So I shot a mountain lion out of a tree…
cougar
I hunt a lot and like to write about it. I share my writing with friends and family but rarely post stories on Bowsite for whatever reason.
This time I decided to contribute a story because I bet you’ve never heard one like this before, perhaps never again.
Proverbs 27:2 “Let someone else praise you, not your own mouth – a stranger, not your own lips.”
A few months ago, I was bowhunting in southern NM. There’s a whole lot more to the adventure, but I’ll only summarize the highlights. The link should take you to the long-winded complete version with a lot more photos.
I had hunted several days without any close-range action and no opportunities for a shot. Game seemed to be scarce, and it was a challenge trying to create opportunities. I wouldn’t say I was ever directly messed up by hunters, but I saw my share of them. Several were buffoons who seemingly didn’t know the first thing about bowhunting. Like one doofus who stood skylined on the ridge above me while chattering on his cell phone in speaker mode for half an hour, halfheartedly scanning with his binoculars held in one hand. Not only was he blowing his own chances but I’m sure his foolishness contributed to why I didn’t see anything that particular day, even after he had left the area.
I managed to blow one opportunity and miss a challenging shot. I can make up a variety of excuses, but the summary is my brain melted down and I used my 50-yard pin when I should have split the 50 and 60. You can argue about shot distances somewhere else.
Anyway, one evening I spotted another hunter. One who was the real deal and deadly serious. One that made me seem like just a weekend warrior way out of my element.
A Real Hunter
A Real Hunter
Indeed, just after sunset, I spied a mountain lion scanning for a meal from a rock shelf a couple hundred yards away. Although I held a lion tag, it really wasn’t even on my radar, so I lost time scrambling to retrieve my predator call from my backpack. By the time I started wailing like a tasty dying morsel the cat had disappeared, although it still had to be within auditory range. I squalled and whined as I scanned the area before me, which was generally open and provided a safe view of any approaching predator.
I heard rocks clink somewhere in the distance but couldn’t see the cat. Daylight was waning. Soon it became too dim to see beyond reasonable shooting distance and the lion still hadn’t materialized. Then it became too dark to shoot and I realized I needed to cease my intentions to attract the beast and instead don my headlamp to scan for reflecting eyeballs. I kept a wary eye as I organized my backpack and backed out of the area. I paid little attention to my footing, so must have sounded a herd of stampeding cattle as I stumbled over the loose rock during my departure. I didn’t see any glowing orbs, so I’ll never know how the lion reacted to my calling. When I texted my dad to tell him about the encounter, he replied “Tell me you at least brought a pistol for backup?”. My response, “My only backup is another arrow…it’s too much weight to haul up here.” When I studied the photos later, I guessed the cat to be a female, or Queen, based on the relatively small head and lithe build, but it was still quite large.
The following day I had to leave the mountain as I had promised to help a friend on his elk hunt over the weekend. I hoped to return within a couple days but between travel and packing elk meat (yep, that’s another success story!) I didn’t re-ascend the mountains until midday 3-days later. The wind absolutely howled, and the base of the mountains were obscured by a cloud of dust. I correctly anticipated that afternoon and evening to be a bust, but at least I was back at it.
Back in the game despite the weather
Back in the game despite the weather
The next day I decided to make my way to an area where I’d seen game travel a few times the previous week. I searched for an ambush and eventually discovered a very unlikely spot. Since I’m part monkey anyway, a large tree with plenty of branches afforded a seat high above the ground, yet within archery range of travel routes. I hung my bow on a broken snag and settled into the forked trunk where I could relax in relative comfort and rest my feet on large limbs. Although I wasn’t strapped in, the tree had enough branches that I felt reasonably safe, and honestly the risk of falling was no more likely than anywhere else in the near-vertical mountain range. From my perch I could glass part of the drainage where I had seen the lion the previous week, albeit from the opposite slope. I could also see down the canyon and over the ridge to another bluff, so I could put my binoculars to work on a lot of country while I sat in wait.
After telling my sister about my missed shot earlier in the hunt she had promised to pray for a closer opportunity. I could only trust the Lord had heard her petition.
After the gale the day before the weather was surprisingly calm. Only a slight breeze swayed me high in the tree. Anticipating the need to rotate and change position, I used my feet and gloves to rub off portions of rough bark that might betray me as I shifted. The time passed pleasantly as I discovered the branches above me provided welcome shade. It was so calm I expected to hear rocks rolling or clanking as ibex moved, but the area seemed to be dead. Hours passed and I texted Laurie “Days like today make me question why I enjoy hunting. No action and nothing seen in the past 24-hours.” With the day beginning to wind down I would only have 2 more days of season.
I was brought out of my musing by a faint scraping sound, almost as if the wind had rubbed a dried yucca stalk against some rocks, even though the breeze didn’t seem strong enough to create the noise. A little while later I heard it again. Odd. Each time I scanned my surroundings, surmising an animal might be moving nearby, but I couldn’t pinpoint the location and was unable to spot anything. After hearing the peculiar sound a handful of times, I happened to glance straight down...
This DIGITALLY MODIFIED photo is about what I saw when I looked down…
This DIGITALLY MODIFIED photo is about what I saw when I looked down…
My initial crazy thought was “Why in in the world is a furry pelt hanging in my tree?!”
In a split second I realized it was the rear half and long tail of a mountain lion less than 8’ below me! Indeed, somehow the cat had climbed almost silently into my tree! It was standing on a large limb with its shoulders and head obscured by the curved trunk and other branches. The hunter had become the hunted. But not the way you might think. Instantly, I knew I was going to kill that cat - it was the hunter that had suddenly become the hunted!
I felt incredibly calm and silently reached for my bow. I drew and began to tilt downward for the vertical shot, but the lion leaped out of the tree onto the ground. I feared I had spooked it, but as it slunk below, I sensed it had simply decided to jump down with no clue that death lurked above. Its body was lean and incredibly long and reminded me of a tiger. Branches obstructed a shot, but I followed the cat with my top pin until it stepped into the open. WHACK! My arrow blew through its chest and instantly stopped as the broadhead smacked the rocks beneath the lion. The cat let out a cough-grunt and erupted in pandemonium. It rolled and clawed at the loose shale and tumbled in a loud avalanche of rock and dust, disappearing around a rock outcrop just below the base of my tree.
A very good sign
A very good sign
I sat in stunned disbelief. I had just shot a lion with my bow! And based on its reaction and the volume of blood on the rocks, it had been fatal. I waited several minutes to let my nerves settle. I decided I better text my wife and daughter, my sister, parents, and a couple of close friends to fill them in before I followed up on the predator, so they’d know where to come looking for me in the off chance something went awry. Then I shinnied down the branches and onto the outcrop. I glassed the brush below me and could just make out the pad of an upside-down paw, suggesting an awkward, lifeless position. Surely the beast was dead!
The cat as I found it
The cat as I found it
I cautiously approached the big cat and extracted it from the brush in which it had become tangled during its death roll. Its paws were huge, and teeth chipped and worn, an old Queen indeed. Definitely the same one I had seen several days prior. Its body was lean but long (measuring 7’-6” from nose to tip of tail), and its claws large and formidable. Her head was huge and heavily muscled.
I jubilantly shared my incredible feat with my family and close friends. Forgotten was my missed shot; honestly had I connected with that one I’d have been finished and at home and entirely missed out on the lion. When I reported to my sister, I couldn’t help but chide “Next time you pray for a closer encounter, maybe turn it down just a notch!” Indeed, the Lord has a sense of humor – in fact, He invented it!
Apparently, my choice of ambush location had been a good one because it appealed to the reigning Queen herself. I idly wondered how many animals she’d pounced on or launched into pursuit of from that evergreen.
As I literally skinned the cat, I discovered her hide was decorated with scars and a veritable pincushion of cactus thorns. I bet her tail averaged 8-10 thorns per square inch! Later at home when I trimmed and packaged the meat, I found numerous large thorns well over an inch deep in her muscles. What a tough old girl.
The Queen is Dead!
The Queen is Dead!
I packed the meat and hide down to my truck that night by headlamp. Still hoping to notch my original tag, I drove to town for ice, packed everything in coolers, and then hiked back up the mountain the following morning to finish out the last two days of season. A double would have been an incredible experience, but it was not meant to be. Apparently, the Lord wanted me to remain at least a little humble. Truly, how could I complain? The adventure was amazing, and I was blessed far more than I could have imagined or hoped for. He can far exceed what we envision for our lives.
Although I have been blessed with many incredible hunts, it’s hard to visualize one that can top killing a huge old cat that had actually been in the same tree as me. But who can say, only the Lord knows what the future may hold. The Queen is dead. But let me not boast or brag - to God be the glory!
Old chipped, worn teeth
Old chipped, worn teeth
Her skull is roughly an inch shy of Pope and Young, but as a good friend fellow bowhunter always says “The true measure of a trophy is more than just inches”.
Incredible encounter !!!!! Well done and congrats
That is a pretty cool story. Congrats and thanks for taking the time to tell it.
Congratulations on a great cat! Thats a great write up and no matter how successful future hunts are, that hunt will be one you are still talking about decades from now!
Are you doing a full body mount or rug? Be sure to post pics when it’s done!
Well done. NeAt experience
Sorry, I guess I was typing when you posted the skull pics. I’m no lion expert, but it definitely looks like she was an old gal.
The link isn't working on my phone, but I love reading your stories. I'm sure the bowsite crew would enjoy some of the others. I have yet to see one in the wild, but mountain lion is high on my bucket list. What an incredible adventure. Thanks for sharing.
Wow, the wear on those canines is crazy!
Very cool story, Congrats!
Wow crazy story! Are those canine teeth supposed to be that small or old cat?
That's a great story. Thanks for sharing it!!!
Super cool. Thanks for taking the time to share with us. Happy to have read the write-up!
God is good!
Awesome story smarba. Thanks for sharing.
What a story/memory…Congrats on a once in a lifetime opportunity.
Great story - thanks for doing a recap and bringing us along.
Wow! You definitely have the campfire story to top all the others! Congratulations on being calm enough to see it through.
I've had a cat walk under my tree..., but to have a cat get into the same tree... that is about as unique a hunting experience as they come.
Cool hunt, great story. Congrats!
Now that's a neat story! Thanks for sharing!
Well, you were right, I’ve never heard anything like that ! Congrats on holding it together and making the shot. Looks like she was only a couple years from going hungry, (just looking at her teeth), so a fitting end for the Queen.
What an encounter! Glad the cat was below you in the tree and not above! Congrats!!!
That is a cool story! Congratulations.
Great story, thanks for sharing it and your faith.
9-10 Year Old Female?
9-10 Year Old Female?
Amazing story Carl! Usually it's the other way around with hunter and cats in trees.
Congrats on a unique kill. Not many, if any, can say they killed a lion with a bow, no dogs and underneath you in the same tree before the shot.
Here's a picture of what a Utah Biologist who checked her in believed to be a 9-10 year old female. Yours looks ancient unless she had a habit of chewing on rocks. :)
Thanks a great season ending read. Rare archery harvest.
Carl, wow, wow, wow. what a fantastic experience and now a grand trophy. Pictured is a mt lion skull from a 4 year old lion I killed here in Colorado. For comparison, the teeth are in great shape. If your lion could speak, I bet she would have a lot of stories to tell, ie, the ones that got away. Paul
What a story that is crazy! Congrats on a great trophy.
You have a real gift in telling the stories of your hunts..... congratulations on a crazy hunt. There are people who live in cat country and have never seen a cat in daylight before. Thank you for sharing......
Incredible story... congratulations. Ed F
Wow, A bear in the same tree is something I cannot imagine, A mt. lion, damn..... Great story.....
What an awesome adventure and encounter with a thrilling, fulfilling ending. CONGRATS !!
Wow, incredible!! Congrats and thanks for sharing your story!!
Spectacular story! Mind blowing to consider having a lion in the same tree you were hunting out of! So awesome that you were able to hold it together and make a solid shot! Congratulations on a trophy and story of a lifetime!
Wow that was an amazing hunt congrats! Thanks for sharing.
What an incredible story! Thank you for taking the time to take us along with you.
One hell of a story!! Thanks for sharing your adventure with us!!
Excellent write up Carl! Congrats
That was too good not to share. Way to keep your cool, and congrats!
What an unreal experience!
Thanks for sharing with us,
Robb
Great story and memory! Congratulations!
Mike
This stuff only happens to a hunter. What an incredible experience. Thanks for sharing.
WOW! Gonna be hard to top that one! ;-) And yeah, God has a great sense of humor! : )
That is crazy and cool. Great story. So glad I never saw 1 of those up close.
Outstanding story. Congrats!!!
Amazing hunt and great storytelling!
Great write up! Crazy how stealthy those things are, but you are stealthier!
Doesn’t get any better than that!
That’s likely never happened nor will it ever happen again. Pretty amazing. Congrats on a super cool encounter.
All I can say is...UNBELIEVABLE!! What a great story, experience, and memory. The fact that you remained undetected and held it together enough to make a clean swift kill is testimony of your hunting skills. Strong, strong work!!
Matt
Congratulations on your trophy. What an incredible experience thanks for sharing it with us.
Incredible story....what an experience! Thanks for sharing it with us!
Very cool! That is a one of a kind hunt for sure.
That is one of the most incredible experiences I have ever about read on Bowsite. Can't imagine being in the same tree as a lion. Very well done, congratulations!
Wow! What a story! Definitely a first. Thanks for sharing it with us
Great story congratulations
Wow Carl. wow. How cool was that! Couple questions though.....
First.... I can understand you getting the shot with the bow..... you focus, flip that switch and go into auto-pilot.... but how did you keep it together to actually get PICS of it in the tree first? And pics of her before out on that ledge? Chicken skin......
Secondly.... which method did you finally settle on skinning it??? I hear there's more than one way.... =D
Congrats buddy. Awesome on a stick. Thanks for sharing.
I, too, am amazed you were actually able to get a pic of the cat in the tree with you without spooking it. I would have been hesitant to blink or breath with one that close. I guess they aren't used to be hunted from above their own hunting perches.
I still have goose bumps....
Matt
What an incredibly unique experience! Way to hold it toward and get it done!!
I agree with what Grey Ghost is saying. Back in the day people would say that a lion may never be taken by bow without the use of dogs. In all my years of bowhunting I have seen a total of 9 mountain lions of which 3 were cubs. All were between 15 and 90 yards (2 were in Utah, 1 in Oregon, 1 in Idaho,, 4 in Nevada and 1 in New Mexico). I called in one cub about the size of a bobcat. I never had a tag although they were available in some cases. IMO you have achieved about the hardest and rarest achievement in bowhunting. What you did was amazing ! Congratulations, Badbull
I’d say you surpassed the PY record book with truly a B&C story! Truly Amazing Carl!!
Thx guys and gals, glad you enjoyed it.
TD and GG, I must not have been clear enough with my photo caption, the one in the tree was a MODIFIED photo. I took a photo later looking down at empty tree and then digitally superimposed a cutout of lion hide about where it was. I have revised the photo caption for clarity. Believe me, when I saw it all I could think of was shooting...not photography!
The pics of her live on the ledge were about 200 yards away with camera zoom (not cell phone). I had my camera at ready as I usually do, and snapped a few before scrambling for my predator call that time.
And even though there may be more than one way, I did a tube or case skin method. At minimum I'll get the hide tanned, but dang taxidermy takes up wall space and $ and I only have so much of each. Plus my wife weighs in on both of those too, so we'll see.
I'm looking into options for sending off a tooth for aging because she had to be pretty old.
I am lucky enough to call Carl a very close friend. I'm the friend he cut loose for a few days for a elk hunt and some really magic things happened during that hunt. I am also lucky enough to get some blow by blows of his hunts as they happen. I was "Along' through text on this hunt and staring at my phone a lot in anticipation waiting for updates. When I got the text " I just shot a giant lion out of the tree I am in I think I hit it good there is blood all across the rocks and I see a paw and its not moving" I was jumping around my kitchen like a madman on fire screaming are you kidding me!!!
Carl and I are devout Christian and it is something that draws us even closer together than the hunting. When we have hunted together absorbed but the wonders God has put around us and taking the time to slow down and appreciate it.
I have been around higher level hunting my whole life and can say I can count on one hand truly elite hunters I know of up close and personal and Carl is certainly in that group. But with that said he a is better man than hunter if that makes sense. When we texted me a short message and he told me he was going to post this thread. His comment "I hope some of that scripture resonates with people" That's Carl
Smarba,
Thanks, that explains a lot. My up close vision isn't good enough any more to read the small pic captions without my cheaters on.
Nevertheless, it's an amazing story. I'm still scratching my head over why the cat apparently never smelled your scent long before jumping in the tree with you. Were you using that magical NoseJammer stuff? ;-)
Matt
Another quick Carl story....Carl is a high level endurance athlete which certainly come in handy with serious western hunting. On two different occasions we hunted hard and downed big animals... cutting and ball busting packing..... well it was busting my balls anyways and we were able to get to a location where a vehicle could be retrieved one a truck and the other a bike. Carl said you wait here while and I go get the vehicle.... I collapsed in exhaustion and he RAN off down the road/trial to get the vehicle!!!
Another thing is I thought kids climbed trees...make note this lion killing perch he was in was not some tree stand but a bark covered branch. If I didn't kill myself on the way up I would be squirming in 10 minutes...
I went and read the long form… It was worth it. Incredibly cool to take a lion that way. There’s absolutely nothing that anyone could suggest is anything but doing that the hard way. I’ll even cut you a break for using a compound ;)
Wow! That's amazing. Thank you for sharing.
Very cool, thanks for sharing
Outstanding experience and story. Glad you kept the meat, some very good eating. I have mounted a few over the years and almost always found quills embedded somewhere. Tough kittys. Thanks for sharing your story and the Word. Jim
Carl.... I like my story better..... =D
Carl,
I really enjoyed the story and pictures.
" Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him." 1Corinthians 2:9
What a blessing it is to be able to share some of them this side of eternity.
Is that crazy or what great job and congrats for sharing Merry Christmas Lewis
Congrats again Carl!
Until I looked at all 3 skulls posted in this thread I never realized that the 3 molars on the jaw of a lion are all the same structure/shape just different wear no matter the age. Pretty cool.
A great story and experience, congratulations. Thanks for sharing.
A fantastic story and story telling! Thanks for sharing.
A great story and experience, congratulations. Thanks for sharing.
Excellent story Lewis, thanks for sharing, dang great experience...
Oops. I apologize Carl, i was focused on Lewis's comment,,,
As everyone else said, Wow, Incredible story!
Congratulations!!! What an experience!!
Way cool Carl! That’s a rare feat accomplished by few I’m sure. Congrats!
Really a cool story, and incredible finish! Congratulations!
I know of a tree just like that, big spreading ponderosa where three elk/deer trails come together. There are a bunch of skeletons around within about 80 yards of it. Have followed cat tracks to the tree but have never seen one up in it. But I always look...
Proverbs 27:2….One of my favorite scriptures, Carl! My dad always told me “If there’s any braggin to be done, somebody else will do it on ya”
Incredible encounter, and story! Amazing the wear on her teeth, as well. Congrats, Carl!
Well that is an amazing story Carl, and even more of an accomplishment in my mind than killing the cat, is arrowing three ibex! That seems next to impossible! I have drawn three archery ibex tags in the Floridas over the years and have crawled all over those mountains pursuing those incredible critters! I was humbled each time, even tho I hunted hard, having only a few shot opportunities--- never released an arrow, and my wife says i spent enough ($1680 out of state tag X 3) I could have gone sheep hunting--well not quite! So enjoyed your ibex hunt recap and great photos--I was living it all over again!
I have been under, not in, a tree with a lion right over my head years ago when I was only 15 and running a trapline---early one snowy morning I couldn't fathom what had taken a #3 leg hold trap plus a heavy drag in 20 foot bounds through three feet of snow and disappeared.....until I heard the chain rattle and looked up in the ponderosa I was under, and saw a hugeTom right above my head, snarling and hissing at me, one paw held tight with the trap and drag wrapped around a big limb. I Dashed out of there wide eyed and ran to our old farm house a couple miles away--I called the DOW, and the officers drove up from town, and tranquilized the cat to try and release it, but it fell from the tree as the trap was untangled and he never recovered its breathing and died. Always wished I had just shot the cat, since the 10' hide was auctioned off for $50 and I couldn't bid since I had trapped the lion illegally--I reckon i was fortunate the officers didn't write me a ticket! So appreciate your well written story and for sharing your faith in Jesus Christ! "So Whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." 1 Corinthians 10:31
Wow Carl! What an amazing story and experience for you! That is fantastic! Congrats my friend!
When I saw the pic of the cat in the tree, my jaw hit my chin "how in the world could ANYONE take a pic of a Mt. Lion right under them". Then I reached the explanation several posts later.
As has already been said several times - truely amazing!
Thank you for the awesome story!!!!
Wow! Epic! Unreal! Incredible! Amazing! Seriously, what a on the edge of your seat recap…thanks so much for sharing!
Thx all. I can tell as bowhunters you truly appreciate the event. I've told several non-hunting friends and they sort of say "wow" or some such, but I can tell they have no clue as to the rarity of it. I still sort of can't believe it happened...
"Who hung a pelt in my tree?" Lol!!
Great story with some super cool pics! I enjoyed it!
That is an amazing story!! Congrats on holding it together for the shot! Awesome trophy
“ I've told several non-hunting friends and they sort of say ‘wow’ or some such, but I can tell they have no clue….”
I’ll bet they’d be able to see the difference between what you accomplished and what the Jimmy John guy did….
HAAAAAAAAAAAAA good one Corax
That’s likely never happened nor will it ever happen again. Pretty amazing. Congrats on a super cool encounter.
Dang, Carl....I had put this thread on the back burner so I could read it all when I had time to relax and enjoy it as I'd heard it was a good one. Then it got buried and I forgot all about it. Glad it got bumped back to the top!
You are an amazing story teller and that is one amazing story! Congrats on holding it together on the trophy of several lifetimes! wow!
Thx midwest, glad you enjoyed it. I'm looking into options for getting a tooth aged. NMDGF takes a tooth sample, but apparently it takes them 1-2 years to get results because they hold off and send in all samples from a season or two.
