Planning a Mountian Lion Hunt and Have a Few Questions

[Arcola]

Dry ground would be really cool to watch the dogs work but there’s something pretty special about deep snow and cold in the mountains. Breaking trail with the trucks and the feeling of the hunt as it ebbs and flows with the weather.

 

[Montana Matt]

Snow definitely increases your chances of success. It holds the scent for the hounds far better than dry ground.
It also gives you a chance to see the size of the cat you are considering chasing. Experienced houndsmen know how big a cat is by its track.
If you can shoot a pistol well enough to hit a 6 inch plate at 30 yards, carry the pistol. I've been under the tree enough times to tell you that anything bigger and bulkier is just more crap to carry and break when you are slipping and falling on steep icy hillsides.
Decide ahead of time what your standards will be... Any adult representative cat? Odds are pretty good in a good area with good weather. A 150 lb tom? You will probably make many trips. They are out there, but it's kind of like the proverbial 30" mule deer buck.
And get in shape... Running around after hounds in the mountains in dead of winter is way tougher than fall deer, elk, sheep or goat hunting. I personally think it can be the most physically demanding hunting in the lower 48. (And then sometimes the hounds get a fresh hot track and the chase is over in a quarter mile...but don't count on that.)
I can't comment on outiftters. No experience with them...

 

[Flazyj]

I'm a cat hunting failure. 7 hunts, 5 outfitters, 4 states and Alberta, 42 days hunted and no big tom. I'm talking about trying to take a big tom of 150lbs plus. Been under 5 cats mostly females. Below are my thoughts.

1. If you will take near any cat, success goes way up.
2. Nearly any state or outfitter can produce a good cat. It's all about finding the "right" cat if your trophy hunting.
3. Every outfitter has taken a good cat or two, the trick is do they do it consistently.
4. Snow is not necessary but it sure helps. Dry ground involves a ton of work, skill, and luck. Need a specialist for this.


I'll just say this. And keep in mind my desire to only kill a true trophy cat colors my outlook.

If I ever try again I'll only book an on call hunt with snow.
I'll narrow my search down to areas that hold big cats and outfitters that only try to harvest that size cat.
I'll also look at areas with limited access such as private land or limited tags.
Dig deep into my wallet. Successful hunts for big cats need to be ran like a military operation with multiple scouts and lots of equipment.
Pray for a lot of luck or divine intervention.

The two outfitters you listed are good. I will throw in Bull Creek Outfitter as well. I'd say Biggerstaff is as much as some BC outfitters but you gotta be careful up there. Small areas and quite a bit of competition.

I'll throw Byron Stewart and Kelly Morton in Alberta in but you better dig deep.

Good luck.

I don’t know anything abut these outfitters but this is all solid information!

Pack a pistol you can shoot good and is 100% reliable. Most problem kills are because of a less than perfect first shot followed by a malfunction.

 

[Ldpete]

I had the same struggles as you picking an outfitter and looking for info on the hunt. If you can swing it I highly recommend Byron Stewart with TNT Outfitting, just got back in from my hunt and it’s right up there with the best of them. Like one guy said you gotta dig deep but for a 1 & done lion hunt he’s your guy!

 

[Mojave]

My brother in law had lion and cat hounds in Colorado and Utah, and ran cats in Wyoming as a non-resident for years.

He has taken quite a few, age and horse wrecks got him out of it. .

Western Montana, and Eastern Idaho/Pandhandle Idaho, Wyoming are probably the best bet. There are tons of cats in Wyoming, Montana and Idaho.

You could spend some time researching Boone and Crocket to see what state is producing the most big cats every year. Not every big cat shot gets measured for a book. So the books will lie to you.

Utah is on some sort of a lottery for lion tags.

Wyoming, Montana and Idaho they are OTC.

He was very snow reliant. Not enough snow, or no good snow and he wouldn't want to waste his time. Heavy fresh snow and he was out there.

6 days might have good snow, or not.

Hunt late in the season and maybe the quota closes.

There are a lot things that can screw it up.

They have a more varied diet than people realize, they become specialist on certain animals. There was a cat in New Mexico that lived on pronghorn. Something I never thought was a thing.

You want someone with horses or mules and a good track record. Everything else is kind of a guess.

the method of take doesn't really matter. A rifle is an advantage, if you get a cat treed 200 yards away that you can see from a ridge and you can shoot him from where you are.

The bow is not significantly better or worse than a pistol. I realize there is a Pope and Young classification for mountain lions, but to me honestly this isn't really any more "sporting" as you are standing under an animal tied to a tree by it's own fear.

 

[Tourguide]

Good info, heading to Colorado for my lion hunt in a few days, taking a 44 mag carbine

 

[Scottf270]

Tour guide, how did your lion hunt go?

 

[Tourguide]

Tour guide, how did your lion hunt go?

The hunt was awesome, I took 2 teenagers that had never seen the mountains. Conditions were not optimal, so although we chased a couple lions, it was basically dry ground and what snow they had was ice, so hard to keep on the track. The guys I hunted with were awesome and I'm going back next year. As my luck would have it, woke up to 4 inches of fresh snow the morning we had to leave, they killed a nice tom that day and another nice one 3 days after that. Saw bighorns, elk, mules, antelope, everything but a cat

 

[Cedarmtn]

The hunt was awesome, I took 2 teenagers that had never seen the mountains. Conditions were not optimal, so although we chased a couple lions, it was basically dry ground and what snow they had was ice, so hard to keep on the track. The guys I hunted with were awesome and I'm going back next year. As my luck would have it, woke up to 4 inches of fresh snow the morning we had to leave, they killed a nice tom that day and another nice one 3 days after that. Saw bighorns, elk, mules, antelope, everything but a cat

did you ever make it back out and punch your tag?

 

[Tourguide]

did you ever make it back out and punch your tag?

Made it back yes, got a lion no. The weather didnt cooperate,,,, snow is very important in this game. Most of it melted, what was left was hard and frozen. The dogs will track on dry ground, but the visual track is very important, as the dogs can't tell difference between a bobcat, bear or lion scent-wise. BUT, it was probably the most fun I've had on any hunt. Going back this year again. Side note, snow was forecasted the day we left, and there were 2 more hunters had the next week booked, this is how it goes for me. The snow came and they both tagged out the first 2 days of their hunt. Had a really good time regardless and saw every other critter out there including big horns. To be continued....

 

[Flymost]

Definitely get on demand for when the snow flies. Three of us went on demand. On all kinds of tracks with the fresh snow and dwindled to nothing as the snow melted. Came back two months later for the last cat and were on his tracks before first light. First two were a female and a small male. Last was a big old Tom that we had lost in the cliffs the first trip.

 

[Cedarmtn]

Made it back yes, got a lion no. The weather didnt cooperate,,,, snow is very important in this game. Most of it melted, what was left was hard and frozen. The dogs will track on dry ground, but the visual track is very important, as the dogs can't tell difference between a bobcat, bear or lion scent-wise. BUT, it was probably the most fun I've had on any hunt. Going back this year again. Side note, snow was forecasted the day we left, and there were 2 more hunters had the next week booked, this is how it goes for me. The snow came and they both tagged out the first 2 days of their hunt. Had a really good time regardless and saw every other critter out there including big horns. To be continued....

I own and operate Cedar Mountain Outfitters in Arizona along with some of the best dry ground houndsmen and hounds on my team. We do 90%of our hunts in the dirt with 83% success rate over the last 2 seasons. We have some dogs that we specifically only run on Lion from the time they are pups so when we hunt them in the dirt, we know we are staying on track. If you ever have any interest in trying it off of mules in the dirt, we have some openings and our tags are otc, even if you want to just talk lion hunting in general, give me a shout anytime! 97O-584**4797

 

[Gpw]

Do any of these outfitters offer guaranteed hunts? Bearpaw outfitters in Idaho offer guaranteed hunts. He runs a good outfit. My look into it.

 

[Cedarmtn]

Do any of these outfitters offer guaranteed hunts? Bearpaw outfitters in Idaho offer guaranteed hunts. He runs a good outfit. My look into it.

I worked at Bearpaw for over 6 years. That is not a true "guarenteed hunt"
you pay half the cost of the hunt if you want to come back. They also dont have the dogs they used to, him or his son. They only catch a couple cats a year these days. Go on a bear hunt with them if you want to book with them, been over 100% for a lot of years

 

[Gpw]

I worked at Bearpaw for over 6 years. That is not a true "guarenteed hunt"
you pay half the cost of the hunt if you want to come back. They also dont have the dogs they used to, him or his son. They only catch a couple cats a year these days. Go on a bear hunt with them if you want to book with them, been over 100% for a lot of years

Thanks for the update