Cougar calling Sequence?

[DeadlyDilly]

I just spent my first day trying to call a cougar. I was unsuccessful in calling one in. That being said. What is a typical sequence or how do I call this time of year? I know they are matting and what not so I didn't know if that would be better than a fawn or rabbit call this time of year? I'm super new to this. I have also got MP3 sounds from shadow rain and catcalls.org I have watched a lot of youtube on calling one in but its pretty flooded with hound hunting.

Im in Western Washington.

Thanks for the help!

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

1) Stop listening to the "experts" as they will lead you to believe that you can regularly call and kill a lion on a regular basis. Are they showing scores of fruitless calling sessions or are they cherry picking and only showing highlights?
2) A mountain lion's home range can vary from 20-100+ square miles. What do you think the odds are that you will be within ear-shot of that mountain lion while calling? If there is no fresh sign, you are pissing in the wind more often than not.
3) You call has to be interesting enough for the mountain lion to come in to investigate. Do be mindful about conditioning the mountain lions that a specific series of sounds over a period of time means humans are present. Think "Hoochie Mama" on the elk call side.
4) Assuming a mountain lion does come in, do not expect the lion to be stupid and walk in (can happen but not the norm). Do expect them to lay up and scrutinize the vicinity. They may very well see you and you will likely not see them. If they see you, it is game over more often than not.
5) Do be prepared for the unexpected as any animal can come charging in and/or flying in.

 

[tuffcrk14]

Just recently read an article from Predator Extreme magazine about calling mountain lions. An awesome read that I’d recommend you take a look at. It’s their fall of 2022 magazine edition that you can access online for free. Hope that helps


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Harvey_NW]

1) Stop listening to the "experts" as they will lead you to believe that you can regularly call and kill a lion on a regular basis.

Washington is loaded with cats. I live on the east slope of the Cascades and there is so much territorial overlap we have multiple treed and euthanized by the dept a year, in the lower land residential areas. I understand what you're saying, just adding some perspective. I saw a post in a hunting page just the other day of a guy that killed one his first attempt, blew a Primos Catnip out into a clear cut and hammered one in 5 min. Banning hound hunting really screwed a lot of our state up..

 

[AZ_Hunter_2000]

Washington is loaded with cats. I live on the east slope of the Cascades and there is so much territorial overlap we have multiple treed and euthanized by the dept a year, in the lower land residential areas. I understand what you're saying, just adding some perspective. I saw a post in a hunting page just the other day of a guy that killed one his first attempt, blew a Primos Catnip out into a clear cut and hammered one in 5 min. Banning hound hunting really screwed a lot of our state up..

If it was that easy and common, everyone and their mother would be hammering mountain lions on a daily basis.

Since the mountain lion season began in August 2022 in Arizona, 230 have been harvested out of a total quota of 354. This includes this entire season being open to using hounds. If lions were "that" easy to call, let alone get with hounds, the quota would have been met months ago.

Folks do get lucky but it is naive to believe that a quick little call will get you a lion just because some dude on the Internet said to do X, Y, and Z. Can it happen? Yes, but not on a consistent basis. It is like the real estate infomercials. If that person was that really good and it really was that easy, they'd be keeping to themselves rather than telling the masses about it and financially benefit from their "generosity" in sharing their knowledge.

 

[Harvey_NW]

If it was that easy and common, everyone and their mother would be hammering mountain lions on a daily basis.

I didn't say it was easy, or common. I said we have a high cat population that we can't manage with dogs, so it happens more here than most places.

Since the mountain lion season began in August 2022 in Arizona, 230 have been harvested out of a total quota of 354. This includes this entire season being open to using hounds. If lions were "that" easy to call, let alone get with hounds, the quota would have been met months ago.

Cool, but we were talking about Western Washington. Completely different landscape, environment, management, etc. Apples to oranges.

Let's try to keep predator hunters in Washington encouraged. We are the only managers.

 

[fattyboy70]

This guy puts in the time and maybe you’ve seen his stuff, if not his videos are worth watching

https://m.youtube.com/@joelewis9106

 

[DeadlyDilly]

This guy puts in the time and maybe you’ve seen his stuff, if not his videos are worth watching

https://m.youtube.com/@joelewis9106

Love Joes videos I bought his calls!

If it was that easy and common, everyone and their mother would be hammering mountain lions on a daily basis.

Since the mountain lion season began in August 2022 in Arizona, 230 have been harvested out of a total quota of 354. This includes this entire season being open to using hounds. If lions were "that" easy to call, let alone get with hounds, the quota would have been met months ago.

Folks do get lucky but it is naive to believe that a quick little call will get you a lion just because some dude on the Internet said to do X, Y, and Z. Can it happen? Yes, but not on a consistent basis. It is like the real estate infomercials. If that person was that really good and it really was that easy, they'd be keeping to themselves rather than telling the masses about it and financially benefit from their "generosity" in sharing their knowledge.

Im just asking for a sequence, not on how easy it is. I'm not to concerned about easy vs hard but if there is a cat in the area id like to be efficient and be able to call it in. Especially since it sounds hard by the way you describe it.

Wanted some advice from people that have done it.

Just recently read an article from Predator Extreme magazine about calling mountain lions. An awesome read that I’d recommend you take a look at. It’s their fall of 2022 magazine edition that you can access online for free. Hope that helps


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I will check it out!

 

[tkhuntsman]

I just spent my first day trying to call a cougar. I was unsuccessful in calling one in. That being said. What is a typical sequence or how do I call this time of year? I know they are matting and what not so I didn't know if that would be better than a fawn or rabbit call this time of year? I'm super new to this. I have also got MP3 sounds from shadow rain and catcalls.org I have watched a lot of youtube on calling one in but its pretty flooded with hound hunting.

Im in Western Washington.

Thanks for the help!

I like a high pitch bird distress and the sound need to be almost constant to keep their attention. Make your stand for at least an hour and use a decoy of some kind. I have done it successfully like this I also called one in over a waterhole in the desert where I found his fresh tracks with a deer distress.

 

[CastleRocker]

I've called in way more with cougar vocalizations than anything else. It seems to me that when they think they're coming to another cat, they don't sneak as much. My problem has been getting a shot at them when they come. Learn how to shoot opposite handed! They seem to circle above and to my right, which makes right handed shots impossible. Look up Rainshadow Game calls, and the menu at the top right has quite a few call-in stories that tell their calling sequences. Steve is the cougar calling Master, and although he moved to Selah a few years back, he lived and called around of Sequim for a long time.

 

[dkart004]

I’ve been calling for a few years now and have only called in one lion that I know of. He, a big tom, actually came into a grey fox distress sound. I think with lions you’ve gotta just be in the right place at the right time. More luck than anything.

 

[twizzler]

1) Stop listening to the "experts" as they will lead you to believe that you can regularly call and kill a lion on a regular basis. Are they showing scores of fruitless calling sessions or are they cherry picking and only showing highlights?
2) A mountain lion's home range can vary from 20-100+ square miles. What do you think the odds are that you will be within ear-shot of that mountain lion while calling? If there is no fresh sign, you are pissing in the wind more often than not.
3) You call has to be interesting enough for the mountain lion to come in to investigate. Do be mindful about conditioning the mountain lions that a specific series of sounds over a period of time means humans are present. Think "Hoochie Mama" on the elk call side.
4) Assuming a mountain lion does come in, do not expect the lion to be stupid and walk in (can happen but not the norm). Do expect them to lay up and scrutinize the vicinity. They may very well see you and you will likely not see them. If they see you, it is game over more often than not.
5) Do be prepared for the unexpected as any animal can come charging in and/or flying in

The important thing is to read and study and observe from field encounters is their behavior and reaction to certain situations. I on the other hand don’t agree with the elk being call shy to a hoochie mama. I don’t think elk and animals are capable of distinguishing human from a simple call. I just think the people who choose to use a hoochie mama obviously don’t know behavior of an elk from their hind end. Someone who know the behavior of elk and uses the hoochie mama at the appropriate time, will call in an elk.
Learn the behavior of a cat. And Just like an elk, you won’t be able to call one a cat in unless they’re within a certain distance away. Use multiple trail cams within a 10-20 mile range, find areas where cats are trending, and hone in on that spot. Good luck

 

[lazydrifter]

A few days ago I came out of an area I had been hunting deer in, got in to my truck and made it about 1/4 mile down the road and a cougar loped across the road in front of me. Having a cougar tag I jumped out of my truck, grabbed my rifle and headed into the timber after him. It was fairly thick, visibility was maybe 30 or 40 feet. Went in about 100 yards and sat down to see if I could hear anything. sat there for about 1/2 hour in case there happened to be any more coming along. Never heard or saw anything. Curious as to how someone who is familiar with cats would have handled this situation. Any calls that might have worked?

 

[sportsmans challenge]

I've called in way more with cougar vocalizations than anything else. It seems to me that when they think they're coming to another cat, they don't sneak as much. My problem has been getting a shot at them when they come. Learn how to shoot opposite handed! They seem to circle above and to my right, which makes right handed shots impossible. Look up Rainshadow Game calls, and the menu at the top right has quite a few call-in stories that tell their calling sequences. Steve is the cougar calling Master, and although he moved to Selah a few years back, he lived and called around of Sequim for a long time.

He also has a ton of videos or used to and at one time had e sounds you could download and play on top of hand calls. Great guy to deal with

 

[roosiebull]

I have killed 4 lions calling, and I put in a lot of effort. I’m confident if a lion is within earshot, chances are good, I feel like they are easy to call in, but it’s extremely difficult to be within earshot of a lion while calling.

I don’t do much cold calling anymore, because it’s been fruitless, I cover ground looking for fresh sign rather than using that time cold calling, makes more sense to me

My calling sequence has been pretty much the same on each successful call in, a couple minutes of distress and then lion vocals, and I don’t pause much in calling, I don’t think they are call shy… I treat it like calling roosies, loud and proud

I have only had one sneak in with lion vocals, I caught it sneaking away at 37yds and whacked it

It’s certainly the hardest tag to fill on purpose, it’s not for the easily discouraged, but it can be done.

They always want to approach from above, so take that into account when setting up, it’s important and makes it harder to find good setups. I recently got a couple tree stands that will solve that issue and make hunting them on NF land possible… hunting on the ground in big second growth is pretty much pointless, you’ll never see one you call in between the ferns, salmonberry, huckleberry and vine maple… a tree stand makes it possible, and as a bonus gets your movement off the ground where they will see you if you move at all… they spot movement for a living.

I love hunting lions, and it’s so insanely satisfying when it works out because of the difficulty. There is nothing more exciting than watching a lion appear out of nowhere at 30yds… it’s surreal.

If you are dedicated, it’s doable to kill one a year if you have some time to try. I don’t change my general sequence any time of year, I keep the strategy the same but mix it up with actual sounds, but with lion vocals, I don’t think they hang up and become educated very often, they are a bold animal and a territorial animal so I don’t worry about educating them like coyotes… lions seem to come in decisively when they do.

You also can have an impact in a small region, i have killed 3 in one area and then for awhile, i wasn’t seeing cat sign and started getting deer pics on my cam I had out to for lions. It’s getting back to bad now, but i plan on beating it up this winter, i know the country well and know how lions use it

That brings me to another important aspect, the rest of the year when not chasing cats, pay attention to sign and where you see it, and how often

I have a pretty good list of places to check for fresh sign, and that’s helpful to race into an area and check for fresh sign.

Understand that it takes a lot of effort and it’s not an instant gratification activity, but it’s doable if you are dedicated enough to go try when you can

 

[bowuntr]

I have killed 4 lions calling, and I put in a lot of effort. I’m confident if a lion is within earshot, chances are good, I feel like they are easy to call in, but it’s extremely difficult to be within earshot of a lion while calling.

I don’t do much cold calling anymore, because it’s been fruitless, I cover ground looking for fresh sign rather than using that time cold calling, makes more sense to me

My calling sequence has been pretty much the same on each successful call in, a couple minutes of distress and then lion vocals, and I don’t pause much in calling, I don’t think they are call shy… I treat it like calling roosies, loud and proud

I have only had one sneak in with lion vocals, I caught it sneaking away at 37yds and whacked it

It’s certainly the hardest tag to fill on purpose, it’s not for the easily discouraged, but it can be done.

They always want to approach from above, so take that into account when setting up, it’s important and makes it harder to find good setups. I recently got a couple tree stands that will solve that issue and make hunting them on NF land possible… hunting on the ground in big second growth is pretty much pointless, you’ll never see one you call in between the ferns, salmonberry, huckleberry and vine maple… a tree stand makes it possible, and as a bonus gets your movement off the ground where they will see you if you move at all… they spot movement for a living.

I love hunting lions, and it’s so insanely satisfying when it works out because of the difficulty. There is nothing more exciting than watching a lion appear out of nowhere at 30yds… it’s surreal.

If you are dedicated, it’s doable to kill one a year if you have some time to try. I don’t change my general sequence any time of year, I keep the strategy the same but mix it up with actual sounds, but with lion vocals, I don’t think they hang up and become educated very often, they are a bold animal and a territorial animal so I don’t worry about educating them like coyotes… lions seem to come in decisively when they do.

You also can have an impact in a small region, i have killed 3 in one area and then for awhile, i wasn’t seeing cat sign and started getting deer pics on my cam I had out to for lions. It’s getting back to bad now, but i plan on beating it up this winter, i know the country well and know how lions use it

That brings me to another important aspect, the rest of the year when not chasing cats, pay attention to sign and where you see it, and how often

I have a pretty good list of places to check for fresh sign, and that’s helpful to race into an area and check for fresh sign.

Understand that it takes a lot of effort and it’s not an instant gratification activity, but it’s doable if you are dedicated enough to go try when you can

Someone who's been there, done that giving solid advise... not just saying what they've heard. Thanks roosibull. Ed F

 

[roosiebull]

Sign is a big deal, and of course lions don’t always leave recognizable tracks in many areas, since we rarely get snow on the west side, being able to spot scrapes is very important… once you know what you’re looking for/at, you’ll see them very often, and they are easy to tell when fresh or old

Scrapes are often found in the timber on main game trails or ridge tops, but also see them on landings in cuts that are covered in bark chips, or just a area of bark chips anywhere on the top of a cut

You will see them in other random places too, but timber trails and bark chips around cuts are the 2 classic areas to see them…. They also give you a direction the cat is going

They kick their back 2 legs and make a very distinct scrape, and you can often see individual divots from each foot… key in on these

Some times in the timber, they will scrape every 50yds, and will reuse scrapes as well… when you find scrapes, you found one of the trails they use frequently (frequently is relative with lions)

I think most believe that only toms scrape, but that isn’t true, I have trail cam pics of female lions scraping, and they seem to scrape as much as a tom

 

[Steve300xcw]

Well no shit? I was lookin at that on friday

 

[Voyageur]

@roosiebull
It looks to me like a lion scrape is similar in appearance to a canine kickback?
Thanks for sharing your experience in the above posts.

 

[roosiebull]

@roosiebull
It looks to me like a lion scrape is similar in appearance to a canine kickback?
Thanks for sharing your experience in the above posts.

It’s very similar