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Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: Jack Shanks on January 19, 2007, 03:08:00 PM
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Had a great 10 day horseback combo hunt for coues deer, javelina and Mt lion in the Catalina Mountains northeast of Tucson. We took it down to the wire but thanks to a great guide and outfitter that would never give up, I was able to put tags on two of the three species in the end. I'll try to recap my story with pictures as soon as I figure out how to post them.
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:coffee: I ready
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Looking forward Jack. Hope for your sake one was a Coeus and one was a kitty.
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That is some beautiful country, around Tucson. I can't wait for the story and photos........ :pray:
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A little detail about how this hunt came to be before I get down to the actual story.... I know nobody wants to hear that but I would first like to give credit to the people and organization that made this hunt come together for me. Outfitter Tom Klumker of San Francisco River Outfitters donated this hunt to the local chapter of Safari Club International for their annual fund raiser banquet. Something I found out later he has been doing for many years now. I talked with Tom a bit the night of the auction and the hunt sounded pretty inviting to me. The opportunity to hunt three species of game that I had never hunted before in a lot warmer climate than Michigan in January. Well, I ended up being the high bidder I think much to my wife's surprise and this is where the story starts.
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and...... :readit:
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I purchased this hunt back in the early spring of 06 and had plenty of time to prepare and think about it. Truth is, I kind of put it on the back burner as I had a BC goat hunt, an Iowa deer hunt and the entire deer season in Michigan that came first. Tom did get ahold of me about putting in for my javelina tag so at least I did that much in my preperation. I also bought a plane ticket to Tucson a couple months prior and reserved a motel room for the one night I would need it the day I flew in.
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Looking forward to hearing more... :goldtooth:
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Oh boy we're ready :jumper:
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Tom and his nephew Jerry Jump picked me up from the motel where I spent the night in Tucson on January 6th as planned. They had driven from their home New Mexico that morning pulling a fifth wheel horse trailer holding two mules, three horses and Jerry's pack of lion dogs. We loaded my gear in the truck and headed northeast to the town of Oracle picking up a deer and lion tag for me at a store along the way.
Oracle is 35 miles northeast of Tucson and we would be hunting and staying on a ranch that was located another hour drive north and east of town. We made it to the ranch house that we would be sharing with a young ranch hand named "Rooster" late that afternoon. Jerry, up until a couple years ago had worked on this same ranch, stayed in this house, and was doing Rooster's job so knew the land well. I would later find out what a benifit that would be.
After getting settled in Tom and I jumped on Rooster's ATV and drove up the ranch road to a stock tank where some javelina had been seen recently. There was only enough daylight left for us to look around a bit before heading back to the ranch house for the night. Not surprisingly we didn't see anything.
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Next morning we were up at six and Tom prepared a hearty breakfast for us as well as packing our lunches for the day. Jerry had the dogs fed and had started saddling the horses and mules by the time Tom and I reached the corral. Rooster had the day off from work so he decided to go with us and bring his three dogs along. So, a half hour after daylight on Sunday January 7th the official hunt is on. Two guides, one cowboy, three horses, one mule, ten dogs and bringing up the rear one hunter that doesn't quite know what to make of it.
The dogs are full of energy as we head up the ranch road to where Tom and I looked for javelina the night before. They are darting through the mesquite brush crossing the trail in front and to the back of the horses hooves and I wonder what is keeping them from being stepped on. I am on a huge horse named Jessie. He has white stocking and resembles a Clydesdale. When he passes gas the air is permeated with the fragrance of stale Budwiser so I'm assuming he is. From the ranch drive we cross the dirt road we drove in on and follow a trail that parrelels a dry creek where Tom and I hunted last night. Soon after crossing the road the dogs open up and after a short chase they are barking treed. I can't believe it we haven't covered a mile and the dogs already have one up a tree!
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Snicker...Snicker...Snicker
I have already seen the pics :notworthy: and jealous too ;)
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probably a bobcat, but i'm hoping itss a big ole tom lion, get on with it
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Jessie is a slow poke so as I finally get to the scene everyone else has already seen what commotion is about. Up in a tree high above the creek is a family of coatimundi. Jerry is calling his dogs off and scolding the older ones for being in on the chase as they knew better than to be trailing the varmits. I had seen pictures of them before but didn't realize how monkey like they actually were. This was a strange place with strange animals for sure. We left the "monkeys" as Jerry called them in the tree and continued on.
The area we now were in was forest service land open to public hunting. Shortly after leaving the tree'd coatimundi I looked up on the ridge to the north to see a group of four bowhunters stairing down on us. It was Sunday morning and these weekend warriors just had their morning hunt disrupted by a pack of baying hounds. I felt sorry for them but they really needed to get a ways off the road they were near I thought.
Anyhow we continued on following the creek towards the head of the canyon looking for fresh sign along the way. The dogs were eager to chase anything that moved and for the young ones that included deer. The old dogs knew better and before the end of the hunt the youngs were starting to learn that too.
After following the creek for a few miles we turned south and headed up a steep ridge. Now I have ridden horses in the mountains before and done my share of backpacking but I wasn't prepared for the kind of country we were about to experience, especially on the back of a horse or a mule.
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The catalinas are my stomping grounds, never thought about a lion there, but it sure is possible. I can't wait to hear more. Beautiful mountains(foothills) Mt. Lemon is getting pounded today with snow, the whole state is getting crummy weather.
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Steve, I spent a hard ten days on this hunt so I'm dragging this story out as long as I can. I want everyone to suffer just like me!
Just kidding but I want people to know this was a very rewarding but tough hunt.
Sorry, it's past my bed time so I'll be back with the rest tomorrow.
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(http://[IMG]http://i131.photobucket.com/albums/p286/deerslayer1961/arrow1-1.jpg)[/IMG]
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Okay, I'm back and until I figure out how to post pictures I'll continue my saga without them.
After reaching the top of the ridge we dropped off into a canyon to the south and east. The dogs soon took off barking but Jerry determined it was an old track and gathered them back after they kept loosing the scent. We continued on with this happening a couple of more times during the rest of the day. We were finding old sign, the remains of lion killed and buried deer but nothing fresher than days or weeks old. we made a huge loop checking dry washes, creek beds and ridge tops before ending up back at ranch house just before dark. We easily covered twenty miles that day and I figured Tom and Jerry wanted to see what I was made of right off the bat and things would get easier from here. Boy, was I wrong!
The next morning just after daylight we headed in the same general direction as the first day but took a different route getting there. Even steeper and rockier this time. Around 10AM found us on a ridge giving Jerry's horse and Tom and my mules a short break while we glassed for coues deer across the valley. From our vantage point we could see the remains of an old mining opperation a couple hundred yards below us. A couple of old small corrigated metal buildings that were falling down. As we mounted up to leave Jerry and I suddenly noticed some dark objects in amongst the buildings, javelina! We quickly dismounted and made plans for a stalk. To make it easier to carry my recurve in my homemade scabbord I had detached the bolt on quiver and replaced it with my strap on quiver from my longbow. Only problem the strap on quiver wouldn't easily attach to my recurve so I took out one arrow and Tom followed behind me with the rest my arrows in the quiver. Once we were within 60 or 70 yards of the unsuspecting javelina Tom stayed behind and I continued stalking closer. We had seen four or five javelina altogether and right now I could see two pulling on a root up ahead with no idea I was closing in. I had to get through some mesquite brush to get a clear shot and just before I got to the spot I needed one of the pigs moved off. The other one seemed to now sense my presence and turned his back to me. I waited him out and sure enough he turned broadside. I slowly drew my bow picked a spot and released. I didn't see the arrow cover the twelve yards distance but could clearly see it sticking through both sides of the animal tight behind the shoulder as he sped off. There was a large bang as he bounced off one of the building in his death run. As I walked up to where he was standing I could see the dark opening to the mine shaft going into the hillside. My first thought was he must have run into it. But the blood trail took a shrp left where I heard him hit the building and I found him laying dead thirty yards from where he was shot.
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(http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/bowjack/IMG_0956.jpg)
Let me see if this works.
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Sorry for the blood in that photo. We cleaned him up as best we could with what we had to work with.
After getting within twelve yards and shooting the very first javelina I had ever seen in the wild I thought there was "nothing too it." Wrong again. We saw several more groups of javelina in the following days and all were headed in the opposite direction after seeing us. I then felt lucky that I was able to fill my tag early on.
After picture taking, caping and butchering we were off again lion hunting with the javelina meat stowed away in our saddle bags. More cold trails and a coatimundi chase along the way and we arrived back at the ranch after dark.
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A picture of some of the country we were hunting. Steep canyons with lots of ravines, dry washes and creek beds.
(http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/bowjack/IMG_0978.jpg)
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Another picture and I'll have to come back later with the rest of the story.
IMG]http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/bowjack/IMG_0975-1.jpg[/IMG]
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IMG]http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/bowjack/IMG_0975-1.jpg[/IMG]
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Well that didn't work so I'll be back later anyway.
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Great story Jack, we are patiently waiting for the rest of it! Congrats on the Javie!! That is some gorgeous looking country!!! Dan
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We spent the next couple days checking out different areas of the ranch. We would get up each morning at 6:00 AM and eat breakfast. Tom would have our lunches packed and we would be on the trail a half hour after daylight. We would make a twenty mile or so circle and be back at the ranch just before dark or after. Tom and I had three animals between us. Two mules and one horse. We would take turns each riding the horse one day and the mules two days. That way each animal was riden two days and had one day off. Jerry had two horses and rotated riding them each every other day. By the fifth day the dogs needed a break. We took Jerry's best dog Odie along with us in case we hit a fresh lion track and rode to some high ridges and glassed for deer. We saw a pretty nice buck with some does on the opposite hillside but by the time we could circle around and plan a stalk they were no longer there. As it turned out that was the only buck we saw that day.
(http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/bowjack/IMG_0975-2.jpg)
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Rooster was working and staying on another part of the ranch for a few days west of Oracle. He called to tell us he had seen a lion while gathering cattle the day before so the next morning we loaded the truck and trailer and drove an hour and a half down there. This area known as the Black Hills was more rolling hills and quite a bit more like desert. Lots of huge old saguaro cactus along with all the other varieties. We made a big loop riding up and down some dry washes and ravines but never cut a fresh track. We did see a few mule deer but nothing we could put a stalk on. We hunted until late in the afternoon and then drove the hour and half back to the ranch.
As luck would have it Rooster was working in another spot on the ranch where during the night a lion had drug a calf that had died out of a holding pen and buried it. He had no way of getting ahold of us so he turned his hound loose on the track and it ran the cat clean off the ranch onto another where we couldn't hunt. I'll try my luck at picture from the Black Hills.
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This is a picture I took during our day outing in the Black Hills west of Oracle.
(http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/bowjack/IMG_0960.jpg)
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A friend of Tom's from Tucson, Chris came up on the weekend to ride with us. We hunted one day from the ranch house without cutting a fresh track so Jerry came up with a different plan. We would get up an hour early trailer the horses and mules back down to Oracle with the plan of covering some new country by riding all day back to the ranch. The plan was to then ride from the ranch the next day taking a different route back to the truck and then trailering everything back to the ranch. Chris could only ride part way with us as he needed to head back to Tucson that afternoon.
Soon after riding out of Oracle we ran into another group of lion hunters driving ATVs up a dry wash towards the area we planned to hunt. We had to make a change of plans and head off in a different direction and hunt another canyon. Early in the afternoon we finally cut a fresh lion track and the chase was on. We were in a steep canyon and the lion took Jerry's pack of seven dogs up into the boulders and sandstone cliffs high above our position. Tom and I stayed with the horses in the event the chase went over the top we would need to ride around the mountain to follow. Jerry went up on foot after the dogs. From the sounds of their voices we knew the hounds were close behind but once the cat hit the rocks and the cliffs the dogs couldn't follow. With the chase ended. Jerry gathered all the dogs but couldn't find Odie.He had heard him bark last up in some cliffs but he didn't come or answer his calls. It was getting late so he finally had to give up his search for Odie and head down the mountain with the rest of his dogs. It was late in the afternoon by the time he got back to where Tom and I met him with the horses. We had a three hour hard ride in steep country ahead of us and only one hour of daylight left.
We made it back to the ranch after 8:00PM took care of the animals, had dinner and went to bed. It was a long hard day but I still didn't sleep that well knowing we had a lost dog. I'm not sure that Jerry slept at all.
I had hoped that when we got up in the morning that Odie had returned but he hadn't.
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Jack,
I'm enjoying the adventure. Were you near the 96 Hills?
Hope Odie is OK.
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Chad, Sorry, I'm not sure where the 96 Hills are so I can't say.
It was a pretty somber party of hunters that left the ranch that morning. No one said much in the three and a half hours it took us to reach the spot where Tom and I had picked Jerry up the day before. It was a long climb up to where Jerry had last heard Odie and I wanted to go with him to help search. I didn't know if I would be more of a hinderance or help but it seemed like going with him was the least I could do given the circumstances.It took us an hour and a half to claw our way up through the rocks and brush to where Jerry had last heard Odie. Jerry was in the lead fifteen yards above me calling for Odie when he suddenly changed his tone and start cussing out his bonehead dog for not answering him earlier. I knew then that Odie was OK at least until Jerry got his hands on him. He yelled down to me that he just saw Odie stick his head over a ledge some thirty feet above him and then duck back. I made my way up to Jerry's position and waited for him to climb up and retreive his hound off the ledge he had been stuck on for over twenty hours. Other than hungry and thirsty he was no worse for wear and we made our way down the back side of the mountain to where Tom met us with the horses. It was now 2:00PM and we had a long ride ahead of us. After eating a quick lunch we proceeded on towards Oracle where the truck and trailer were parked, reaching there an hour after dark.We ate dinner in town and then headed for the ranch house arriving after 9:00PM. After taking care of the animals we hit the bed as tomorrow was the last day of my hunt.
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Before we leave in the morning I tell Tom and Jerry no matter the outcome of the day I have had a great trip.Finding Odie yesterday was worth more to me than any lion could be.All we need now is a little more luck and who knows?
We leave the ranch early that morning just as we have done in the nine previous days.The day unfolds pretty much like all the others too. We make a big loop checking some creek beds, dry washes and ridge tops to see if a lion has been through them lately.Ocasionally the dogs will hit a cold track and bawl on it for awile but there is never enough scent for them to follow far.The young dogs can't resist chasing after a fresh deer track after they have jumped it including Rooster's three dogs that have joined the pack today. They usually don't chase them far and we continue on our way without them. They always return a short time later, tongues hanging out.
By late evening we are in Stratton Canyon making our way back to the ranch house.The last two times we have come back this way it has been past dark so I'm glad we still have a little light left so we can see to duck the overhead branches in the trail.The dogs are scattered about some still hunting for sign others following the horses. When a dog suddenly bawls ahead I don't think much about it.The dogs following the horses are gone in a flash and pretty soon the whole pack is barking on a fresh track. We aren't far from where the dogs treed a family of coatimundis the first day so I'm thinking that is what they are chasing. Jerry rides ahead and in a short time I can here the short chops of the dogs signaling they have something treed.I'm sure of it now, coatimundi.I here Jerry yelling I think at first for the dogs but as we get nearer Jerry is running towards us yelling hurry up the dogs have a lion cornered in a mesquite bush. He then turns and runs back. Tom and I are off our mounts I grab my bow and quiver and we are running up the creek bed towards the commotion. The dogs are in a barking frenzy with a few yips thrown in. I'm ahead of Tom and as we reach the scene I can see Jerry standing on top of a rock on the side of the creek bank.He is yelling for me to get up there.I claw my way up the bank to him and peer over the rock. The lion is sitting on a rock ledge twenty feet away with Rooster's bluehealer, Joker and Jerry's catahoula, Junior barking in his face. I grab an arrow from my quiver before handing it over to Jerry. I can't shoot from here for fear of hitting one of the dogs so I step closer. It isn't like when yo have a cat up a tree and there is time to tie the dogs up. Things are happening fast. We are all yelling for the dogs to get back and I am waiting for an opening. The lion turns just enough and I draw and release all in one motion. I am less than fifteen feet away and at a steep angle. The arrow enters high in the left shoulder but looks good to me. The lion seems uneffected by the shot so I grab another arrow from Jerry. The lion has turned and I can't get another shot from this position so I quickly move around to the other side of the boulder to where his right shoulder is open. I drive another arrow down high behind that shoulder. The lion pitches off the rock into the pack of hounds below. I'm sure he is done. We scramble off the rock Jerry in the lead followed by me and Tom bringing up the rear carring my quiver.Once again I was wrong as the lion wasn't finished quite yet. I no sooner hit the bottom of the creek bed and looked up and he was headed straight at me with the pack of hounds and Jerry in tow. All I could do was swing my bow at him for protection and he passed by me a few feet away. I grabbed my quiver from Tom and joined the chase that had ended in the middle of the creek fifty feet away in a shower of water, dogs and lion. In the time it takes me to cover the distance Jerry already has his foot on the lions neck the lion has Jerry's dog Blondie by the head in a death grip and a dew claw through her ear. I pulled an arrow from my quiver and drove it with my hand through the lions chest in an attempt end it's life quickly and try to save Blondie's. It is over in an instant and the lion moves no more. We have to use a stick to pry the dead cats mouth open and release the hound who is howling the entire time and then thread the lion's claw back out of her ear. She will survive to chase other lions. I'm not sure I will ever again. I think one lion is enough for me.
The whole incedent is over in a matter of minutes from chase to finish. It is too late for pictures so we bring the lion back to the ranch whole. We prop him up on the back of Rooster's flatbed for a pose in the morning and he is frozen to the truck bed in that postion when we get up. We need to pour warm water on the truck bed to unstick him. We take our pictures and Tom and Jerry bring him in the ranch house skin and butcher him while I'm packing to catch my plane.
By that night I am back in Michigan and still amazed by what happened.
Outfitter Tom Klumker
(http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/bowjack/IMG_0995.jpg)
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Guide Jerry Jump and some of the real heros. Odie in Jerry's hands. Two of Rooster's dogs Joker in the middle and Pup. We couldn't get the rest of them to stand still long enough for a picture.
MG]http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/bowjack/IMG_0993.jpg[/IMG]
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IMG]http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/bowjack/IMG_0993.jpg[/IMG]
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Wow. INTENSE!
Looks like a really NICE cat too!
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one last try (http://i90.photobucket.com/albums/k267/bowjack/IMG_0993-1.jpg)
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Sounds more like a survival contest, quite an adventure.
Great story.
Congrats on your hard-earned lion.
Those hounds are some tough critters in their own right.
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Great story Jack, I could feel the excitement in my gut. Gotta love those hounds. Congratulations on a wonderful adventure,and memories for life.
96 Hills is an area north of Tucson that I hunted in the '70s. Used to be some good Desert Mule Deer in the area.
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Awesome!
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WOW...I'm STILL out of breath, just from reading it!!! Thanks for sharin!!!
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Thanks everyone. It turned out to be one of my greatest adventures ever!
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Chad.....Jack was hunting East of the 96 Hills... But not too far away...... Great story Jack you were right near where we had our Javie camp...... Terry
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Thanks Stickman, we covered a lot of area and most times I didn't know where we were or where we were going. It was all new to me.
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:eek: :scared: :archer: :biglaugh: what a story! congrads.
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Great story, I enjoyed it very much. And beautiful country to hunt in. Congrats on a very fine hunt and thanks for sharing it with us.
Brent
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Dang Jack, that was excitin. I very much enjoyed the story and pics. Thanks for takin us along!!
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Classic! Great story and adventure. Thank you for sharing it.
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Now THAT was a very good story and a great hunt. Talk about last minute excitement! Very interesting.
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Way to go Jack! That cat will make a great addition to you game room. What a hunt. You worked for him.
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Wow! High intensity lion hunting. Thanks for the story Jack.
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Memories that will last you a life time!! Great hunt and story, thanks for sharing Jack.
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Jack that was a great story, probably better then most I have ever read. Truley a work of art and the hunt wasn't so bad either.
Big Congrats from the East Coast...
clapper: :clapper:
I trust you will send it to TBM.
Great to see a supporting wife. I trust she has read your postings. . :clapper:
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awesome. i lived not too far from oracle. the town of san manuel. my brother and his family still live there. i worked at oracle ridge mine on the back side of mt. lemmon. seeing your pics and reading your story make me really miss the desert.
don
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Very vivid and exciting story. Ending in an arrow driven by hand into a wild lion! Hemmingway would have been proud. Thanks for the enjoyable read.
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Kingstaken, probably not the type of story for a magazine, where it takes two arrows from a bow and one from a hand to dispatch your quarry.... I only wanted to share a hunting story with the people here much like they have shared their's with me.
don s, often times from a ridge in the evening we could see the lights of San Manuel as we made our way back to the ranch house. On occasion depending time of day and where we were at, we could see two industrial stacks on the horizon. I believe near the town of Mammoth but I'm not certain. Rooster told us they were going to be taken down with explosives the very same day I flew home.
Beautiful country. One day I hope to return and explore more of it.
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...and some folks think lion hunting is easy!
Bob
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Awesome story Jack, enjoyed every line. :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Great adventure Jack, thanks for taking the time and telling it. I had always read the lung area on a lion was real small but was amazed at how small they are when cleaning mine; not much bigger then a softball.
Walt Francis
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Awsome story and great pics.
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Thats a great story, I enjoyed every word. Thanks for sharing. As a lion guide myself I know exactly what was going through you guides head, when the lion has his dog.
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Great story sound like ten days you'll never forget,congrats.
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Thats pretty awsome , cool stuff.
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great hunt, I know Tom he hunts the same area I do have run into him many times he rides that mule everywhere know the horse you were riding also
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Great story Jack.
What a hunt! :thumbsup: :thumbsup:
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Thanks for the awesome story & taking us along Jack!
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Originally posted by Steve H.:
Wow. INTENSE!
I'll say! That will get your blood flowing for sure!
Great story and pics, thanks for taking the time to share with us.
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Great read along, Thanks for sharing and congrats!! :thumbsup: