“Of all the animals, man is the only one that’s cruel. He is the only one that inflicts pain for the pleasure of doing it “.
Mark Twain
GBR
Just Checking in on everyone....
- Thread starter Doc Holiday
- Start date
Mark Twain
GBR
Ok I knew Kate would offend someone by posting about that. I honestly told her not to and we would definitely discuss it when I got in the house. But she is strong willed and more of a damn the torpedos full speed ahead kind than me.
I have had 30 give or take legal permits in my hands over the years and for one reason or another I just never could look down the barrel of my Saddle Gun and pull the trigger. Not that we haven't had BIG CATS above our hounds that I could have easily harvested.....it just didn't seem like the Right Cat or Right Time....I always figured to my self that once you drop the hammer on the firing pin.....you can't reach out, grab the bullet and say.....nah I changed my mind.
We treed a Livestock killer (Horses, Mules, numerous goats and sheep not to mention spring calves) that was so fat he had trouble climbing trees.....and even had killed several hounds over his years but still I couldn't shoot him.....don't ask why I can't describe the feeling.
Maybe it's fear.....I've been honestly afraid of Mt. Lions since a young kid. It's a long story but the short story is while hunting with my Dad and Grandfather a lion my Grandfather & Dad's dogs treed in Southern Colorado came out of the tree un-expextedly and landed about a foot from me and had it not been for my Dad's dog "Sissy" ( she was my pal growing up ) who landed right in the middle of that Tom who had drawn a bead on me being the least threatening of the 3 of us I would have at the very least been hurt really badly or killed. As it was the wounds Sissy got protecting me cost her the ultimate sacrifice....she died at the Vets office 2 days later.
This is the main reason I have never in all these years harvested one till now.
You have to understand that Hunting and Fishing and Guiding others to their dreams is why I do this. I have had numerous Big Toms from Here and in Nebraska even...to Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and in British Columbia Where I could have filled my tag....but I wanted it to be just the perfect storm if you will, First I wanted it to be with Hounds that were mine from the time they were conceived till the time they were under the canopy of the tree. Second this was a life long quest for me that only hunters can appreciate....I was not going to settle for anything less than the picture I had in my mind.
And last I wanted it to be a real challenge of Witt's....me and my hounds noses against the True Lord of the realm. This Cat is actually past his prime....his teeth were starting to round off a bit and to get to that age in the wild.....you ain't no dummy.
He is covered in scars from fights with God knows what...even had bite marks on his shoulder and neck that are long since healed that have a jaw spread of what could only be a Grizzly Bear....man I would have loved to have known what that fight was over !.... Others have tried for well over 4 years to catch this Tom and I wanted to share it with the true love of my life....Kate.
I'm not getting any younger and my days doing this type of physically demanding hunting are coming fast and this was just the ABSOLUTE RIGHT TOM at the ABSOLUTE RIGHT TIME.
It's as simple but complicated as that if you understand....A Tom like this old monarch is going to find females to breed next to impossible with the abundance of Toms in this same area that are in their prime of life, twice as strong, twice as fast, his time has come and gone. What better way to go out than fighting like a Lion.....than crawling, limp, broken and defeated to be food for scavenger's......
This is my reasons like them or me or not.....but know this, this has been a life long quest for that perfect storm with a very special individual....my quest has now ended....only in a life saving emergency will I ever draw down on another....
I hope this helps you understand....you don't have to like it or me for doing it but I have never even broken a size limit on a fish let alone do anything imoral or illegal in the pursuit of any fish, fowl or animal in my entire life.
So ends my quest....not with a bang or a whimper.....but exactly the way I believe it was always intended to.
DOC & Kate
I have had 30 give or take legal permits in my hands over the years and for one reason or another I just never could look down the barrel of my Saddle Gun and pull the trigger. Not that we haven't had BIG CATS above our hounds that I could have easily harvested.....it just didn't seem like the Right Cat or Right Time....I always figured to my self that once you drop the hammer on the firing pin.....you can't reach out, grab the bullet and say.....nah I changed my mind.
We treed a Livestock killer (Horses, Mules, numerous goats and sheep not to mention spring calves) that was so fat he had trouble climbing trees.....and even had killed several hounds over his years but still I couldn't shoot him.....don't ask why I can't describe the feeling.
Maybe it's fear.....I've been honestly afraid of Mt. Lions since a young kid. It's a long story but the short story is while hunting with my Dad and Grandfather a lion my Grandfather & Dad's dogs treed in Southern Colorado came out of the tree un-expextedly and landed about a foot from me and had it not been for my Dad's dog "Sissy" ( she was my pal growing up ) who landed right in the middle of that Tom who had drawn a bead on me being the least threatening of the 3 of us I would have at the very least been hurt really badly or killed. As it was the wounds Sissy got protecting me cost her the ultimate sacrifice....she died at the Vets office 2 days later.
This is the main reason I have never in all these years harvested one till now.
You have to understand that Hunting and Fishing and Guiding others to their dreams is why I do this. I have had numerous Big Toms from Here and in Nebraska even...to Utah, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Colorado, and in British Columbia Where I could have filled my tag....but I wanted it to be just the perfect storm if you will, First I wanted it to be with Hounds that were mine from the time they were conceived till the time they were under the canopy of the tree. Second this was a life long quest for me that only hunters can appreciate....I was not going to settle for anything less than the picture I had in my mind.
And last I wanted it to be a real challenge of Witt's....me and my hounds noses against the True Lord of the realm. This Cat is actually past his prime....his teeth were starting to round off a bit and to get to that age in the wild.....you ain't no dummy.
He is covered in scars from fights with God knows what...even had bite marks on his shoulder and neck that are long since healed that have a jaw spread of what could only be a Grizzly Bear....man I would have loved to have known what that fight was over !.... Others have tried for well over 4 years to catch this Tom and I wanted to share it with the true love of my life....Kate.
I'm not getting any younger and my days doing this type of physically demanding hunting are coming fast and this was just the ABSOLUTE RIGHT TOM at the ABSOLUTE RIGHT TIME.
It's as simple but complicated as that if you understand....A Tom like this old monarch is going to find females to breed next to impossible with the abundance of Toms in this same area that are in their prime of life, twice as strong, twice as fast, his time has come and gone. What better way to go out than fighting like a Lion.....than crawling, limp, broken and defeated to be food for scavenger's......
This is my reasons like them or me or not.....but know this, this has been a life long quest for that perfect storm with a very special individual....my quest has now ended....only in a life saving emergency will I ever draw down on another....
I hope this helps you understand....you don't have to like it or me for doing it but I have never even broken a size limit on a fish let alone do anything imoral or illegal in the pursuit of any fish, fowl or animal in my entire life.
So ends my quest....not with a bang or a whimper.....but exactly the way I believe it was always intended to.
DOC & Kate
That's a fair explanation Doc. I have numerous members of my family that are avid hunters (bros in law, son in law, uncles) and it is really fascinating to see how excited they get sharing their experiences. They will draw a tag for a certain zone and go out weeks in advance and scout the area. Drawing a tag for elk in the Gila Mountain range in southern NM is like a dream come true for them! Myself? I'm an avid outdoorsman who loves hiking but I have seen huge bull elk in the wild and there is no way I could kill one of those majestic creatures. But I have no problem at all with others who see the sport in it, and I don't mind at all when they share the meat with us! We all have different hobbies and interests. I'm sure they will never understand the thrill of seeing a 4 iron heading straight for the pin from 210 yards away!
On a related note I was playing a course in Estes Park Co years ago and took pics of several bull elk in velvet on the course. They weren't aggressive at all in early June but I swear they were within15-20 yards of my ball and showed no interest or fear whatsoever. Shared those pics with all of my hunting friends and family and they could not believe it! If you've ever been to Estes Park you know they are all over that town in the Summer.
Your welcome I don't ever want to put off the vibe that all who hunt are just bloodthirsty. In my case it's the opposite. I actually feel the animals if that makes any sense and my best friend outside my wife in the world, who just happens to be a full blooded Indian but from 2 different tribe's says it's a spirit thing and is very rare. Now I don't know that much about his religion but I do know that his Grandfather is highly respected in their tribe and he says I have a Gift that came from the great father and am at heart a true hunter in the purest sense.....whatever that means.
DOC HOLIDAY
I'm in the I can't shoot to kill any animal camp. Even when that chocolate lab was lunging towards me 10 years ago and I thought she was going to kill me, I could not have killed her to save my life. to this day, I don't know why she didn't knock me down and rip my throat open and I don't know why she took a hunk out of my leg and then turned tail and left. It's still a total blank to me and has been from the moment it happened.
I am pretty cool towards hunters that use the meat they shoot. Especially in Nebraska, I understand that with deer, oftentimes we're overpopulated and without hunters, we would have starving deer running around. The kill is being used for food and that deer isn't going to starve because of the number that are competing for scarce resources.
I take issues to the trophy hunters that are killing protected animals (I think it was a dentist who was on a safari and killed a protected elephant). I believe I could probably have taken him out I was so pissed. And yes, I'm an excellent shot. In basic training, I qualified on the M-16 with 78 out of 80 rounds. I'm just mostly very non-violent.
I am pretty cool towards hunters that use the meat they shoot. Especially in Nebraska, I understand that with deer, oftentimes we're overpopulated and without hunters, we would have starving deer running around. The kill is being used for food and that deer isn't going to starve because of the number that are competing for scarce resources.
I take issues to the trophy hunters that are killing protected animals (I think it was a dentist who was on a safari and killed a protected elephant). I believe I could probably have taken him out I was so pissed. And yes, I'm an excellent shot. In basic training, I qualified on the M-16 with 78 out of 80 rounds. I'm just mostly very non-violent.
Lol don't take this wrong U. I just find it amusing that you could do no harm to the chocolate lab that attacked you but you would kill another human being (the dentist) for taking out that elephant. Just observating...not saying there is a right or wrong to your way of thinking.
Yeah, I know. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense but that's just me. If the dog had been attacking a child, I would have done enough to her to free the child. But I had a really hard time afterwards. She also attacked the Sheriff's Deputy making his report. The only reason she didn't get shot on the spot by the Deputy was because there were half a dozen grade school age children out observating the entire situation. Her owners chose to put her down instead of living with her being labeled a "dangerous dog" There's a lot of rigamarole that goes along with that and they had just had a baby and I don't think she was getting the attention she got pre-baby. Anyway, I had some guilt that she was put down. I kept thinking if I had walked 30 minutes earlier or 30 minutes later; she might have been inside or on another side of the yard and not seen me. My brother pointed out that she might have bitten the baby had she not attacked the Deputy and myself. Took a while for me to digest it all but it is what it is. I still love dogs, just am very cautious when I walk.
It wasn't a fair hunt with the elephant and that dude just pissed me off. He's a low-life because of how he hunts.
Sorry Doc, didn't mean to derail your thread.
Hope you and Kate continue to enjoy your time in the wild!
Edit: meant to add that I don't have a problem with taking out a big cat like this that is passed its prime. Much more humane than it starving to death or being ripped to shreds by another creature. Not much different than when I take one of my guys for that last car ride when it's "time".
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A cougar is a big cat and one which will kill if it thinks it has the upper hand. I would never go into the back woods where there is an opportunity to meet one of these guys on the trail without my .357 on my hip. Make no mistake, they are dangerous.
When I hike in cougar country I spread my lats real wide and talk in a deep voice. Never had a problem.
Normally when I hike around cougars, I slather myself up with BBQ sauce. Also never had a problem.
Funny how there can be more than one solution to a problem.
There's more than one way to skin a cat. You go with Sweet Baby Ray's or KC Masterpiece for max protection?
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OK, I was more than a little pissed last year when the rabbits got into my garden and ate my sweet peas and green beans. I retaliated by planting marigolds around the perimeter and that kept them out for the rest of the year.
I try to coexist peacefully with God's other creatures. I only got pissed because they ate my entire harvest but I had plenty of everything else so I survived.
That's why I fenced my vegetable garden in this past summer. If they can jump more than 4', I'll tip my hat to them, let them out, and get them on the rebound when my Hostas are looking good to them.
If you plant what i suggested , you could have just picked them up and moved them after they ate your garden . And they would not have cared at all
