rclouse79
WKR
- Joined
- Dec 10, 2019
- Messages
- 1,746
My buddy and I were glassing for bears and found a herd of 20 elk down in a creek bottom. A short while later I found two mountain lions sitting in the sun on the next ridge over. After watching them for around ten minutes the darker one started creeping in the direction of the elk. We watched in disbelief as the cougar made it to the creek below the elk just as they were starting to cross above him. He slunk along some bushes and ambushed them at close range. When the herd saw him it was total chaos, with elk scattering in every direction. Most of the elk went back down the hill and when they started up the other side the cat was right on their tail. It looked like he was just coasting and waiting for his moment. All of the sudden he stopped, turned around and went airborne at an elk behind him that was trying to rejoin the group. It looked like they were in free fall down the side of a super steep mountain into the creek. After that all we could see was a mountain lion tail waiving back and forth. Just before dark the second lighter colored cat made her way up the kill. I would guess the time from spotting the lions to the kill to be around 45 minutes.
The next day we hunted our way around the basin and ended up above the kill. We were hoping to see the remains of the elk, but instead saw the dark color cat slip out from the creek up the other side. After a while we started to look for the dead elk again and saw the other cat dead asleep above a cut bank. We got some pics and videos through the binoculars. We were 140 yards away.
I have a new found respect for mountain lions. It is hard to believe one could take down an elk like that and not get injured in the fall. Even though we never saw a bear, it was a hunting trip I won't soon forget.
The next day we hunted our way around the basin and ended up above the kill. We were hoping to see the remains of the elk, but instead saw the dark color cat slip out from the creek up the other side. After a while we started to look for the dead elk again and saw the other cat dead asleep above a cut bank. We got some pics and videos through the binoculars. We were 140 yards away.
I have a new found respect for mountain lions. It is hard to believe one could take down an elk like that and not get injured in the fall. Even though we never saw a bear, it was a hunting trip I won't soon forget.
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