[goforbroke]

Can someone educate me on cougar hunting? One day I'd love to harvest a cougar, but not really interested to use hounds. I think hunting with hounds is awesome, I have just found I prefer to do my hunts DIY. I see they have changed the cougar qoutas and tags, but I haven't really looked into. Is spot and stalk a possibility? What unit is best? Do you eat cougar, or more just the pelt? I normally just put in for a point every year, but thought I might as well try and find some direction. Thanks in advance.

 

[MooseMeat]

Spot and stalk is always possible, just not probable. I buy a S&S tag just to have in my pocket. Not intending to hunt on it, but if the opportunity presents itself, I want to be able to capitalize on it. Spend enough time outside, you’ll maybe run into one eventually. But to kill one on purpose is going to take some work.

I wouldn’t eat one. And unless it’s killed November or later in the season, I’m probably not keeping the hide.

 

[Critter]

Cat meat is delirious, but as moose said your odds of running into one while hunting or trying to find one without dogs is very slim to non existence.

In my 50+ years of hunting I have only seen 5 cougars out in the wilds, but I have been fortunate enough to see a dozen or more while I have been working. My job took me into prime cat country quite often. I have found deer and elk that cats have killed along with seeing there tracks quite often but unless you get lucky your odds of seeing one is quite slim.

 

[2full]

Cougar backstrap is very good. Dip in a buttermilk dressing and flour. Pan fry. Salt and pepper to taste.

The guy that used to let me tag along and hunt with him always said....."best p#$$y you will ever eat."
But he was always a little crass.

I have 2 full mount cats in the house, they get the most comments and attention of my stuff.

I have only ever seen 3 cats in the wild when we weren't chasing them. Only 1 I could have gotten a shot at. (The son in law didn't reload the gun after I let him use it to shoot potguts.)

 

[ns450f]

I think your best bet for a succesful spot and stalk would be going out to an area with an active winter deer herd during or immediatley after a snow storm and attempting to find a fresh set of tracks.

If you could find fresh tracks, than start following them and spend a lot of time glassing in the direction the tracks are moving. Glass places a cat would post up like the tops of trees and rock ledges.

Maybe you could get lucky and spot one laying in the sun.

 

[MooseMeat]

"best p#$$y you will ever eat."

Sorry to hear he had such bad taste in women

 

[taxidermist]

I have a Cougar at the house. I call her Wife.

 

[Isuckathunting]

This thread has taken a hard 180° turn from where I thought it was headed.

 

[2full]

Sorry, I'll be nice from here on out

 

[PBH]

What are the season dates / rules on the S&S cougar tags?

I wish the DWR would change the S&S bear tags to allow harvest of a bear if the tag holder is hunting deer / elk in the unit for the tag -- make it like the cow elk tags. We see bears about every year while archery elk hunting -- it would be enticing to me to get a S&S bear tag if I was allowed to harvest it while archery elk hunting.

if they really want predators killed, then give the hunters with tags every opportunity available to kill them.

 

[MrShane]

Better yet, throw bears and cats in with the $50 Coyote bounty program.

 

[Critter]

Better yet, throw bears and cats in with the $50 Coyote bounty program.

Like that would ever happen

Sent from my SM-J737V using Tapatalk

 

[goforbroke]

Thanks for all the comments. Sounds like I'll keep putting in for a point, until I want a cat and then hiring a houndsman seems the best option. I have never seen a cat while hunting for other animals, so I figured it would be difficult.

 

[bthewilde]

I have heard it's exclusively a dog hunt, and dogs don't come cheap. I see outfitters in Nevada (where it is an OTC tag) charging about $2,000 - $5,000 depending on the service selected. I have always wanted to go! It's on my bucket list, but I can't get anyone to split it with me and the people (person...) I do know with Cat Dogs isn't exactly charitable because he knows what he has. Someday! Once my child support is over.

 

[wyogoob]

UWN Mountain Lion recipes:

Mountain Lion Steaks

Anyone here eaten Mountain lion? I cut the loin and round off of my cougar and I'm gonna give it a try. I found 8 recipes browsing the net. Can't be any worse than pork. I grew up on a hog farm in Illinois. We finished our pigs and steers with grain in the same feedlot........The pigs would...

www.utahwildlife.net

 

[Ray]

If I purchase a spot and stalk tag, will I lose my points?

 

[Ray]

I just called the DWR, it won’t take my points away

 

[jlofthouse16]

Cougar: I kept hounds and hunted Bobcats for many years. In all that time only got one cougar. Never seen a cougar without the hounds.

"Do you eat cougar, or more just the pelt?" Well I would not eat the cougar nor the pelt. First you gotta get the cougar before you wonder what to do with it.

 

[2:22]

I hunted lions for many years with hounds. I have ONLY seen one liion in my long hunting life without the hounds chasing it. It needs to be said however that we were in pursuit of the said lion but he didn't know it yet. I got up on a hill and glassed the cliffs at the back of the canyon and found him sunning himself. We kept after the track and soon enough, he knew he was being pursuid. You could go look for tracks in the snow then try to sneak on them or glass ahead but as mentioned, you are barking up the wrong tree. (pun intended)
Lions are nocturnal and do little moving during daylight hours. Follow some tracks and you will soon learn that they travel from tree to tree and go underneath the overhanging branches. They seldom go out in the open and if they do it is short lived. They are a very timid animal and hound hunts are by far the best. I think your best bet would be to try calling them but agian, they are very low success without dogs and they aren't an easily called animal.

 

[MooseMeat]

I hunted lions for many years with hounds. I have ONLY seen one liion in my long hunting life without the hounds chasing it. It needs to be said however that we were in pursuit of the said lion but he didn't know it yet. I got up on a hill and glassed the cliffs at the back of the canyon and found him sunning himself. We kept after the track and soon enough, he knew he was being pursuid. You could go look for tracks in the snow then try to sneak on them or glass ahead but as mentioned, you are barking up the wrong tree. (pun intended)
Lions are nocturnal and do little moving during daylight hours. Follow some tracks and you will soon learn that they travel from tree to tree and go underneath the overhanging branches. They seldom go out in the open and if they do it is short lived. They are a very timid animal and hound hunts are by far the best. I think your best bet would be to try calling them but agian, they are very low success without dogs and they aren't an easily called animal.

If they are nocturnal, how come 90% or more of my trail cam pics are of them in the middle of the day over the last 15 years? I rarely get one at night. And the lions I’ve seen have been cruising around mid to late mornings… walking ridges and basins… wide open 🤔