dogman68

Hap is 3/4 hound. Not sure of the parents. I think one might have been bluetick. He is 1/4 German Short Hair. Really fun dog to hunt with. I have a few hounds that can out trail him, but not by much. In 40 years I have never had a dog that could touch him all around. You almost laugh when you see him work. You just want to say to yourself, "Did I just see that?" I have heard that every now and then a gsp/ bluetick can sometimes make a dinamite cat chasen dog. I know very little about hounds, but I sure like gsp's energy/speed and a dang good nose to boot. What do you think, could this be the next breed for runnin and treeing cats in the desert? A GSH is one of the finest hunting dogs around. Some of them will tree and of course they are natural locators. Their energy and toughness is pretty hard to beat. I think Dave Carlson got the perfect cross when he came up with these dogs. My dog seems to be pretty darn tough.

Hey was up the only tree on the slope, Amanda

Hap is 3/4 hound. Not sure of the parents. I think one might have been bluetick. He is 1/4 German Short Hair. Really fun dog to hunt with. I have a few hounds that can out trail him, but not by much. In 40 years I have never had a dog that could touch him all around. You almost laugh when you see him work. You just want to say to yourself, "Did I just see that?"

We found both kills but the first one didn't pan out due to coyotes and no lion coming back. Hey, congrats to your guys on the lion catch. Since I hunt them 3-5 days a week, day in and day out, it is easy to get burned out. I wouldn't feel a bit bad about a short race! Lions are fun to catch under any conditions. It is just icing on the cake when you get to experience the whole ball of wax so to speak. The worst day lion hunting is better than the best day at work. Really it's all about the dogs and being out with good people.

Man you are lucky to see that many lions. Maybe I can bump up against you for luck. I have seen maybe 6 in my life. I know what you mean by lion mounts. A guy in Flagstaff mounted two big toms for me one time and they looked like the pink panther. The guys having them mounted wouldn't even accept them. Sure put me in the middle. Running lions with dogs is an "iffy" thing at best. So much to go wrong. Makes it pretty sweet when it all comes together. Surprising, but sweet. ha

You got it right TAM. Thanks for posting the pic. Brings back good memories. That was a pig you killed! Wish we could catch one like that every time. Anyway, it's all about the hunt and not necessarily the kill. Rusty died a month ago. I guess she just wore out. We have 8 hard trailing dogs but nothing that can compete with a half bird dog. (Hap) ha Take care. What you up to these days? Doggie boy

The day we caught the lion was an easy race as far as lion hunting goes. The heat was a factor (92 degrees) but we were pretty lucky. It was the prior 6 days of torture that made the catch so sweet. A lot of people have killed lions but very few people have actually hunted them. Josh worked his tail off and was right in there watching for sign, reading the hounds etc. It always amazes me when people are fortunate enough to take a lion without dogs they say, "lion taken without dogs". In other words, they had an accident and killed a lion. Dry ground lion hunting can be a brutal endeavor at times. Most lion hunting today is a mechanized affair with radios etc. Josh really earned this one! It was what some lion hunters would call an "honest lion".

That is a really nice looking mount. I think lions are some of the hardest animals to mount properly, given the number of goofy looking ones I have seen over the years. Some look like they were electricuted. A rug is the safest way to go generally speaking. Josh really paid his dues on this hunt. We pounded the mountains for 5 hard days, daylight to dark in the heat. We covered close to 200 miles during that time. It wasn't your usual, 8 trucks with two way radios looking for a track while the hunter sits in the truck waiting for "the call" and then walks to the tree. We had an all day trail job one day in some of the roughest country in Arizona. We were both sunburned and baked. The 6th day we checked a kill but the coyotes had gotten to it and the lion hadn't been back. The 7th day we got a run off another kill and almost didn't catch the lion due to the dry, hard packed ground and heat. (It was 92 degrees that day) Hap pulled that one out of the bag for us. Anyway, it was a trophy well earned. Josh was really into it and that makes the difference.

Andy and Devin are about two of the finest young men an old coot like myself could hope to hunt with. Very enthusiastic, knowledgeable and if they tell you something, that is exactly the way it is. Thanks you two.

A guide is only as good as his hunter. In this case, catching a lion for Josh was going to happen sooner or later. He toughed it out for 7 days in the heat. Due to the terrain and weather, he got to actually see what lion hunting was all about. We both learned a lot on this hunt. Congrats Josh on an "honest lion". I'd be careful on the haircut thing though. Dogman

I don't know how to work this computer very well; much has been discussed about lions etc. lately. On the human side, I would like to say that hunting with your son is the biggest enjoyment that can come to an old guy like myself. I am sure many of you have experienced that and many of you will experience it in the future. Doesn't get much better when your "kid" helps the dogs work out a tough lose on a track, or he can make good judgements on things due to his own expertise. Or, he makes a good spot on a bedded coues buck. Really makes the days and weeks in the woods even more rewarding and worthwhile than they already were.

That is definately not a mature lion and could be male or female. I would probably have shot it as well being so close and in a crouched position. G&F does say spotted kitten so I was wrong, I think it is legal. Very cool story Kaffer!!!! I'm sure you had a major adrenaline rush from that! <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Although I am not a coues fanatic, lol, I do recognize them for what they are----that, being great lion food. I must say it is enjoyable seeing all the lion photos you boys post from time to time. While not an expert by any means, I have had the good fortune to have looked at several hundred lions over a 40 year period of hunting them. For me, it is always interesting to read what the hunter says about the lion etc. I see firstcoues got himself a kitty. Way to go 1st coues. Your story about discovering he had testicles was interesting. Few people, hunters or wildlife people included, can tell the sex of a lion. I don't know how many pictures I see of "115 lb females". If it is 115 lbs, it is more than likely not a female. If it is a female, probably that 115 was a "guess". Most guys that kill a big male usually think it weighs 180 lbs. There are several ways to judge age and of course, the sex part can be confusing to the uninitiated. For instance, the two lions harvested by firstcoueswas80 et al are approx. 6-8 months old. Now that is just an educated guess and looking from a distance. You can tell by the juvenile strips as they are called. Also, the head shape and just general over all appearance, even without looking at the teeth. Anyway, thanks to all that post pictures of lions they have taken. I for one always enjoy seeing them and hearing the story. Thanks.

It's the new catch and release program.... -Shiras Awesome job Randy and Josh (and dogs)!!! <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I got more fun out of seeing little bear's dogs under the tree than catching the lions.

Never made it in college. Must be someone more intelligent than myself, that's for sure. I sure don't know that much about lions or lion hunting. I find that out every day I hunt them. One of the reasons I was so interested in reading what others had to say. I feel I can learn something from everyone and that helps me. I do, however, prefer unattractive women. More in my class; less fear of rejection too.

I doubt dogman68 will be afraid to type, someone already took a jab at him and he came back, it was in a different discussion but similar topic. I am mearly stating my thoughts/ideas in relation to what has been said, and I'm curious the reasoning behind it. I have hunted and killed lions but I am not a "lion hunter" so I don't know much about the details. These guys are the best out there right now and what they say has alot of weight, and for dogman68 to say anything, I know there is alot of experience and knowledge backing it up, so I'm sure he's got good reasons and that is what I'm inquiring about. I always thought all lion hunters prayed for snow, even if they had dry ground dogs, and for one to think it should be outlawed? That made me curious. You are entitled to your opinions, as am I, but yours is hilarious, thanks for the laugh! JIM <{POST_SNAPBACK}> <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I was not slamming anyone or anyone's dogs. Catching a lion is fun no matter how you do it. It was tongue in cheek saying "It should be outlawed". It "sucks" due to all the driving and hauling your dogs around in the truck hour after hour. They learn that the only time to hunt is when you have found a track. I know several guys (including ourselves) that hunt rain, snow, wind or shine. Those guys have some pretty fair hounds. I have the sorriest snow dogs I have ever owned. We put them out on two tracks and they had no idea what to do. That is frustrating. People tend to take things very literal on internet forums and also personal, something I need to keep in mind, so my apologies if I have offended anyone. Coues deer and lions are closely inter related and I thought after seeing several lion pictures and reading some of what was read, to throw in my 2 cents worth, thinking it might be interesting to coues and lion hunters a like. Also, I am pretty computer challenged but we don't kill every lion we catch. We do enjoy the "no snow" scenario since then you do not have to consider if someone else is sitting on the other end of the track you are going to start out on. I think Josh and I caught 11 lions two years ago that we let go. Since, most of those have been killed by local hunters. We love to hunt them and run our dogs on them so why kill a lion that is in your backyard? Everyone starts out somewhere. Now a days most hunters start out buying dogs, trucks, radios etc. and then just go at it. Unfortunately we started the backwards way, training our own dogs, trial and error, too broke to buy two bags of dog food at one time etc etc. People have more money now so it is easier to just get set up from day one. Nothing wrong with that approach either other than you miss out on much of the heartache. lol There is plenty of heartache to go around even when things go right with dogs. My experience, for what little it is worth, is that you can catch a lion with some pretty sorry dogs. I proved that last week. Doesn't mean that if you catch a lion on the snow, that makes you or your dog sorry. That is a wrong corrolation. Dirt hunting and snow hunting are two totally different types of hunting that are not even closely related other than the object is to catch a lion. It's like comparing football and golf. They both involve using a ball but the games are different. Can be fun regardless of the game you play. I've hunted both ways and can honestly say that there is nothing like watching a good pack of dogs work their hearts out on a tough track. All houndsmen have their own ways and methods and nothing is to say one way is right and one way is wrong. It is just whatever you prefer. All of us are hunters and it is important not to lose sight of the fun and rewards that come from hunting and get bogged down in disagreement and discord. We are all in this together.

I doubt dogman68 will be afraid to type, someone already took a jab at him and he came back, it was in a different discussion but similar topic. I am mearly stating my thoughts/ideas in relation to what has been said, and I'm curious the reasoning behind it. I have hunted and killed lions but I am not a "lion hunter" so I don't know much about the details. These guys are the best out there right now and what they say has alot of weight, and for dogman68 to say anything, I know there is alot of experience and knowledge backing it up, so I'm sure he's got good reasons and that is what I'm inquiring about. I always thought all lion hunters prayed for snow, even if they had dry ground dogs, and for one to think it should be outlawed? That made me curious. You are entitled to your opinions, as am I, but yours is hilarious, thanks for the laugh! JIM <{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The fun, pleasure, reward and feeling of accomplishment only comes from watching a good bunch of hounds work their hearts out on a tough track----even come up empty. Until you have spent years training (or trying to train) hounds, it's hard to fully appreciate lion hunting. Again, thanks to you guys that post pics of your lions etc. I enjoy hearing the stories and seeing the pictures. I try to learn what I can from other people's experiences.

It's all about the dogs, regardless of what you hunt. The tougher the conditions, the more rewarding it is. Anyone can learn to hunt lions. It's learning about the dogs that is the tough part.

It was their lucky day. We don't kill all the lions we catch. In fact, very few of them. We love to hunt them and they have their place.

I totally agree with you. We cringe when we see snow coming. Up until then, no one is around much and we prefer to hunt the dirt. Our dogs do really poorly in snow. Most of them had never seen the snow until a few days ago. We could barely get them to run the track; totally clueless. That's why they call catching lions on the dirt, "honest lions". ha If you are hunting a lion and it snows there, you have to go ahead whatever conditions you got.

You are right. It sucks. Should be outlawed. You can catch a lion in the snow with a sorry hound no doubt. I agree 270

<{POST_SNAPBACK}> Yes Lark. Anyone that knows me knows someone else HAS to be the brains! Watch him, he is a shifty character.

Sure am not an anti. lol I didn't mean to say that casey shot two lions. I don't believe I said that. Anyway, I was referring to the pic of the two lions on the tailgate. I was congratulating Casey, not knocking him and merely saying that there is a lot of misunderstanding about lions that we all share in. To age a lion that young, the report will probably come back merely as "Juvinile". If you look at a tooth chart used in aging, you will see what I mean. Yes, sometimes "adult" lions have the striping but it looks different. I guess if you consider a lion an adult at two years old then yes, adult lions often have the stripes. Generally, they lose or the stripes began to fade at around 20 months or so. It doesn't matter to me personally how big or how old Casey's lion is. Congrats Casey.