Shooting mountain lions & bears

[azdesertfather]

Just saw this on craigslist, any opinions?! I've cut out and spared you the names, emails and phone numbers forthe organizers of this event.;)

Mountain Lion Hunts Available (Southern NM) $2500
craigslist phoenix | sporting goods ...March 08, 2011 16:57
http://WWW.ARROWHEADOUTFITTERS.NET
………………………………………………………………………………………………
5-Day Mountain Lion Hunt w/ Hounds

Hunts Available Dec.1st-March 31st (New Mexico)

Transportation is provided. Main meals and lodging are not included in this price…but we can tailor your hunt as well.

License Fees/Tags
Resident $43 Nonresident $300
Tag is over the counter, has to be bought at the latest 2 days prior.

50% of the total cost must be deposited to hold your hunt date. This hunt fee is $2500.00 per person plus tax for a Tom lion (male). “If the hunter wishes to kill a Queen lion (female) a kill fee of $500 extra will be added”.

The hunt will be conducted by the means of truck, and hiking with the use of well trained/bred lion hounds.

85% Success Rate Snow & 65% Success Rate Dirt. Toms average 130-185 lbs, Queens 60-120 lbs.

Your trophy will be skinned for you. But packing out of hide and meat is not included in price.

Bonus to your lion hunt! You can hunt bobcats around this time as well starting November 15th - March 31st...$250 per bobcat kill fee… unlimited number of bobcats can be harvested, with NM Furbearers Tag.
License Fees
Resident $20.00 Nonresident $345.00

Visit http://www.arrowheadoutfitters.net for more info and other hunts that are available.

Now booking for Fall Black Bear hunts with hounds…Refer to the website.

[Thoreau]

I would rather those cats be very wary of me when I am hiking, and I feel that if they are just a little pressured during the season it does make them more leery of people.

I'm certainly no hunter, but I couldn't agree more with this if I tried. On a past hike I have had to fire off warning shots (into a tree, not towards the cat) after just such a big cat came too close for comfort.

Beyond that, if I were a hunter, this is the type of game I would want to go after (especially if they're as tasty as stated here!) It seems that it would be very challenging, and certainly be an animal where NOTHING need go to waste (meat for food, coat for a nice-looking trophy at home!)

[Thoreau]

Finally, anyone who thinks that hunting mountain lions makes people safer should consider the following statistics: 85 people have been killed in hunting accidents in California during the last 20 years, but only 14 people have been killed by cougars in all of North America over the last 100 years.

Just a nitpick, but I'd wager a few dollars that the vast majority of those 85 people were involved in the hunting of deer, elk, or other more common prey. On top of that, deer really don't kill any people that I know of (short of car accidents they cause) so I don't really see how an animal has to cause any number of deaths to be fair game on a hunt.

[azbackpackr]

Interesting to me, one of the women killed in 1986 was at Cuyamaca* Rancho State Park, probably no more than 10 miles from where I heard the cat screaming at 3 a.m. as I lay in my sleeping bag, solo backpacking without a tent.

I never went solo backpacking again without a tent. I know it won't protect you from bears, but I never heard of a cat tearing apart a tent to get in. They like moving prey. As I recall, the woman killed at Cuyamaca Rancho was actually running alone.

*Kwee-uh-MACK-uh. NOT "Kooyah mack-uh." Just FYI, a great place.

[chumley]

I think we should "relocate" a few of these cats into the Gilbert Riparian Preserve. Would probably take care of that feral cat problem pretty quickly. :STP:
;)

[PLC92084]

@chumley

Should probably bring a few javelina to keep them company... :STP:

[BobP]

[chumley]

... then let's throw Bear Grylls and Les Stroud in there with all of them and see who survives!

[cactuscat]

Sick bastards!

[BobP]

I wonder if the pumpkin filter is on the fritz ;)

[DarthStiller]

@rlrjamy

I gotta cut and paste that on Facebook.

[DarthStiller]

bastards hell

[DarthStiller]

must be

[BobP]

Pagerob's last name is Gay.

[PaleoRob]

@rlrjamy

I gotta cut and paste that on Facebook.

No kidding, me too!

[JimmyLyding]

I've gotten used to typing "pumpkin" as a matter of course. It makes things less-surprising, and is the only proper thing to do. I typically curse like a pumpkin sailor, and I don't give a pumpkin what any pumpkinpumpkiners think about that pumpkin pumpkin!
BTW, Bob, my mom's labs love pumpkin rinds, and I'm not referring to the typical pumpkin pumpkin that they sometimes eat, sometimes referred to as "lawn sushi." Pumpkining pumpkin is a good thing to give your large dog after it eats something like a roll of pumpkining paper towels, pumpkining trash, or whatever the pumpkin else Mr. Bruno consumes when his mommy and daddy aren't watching him.
How big is Bruno these days?

[VVebb]

...I never heard of a cat tearing apart a tent to get in.

I have; although, you may be right that a tent might reduce the likelihood of attack since a tent doesn't "look" like prey, even if it smells like prey (i.e. you).

I have a friend whose dad was attacked while he was in a tent. As it happens, he was bowhunting on that trip, and had a gun with him for personal protection (which was illegal, due to the bowhunt, in the state where he was hunting). He shot the lion. He reported the attack, and was cited for possessing a gun during a bowhunt. He went to court to fight it, and brought the shredded tent as evidence of the attack, but the judge refused to dismiss the charge (although he did reduce the fine). Honestly, I can't blame my friend's dad for carrying the gun for protection, and I can't blame the judge for holding him accountable.

(Footnote: In Arizona, you may carry a handgun for protection during a bowhunt, so long as it doesn't have a scope mounted on it, etc.)

[VVebb]

Remember folks: Here's the best thing to do if you're hiking with a group of friends and you see a lion.

(1) Stop
(2) Pull out your handgun
(3) Aim at a friend's knee
(4) Pull the trigger
(5) Do a little dance
(6) Walk away laughing

(You won't even have to bother running with your friend laying on the ground at the lion's feet.)

Just kidding folks, just kidding. It's a joke.

[paulhubbard]

Same as "No need to outrun the bear, just outrun your friend."

[Thoreau]

Remember folks: Here's the best thing to do if you're hiking with a group of friends and you see a lion.

(1) Stop
(2) Pull out your handgun
(3) Aim at a friend's knee
(4) Pull the trigger
(5) Do a little dance
(6) Walk away laughing

(You won't even have to bother running with your friend laying on the ground at the lion's feet.)

Just kidding folks, just kidding. It's a joke.

Hear that cabel? I did it all wrong! We need to get back out there again!

[azbackpackr]

...I never heard of a cat tearing apart a tent to get in.

I have; although, you may be right that a tent might reduce the likelihood of attack since a tent doesn't "look" like prey, even if it smells like prey (i.e. you).

I have a friend whose dad was attacked while he was in a tent. As it happens, he was bowhunting on that trip, and had a gun with him for personal protection (which was illegal, due to the bowhunt, in the state where he was hunting). He shot the lion. He reported the attack, and was cited for possessing a gun during a bowhunt. He went to court to fight it, and brought the shredded tent as evidence of the attack, but the judge refused to dismiss the charge (although he did reduce the fine). Honestly, I can't blame my friend's dad for carrying the gun for protection, and I can't blame the judge for holding him accountable.

(Footnote: In Arizona, you may carry a handgun for protection during a bowhunt, so long as it doesn't have a scope mounted on it, etc.)

Ok, so, as I mentioned, I never went solo backpacking again without a tent (after the middle-of-the-night screaming episode), but now I guess I should add in my .38. My pack is going to be heavy!