Sunday afternoon was my 1st hunt. Seen quite a few in the distance but not any on the small place I was at not many tracks in the snow at the cut cornfield I was at. Did see this young female mountain lion come down the frozen creek behind me. Had a beautiful long tail but I was sitting on the ground against a tree and she was behind and that was far I as I could turn to take the pic without scaring her…pretty cool to watch.
Yesterday I drove around with the farmer/rancher and helped him feed his cows. We was in a cool ole rusted out single cab ford. Front end was slighted tilted up cause up the heavy silage grinder in the back. As soon as I crawled in scooting over some quart size oil jugs in the seat as well sliding over quite a bit of old farm clutter to make room for my feet I felt like I was in heaven. Felt good to see the ground through the bottom of the floorboard by the gearshift. When we were slowly making a turn dumping out feed with the old truck popping, creaking, and felt like any moment it was just going to fall apart…I had to ask the question. How long you’ve been driving this truck with his reply being…aw probably around 20 something years. Made me grin and right then I knew deer or no deer the trip was already worth it. Don’t know what it is but I love riding around in something old that just won’t give up.
Yesterday evening seen one doe and a coyote. Don’t know why here lately but the coyotes like getting close to me…I guess they know I ain’t going to shoot ‘em.
Here’s where I was sitting this morning. Was on the north side of a creek with some bedding CRP south of that with some cut corn to the southwest of that. Had a cool south wind in my face but not a deer. Even walked around some later with nothing being seen and not many tracks. They’re grouped up somewhere hitting a food source…I just need to find where.
The warm up on Thurs. could be magical though?
Jason that may be true but I haven’t found the group yet. I mean yeah they might be moving at night just maybe but I would see their tracks. Very few tracks on the places I’ve been so far….what does that tell you Jason? Unless they’ve started growing wings but I haven’t come across any deer like that yet:?)
Don’t get mad get glad…suckas. I probably need to start thinking about heading south before I get my butt whooped up here.
Sorry fellas I just couldn’t help it. After taking snapshots off of the video I looked at that one and was like dang. Knew pretty quick what I was going to do. Just cut off the tail and bingo…we have a winner. I knew after Sam and Cat being the trapper that he is…after he commented the rest of y’all were going to fold like dominos. Just wished my good friend Mike Pierce was still around. He always thought there was a bunch of lions around:?)
Hoping to get Randy as well and maybe I did but he would never admit it.
What’s weird is in the revealing pic I sent y’all she she looks like a pretty good size bobcat. But she really didn’t look that big in person. Crazy how pics make things appear. Here’s a couple different pics that shows more what her size was.
Did you send a close up of its genentalia to Wenzel for analysis? Keep in mind he's been on a couch aging 1/2 price 3-4yr old Russel Stovers from Wal-mart for 2wks... and his eyes are glazed over
It had a feminine look with the slender shoulders, puffy belly, and the skinny neck. Most of the bobcats I’ve shot the males has had more muscular shoulders and necks…their necks seemed to make their head look more blocky. Not for sure but I was guessing it was a she.
Now I did let Jason know though that I was going to pull a joke on y’all so he already knew. Figured I better not pull another on him. But now our good friend Jason here was wanting me to play this out through the weekend. Said I ought to tell y’all that KWDP contacted me and was wanting to know the location of the siting and everything. Said something about tracks and I said yeah I could go back there and make lion tracks in the snow. I was tempted but I thought I better not be that mean:?)
crestedbutte's Link
Oh man, I was drinking a jack on the rocks when I read that…damn that burned as I lost it laughing so hard it came shooting out my nose. It is 11:00pm and I still got a chuckle going on account of that and slight burning sensation in my nose still. Oh but hell it was worth reading all that!
All in all, that picture was pretty neat. Did you warn that mountain Cougar by saying “Hey, I think you’re pretty neat!” As you hunt what’s left of the 2022 season, be on the look out for wild biting goats too. If you do see one, do as Kyle would do….look for tracks, hunt it before it hunts you and by all means just send and arrow down range!!! ;?)
On a serious note, see the link provided (West TX Big Bobcat Contest), we need one of these in KS. Click on Contest Info and look at some of those payouts for just 23 hrs of hunting? Dang!
Drinking a little tonight so I could stay up to watch the Cowboys game. Hoping they can make a comeback.
Yeah Jason my 2 nephews enter that ever year and the first place payout is usually around 50k. Serious deal…afterwards the winner has to pass a lie detector test to weed out the ones trying to pump water into the cats and trying to slip cats in out of state…etc.
I never have entered though cause I’m trying to catch up on work after deer season. I give them a hard time though with their little sissy electronic callers and now to make it worse…thermals. Tell them all the time…don’t y’all remember when y’all were little kids y’all would come come out all wide eyed when your uncle would show up with all the bobcats and coyotes called in with a mouth call. The little punks act like they don’t remember.
One day if I can ever get mad enough at the cats again I’ll show em how to win it:?)
On a serious note a 30 something pound cat can usually win it. Cats down there usually don’t get as big as the ones up here I heard. Did see 2 cats down there years ago in a cooler at a taxidermist. Biggest I had ever seen. Asked him how much they weighed and he said 40 something. They were killed by some Turkey farms. If I remember right they were feeding on the dead turkeys that were being thrown out.
Your picture of the bobcat is what 99.95% of the people who think they've seen a cougar in Kansas actually saw. I guarantee you that your picture was harvested and sent around to other people as proof that they are here. Cougar on the brain is at pandemic level in Kansas.
Well hate to miss mornings but I only got one more area to check out and the way I have to enter it’s mainly an evening spot. Decided to drive by there right at daylight to see what I could see. Bam…right as I get there I see a deer moving across. Catch movement of another and throw the zoom glasses up. Could be a good one fellas…too far away to really tell but had some height to his horns and pretty good size looking body. Seen enough and didn’t even finish my drive through the road there. Just backed up and got out of there. They was headed where I thought they would be going and that’s where I’ll be at this evening trying to catch them coming back out.
Good luck tonight! Maybe the one you glassed this morning will still be around this evening.
Yeah it’s starting to warm up some but I think I have a decent shot of seeing him or something else this evening. Problem I got and it’s a big one….wrong wind. Was going to hunt that side yesterday but didn’t cause of the wind. There’s 2 or 3 draws that extend out into the cut corn. The place to the north looks good with timber and CRP and I have a feeling that’s where they’re bedded and using the draws running south to get to the cut corn and across the road…cut beans. Going to be tricky with the south wind but on map I think I have a spot that just might work. Never been there so we’ll see.
Got a short grass dirt field behind me with trails coming across to my left and right within shooting range. Their going to be coming from the back of me downwind but I’m hoping they come at an angle. If they do by the time they get here my wind should be already past them. Got cut corn on the other side of the ravine with with cut beans on past that on the other side of road. Let’s see what happens.
Stick around folks cause we might have a great hunt this evening. Between this coffee and being told when I was young I could become anything I wanted my motivation is high. Going to call the game warden here in a bit to see if there is someway I can bow hunt today without a tag or if he can give me one. Looks really good over here.
So here I sit back amongst the common folk wet and tired. Feels good to be back where I feel wanted and where I probably belong anyway. Might not be a steak that falls off the table but this stray dog will be happy with an old bone….yep literally just an old bone will be just fine.
A friend of mine talked me into stopping by and hunting with him on the last day. Since I didn’t feel like making the all night drive back home I woke up from the motel and met him. Still can’t believe how nice some people are in Kansas. Told him I wouldn’t feel right about shooting a buck on his personal place but he said it wouldn’t be a problem. Since he said doe numbers were still good I thought I would just try for a doe. Around 7:30 had this doe come behind me but just my luck she had her young one with her so that was a no go.
No more sightings for the rest of the morning. Decided to not hunt the evening…was wanting to get home in time to spend New Years Eve with the family.
Too I was needing to get out of Kansas cause I thought all the niceness from everybody might start rubbing off on me. Gotta keep a little mean edge on me cause if I get home a changed man it might freak Erica out:?)
I might add too my friend went hunting that evening and got a beautiful buck. Couldn’t believe it cause he showed me all the different spots on the place after the mornings hunt. It was a surreal feeling to get a big buck pic on the ground with the tree stand in the back ground. A tree stand that he just showed me a few hours earlier. Pretty special moment.
Again if you ever read this my friend…thank you for allowing me to hunt your place the other morning and congrats on a dandy buck. You put me in a great stand that morning and later you told me you was going to put me in that stand that you shot him out of for the evening sit.
So glad I didn’t stay cause a good guy like you deserves a good deer. Just to let you know when I got that pic from you it was a good way to close out 2022 and a memory I’ll keep forever. It was just like like that sunrise from a few hours earlier…pretty darn golden.
It’s been fun following along again this year. I admire your standards, and the amount of effort you are willing to put in the hunt.
Hope you have a safe and prosperous New Year, and hopefully you get back up next season.
