cougar hunting? what caliber is good?

TripleDeuce660

TripleDeuce660

Active member
I'm wondering what most folks would use for calling cougars.

Is anyone useing .223?

I'm thinking .243 or bigger would be good since it might turn around and try to eat you if you wound it.

I'm thinking of trying up in oregon for a cougar. Of course i'll be packing a 10mm sidearm.
 
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Quote:Is anyone useing .223?


Yep, loaded with 60 gr. Nosler Partitions. If I quit posting on here, you'll know that didn't work out well.
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Cats are all about muscle and bone. That said the .223 should be fine with a bullet designed for penetration like the Nosler Partition mentioned above and good bullet placement.

Silvertp
 
my friend said there was a cougar laying in the middle of the street a few years ago in philomath. Sounds like they need some population control!
 
I plan on using my 4570, I think the 300 gr. fusion jacketed hollow points will be great medicine, and have the power to bust bone, be it shoulder or skull in the event of a charge.

But, I may look in to a bit heavier round not in a hollow point just to be sure it will bust through bone. I don't want the thing to have a chance at attacking me, so I'd prefer to break both shoulders on the shot, I don't know if that hollow point would fragment too much after hitting bone.

Aperture sights for fast acquisition, plenty of practice and "off" circumstances practice. I want to set a clay target thrower for throwing rabbits, put it 30-50 yards away, and have it throw skipping targets in my direction.

I figure, if you can hit a skipping clay target coming at you with good speed, you can kill that lion. Figuring out how to add some additional stress factors is still in the works.

I'd like to be as prepared as possible, and would rather be over gunned then under gunned.

Good luck to you, I hope you best the beast.
 
Well I just did it so i'm stuck now. I ordered a .223 tikka lite! Got the call today that i'm hired at a good job so I had to do it. Just ordered the leupy 1.5-5x20 vx-3 to go on it to! The price of ammo is what swayed me. I'll probably benifit more from practice then I will from a bigger caliber. Oh and tomarrow is my birthday and a job was the best gift ever lol!
 
Quote:my friend said there was a cougar laying in the middle of the street a few years ago in philomath.

I live within 20 miles of there. If you're going to be coming up here, PM me and I'll give you my number and show you how to get set up with some permits for the tree farms (free).

I'll back you up with the .308 if you want, too. I've even got a cougar tag.
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I'd say you might do better out near Sweet Home or Lebanon, but Philomath is a good possibility.
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That sounds good. We can run some rabbits with my beagles at E.E. wilson too. I will be there every free chance I get when the weather is good for running rabbits. WIth my new job i'm saving up for a house in oregon and will move when the economy gets better. Hopefully in 1 year.

By that time I might be a able to afford a .243 or a 12 ga.

I think I need a bunch more practice on coyote with my .223 before I go for dangerous game. Then buy the same gun in .243. I also need a bunch more trigger time on my 10mm. I should practice firing a shot or two then quickly pulling the 10mm and unloading on a charging object.
 
Here is a read from a couple of years back on another forum about calibers for cougars...

Granted the question here concerns calling cougars, but the point I want to make is that cougars will try to avoid human contact if at all possible unless severely injured and starving. And they don't require an African cartridge for killing purposes. They are a very thin skinned animal with minimal tissue to penetrate to get to the vitals

What I stated in this link is from actual experience while growing up, and part of what is stated is related by a modern day current internet era cougar hunter.

The cartridge used will probably surprise many experienced internet cougar hunters who have all kinds of Lions of Tsavo thoughts about cougars running through their heads..

http://www.204ruger.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=4217&hilit=cougar+hunting

For me, any flat shooting cartridge with a good expandable bullet will work for longer distances. If you call them in close, a 12 gauge will anchor them quickly and reliably, as will the cartridge mentioned in the link.. I've personally seen it done...

-BCB
 
You live in Garbage Grove and hunt E.E. Wilson every chance you get? You make a weekend trip out of it? What kind of job did you get that lets you travel that far to hunt rabbit's?
 
Originally Posted By: Don FischerYou live in Garbage Grove and hunt E.E. Wilson every chance you get? You make a weekend trip out of it? What kind of job did you get that lets you travel that far to hunt rabbit's?

I am moving to oregon. When I do I will then hunt E.E. Wilson every chance I get. Probably got a year or two of saving money before I can go.

I tried to relocate to oregon two years ago. I couldn't find any work up there. Saving up now to try again.
 
I have shot several lions with a 223 and killed them. With that said I feel a 6mm/ 243 is ideal for calling lions. A 85 grain soft point will do the job. I lost a lion a few years ago on a frontal shot with the 223. Would a larger caliber done better, I don't know. I shot it at about 300 yards and all I could see was the head and throat. I shot it right at dark and had a good blood trail but decided to wait till morning to follow it into the thick brush it went into. It ended up raining that night and couldn't find it. The others I have shot were DRT. The only other runner I have had was with a 30-06, frontal shot at about 200, shot thru the throat 1st shot, second shot running behind the shoulder. it went about 300 yards before piling up. As for the article that BCB has marked up there I have seen about a dozen lions and bears shot out of trees with a 22Mag pistol and in every case the critter stayed in the tree and fell out dead. The gentleman I ran hounds with years ago carries a Thompson contender pistol in 22 hornet and that is all he ever used. He felt that when a larger gun was used the critter usually jumped the tree at the shot. If it was dead, fine but often they hit the ground with a lot of fight left in them.

drscott
 
The words marked in yellow in the link I provided resulted from me searching for the information on the other forum using the words "cougar" and "hunting". I did not mark the words myself....

When I stated a flat shooting cartridge would work well for longer ranges when calling, the 243 Win/6MM Rem cartridge combo was specifically what I had in mind for myself if I was doing the calling, but not everyone owns one of them... So I went generic with "flat shooting"...

-BCB
 
Hey drscott,
Funny you mentioned the .22 mag. Years ago, I read an article on Bob Milek's cougar hunt, and it ended just as you mentioned. A close range, broadside shot at the treed cat (I believe using a Ruger SingleSix revolver) in .22 mag, and the cat dropped out of the tree stone dead.
 
Originally Posted By: TripleDeuce660I tried to relocate to oregon two years ago. I couldn't find any work up there. Saving up now to try again.

its worse now since the obasm and measures 66&67 passed
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im trying to get out. there are better, more conservative states with hunting as good or better. if i could sell my my house id be out of here in a heartbeat.
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maybe that will change come november
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I'm a rabbit hunter. No state beats oregon for rabbit. Oregon has 7 species open all year state wide! That is sweet. I been to every state in the west I like oregon the best.
 
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