Received a call from my brother-in-law this afternoon about a thief. His father is over in Oregon on a elk hunt and scored a nice 5x5 and made a successful recovery, he gutted it, quartered it and put game bags on all the meat and zip tied the bags. He was returning to his elk after making his first run with a full pack frame to and from his truck only to discover that a bag that contained a front quarter had been swiped. He looked around and found the drag marks and he's certain it was a lion. Now comes the dilemma, what to do. He though about tracking down the meat but he was a lone and just decided to let the cat have a meal. He made several more trips for the remaining meat with no issues. He was pretty stoked about the elk but it raised a few hairs thinking that the cat was watching him and took advantage of his absence! My question is what would you do and has this ever happened to anyone else?
What would you do?
- Thread starter JLDemo
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LCH
Well-known member
I'd go buy a lion tag.
8andcounting
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I'd say it was a human not a cat
matt meyer
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I'd get a tag. Here in AZ our lion season is year round and most big game hunters carry a lion tag with them. It's cheap($15) and can be bought OTC
Best thing to do now is chalk it up to experience and next time have the tag. You didn't mention if he hung the meat in a tree with a rope or try to hide it.
Food for thought(No Pun intended).
Best thing to do now is chalk it up to experience and next time have the tag. You didn't mention if he hung the meat in a tree with a rope or try to hide it.
Food for thought(No Pun intended).
MoGreen
Member
What can you do except as he did? As long as you are not in Grizzly country then return to the kill area at a distance to see if anything is present. Going back in with bear spray and a sidearm is always nice. I don't think I would buy a ML tag. Just to protect your meat? If a cat/bear has your stash then it is his.
Anymore, I do not hunt without bear spray even if I am not in Grizzly country. It is too damn light not to have some just in case. Works good on lunatics too.
Anymore, I do not hunt without bear spray even if I am not in Grizzly country. It is too damn light not to have some just in case. Works good on lunatics too.
That's exactly what he did, just loaded up what was left and got out. Never expected to find it and probably didn't want to!
MoGreen
Member
Or he gonna find a mean pissed off cat :hump:
He figured the meat was gone no matter what took it, and if it was a cat then I don't think there are many people on this earth that would try to chase it, let a lone take it back. Kitty ate well!
MoGreen
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Tradewind
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I would have tracked my meat down and found out what happened to it. Bear spray in one hand, pistol in the other. Defense only. Finding bear tracks is the onlyu thing that would keep me from finding out what happened.
First tho, I would have hung everything up in a tree (trees). you don't mention if that was the case.
First tho, I would have hung everything up in a tree (trees). you don't mention if that was the case.
Aussie_hunter_JD
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Animals gotta eat, I wouldn't get too hung up on it really it's just nature. Having said that if I had a lion tag I know what I'd be doing!
Tradewind
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They can have the carcass:hump:
Bummer about the lost quarter. I would have done the same thing, get out with what ya can.
What makes him so certain it was a lion? I've read that lions rarely scavenge meat, preferring to eat only what they kill. Any big cat experts on here who can speak to that?
Was the gut pile eaten at all?
What makes him so certain it was a lion? I've read that lions rarely scavenge meat, preferring to eat only what they kill. Any big cat experts on here who can speak to that?
Was the gut pile eaten at all?
Had a black bear get a front leg from a mule deer I had shot a few years back. I was hunting with a smaller day pack and had to take a second trip to get the front legs out. When I returned for the remaining meat there were bear prints all around the base of the tree I had hung the meat in two hours prior. I could see where he had taken it up hill, so I was more then happy to take the remaining front leg and head out of the tree and head down the hill. All I had with me was my 40 S&W, so I felt it wasn't worth pissing off a bear to get that last leg.
Muley_Stalker
Well-known member
Yes, it's happened over the years with cats, bears and humans. It's just part of hunting. If I don't see them I forget it. If I see them and it's a human we have a conversation.
D
Deleted member 20812
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I would have looked for a bit, then called it good if I didn't find it. Then, be thankful it was a shoulder and not a hind quarter.
Boarmaster
Well-known member
I would do just the same as he did.
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