Calling Elk and bringing in cats

[dcmeckel]

...and there I was,blowing sweetly into the wind with my diaphragm, hoping I sounded like the hottest littl cow on the mountain,when one of my hunting companions breaks the hard silence with "hey, stop calling, there's a lion over here".There's a lot more to this story, but I was wondering how many other hunters this has KNOWINGLY happened to? This cat was 17yds. from me and I never saw it! I'm thankful I had a critter savvy companion along who knew what was taking place.Share your cat encounter stories,I'm curious about how often this happens.
Thanks, David

[Roadkill]

My friend runs, tranqs and tags lions for the state.  More lions see us than we see of them!,  he had a tagged cat and was locating it for a warden and they walked up to 20 fet before they saw it.  I hunted sage hens on Saturday in prime lion country, and was aware but not worried as we never see them much in open country in the day
Damn are they beautiful

[Ray_G]

Originally posted by Roadkill
Damn are they beautiful [/QB]

Tasty, too!

Never had one come in on me.  When I lived in the Northern part of Idaho, I knew a couple of guys that had that happen.  Lions are more abundant there and some units are two lions per season, over the counter.

[Sixby]

I am continually looking 360 when I call anymore. I have called lions, coyotes, Wolves, and bear while elk calling. I've come to the conclusion that it is one of the reasons elk are not nearly as vocal as they were years ago. The elk still come and when a bull is hot he will talk but for the most part the last 20 years aren't anything like the 20 before that were/. We have had no dog hunting or baiting here in S Oregon for a lot of years now and when Dog hunting was banned for cats the legal kill went to zilch. At tht time the Rogue Unit where I hunt most had an estimated population of 500 adult lions. Who knows what it has now?
A lot less elk, A whole lot less deer. More turkeys and Way more preds. But , thats what you get when politicians run Fish and Game instead of professionals./

God bless you all, Steve

[huntnmuleys]

ive never had one come in on my calling, but a guy i camp with was stalked by one a few years back. scary stuff...

[Earl E. Nov...mber]

Happened on one of the TV shows a few years back.. They had some neat footage of the cat just setting watching them.

[Charlie Lamb]

Been stalked twice while varmint calling.... found sign in the snow of the first one and saw the last one... we had a stare down from about 15 feet.

Thrilling!!!!!

[WESTBROOK]

Had one follow us out a box canyon after dark when we were hunting Mulies up by Meeker Co. When we got in the truck, backed-up and the lights hit the rock hillside, there he was sittin' on a rock watching us leave.

Eric

[snag]

I've called in two while working some elk with cow/calf calls. They are stealthy quiet for sure. That's the way they make their living!

[The Night Stalker]

Maybe Doug Treat or Bob in TN will chime in. They both have been stalked while cow calling. Doug has a real nice pic that he took of a cat sneaking in.

[wingnut]

I've called in two while calf calling in Idaho.  One was a yearling female and she came to 7 yards and crouched before she saw me.. . .No tag!!

A few years later I called in a B&C tom to 15 yds and could have made the shot.. . .no tag!!!!

Now I carry a tag and haven't seen one in years.

Mike

[Ragnarok Forge]

I would say make sure you have a tag and keep calling.  I have had it happen three times.  They will definately come to calls.  They come in slow and dead quiet.  I suspect I have been looked at by a lot more that I never saw.

[JMartin]

I've called in black bears while using an elk cow call several times, kinda cool.

[joe ashton]

last year a friend of mine came flying into camp to tell the story of a lion all of a sudden was just there.  Like yours just there 20 yards away a LOOKING AT HIM!!!  Oh crap, then gone---- but where did it go? which way? now what.?

[Ray Hammond]

Once in the Gila - not something you forget!

[Dave Pagel]

I called one in on my brother a few years back around Pinedale, Wyoming.  It definitely got his attention at under 15 yards.

D.P.

[sunny hill archer]

So... Needless to say I was really pumped when I met Doug at the trailhead. That lasted all of 10 minutes after we started the hike in. I live at about 23 feet above sea level. There ain't nearly as much O2 in the air at 7500 feet as there is where I am from. I was sucking eggs so bad it was not even funny!!! We concluded that a mile in Estes Park was equal to two in the Lowcountry. We got to camp about 3 PM local time and got settled in. Then We made our first hunt.It took 30 minutes of hiking to get to the bottom of the first Mountain(Doug claims it was just a hill, but I know better) We started up on an elk trail cowcalling as we went. We got to a small plateau and looked down into the gully and this is what we saw. - It was less than 40 yards away and in stealth mode. Doug has been hunting this area for 22 years and had never seen one.I had been here 2 hours and here he was. He was huge!!!!!! And he was not in a hurry to leave. I put an arow on the string while Doug kept calling. If he had made one move towards us I was going to let one fly.It was scary exhilarating and totally primal. He left after about 5 minutes.





From a 2008 thread about a hunt in Colorado.

[FerretWYO]

To my knowledge I have not called in a cat while calling elk though I am sure that many have and just don realize it because they never saw them.  

I have been fortunate enough to see several cats in the wild (without following hounds) and have always been amazed at how well they blend in and can vanish in a blink.

That is an awesome picture Michael.

[Friend]

Interesting thread. Have had one 5 yard encounter with these big kitty's ~25 years ago. Still seems like yesterday and that memory has served as plenty.

Do find your braver soul's encounters extremely interesting, however don't make them so detailed that I actually feel that I am beside you. Once was enough for me.

[snag]

After my encounters it is harder for me to take a much enjoyed afternoon nap on a grassy hillside while elk hunting!