In 1996, right after dogs were banned here in Washington, there was an article in the Washington Hunting and Fishing News about tracking Cougars in the snow. The article said basically to find a fresh track and follow it. The cats are not smart enough to know that their tracks are leading you to them. This does not put the pressure on the cat that a pack of barking dogs will. The cat will continue to move along ahead of you until it tires of the game. It will then tree or hide in a brush pile, but the tracks give this away.
About three years ago on the Bowsites Cougar Conference, two different hunters posted success stories about taking cats in this way. In one of the stories, there were three hunters pursuing the cat. Two were smoke jumpers and the other was one of their wives. These guys were probably young and in good physical condition. The two guys were in the lead with the wife lagging behind. They suddenly lost the track, it had just vanished. They went on a ways trying to find it again. Then they heard a shot behind them. They went back to find the wife with a nice cat laying dead in the snow. The cat had jumped straight up into a tree, and they had passed right under it. The wife did not make that mistake.
Two years ago, a local guy I know got a 100 pound female after following its tracks for less than a mile.
I have been discussing this strategy via e-mail with a couple of members of this board.
I was surprised to learn last night that one of them took a nice tom three years ago using this method. I hope he will share his story.
I would like to learn more on hunting this way. I hope that guys like Bob Mc and anyone else that has experience chasing cats in the snow will share some information. I jumped a cat right at dark in February 1996 after following its tarcks for a half mile on a logging road. That snow was 12" deep and realtively flat ground. I have never been on a long jaunt through deep snow. How deep of snow can one travel up and down steep country in? Do you need snowshoes?
We had a good snow storm over the week-end, and my son and I saw a nice cat Monday a half hour before dark. But we were unable to get close enough before dark. We are in the middle od another big storm right now. After this passes, it should be good hunting.
I appreciate any help.
Bob
About three years ago on the Bowsites Cougar Conference, two different hunters posted success stories about taking cats in this way. In one of the stories, there were three hunters pursuing the cat. Two were smoke jumpers and the other was one of their wives. These guys were probably young and in good physical condition. The two guys were in the lead with the wife lagging behind. They suddenly lost the track, it had just vanished. They went on a ways trying to find it again. Then they heard a shot behind them. They went back to find the wife with a nice cat laying dead in the snow. The cat had jumped straight up into a tree, and they had passed right under it. The wife did not make that mistake.
Two years ago, a local guy I know got a 100 pound female after following its tracks for less than a mile.
I have been discussing this strategy via e-mail with a couple of members of this board.
I was surprised to learn last night that one of them took a nice tom three years ago using this method. I hope he will share his story.
I would like to learn more on hunting this way. I hope that guys like Bob Mc and anyone else that has experience chasing cats in the snow will share some information. I jumped a cat right at dark in February 1996 after following its tarcks for a half mile on a logging road. That snow was 12" deep and realtively flat ground. I have never been on a long jaunt through deep snow. How deep of snow can one travel up and down steep country in? Do you need snowshoes?
We had a good snow storm over the week-end, and my son and I saw a nice cat Monday a half hour before dark. But we were unable to get close enough before dark. We are in the middle od another big storm right now. After this passes, it should be good hunting.
I appreciate any help.
Bob