CouesPursuit

First lion.

I really enjoy seeing the fresh passion of a young hunter such as yourself. Congratulations on the tag (especially with the timing of the zero guide fees), magical hunt, and girlfriend that hit the field with you. Keep her around. Great buck.

Price reduced, could be a gift and someone's brand new bow case for Christmas.

I would guess that he "anchored" the deer, as in dead right there. Also commented to follow this post out of curiosity as I have taken 3 "anchor shots" on 3 different animals in the past year with this bullet from 90-400 yards with a slow little creedmoor.

Congratulations on the pup and good luck with her.

Good thread. Bump They have been mentioned several times but the cheap cut proof gloves are great to use when processing critters in the field, for protection but also the grip creates less hand fatigue, less cleanup and more piece of mind.

I was in the don't need 'em crowd but thinking they are a good idea long term. I used some cheap Amazon ones 2 weeks ago and wished I had some on my hunt last year.

Cork grip and other - Many say it is the most important feature. The upgrade to cork often comes with weight. Thoughts on cork or other? Thanks!

Weight and Carbon vs. Aluminum - Carbon is typically lighter but is aluminum stronger, is there enough reason to believe it should last longer or is it more useful for some other reason? How much do you think you would notice a pair of 10oz sticks vs 18oz sticks? Other carbon benefits?

Pole Style - I liked the idea of the Z pole setup, thinking without adjustment, there is less to fail. I imagine when using a tarp system in the backcountry, adjustability really shines. No adjustment also equates to weight savings. How often do these higher end pole locks fail in the field and thoughts on a fixed pole height? Black Diamond for example has a hybrid model ("FLZ"), z style with one adjustment, pack down to 14", best of both worlds?

I've been researching poles and have had trouble settling on a specific model for some time. I'd like to buy once and cry once. I know these have been discussed in the past but now that more people have been using and upgrading trekking poles in recent years, I'd appreciate the wisdom of CWT on the topic.

Thank you, everyone. I decided to pack out the lion whole because I was keeping all of the head, hide and meat anyway, there really wasn't any weight to shed. The meat is outstanding. I had lion 3 times within the first 7 days, having only a couple small straps left and all the quarters were processed for burgers and tacos.

And I'm not talking about the current state of the nation. I knew the odds of me drawing a sheep tag were slim to none, but it happened in 2019. The odds of what happened on my deer hunt this past weekend however, had to be far slimmer and certainly unbelievable without proof. Whether the destination of the day or the particular part of a ridge or canyon, I have told myself a hundred times "that is where you're going to find a lion." With an abundance of hunting pressure on opening day of the third coues hunt in the unit, I went 2.5 miles to the deepest and darkest canyon available from my hunt party's area before sunrise on Saturday. The drainage of the canyon was surprisingly void of deer at first light, so my partner and I kept on the last several hundred yards up a shale face that crested into one of the steepest and biggest Google Earth tricks that I've ever played on myself. I immediately thought, "crap it is going to be tough to find a buck in here, but this HAS to be lion country." One tucked in doe and 5 minutes later, and I had finally found what I'd been dreaming of every day on the mountain for the last 18 years. There sunning sideways on a large boulder along a steep draw, stretched out my first glassed lion with no idea we had slipped into its lair. Unbelievable. The excitement nearly doubled when my rangefinder read a number starting with one of a few magical digits, 4. With the state of cat and a series of boulders and rock faces to navigate through, I closed the number to 400 yards even and set up prone. I waited for an hour and a half as it roll occasionally from side to side. I tried to guess how everything would play out including when, how and for how long it would get up for a stretch, but I was in no mans land. I knew nothing first hand about their daytime behavior and came to the conclusion it could be hours before anything changed. With a solid rest, no kittens joining the party and a forecast of high winds picking up well before noon, it was time to put all the load and range work to use. Timed to a break in the early morning gusts, 2 quick reports and a cloud of dust rising from the rock pile beneath is all that could be seen. For the first time ever, the deer tag in my pocket didn't matter anymore. We found 3 kills all within a few hundred yards. Upon arrival, I feared the lion had crawled its way into a hole that I was going to have to dig out similar to several javelina over the years. But luck continued on my side. My first lion, a 2-3 year-old female. Another first was my young cousin's buck on Friday, his first day ever hunting. Obvious first timer with his headlamp still on his head at noon. I hadn't noticed all day or when taking the photos either! Haha. It was also my first weekend with a new pack and I couldn't have carried the lion out like I did for camp to appreciate without it. A buck on Friday and a 80-90 pound lion on Saturday - what a way to break it in. The Savage LWH has also taken a sheep, coues and lion all within the last year with the 6.5 ELD-X doing its job 3/3, dead right there. And the most unbelievable part? After 18 years behind binoculars across the state with zero lions spotted, a second lion on Sunday after creeping into just 380 yards. It didn't have a care in the world, like it knew none of us had another tag in our pocket. We watched it along with deer a couple hundred yards to both sides for an hour before we let it lay and moved along. I've always heard "anything can happen" when it comes to hunting, and after the last 2 years, it isn't so unbelievable anymore.

Great buck, congrats to your pops.