I Think I May Have An Unwanted Hunting Companion

[rifelman]

What's a Henway?

 

[rico903]

About 3 lbs. OLD joke.

 

[Topher]

Wait....
A Cougar????

Like this????

 

[platoonDaddy]

From a wildlife biologist friend of mine:

Hard to tell due to quality of track. First impression looks like large dog track. Cougar track width is greater than length. This track looks like length is equal or greater than width. Leading (middle) toes of this track appear to be in line with each other as characteristic of canine track.

 

[Indiana Jones]

The thing that looks most like to me is a big dog. Coyotes walk with closed toes. I see plenty of bobcat and mountain lion tracks in my travels and my first thought was dog. However, I am frequently wrong in many topics! It is kind of a poor track. Any others in the area? Any scat?

From my experience, non ungulate tracks you find near trails/human areas in order of most common to least:

Dog
Coyote
Bobcat
Mt lion

Iowa and Nebraska have ALL of those, so I would keep a keen eye for more!

The first time I ever found mt lion tracks they had cut across MY tracks in the mud. I pay close attention to the ground and these were NOT there when I went up the trail. They were right outside my truck next to a stream as well. Needless to say once I saw them, it was an eery feeling.


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[BeoBill]

Skinwalker.

 

[rgramjet]

My unwanted hunting companion at least put on a show for me. This was a couple years ago, two days before bear season. My luck.

Here's a YouTube video.

https://youtu.be/D28mBrS-2q8

 

[tylerevans42]

Duh, it is *clearly* a chupacabra

That's most certainly manbearpig

 

[tylerevans42]

View attachment 159548

This

 

[Doctor_M]

Not a companion... a competitor.

 

[Striper69]

Wait....
A Cougar????

Like this????

Don't I wish...

 

[outrider58]

Dog. I can see the claws. Cat's retract their claws. Sorry to be a fuddy-duddy but, chupacabra and cigar were already exhausted.

 

[boss66tcode]

Its cougar. there's a lot more of them now out there.
Just don't ask Ernie Chambers how he feels about them and you are fine.

I wish they would open the hunting up ot non-residents, but they haven't done so yet.

Good luck, wish I could go back to Gods country like you have- envy

 

[wilcam47]

I've moved to the eastern Nebraska/western Iowa area. I'm a tribal member of the Omaha Nation of Nebraska. We have a reservation in NE Nebraska and I can hunt there for free.

I've been using a firing range there to zero my rifles and muzzleloader. I noticed a strange track a couple of weeks ago in some fresh mud.

I was scouting nearby this morning and found some more fresh tracks in some soft dirt. Here's one of the pics I took:

the tracks look old to me. Fresh tracks would be clearer IMO

 

[GoGoGadget]

A liger.

Pretty much my favorite animal, bred for its skills in magic.

 

[Mike4Maryland]

I think it's an obama. very dangerous!

 

[amoebicmagician]

cougar, keep your wits about you

 

[Indiana Jones]

If other people use that range, then it is HIGHLY likely it is a dog. Cougars are very shy, and very selective about things. Sure you'll see one here and there and tracks for sure but that print is far too poor to know especially for an area that isn't rife with them. Probably a guy who brought his dog to the range/area.


IF it were a Mt Lion, you have nothing to worry about. The hype is so overblown it is ridiculous. Lions HATE noise, and you'll be making plenty. Strength in numbers, and keep your dogs close. Still good to do as others said and keep your wits about, as you always should anyway. The only thing a lion would mean is competition for deer. Where I live there are TONS of them especially in the canyon and pass I hunt. Rest assured they watch you intently but you'll never know. They just keep to themselves. Most people who live here their entire lives have never seen one outside the zoo. I've never seen one. Just tracks and scat.

And to add the ones who are most at risk are children. A few miles north of town in Poudre Canyon there was a kid killed in the 90s, and found sometime later. Another toddler went missing two years ago and hasn't been found. Typically adults are just too big for them to want to mess with especially when in groups. Then again they do attack deer and elk. Who knows what animals are thinking. Just carry a big sidearm!

Aw shucks, look at me. Im rambling again.


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[wilcam47]

If other people use that range, then it is HIGHLY likely it is a dog. Cougars are very shy, and very selective about things. Sure you'll see one here and there and tracks for sure but that print is far too poor to know especially for an area that isn't rife with them. Probably a guy who brought his dog to the range/area.


IF it were a Mt Lion, you have nothing to worry about. The hype is so overblown it is ridiculous. Lions HATE noise, and you'll be making plenty. Strength in numbers, and keep your dogs close. Still good to do as others said and keep your wits about, as you always should anyway. The only thing a lion would mean is competition for deer. Where I live there are TONS of them especially in the canyon and pass I hunt. Rest assured they watch you intently but you'll never know. They just keep to themselves. Most people who live here their entire lives have never seen one outside the zoo. I've never seen one. Just tracks and scat.

And to add the ones who are most at risk are children. A few miles north of town in Poudre Canyon there was a kid killed in the 90s, and found sometime later. Another toddler went missing two years ago and hasn't been found. Typically adults are just too big for them to want to mess with especially when in groups. Then again they do attack deer and elk. Who knows what animals are thinking. Just carry a big sidearm!

Aw shucks, look at me. Im rambling again.


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I just saw my first one last week...ive gotten 2 pics on different game cameras in the past week...which is the most Ive seen since I put them up in Sept 2012...

Something has them stirred up around here.

 

[Indiana Jones]

I just saw my first one last week...ive gotten 2 pics on different game cameras in the past week...which is the most Ive seen since I put them up in Sept 2012...



Something has them stirred up around here.

Winters coming and they too try to get a head start. Im sure they know prey becomes more difficult to acquire. My buddy and I want to set up some game cameras on his property but have been too lazy to do it.


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