Big Country

I have been following this topic silently, as I have zero knowledge on the subject.

But after reading JJhacks post, I`m thinking either he really knows the whole story, or is one heck of a poker player!

Can`t wait for the next chapter now!

BOWFANATIC

Welcome aboard Jim

WhiteRaven

Finally a reliable source. " JJhack" there are so many stories floating around out there it' s hard to tell what if any is the real deal. The picture itself looks almost unbelievable but if memory serves me correct you' re not an overly large person. Putting that into perspective I' d say the cougar was probably around the 200 pound mark. There' s been stories that it was taken in Bellevue, Region 4 by Ron Hislar, that it was harvested by an unknown hunter in Region 2 and registered in Olympia, and even one that it wasn' t harvested in Wa at all but in Texas. You know how once that ol' rumor mill gets going its almost unstoppable. And sometimes legitimate claims begin to sound bogus due to all the conflicting information that is out there. And I gotta be honest here the picture looks surrealistic. There' s even some guy on the Bowsite claiming he knows you real well but comes along and gives several renditions of the story and then says that it isn' t you in the poicture. Can you see my problem with this. I mean even a guy that claims to have all the stats regarding this kill and claims he knows you well doesn' t even recognize you in the pic, even though I believe that to be you. Let' s have the name of the hunter who took it. It' s only going to take a second to verify the kill. Only 7 male cougars were registered in Region 4 where the cat was supposedly taken. Someone on another site (The Bowsite) claims that " no it wasn' t taken either in region 4 but was taken in Region 2, where only 6 male cougars were harvested by hunters. I' m looking at a list that contains 13 names along with the cougar hunter reports that accompany them.

Bionicrooster

Now that JJ is here we can get to the bottom of all of this. JJ, care to explain to WR and the rest of us how you doctored that picture??? After all it can' t be real if you don' t give us the name of the hunter and the exact location of the kill. Some people have a ' vested' interest in knowing the truth!

Just kidding, but really JJ, how many cats a year do you get coming to the calls, and do you usually track them first, or do you ever just set up and call in a likely area?

PABowhntr

White Raven,

Again I ask you...Is your interest in potential (or former potential) trophy book animals such as the Zaft and Rompola bucks as well as this cougar a professional or personal one? You made some references in previous posts that have me interested.

Second, was the animal supposedly taken with a bow?

JJHACK

If the effort is being made to use forensic photo analysis to determine if the picture is real wouldent it have been easier to send me an email and ask about it directly? I have to wonder how come several guys from this here emailed me dirctly asking me to visit this site to " shut these guys up" . If so many here could get my email so easily why would it be easier to use " expert photo anaylisis" to determine of the photo is real? I very much want to hear the results of that " expert" opinion! We' ll see just how good he( they are) at this big time photo investigation.

As it stands now I' m not interested in telling a story on the internet. All it will do is get misrepresented and hacked to bits so that parts will be used on many sites and the story will end up being be even more bizzare then it has been already. My background and credibility are well known in regards to hunting big predators in North America and Africa. My clients privacy is the major concern for me. He has no interest in all this hoopla. He is a quiet and very private man who deserves to be respected by not only me but everyone else in the hunting community.

Not all hunters are trying to get into the spotlight of trophy status or big game records. I know this first hand. I have processed several new top ten skulls of lions and bears which will never be entered in any record book. Imagine having a 23" plus black bear or a 16" plus lion and not telling anyone, it happens in my business almost every year! This year alone I had 4 lion skulls come through that are all in the mid 15" range. Those alone will be top 50 or higher all time. However not a single one will be entered.



In time there will be an article in a national hunting magazine, until then I' ll take all bets!

WhiteRaven

Jim to be perfectly honest, there were enough facts out there to check on that there wasn' t any need to. One thing still puzzles me. It seems as though all the details regarding this cougar have been backed up by statements made by you on another forum with one exception. That is the hunter' s name. You see the problem I' m having with this is that if all the other facts seem to be supported by your statement, why now has only the fact of the hunter' s name wrong. The name was icluded initially but could not be corroborated. Now all of a sudden all of the facts are correct but the hunters name isn' t. Sort of a protect the privacy sort of a deal. I find it odd how the only fact that can be proven or disproven independently turns out to be a mistake. It' s being suggested the cougar was harvested without a license and not reported. I' m interested in hearing your response to this. Oh yes and for the record if you asked Mitch if the photo was real what would his response be?

PABowhntr

Maybe you missed it.

WhiteRaven

PaBowhuntr, to answer your second question first the cat in question was apparently taken with a 30-06 and a 165 grain bullet. What the topic is doing on here in the first place, being a bowhunting forum, is beyond me. The answer to your first question may be a little more complicated. I guess you could say I " hang out" with many professional outdoors people, right from guides who do the leg work, to the publishers and editors. But it matters not. It' s a diverse group but our motivations are quite similar. Aside from financial considerations, after all publishing items that end up being bogus not only causes the publication to suffer credibilty which decreases readership, I think the days of taking everything at face value have come to an end. There' s been a lot of scamming to come along lately and I' m not just refering to the fabrication of stories regarding animals. All too often the pursuit of glory clouds a person' s judgement. One only has to examine what happened with Noel Feather and a plethoria of others to establish this. It matters not who you are. Even some the supposed best have fallen. People making claims better be able to back them up. And aside from Jim' s statement regarding this, nothing else has surfaced that can corroborate the story. Nothing at all. And it' s nothing personal. I' ve seen a lot of people make outlandish claims. It' s even plausible that this cat was harvested illegally because as far as the paper work goes there is absolutely no record of it. At least as far as the facts have been explained regarding the hunter. Personally, I doubt the illegal harvest rumour has any merit whatsoever. This will be looked into further but not by the likes of myself. It will be interesting to see what happens. Do you have any idea how annoying it is when someone comes along and blows their own horn, only to say " none of your business" when you question them on the facts. I doubt those words will be expressed when the Washington Fish and Game Commision looks into this. And they are. There' s a good chance it will check out and be on the up and up. But I' ll let Washington DNR take it from here.

Bionicrooster

I don' t recall JJ or his hunter " blowing their own horn" .