Big Cat

[hammer111]

Probably not going to like what I'm going say, But mountain lions are just being mountain lions.
They have every right to eat what they need to survive.
We're going into their living room. So we shouldn't be too upset by how they react to us. Killing them just to kill them . I don't know, but killing them to protect yourself absolutely.
They are a part of the eco system , they are here to do a job. Imagine if they were removed from it.
Am I wrong in believing they mainly feed on the weak and old, and by doing so keeping the herds strong and healthy.

 

[Nimrodmar10]

Probably not going to like what I'm going say, But mountain lions are just being mountain lions.
They have every right to eat what they need to survive.
We're going into their living room. So we shouldn't be too upset by how they react to us. Killing them just to kill them . I don't know, but killing them to protect yourself absolutely.
They are a part of the eco system , they are here to do a job. Imagine if they were removed from it.
Am I wrong in believing they mainly feed on the weak and old, and by doing so keeping the herds strong and healthy.

Weak, strong, young or old. They eat whatever they want. They'll take a full grown bull elk. And if their population isn't controlled, they can do a lot of damage to a struggling or growing deer or elk population, such at Colorado's mule deer population.

 

[snox801]

The Mountain Lions aren't that rare any more. Seven thousand in Colorado alone, and I bet California isn't far behind. We even have them starting to migrate into Tennessee now.
https://www.tn.gov/twra/wildlife/mammals/large/cougars.html

Not saying the cats in general are rare but ones of that size.
I know one measurement taken is length tip of nose to tail.
Not sure if they still do it that way. Was 20 or so years ago my mom shot hers 9'6' nose to take. I know it's still a giant cat.
She got a full mount laying across a long in my dads office/ game room.

 

[Hubby45]

I had one come in on me and my boy this last year turkey hunting. It was a great big one and I suspect It was drawn to the sound of my sons voice as he is small. He came in hot. I missed him with a pistol. He was in hunt mode and not afraid of me despite my yelling and waving arms. He crouched down in the launch position after coming in on us at a semi sprint. My state did away with hound hunting and the population has exploded since.

 

[Wedgy]

I've read that a mountain lion eats an average of 1 deer per week. Think about that, 52 deer per year, per cat. That may be what's happening to the mule deer population in Colorado. The mountain lion population in Colorado is estimated at 3,000 to 7,000 lions. That's between 156,00 and 364,000 deer per year.
Colorado's mule deer population is estimated at 408,000. Now they're voting on whether to bring Grey Wolves to Colorado. What do you think this will do to big game hunting

Ran into a DFG warden in CO on a deer kill who said they kill every 3 days, more frequently if the coyotes or bears get to it. I thought it was about one a week/50 a year but more than double that according to him. Wow

 

[hammer111]

Weak, strong, young or old. They eat whatever they want. They'll take a full grown bull elk. And if their population isn't controlled, they can do a lot of damage to a struggling or growing deer or elk population, such at Colorado's mule deer population.

Sure I know they're opportunists, whats available at the time. What I meant to say was. Weak and old first , then take what's available.
The less energy they expend on a kill the better. Especially during cold winter months. It takes less time for them to recover.
Id rather see relocation over killing. I don't think the population in general supports killing. Seems like the population is more concentrated in some areas than others. They're a beautiful animal, I feel it's more awesome to see a big cat alive over a dead one. Dead ones just lay there. I'm sure maybe I don't fully understand. Seeing animals shot for no plausible reason other than to trophy hunt is perplexing to me. Especially since I enjoy hunting. I hunt deer for the meat.I don't harvest more than I need. As I've gotten older I struggle with thought of taking an animals life. more so since I my parents have passed. Things aren't the same for me anymore. Hunting is a paradoxical issue for me.I'm sure one day it will force me to stop altogether. I'm sorry I rambled. Just trying to explain my situation.

 

[codyadams]

They sure take out a lot of game. Alien gear needs to make their chest holster for my Taurus Tracker 44 mag!! Chest holsters are the best way to go, wear them just like a bino harness, and no need to take them on and off when wearing a pack, and as easy access as it gets while packing/hunting. I have seen their tracks, scat, even walked into a creepy feeling place back in the mountains that had multiple lion kills in a bowl of dense timber, but I have never seen one. Have been walking out of the mountains in the dark and have that feeling, something is tailing me. I know for sure they have seen me though....that is what gives me the chills. And also why I always carry a sidearm and a large knife. Having to resort to the knife would be horrible, and it may kill me, but I would be taking the cat with me. Warriors mentality!!!

 

[Elkeater]

Awesome cat. I'm not much for killing something just to kill it and lions are just being lions eating deer. But I will say this I have a very strong desire to kill a mountain lion and eat it. I've had it a couple times and they seem to be fantastic eating. Not really in a great position to spend $6000 on a hound hunt but maybe I'll get lucky and stumble into one someday.

 

[bigngreen]

Sure I know they're opportunists, whats available at the time. What I meant to say was. Weak and old first , then take what's available.
The less energy they expend on a kill the better. Especially during cold winter months. It takes less time for them to recover.
Id rather see relocation over killing. I don't think the population in general supports killing. Seems like the population is more concentrated in some areas than others. They're a beautiful animal, I feel it's more awesome to see a big cat alive over a dead one. Dead ones just lay there. I'm sure maybe I don't fully understand. Seeing animals shot for no plausible reason other than to trophy hunt is perplexing to me. Especially since I enjoy hunting. I hunt deer for the meat.I don't harvest more than I need. As I've gotten older I struggle with thought of taking an animals life. more so since I my parents have passed. Things aren't the same for me anymore. Hunting is a paradoxical issue for me.I'm sure one day it will force me to stop altogether. I'm sorry I rambled. Just trying to explain my situation.

I've never seen a Mountain Lion take anything because of it's easier physically to run down, a lion does not run down anything so really they take the best target for the stalk. I've found mature bull elk dead in their beds and it was a broken tooth 110 lb female that killed him, can't count how many bucks I've seen in a pile of leaves dead, this year I found a dead buck that I was extremely healthy the day before. Lions are an awesome animal but like any other they need managed, sport hunting is a management tool as much as anything else, lions are excellent table fair and I love their fur and the skulls are cool but more over hunting them is to keep the numbers at a level that we can enjoy ungulates as well and so disease and starvation does not manage them. Lions are out of control, we have lost all the sheep in my area now and FWP lost all the funding to reintroduce them since the Lions are out of control.
I would much rather hunting control them than pestilence because that means the prey like deer an elk are also wiped out.
By a lions nature you should never see one, wanting to see one is part of our issues because the population has to be out of wack to be seeing lions regularly anywhere.

That is a HUGE lion, I've only seen a couple it's equal, a huge lion is about 180 lbs, a monster is 200 and its rare to go over 200.

 

[scottishkat]

That is probably a lion from north of the Canadian border. I saw one 30 years ago in Nova Scotia with my dad at 0300 one morning walk across a road in front of us that animal was as long as the road was wide. Near 10 feet from head to tip of tail. We told the DNR about it they said they didn't exist at the time. Now they have trail cameras and sightings are not unheard of.

The animals in the far north are huge they're hides are heavier and thicker than down south. For example the hide on a 250 pound Canadian whitetail can weigh up to 40 or 50 pounds in the winter.

Even that animal would stay clear of some of the bears and wolves in the far north.

Good luck and shoot straight y'all

 

[sp6x6]

I got picts off 3 cats that look like that,all shot in nwMT this season

 

[aushunter1]

And you guys recon we have some deadly native species here in Australia!

I think I would rather be bitten by a funnel web spider than jumped on & ripped apart by that thing, grizzly's even worse

 

[sturner]

We got a local that has big cats (y'all know the type) my son took his kids to see them they didn't stay long them cats looked at my grandkids as a snack

 

[hammer111]

I've never seen a Mountain Lion take anything because of it's easier physically to run down, a lion does not run down anything so really they take the best target for the stalk. I've found mature bull elk dead in their beds and it was a broken tooth 110 lb female that killed him, can't count how many bucks I've seen in a pile of leaves dead, this year I found a dead buck that I was extremely healthy the day before. Lions are an awesome animal but like any other they need managed, sport hunting is a management tool as much as anything else, lions are excellent table fair and I love their fur and the skulls are cool but more over hunting them is to keep the numbers at a level that we can enjoy ungulates as well and so disease and starvation does not manage them. Lions are out of control, we have lost all the sheep in my area now and FWP lost all the funding to reintroduce them since the Lions are out of control.
I would much rather hunting control them than pestilence because that means the prey like deer an elk are also wiped out.
By a lions nature you should never see one, wanting to see one is part of our issues because the population has to be out of wack to be seeing lions regularly anywhere.

That is a HUGE lion, I've only seen a couple it's equal, a huge lion is about 180 lbs, a monster is 200 and its rare to go over 200.

So you wouldn't consider relocation of the lions into territories that doesn't have a life on population but could support one.