interesting morning...

dslaughter · Nov 27, 2007

The last few weeks the bucks have been rutting good and I have really enjoyed getting out. I found this one buck last week that I could tell was a real freak but hadn't been able to close the distance on him for some good pictures. This morning I made it out before work. I was on a looping trail that had been holding a ton of deer but today all was quiet. I was about 1/2 mile back to the main trail when a very large mountain lion hit the trail about 45 yards in front of me. I was off guard and fumbling for the lense cap when he looked my way. This was THE photo op of a lifetime (maybe the very last photo op of a lifetime)...
I'd like to say that I kept my composure, removed the lens cap and took some great pics at 45 yards... I didn't. I was alone and face to face with mr. Tom so I made myself big and move quickly towards him making as much racket as I could. Thank God he ran. He stopped about 35 yards off the trail and turned around to watch me. I walked backwards most of the way to the truck. Pucker factor was VERY high...

Oh yeah, on the way out I saw this guy... his main beam is broken between the second and the fourth but he was a stud a few weeks ago.

tapehoser · Nov 27, 2007

That is one cool muley!!!

TFinalshot · Nov 27, 2007

cool, but the next time you encounter a cat, if there is a next time, stay in there and shoot, he wont eat you, just get the shots first and you will be glad you did.

BuckSnort · Nov 27, 2007

"he wont eat you"

LOL! yeah, we will make sure to put that one your tombstone! haha.

Cool pics, awesome buck.Thanks for sharing

lve2143 · Nov 27, 2007

Great stuff Dave.

Keep it coming. I like.

Larry

dslaughter · Nov 27, 2007

T,
I had that response from several folks.
When I see a bear I know that they will usually run but I just don't get the same feeling when I look at a big mountain lion (or even a medium one).
Besides, the light was terrible in that canyon and the pics would have looked very flat...

TFinalshot · Nov 28, 2007

okay, I'm just the opposite, I usually get an exit strategy when I see a bear (80 percent of the bears I see are grizzly) and pray everytime I'm out, that a cougar will come within shooting distance of me. If one would let me I'd walk right up the thing. . .

answermonkey · Nov 29, 2007

Very cool cork screw drop!

"There is an island of opportunity in the middle of every difficulty. Miss that, though, and you're pretty much screwed..."