My wife never gives me any real grief about hunting, BUT I told her I would like to try for Mountain Lion as I found someone that is not to far out on our budget.She asked how I was going to go about that and I told her dogs etc. She said "not fair". Told her the cost is not going to go down. The animals need to be managed for the benefit of all wildlife and themselves included. The D.O.W. doesn't give out thousands of tags so they are managing them correctly. By treeing them you would have a better more efficient ethical shot. Thats all I kind think of quickly. Need help with the discussion gang

Ask her if she could learn to use a fawn in distress call and set up a few yards from you...LOL

Chuck, I laughed so hard I almost cried,LOL.

Danny

I like Smakewoods idea. I really cannot add to what you have said. I myself could not shoot a large cat. Mountain lion, Tiger or african lion, don't know why it just does nt appeal to me. I hope ya convince her though as I am sure it is a great hunt. Shawn

I shot a huge cat on a hunt in 94 I think.Something I always wanted to do was to hunt the US's supreme predator with a bow. The kill IS kind of anti climatic, but the chase is unbelievably hard. Yes they do need to be managed. An adult lion will kill an elk or mule deer twice a week on average if memory serves me. Figure I "saved" several hundred elk and deer from a horrible death for the rest of that lions natural life.

There are lots of hunts we go on where the shots are anti climatic..bear or deer over bait, antelope at a waterhole, elk at a mud wallow for example. Lion hunts are much more strenuous/exciting than those.

I can understand where Shawn is coming from though. I have no desire to hunt camels, giraffes or zebra, but I understand there are others who would find that exciting and can appreciate where they are coming from. Just not for me.

BTW this cat is full mounted standing on a rock in my den, so in some respects he will live forever or at least until I die and pass him on to my heirs if they want it.

Negotiations get tough sometimes..............I got hogs on the permitted list because they are ugly. Then came deer because they destroyed her flower beds and fruit trees. Goats are OK because I never asked. I can't get any cats on the permitted list because they resemble pets too much. Elk and Moose are OK because they are big meat. Bears are off the list. Coyotes got on the list because they ate my daughter's ducks-but wolves are out. My suggestion is hunt what's on your list and be happy; and don't expect it to make sense.

Shot my first mountain lion here in Tucson on March 4th. It was the most exhilerating and physically demanding hunt I have ever done! Chasing dogs hot on a lion's trail and trying to get to him before he bolts is an indescribile and absolutely nerve-racking experience. I wrote up the hunt and Western Hunter Magazine is considering publishing it in their November edition. It is very difficult getting published in a hunting magazine because they have so many offers and you have to compete against the big names in the industry. So, I have my fingers crossed. Good luck in your efforts to convince your wife that this is an ethical hunt. I believe it is and in a month I will have a full body mount to remind me of the incredible experience!

There is a reason the game dept. issues tags...it is a management tool that is NECESSARY. Here in Oregon the good well-meaning citizens voted to ban hunting cats with dogs. The result has been a huge increase in cats and a major decline in deer and elk. To the point that the state is going to pay "professional" hunters, who hunt with DOGS by the way, to help take the numbers down in areas that are problem areas by their definition. So, instead of the state selling tags and making some money and hunters doing what they like to do...hunt, they will be spending our tax dollars trying to fix a problem that the voters caused!  Hunting cats with dogs is a necessity. You either let hunters do it or you pay to have it done.  So, tell you wife that for every cat that roams the woods one deer (bambi) is killed every week by that cat. That is 52 deer a year by just one cat! Those are the figures that the state biologists use here in Oregon. A cat likes to eat fresh meat unlike a bear...of course, we also banned baiting bears too!

Oh, I forgot to mention, despite my initial reaction, mountain lion is some of the best tablefare you will ever eat!

Kinda like veal, but it must be cooked thouroughly to 160 degrees internal temp. Cats are susceptible to trichinosis.

Just tell her if hunting lions with dogs is unethical, you'll need the next two or three years off work to stalk one!    CKruse

I would also chip in that I've hunted black bears in this manner. It's not for the out-of-shape, something for nothing sort. It's tough, physically challenging hunting. Like Mickey said, the shot is not necessarily the high point, but that's the same with a lot of what we do. CKruse

Bring her and see if she thinks it is fair at the end of the chase.   :D

Lol - from the title I was getting ready to bet $20 on the lion, but now I see where the thread is going.

So what the heck isn't fair about it?  Would it be more fair if the lion also had a pack of dogs and a bow (though without any thumbs, the lion is gonna have a heck of a time stringing his bow)?

Fair schmair.  You are the apex predator, not the lion.  Good luck - both with the hunt and with the pre-hunt negotiations.  :-D

QuoteOriginally posted by GingivitisKahn:
Lol - from the title I was getting ready to bet $20 on the lion,:-D

You're not married are you  

Hey Shawn Leonard, how about a small feral cat?

You live in Silt. I'm sure you can find a track in town after it snows. People change their perspective when a large predator is outside there front door. Especially if you have kids,lap dogs, or cats. Good luck with your dilemma.

Got to go with Farret on the "not married are you". I have been married twenty-four years, three happily, to the same German gal I met in college, I live in constant fear of skillets. My $20 is on the bride!

A wild house cat, yes. Just as Mickey said a Zebra, Hippo, just not for me. I am not opposed to it at all as I said I feel it would bean exciting challenging hunt just not for me. Shawn

I agree take her along then see what she says