You have your work cut out for you.
Lions are REAL big on traveling.
Say you have a recent kill ....... like real recent. That cat could be holed up a mere hundred yards away or miles away already OR still in the general area and paying pass by visits to that kill every so often but either feeding on it or not.
That's where tons of scouting pays off because if you call into an "empty auditorium" you've utterly wasted your time.
Second, much has been made of using cougar sounds.
Two thoughts:
You MUST know what "kind" of cougar you are seeking to use cougar sounds. Is it a female? Does she have kitten(s)? Is it a male?
The wrong cougar sound will drive the cat off.
And, as to the cougar sounds themselves .... they must be GOOD sounds.
I have recently listened to an FX3 upgraded to a five and I would not play the coug sounds I heard to a cougar. I would play the house cat fight .... I thought it had merit.
What I would do in your case is to use prey sounds (rabbit, birds, elk cow or better yet elk calf) and off set from the most recent kill, providing you can discern the cat is still in the area.
I have no affiliation with any call company. I am merely a rancher/hunter with my own cougar problem AND I have friends with several of the major calls and sounds. For my money, I have not bought ANY of them for cougs. If I was forced to buy one (I opt instead for the MP3 route) I would buy the WT .... but I don't consider the package worth the money. It's a matter of equipment and reproduction of the sounds/ recording of the sounds.
Also, I would hunt with a partner set up in such a way to cover as many possible cougar approaches as is possible. You would be AMAZED at how such a large animal as a cougar can sneek in and even out UNDETECTED!
Your movement has to be ZERO .... or you will be busted sure as an ice cube melts in boiling water. On the necessary long stands ...... that's tough! I suggest you think about blinds for you and your partner. A friend employed one two years ago and hit pay dirt TWICE ...... first one on day one and then a second cat on day two! His clients had never hunted cat before that says a lot. He used just plain elk cow meows.
A well trained dog ....... what I mean is one that stays put and keeps quiet except for quietly alerting you on your stand is employed by a good many cat callers. The dog extends your eyes and ears etc. A little fur ball dog is a good as a big bone crusher for this purpose .... probably better!
Hope this has not scarred you off! That's not the intent.
Three 44s
