Had to take a break from work

[WildRose]

Yes Sir. I loved hunting that country. Voss was a good guy. We had a big range fire on(the ground needed it) the Swenson around 2010 or 11. Had a lot of those then. I went and woke him up so we ran the cattle out and let it burn all that cactus off. If you know where the old boy scout camp was it's that pasture. They closed that scout camp years ago because they built it practically on top of a big rattler den they didn't know about. I miss that area. Up in the snow country now freezing my tail off.

I believe that's the fire that resulted in a huge mountain lion being killed on the Thockmorton Highway. An absolute monster of an old Tom.

 

[John Klingenberg]

I believe that's the fire that resulted in a huge mountain lion being killed on the Thockmorton Highway. An absolute monster of an old Tom.

I hadn't heard about that. I know every 24 hour varmint contest produced at least one lion. There's a few out that way for sure.

 

[sturner]

Saw tracks last year near Seymour in the deep creek bottom

 

[WildRose]

Saw tracks last year near Seymour in the deep creek bottom

I've seen four in my life.

Dad and I watched one playing with it'self for about half an hour east of Throckmorton when I was home on leave in 87 over Christmas time.

One near Newcastle about 1990.

One right at the Throckmorton/Baylor county line on 183 about ten years ago.

One four miles east of town on 114 that was definitely a huge old male crossing the road about 2 a.m. With his nose right at the solid white line his tail extended almost to the center line.

Back in the late 90's on the RA Brown Ranch one killed a mare in foal and the foal died a few days later. Apparently they drove up before he could finish the foal but the damage was done.

They are definitely here but they are very elusive and almost completely nocturnal.

 

[sturner]

Seen a lot of tracks and heard one never laid eyes on one

 

[Buck1970]

Seen a lot of tracks and heard one never laid eyes on one

When you do, you won't forget it!
As wild rose, I was 10-12(80-82) 15 miles south of DeKalb near sulfur river bottoms. With my dad coming from out of our pasture in the bottoms after dark on a county road.
It made two Jumps in front of us. Landed in middle of road and cleared the other side.
Heavily wooded area.
I remember the long tail which almost curled straight up and back over it. My dad stopped the truck and we just sat in the road amazed for a few minutes.

The second was in cass county in 98. We lived in a small rent house way out in the woods. I was headed to work at Lkhs one mornings in the fall. Going by a hay meadow I noticed about 300 yards out what I though was a coyote perched on top of a role of hay(they like to hunt that way here).
As I passed something about it was odd ( it just wasn't sitting like a coyote) so I stopped the truck and backed up. It had its back to me and was looking at something. I watched it for a few minutes.
Finally decided to go on and as I pulled off it turned it's head to look at me and I stopped again. No binocular, no camera phone then or anything else in my truck to view it close with.
It wasn't until I started to drive away again that it jumped from the hay roll and bounded into the woods, that I realized what it was. Long tail and very dark in color, almost grey.

I know this has gotten away from shooting long distance hogs out west which id still love to go do, but the cat thing is pretty amazing also.
Rarely ever seen here and if you mention it, guys just assume you are crazy!

there is another thread now where a guy called in and killed a big cat. It's a good read also.

Thanks for letting me share with like minded folks.
I really like this forum thing.
Knk

 

[John Klingenberg]

I

When you do, you won't forget it!
As wild rose, I was 10-12(80-82) 15 miles south of DeKalb near sulfur river bottoms. With my dad coming from out of our pasture in the bottoms after dark on a county road.
It made two Jumps in front of us. Landed in middle of road and cleared the other side.
Heavily wooded area.
I remember the long tail which almost curled straight up and back over it. My dad stopped the truck and we just sat in the road amazed for a few minutes.

The second was in cass county in 98. We lived in a small rent house way out in the woods. I was headed to work at Lkhs one mornings in the fall. Going by a hay meadow I noticed about 300 yards out what I though was a coyote perched on top of a role of hay(they like to hunt that way here).
As I passed something about it was odd ( it just wasn't sitting like a coyote) so I stopped the truck and backed up. It had its back to me and was looking at something. I watched it for a few minutes.
Finally decided to go on and as I pulled off it turned it's head to look at me and I stopped again. No binocular, no camera phone then or anything else in my truck to view it close with.
It wasn't until I started to drive away again that it jumped from the hay roll and bounded into the woods, that I realized what it was. Long tail and very dark in color, almost grey.

I know this has gotten away from shooting long distance hogs out west which id still love to go do, but the cat thing is pretty amazing also.
Rarely ever seen here and if you mention it, guys just assume you are crazy!

there is another thread now where a guy called in and killed a big cat. It's a good read also.

Thanks for letting me share with like minded folks.
I really like this forum thing.
Knk

Think they like the Brazos bottoms. The handful I've seen out there were at night on varmint hunts. You can always tell though. They never come in to the call. They hang up about a hundred yards out and sit in one spot. Coyotes and fox come in fast, bobcats stalk in but the big guys stay up in the mesquite and sit and sit and sit. Smart critters

 

[sturner]

All the ranchers in East and west Texas say if you see them kill em but I just don't know what I would do
I was hunting on the King years ago and the pasture manger told us if we saw one he would run us off if we shot one there

 

[John Klingenberg]

200lb Tom hit near Mineral Wells
https://amp.star-telegram.com/news/local/article203528199.html

 

[6.5shaggy]

I have never seen one here locally, but I have seen tracks. I was building game fence East of Goree in 2011 and fenced one in. He left a million tracks on the south fence trying to get out. I hunted him the next night but it rained and I guess it figured out that it could climb out. There were no tracks after it rained. I also had some cattle ran over a new barbed wire fence near Haskell last summer. The neighbor had the same issue and claimed he saw a big cat down on the creek. There are definitely more around than the general public thinks.

 

[John Klingenberg]

For those of us who have covered ground out there it's no doubt there are cats. I would throw a wild guess there's one every 20 square miles

 

[sturner]

I have seen a lot of tracks there is no mistaking a cat track
I know a few people have seen them and I believe them
When I was younger there was very few deer, no pigs, no beaver , no otters and no gators now you see them all the time and even a mink from time to time so maybe one day I will see a big cat

 

[John Klingenberg]

I have never seen one here locally, but I have seen tracks. I was building game fence East of Goree in 2011 and fenced one in. He left a million tracks on the south fence trying to get out. I hunted him the next night but it rained and I guess it figured out that it could climb out. There were no tracks after it rained. I also had some cattle ran over a new barbed wire fence near Haskell last summer. The neighbor had the same issue and claimed he saw a big cat down on the creek. There are definitely more around than the general public thinks.

I just realized you are the guy I bought the 222 barrel from. Thanks. That thing worked out really well.

 

[Buck1970]

Shot my first two deer with a
222
Actually killed the second one!
Lol
Still have one today.
Great caliber IMP.