# Cougar Hunting?



## Bucksnort (Nov 15, 2007)

I just wanted to throw a question out there. Are dogs the only effective way to hunt a lion? What are the options for a person without dogs? Has anyone taken a lion without dogs? Thanks

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## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

In all reality if you want to hunt cougars you need to do it with dogs. If you don't have dogs the best way is to hire a outfitter that runs them for a living. 

I feel lucky in that I have seen a number of them in the wild without dogs but there are others that spend their whole lives in the outdoors and never do see one. I know a couple of fish and game cops that have never seen one while out hiking or hunting without dogs.


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

I would use dogs for sure.

I can remember only seeing 3 cougars in the wild; 2 while driving at night and one lion sitting out in the open watching my tent while we were walking back to the tent. 

I'm getting close to having enough points to draw again. 

Good luck Bucksnort.

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## KineKilla (Jan 28, 2011)

wyogoob said:


> I would use dogs for sure.
> 
> I can remember only seeing 3 cougars in the wild; 2 while driving at night and one lion sitting out in the open watching my tent while we were walking back to the tent.
> 
> ...


I looked at the draw odds and frankly, they have always kind of confused me. I finally broke down and bought my first Lion point this year though. Is there any particular unit that is more desirable to hunt cats in?

An old friend of my father's used to have dogs and lived up north (Huntsville) but I'm not sure where or when he hunted them.

** To the OP...I've hunted since before I could walk and have never seen a lion in the wild. I caught one on camera a couple years ago but that's the closest I've ever come. **


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## wyogoob (Sep 7, 2007)

KineKilla said:


> I looked at the draw odds and frankly, they have always kind of confused me. I finally broke down and bought my first Lion point this year though. Is there any particular unit that is more desirable to hunt cats in?
> 
> ......................................................


I don't know a lot about lion hunting, especially Utah lion hunting. I like Morgan Rich South because it's close to Evanston.

I have a friend in Monroe that has always done well on Monroe Mountain and some work associates that did good around Vernal back in the day.

When I was a younger man I ran with a guy in southwest Wyoming that did pursuit only lion hunts. It was fun, and really hard work if the snow was deep.


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## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

I've visited a few varmint calling websites where they talk about calling cougars in, and they even post a few pictures of successful hunts, but I'm guessing compared to a hound hunt calling isn't very effective. The thing you have to understand is that a female lion has a home range of 25 square miles and a tom has one of 35 square miles, and their isn't a whole lot of overlap between individual territories. What this means for a caller is that even in prime habitat there is a lot of empty space where no lions exist. 

Also, lions are primarily predators and not scavengers. I suspect cougars respond to predator calls more out of curiosity rather than any other reason. Nonetheless, they will creep in to see what all the ruckus is about if you can get within sound range.

So if you don't have dogs and aren't good friends with a houndsman you can always try calling, I'm sure the DWR would appreciate the donation. ;-)


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