a decent set of lion tracks in the soft wet soil where we stopped for water, I made a mental note and planned to come back to the area at a later time. A couple months past and there was a good storm that lasted about four days so I decided to hunt the area at first break in the storm. When I returned to the remote water source there were again fresh tracks about 200 feet lower then the first set, I climbed up to a saddle with three fingers leading to a flat about 45 feet wide by 70 yards long, behind me was a shear drop to the bottom of a ravine that led up and to the south. I set up my stand here calling with my favorite open reed call, using a fawn in distress for short periods with a full minute pause. After about fifteen minutes I had paused to look and listen when I heard a thump to my far left, which I didn't anticipate any predators using since it was so steep, what I didn't do was walk far enough to see large steps going from one boulder to another leading to the far ridge and the head of the dry creek bottom. At first the sound was so light I thought it was a coyote approaching, just as that thought entered my mind a heavy thump landed above, and to my hard left. I was sitting in a chair shaped boulder with my rifle butt in my shoulder, and the barrel resting on shooting sticks, I turned with my rifle ready to be greeted by a mountain lion looking at me with its head sticking out from the vegetation maybe three feet from the end of my rifle, there was brush blocking a clear shot and the lion started down the boulder to enter a clearing right in front of me, as its vitals cleared the bush I fired dropping the lion with one shot. One of the best hunts I have ever experienced.

[Adicted]

nice...any pics of the lion

[bonecollector777]

Sounds like you did great sitting down.

[452b264]

Sounds like you did great sitting down.

Yes it was a good day, but I will never sit on the ground again. A friend had a 130 pound male charge into the call (mouth call) `with him sitting on the ground, he shot the lion at about 7 feet.

[452b264]

nice...any pics of the lion

I left my camera at home so the only picture I have is in the drive way. No field photos.

[25-06]

Post it up. Field or drive way doesn't matter. I just like seeing lions.

[hoghntr]

They water at night.

And definitely during the day.