Old School Tom

It had snowed about 24 inches in two days in the high country. A large tom lion had crossed several roads a few weeks back but had not been seen since. My brother In-law and I had a good look at the map and decided on a couple of roads to check but with the new snow it was going to be by snowmobile. After about 7 hrs on the trail the planning paid off. The huge track crossed the trail and headed up into an area with very little access. The track looked like it was a day old and full of snow. I walked the track about 50 yards to try to assess the size and noticed he seemed to be following a single deer and had made a rush on it. I followed the track a short distance longer and turned back to try to freshen it up in the next valley. We checked all day and could not locate the cat again.

 

The next morning we started about 6 AM and took the dogs with us hoping the cat would cross out. After another long ride it was apparent that the lion had not returned. The only thing we could do is lace up our boots and get on his track and hope we could catch up. With three dogs in tow, (two young plotts and a big old redbone named Buck), we laced up our boots and started in out his track. It was a tough go. It had gone from -18 to +5 degrees and was now raining sideways! We pushed through the deep snow wondering if it was going to another all night death march. Finally I came across an area where the tom and started to circle. I started to get excited as I knew he was on the hunt and not lining out. I started to make wide loops in the timber looking for an outgoing track when I came upon a deep depression in the snow. The fresh snow and rain made it hard to determine what it was at first but the boold gave it away....It was a kill!
You could see where the lion lept from the high ground and landed on the deers' back. There wasn't much of a struggle and it was over. The lion drug the deer a short ways and cashed it under a small fir tree and buried it under snow and sticks. Just to the right was a bed melted down to the needles and a large set of tracks bounding through the deep snow headed up onto a ridge. A quick inspection of the kill showed he hadn't eaten more that a handful of meat and parts of a few organs.

The dogs immediately opened and headed out. The dogs headed almost out of earshot and then treed. As we hiked we could hear them pounding the tree hard. The snow was deep but the sounds of the dogs made the hike seem effortless. As we got to the tree I could see the two plotts standing on the tree like book ends. I stopped to watch them perform and admired the results of 2 years of training. Buck was sitting back up the hill giving it his all. I radioed out and my father and a good friend decided to come in and join us. What an amazing day!

I had a quick look up the tree and knew this was a good cat. He had a large head and his ears drooped to the side. It was in a poor tree for pictures which made it difficult to assess the true size of this tom. His track and stride told me he was a brute.

I stood at the base of the tree and tried to find a spot to shoot but all I could see was his head. My brother In-law stood at the base of the tree and I took aim. He tapped the tree with a stick and the cat stood up. I aimed for the center of his chest and took the shot. The cat shot out of the tree and headed down into the ravine. After a few short yards he came to a rest.

As I approached the cat I was surprised that it seemed to grow. Sure enough it was a great cat. I estimated him to be 4-5 yrs old and easily 180+ lbs without any deer meat in him. It was a hunt of a lifetime and proof that sometimes getting off the snowmobile and putting in some work can pay off!

A special thanks goes to my father for the time and effort he put into training these fine hounds and the experience he has shared which helped me make this hunt successful. I would also like to thank my friend Lionel Trudel of Lionel Trudel Photography for the great pictures!