Utah cat hunt report and pics(1 gruesom pic)

Tyak · Post by **Tyak** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 6:56 pm

Well, I'm back and ready to do some fishing. Had a neat time, just really disappointed!!!! I took lots of pics though.

One thing I learned about Utah when I saw my rig...LIME GREEN ROCKS!!!!!!!!!

We started out Thursday morning and the weather was beautiful! Here is a cool pic of a "snow ring" that had rolled down a hill to the road. I thought it looked cool...

As we were riding our snow mobiles, I almost hit this old guy in the road. I had to dig for my camera and barely got a shot of him as he crossed the river...

We rode for several miles, all the while I was soaking up the beauty of the mountains...

We came to an abrupt stop and we had a little excitement when we found this track from a mature tom. Too bad it was more than a day and a half old. He estimated this cat to be a "real hog"...

So we quickly put the dog on it, only to not get a good scent...

Friday, we returned to the same canyon to see if the big cat crossed again. He did not make it back, so we rode on. About 3 miles later, we ride upon a very rare spectacle while cat hunting. We saw a deer laying dead about 50 yds. up a hill. When we checked it out, the deer was still warm and not even stiff!!! They said we must have scared the cat off of it's fresh kill

The cat had just started dragging the deer for a ways...

Here is a closer pic showing the distance between the K-9 teeth where he got the deer by the neck!!!!

A BIG CAT!!...

We hurriedly got the dogs to the location only to find that they were unable to get a good scent trail!!! WHAT??? I was sure that my Dauschund Wilson could find this cat...

As we rode back home, I was in dis-belief that we could not get a scent trail. I thought I was within minutes of my dream. We headed back the next morning to see if the cat had returned to eat his dinner, then maybe we could get a scent trail.

We rounded the corner where the deer was and my heart started pumping when I saw this...

The cat had eaten all but half of the deer and it seemed that he had not been gone long. Believe it or not, no trail to follow with the dog!!! What dog could not get a good scent from this. I almost cried on the way back to the truck when I realized that it wasn't gonna happen.

I guess I will stick to fishin' for big fish.

Ty

RandallW20 · Post by **RandallW20** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:00 pm

WOW!!!! Thats some cool stuff

I'm sorry you didn't get your cat though. I was looking forward to seeing that

Nice pics though

Mythman · Post by **Mythman** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:20 pm

Did you get any explanation as to why the dog might not be able to get a scent with so much fresh activity???

Tyak · Post by **Tyak** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:33 pm

Somewhat...Something about the snow melting in the sun and the scent going with

Anyone with hunting dogs should know that we hit a gold mine and we should have had a cat!!!!!

Tyak · Post by **Tyak** » Mon Mar 03, 2008 7:35 pm

Somewhat...Something about the snow melting in the sun and the scent going with

Anyone with hunting dogs should know that we hit a gold mine and we should have had a cat!!!!!

islandmike · Post by **islandmike** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:00 am

At least you got some nice pics and memories.

Mitchw123456 · Post by **Mitchw123456** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 3:06 am

Thats insane the dogs couldn't pick up a trails that were that fresh. I think its time for your outfitter to start looking for some new dogs. Granted I don't have much knowledge of waht snow does to scent as I ahve no idea to what that white stuff is

Night Wing · Post by **Night Wing** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:11 am

Great set of photos. The one with the elk in it is my favorite of the bunch. It will make a good Desktop photo.

Mythman · Post by **Mythman** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 6:37 am

Two bad about the dogs being unable to pick up the scent, Ty.

Like sitting in the HSC with the FF beeping its head off and no bites.

So close, but so far away!!!

BTW, you might have gotten a shot, if you had just had a yellow snowmobile.

reelfisherman · Post by **reelfisherman** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 7:43 am

Those are some nice pics but that guy filled you full of stuff. I ran beagles my whole youth on snow and the best days are when the sun melts the snow a little as it holds the scent better than really cold days. Sounds to me like those dogs don't hunt.

Tyak · Post by **Tyak** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 8:24 am

disgruntled wrote:Those are some nice pics but that guy filled you full of stuff. I ran beagles my whole youth on snow and the best days are when the sun melts the snow a little as it holds the scent better than really cold days. Sounds to me like those dogs don't hunt.

Exactly!!! I have always dreamed of a cat with a bow and to think that I was that close and ruined by out of experience dogs!

RandallW20 · Post by **RandallW20** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 9:55 am

Ditto, I always thought that moisture holds scent better than dry air....

WATER HOG · Post by **WATER HOG** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:44 am

sounds like someone is saving a BIG CAT for himself or some BIGGER $$$$$$$ from maby a sideline client that promised to pay some BIGGER bucks than they were charging you ??
never know ?

I sure was hoping you would score this time .

WATER HOG · Post by **WATER HOG** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 10:46 am

also you did learn that a Cat will return to finish what he started ! almost wish you would have stayed and waited while they went for the dogs !

Justin_Time · Post by **Justin_Time** » Tue Mar 04, 2008 4:58 pm

WATER HOG wrote:also you did learn that a Cat will return to finish what he started ! almost wish you would have stayed and waited while they went for the dogs !

If the situation permited, I would have stayed around the deer as well. Maybe up in a tree? That sounds pretty scary actually!

bigfish210 · Post by **bigfish210** » Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:24 pm

...very surprised the "guide" did not hunt the fresh kill. I've heard similar stories where the guide had another person watch the kill then radio-in when the cat returned. Not sure if it would work, but it beats having the dog not-find a scent.

southtex16 · Post by **southtex16** » Wed Mar 12, 2008 12:16 am

As previously suggested, sounds like you got the "okey-doke" by the guide.....I would consult some other experienced big cat guides in the area and then approach your outfitter based on the feedback from the other guides....It would be worth the effort to try and recoup your investment. With such a fresh kill, you certainly should have hung back for several hours and glassed the area. I may be wrong, but it just doesn't add up...........

Coastal Country · Post by **Coastal Country** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 5:24 am

tyak wrote:Somewhat...Something about the snow melting in the sun and the scent going with

Anyone with hunting dogs should know that we hit a gold mine and we should have had a cat!!!!!

Just becuase you use dogs to track does not mean the ball is in your court, it's still "hunting" Was there wind? Humidity? I never had to track in snow but I'm sure there is more to it.

If the guy was a blow hard and said he had great dogs then yea WTH, But just becuase they're trained to track does not mean dogs will perform 100% everytime. Just like us they have HPA days and Rock star performances too.

Lou Dog · Post by **Lou Dog** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 7:45 pm

That would be an awesome trip to go on. Sucks you didn't get your big cat but had it been an elk trip you'd probably have a picture of a mountain lion for us to see. Sometimes it just goes that way. Great pics though for sure. That would be my luck anyways.

TexasSurfFisherman · Post by **TexasSurfFisherman** » Fri Mar 14, 2008 8:27 pm

tyak wrote:Somewhat...Something about the snow melting in the sun and the scent going with

Anyone with hunting dogs should know that we hit a gold mine and we should have had a cat!!!!!

I guided cat hunts all over Idaho and Montana he is telling you the truth.

Man you got closer than most dream of.

Beve · Post by **Beve** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 10:03 pm

Great pics. Cool storyline. Maybe next time for the big cat. That sure is some pretty country.

butch sanders · Post by **butch sanders** » Wed Apr 16, 2008 6:40 pm

you may have felt really bad about shooting a cat like that.
some things happen for the best

Tyak · Post by **Tyak** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 1:23 pm

butch sanders wrote:you may have felt really bad about shooting a cat like that.
some things happen for the best

Whatever!!!!!!!!!!!!

I spent a heck of a lot of dough to shoot a cat like that. If I didn't want to shoot one, I wouldn't have been hunting one!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ty

butch sanders · Post by **butch sanders** » Thu Apr 17, 2008 9:05 pm

as they say

"sometimes the cat wins"