Lion!?!
02-02-2013, 07:21 PM
#11
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Rapid City, South Dakota
Posts: 3,732
Well, i have been hunting a long beard, and a lion since Christmas. Turkey season ended, and i only had one chance, but didn't have my rifle with. Two weeks ago i saw fresh lion track, but the mountain was too rugged for this old man to hike. This morning i did some pistol shooting, and then took a hike West from the truck. The truck was parked about 17 mile from our home in Rapid City. Within 100 yard walking up the trail i cut fresh lion track. It looked to be a smaller lion, but was definitely adult. The way them track headed didn't look promising to me, so i walked on by. One needs to understand one's limitations.
Continuing up the trail, and through a locked gate i found a promising path that might take me to the top, so i left the trail and headed North. Saw 3 deer on the climb. When i was near the top, i cut 3 set of lion track. Two cubs, and ma. These tracks i marked on the gps. By rule we cannot trail/hunt multiple lion track, so i continued on my way. Saw 4 deer, and played some with them, and dropped over the other side heading back to the truck.
As i kinda reached the elevation of the truck walking Southeasterly, i walked across a track in the snow that looked like somebody was sledding. This was puzzling, and i wondered if someone killed a deer and was taking it down on a toboggan. It took me longer than it should have, but finally i realized there were no man track pulling the toboggan. It seemed it might be a lion was dragging a deer, but it didn't really look to be so. I followed the trail down hill, and it abruptly ended at the waypoint marked kill. Quite a bit of disturbance was evident here. Then i followed the drag trail up hill until it ended. Wow, i looked up in the trees, and on the ground everywhere for a possible place the lion may have hidden the deer, but couldn't see anything.
I really really wanted to find the stashed deer, but after a long search, and failing to find it, i figured i was imagining the idea there was a deer. After searching for what seemed to be 1/2 hour, i decided the lion had to have drug the deer up through some low bush where there was no snow, and searched the area again when i stumbled onto the buried deer and marked the waypoint meat. The deer was cold, but the neck was quite wet, which i figured was lion saliva. It is interesting to me that i could have taken the deer, and butchered it just as i normally would butcher any deer. The lion ate the innards from the chest and the belly, but didn't touch the meat palatable to me. After taking pictures of the deer, i went down to try and photograph the clean track at the kill site; that was hard to do with my camera. Then i walked to the truck.
As i am typing this post, i am imagining the lion with cubs eating on the deer right now. Wonder what the lion thought of me messing with it's meat? Wonder what she will do with the meat, after they eat on it? Seems i have to go back and find out what is happening there tonight. I cannot hunt the lion, because it is with cubs. When i go back it will not be with the intention of killing the lion, so i guess i won't bring the X7. However, i sure am curious to see if the deer is still there, and if it is eaten up more, or if she abandoned it.
This is only the second time in over 45 year of hunting i found, and uncovered a lion kill.
Continuing up the trail, and through a locked gate i found a promising path that might take me to the top, so i left the trail and headed North. Saw 3 deer on the climb. When i was near the top, i cut 3 set of lion track. Two cubs, and ma. These tracks i marked on the gps. By rule we cannot trail/hunt multiple lion track, so i continued on my way. Saw 4 deer, and played some with them, and dropped over the other side heading back to the truck.
As i kinda reached the elevation of the truck walking Southeasterly, i walked across a track in the snow that looked like somebody was sledding. This was puzzling, and i wondered if someone killed a deer and was taking it down on a toboggan. It took me longer than it should have, but finally i realized there were no man track pulling the toboggan. It seemed it might be a lion was dragging a deer, but it didn't really look to be so. I followed the trail down hill, and it abruptly ended at the waypoint marked kill. Quite a bit of disturbance was evident here. Then i followed the drag trail up hill until it ended. Wow, i looked up in the trees, and on the ground everywhere for a possible place the lion may have hidden the deer, but couldn't see anything.
I really really wanted to find the stashed deer, but after a long search, and failing to find it, i figured i was imagining the idea there was a deer. After searching for what seemed to be 1/2 hour, i decided the lion had to have drug the deer up through some low bush where there was no snow, and searched the area again when i stumbled onto the buried deer and marked the waypoint meat. The deer was cold, but the neck was quite wet, which i figured was lion saliva. It is interesting to me that i could have taken the deer, and butchered it just as i normally would butcher any deer. The lion ate the innards from the chest and the belly, but didn't touch the meat palatable to me. After taking pictures of the deer, i went down to try and photograph the clean track at the kill site; that was hard to do with my camera. Then i walked to the truck.
As i am typing this post, i am imagining the lion with cubs eating on the deer right now. Wonder what the lion thought of me messing with it's meat? Wonder what she will do with the meat, after they eat on it? Seems i have to go back and find out what is happening there tonight. I cannot hunt the lion, because it is with cubs. When i go back it will not be with the intention of killing the lion, so i guess i won't bring the X7. However, i sure am curious to see if the deer is still there, and if it is eaten up more, or if she abandoned it.
This is only the second time in over 45 year of hunting i found, and uncovered a lion kill.
02-03-2013, 08:58 AM
#13
Typical Buck
Join Date: Nov 2010
Location: The "empire" state-NY
Posts: 583
It took me longer than it should have, but finally i realized there were no man track pulling the toboggan.
Pretty exciting!
I've only found a kill once in CO & I decided not to hang around...
The above quote is interesting. The first time I ever saw elk tracks, while in Idaho, it took my brain a bit to accept that those dinner plate sized impressions in the snow were real!
Closer to home, unmistakable moose sign (pretty rare here) took a while to sink in. My first thought was a true MONSTER buck!!
The mind-brain disconnect.
02-03-2013, 09:30 AM
#14
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Rapid City, South Dakota
Posts: 3,732
About 9:30 AM
Wife and i went to the meat site this morning. The lion for sure had returned, and reburied the deer. We did not disturb the site this morning, because we are hoping it returns tonight with the cubs, and eats on the deer. We couldn't see how much deer was eaten last night.
02-07-2013, 09:27 AM
#17
Nontypical Buck
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2008
Location: Rapid City, South Dakota
Posts: 3,732
9:00 am
Linda and i walked to the buried deer this morning. As one can see from the photo there is nothing left but one leg bone, and the stomach contents.
Sunday last we viewed the buried deer, and left a trail cam.
These pictures from the trail cam reveal momma lion, and at least one cub. It appear Ma has been captured by the fish and game biologists, and has a radio collar.
