AZ Lion Down!

Originally Posted By: YellowhammerUnbelievable! And with a shotgun too. Not sure how you could ever mistake that for a coyote or bobcat though.

In hindsight, yeah, how did I miss that?! But I have to explain my mindset on stands with my kids. They are young, 6 and 4. Obviously they already have pretty keen eyes (we go look at animals in the forest a lot
smile.gif
) but I want to make sure they get to see the animal before I kill it. It’s no fun for them to go out and for me to sit still and watch and kill stuff and then they can see it when we get up to it. I want them to see the whole thing and experience it with me. With this lion, my daughter on the left got me on it and as soon as I locked on it I broke contact with it and was busy trying to get my youngest to see it without making any movement. By the time I looked back up and turned the call back on, I just saw the figure slip from a young stand of oaks and go behind a ponderosa that was blocking my view. This is thick stuff remember, a shotgun stand. I raised up my shotgun while it was out of sight and when it appeared it was directly facing me and I could only see it’s head, chest, feet. No tail in view, no profile. I verified large cat and shot it. It weren’t no house cat obviously and I was excited and forgot I’d seen a tail. I did recognize is was a much bigger cat than I’m used to and as soon as it changed angle I was like “of course, way too big to be a bob.” I’m just not ever expecting a lion even in perfect lion country.

Mindset changed from now on!
 
Originally Posted By: FursniperThat is a very nice lion, congratulations! Did the AGFD give you an estimate on how old that lion was?

No and unfortunately it'll be like a year before the agent has him aged and then I can call and he'll look it up for me. Not a lot of busted teeth that I could see but I really don't know much about them.
 
Freaking awesome. That is my dream hunt. Alot of people want to go big game hunting, hunt in Africa, but I want to go out west and call a mt lion! One day I will. Awesome and congrats
 
Thanks guys, this truly was a hunt of a lifetime for me. That cat is the coolest animal I've ever seen. It's been a goal of mine to get a big cat one way or another, calling one in being the ultimate method. The Holy Grail. And to have my kids see it, I'm still completely thrilled about it. I keep telling my kids they are probably the only kids in their schools who have even seen a lion, let alone helped skin one!

Saffordhunter, not sure how familiar you are with AZ but he came out of the Oak Creek Canyon system in 6B.


 
Last edited:
Congratulations , great story and something you and your daughters will never forget. I hope I can muster up a tale like that one day. I've drawn a blank even in good cat country. Your daughters are lucky to have a dad that shows them what hunting is all about. Keep it up.
 
Originally Posted By: YellowhammerUnbelievable! And with a shotgun too. Not sure how you could ever mistake that for a coyote or bobcat though.

+1
 
Back
Top