Calling lions with lion calls

[HuntnMyselfBroke]

Anyone have any tips for using lion sounds to call in lions. What type of sounds? What sequences?

 

[roosiebull]

I generally start with distress (5 minutes tops unless I’m cold calling and wouldn’t mind whacking a coyote, then I’ll run distress for 10 minutes)

After that, I stick almost exclusively to whistles, and will pause the call fairly often just to break the cadence, but don’t mute for more than 30 seconds at a time, towards the end, if I have time, I may pause for 5 minutes at the end, then listen while the call is paused, then do 10 more minutes.

I use rain shadow call sounds, and like them. I have mixed in short sequences of different lion vocals during a setup and have had cats come in, but I don’t think it really matters… sometimes I think different calls may carry further in different conditions. I do use different whistles certain days, will usually try the different whistles paying attention to what carries better on that particular day, then will stick with that.

I don’t think they are smart, and think they are easy to call in relative to other critters, but it’s hard to get close enough for one to hear you.

I used to do a lot of cold calling, but have decided it’s usually better to use my time trying to cut sign… cut fresh sign, and the odds of calling a cat goes way up. If I do a big loop through a lot of country and come up empty, I might do a cold set on my way back out.

I hunt the coast, so sound never carries that well, so cold calling is a hard way to kill one. Calm frosty mornings are kinda the exception, sound seems to carry better.

Any time I’m hunting anything, I’m paying attention to lion sign and where I see it, they are fairly consistent how they work through country, so if you see scrapes or tracks, that’s a good place to look when you are going to call… the more spots you can decisively check, the better your odds of finding a fresh track or scrape, and the better your odds of killing one.

 

[roosiebull]

Another thing about calling lions, is that they want to approach from above the call, so make sure your setup is conducive for that. Things would be easier if that wasn’t the case, but it is.

The only way I have found to have the terrain advantage is if I’m pretty sure a cat is across a draw, you can set the call in the bottom and sit across the draw… that is an ideal setup, but not always realistic.

I still struggle with setups, because it’s always difficult to be below where you expect the cat to come, and can still see good enough to see one if it comes in, and have them not see you… it’s harder than you think to have a really good setup, use terrain to your advantage as much as you can (small draws can give you a good view of both sides, and you can put the call in a spot that funnels them into the draw.

I know some pretty catty areas on national forest land, but it’s almost impossible to find a good setup, just the ferns make it impossible in most areas. I bought a couple tree stands that I’m going to use in those areas, and should be a game changer on NF land. Sitting ground level, looking up in waist high ferns is pointless, you would never see them.

 

[weekender7]

roosiebull, I have seen some detailed responses on different subjects where a SME (subject matter expert) has shared their knowledge and experience. Your response above is at or at least near the TOP of that list. THANK YOU from an easterner that has never seen a lion but wants to.