AZ Mountain Lion

A friend of mine is losing beef to a lion here in AZ, other than dogs anyone got any suggestions to fixing this problems.

I say other than dogs because I don't have any access to dogs

Patience and the time for it :-)

Call him. A lot of lions are called in every year, but they are so sneaky that they come and go without being seen. Just make sure you can see a lot of country, preferably below you, and keep a close eye out and be patient. A remote caller would be best so he doesn't jump on your back.

Why not find a local outfitter and see if they want to hunt your property. You could help each other out...

I like the call idea, I've done that with coyotes. My partner is scouting the area this weekend so we can get the layout

find the kill and sit on it, they will revisit it regularly until it's gone or rotten. Next to dogs sitting on a fresh kill is the most reliable way to get a lion. Next would be calling then incidental contact and last baiting unless you use live bait which is frowend upon ethically and possibly legally, although I've heard of people that will use rabbits and although not recently I've heard of them breaking a leg so they scream. Personally I don't have the stomach for that and I'm not sure of the legal ramifications.

But not always. A friend lost 3 Alpacas to a lion one night and the DOW brought a trap and set it along with a camera "watching" the site, but the lion never came back. That cat was a
one-hitter for sure. I saw what we definitely believe to be the same cat a few weeks later and I definitely could have put the wallop on him (even scoped him out with my AR) but it was on the adjoining property I lease and it was made clear in the lease agreement that hunting was OFF LIMITS.

Call with a partner and sit back to back. MHO

Gregg....it' a suggestions. You don't know if it will or will not be back. You don't have to be the counter point all the time...



How about you hold the caller, sit about a hundred yards away and let someone watch your back?

Once ya get a mountain lion, what do you do with it? Can ya eat them?? Seems like that would be right up there with eating opposum!!

Just curious. I know most people here shoot yotes and leave them lay. Is that the same with lions??

I know people who have eaten it and said it was delicious. As to the original post I would put out my foxpro and call. If you can legally do it at night with a red lens spotlight that would be my first choice.

If I can kill it ill skin him out and probably have the hide tanned, but probably won't be eating lion

The backstrap is tolerable. Can't say it's good, but tolerable. I've eaten african lion backstrap, too. Tastes is not too bad either, but about as chewy as a tire.

I don't have expeirence with lions but I have read on other forums where they call near a kill sight with a FoxPro so that way they can keep it away from the hunter, as for eating it, if it is anything like bobcat I would thing it would be pretty good, bobcat is like eating pork almost.

Bait and call, would be my tactic, if legal there. If you can find a fresh kill and set up on it, like Rod said, I think your chances would be better because the cat will know it is there. It really depends on the availability of food when, and if it will return.

Interesting. I've always thought that American lions would be a great hunt. Best of luck with your eradications.
Steve

A friend of mine in AZ was calling coyotes and a lion came and took his electronic caller and ran down a canyon. He found the call the next day but it wasn't in the best of shape. Talk about someone hating lions now lol.

Ya know thats a story that would be great on tv as bloopers or believe it or not.LOL

if a cat has done what greg is talking about then it's the exception and it has either started killing for kicks or it may be teaching it's young to kill but I've seen them do that more with domestic pets. I tracked one my brother in law had going through his yard and I found one house cat half buried and another hanging in a tree. It was a mother and two kittens being taught to hunt and to the kittens it's just a game at that point.

Well at least they were practicing on cats... I hate cats.

Bobcats have come to my foxpro, I put out a foxpro moving decoy too and they dont pay much attention to me. Dont think any cougars have come in. All of my encounters have been just chance while looking for deer. Ive seen six cougars and I dont think they hear too well. Five of them never even glanced in my direction but managed to vanish into the thick stuff before I could shoot.

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rbecker, you definitely have my respect for seeing six cougars!

I have an older FoxPro and it has served me well also. I have tried the moving decoy thing with it, but it seems that when the action gets hot, (two or more coyotes coming in) I end up bumbling with the FoxPro controls and trying to figure out: do I turn the sound down, turn it up, change it to another different sound; or do I stop the moving decoy, or change its pattern, or ??? Or just do nothing? But wait, what about when they stop and hesitate...???

Well got the scouting report back and it sounds like really rough terain, even for dogs. Ranges sounds long and calling sounds like the only options. Ill keep you up to date as I can thanks for the help guys

I missed this originally...it was on the first page yet bordered on the second on my 'puter... sorry...

DanB, that is not any different than what I have done already on several hundred calling stands, except

...I had nobody watching my back...

and I was using a mouth call, which was even more dangerous (ie. movement, etc.). But none the less, DanB, thank you for your confidence in me. I would not let ya down; you can definitely count on it.

Good luck and please do and you are welcome...

good luck!

This might be to late but, keep in mind that hunting over ANY kind of bait is illegal in Az
I would use a call(electronic or otherwise) and possibly a decoy such as a fawn or elk calf

oh yes, what an opportunity..... as for the food aspect of the cat, when a man is hungry, the taste buds are much less picky. But I know of several hunters that were high in the mountains when darkness arrived that bivouc'd for the night and the cat carcass served up just dandy. with no complaints .

Ya don't think I'll be eating lion, doesn't sound good at all.

Haven't made it out there yet but will soon, just had to much going on

Night Stalker

Cats are very unpredictable, if you do not have dogs then the next best choice is calling. And keep in mind that they will hunt you..