This story, “4 Lions,” appeared within the August 1956 concern of Out of doors Life. The $75 bounty per disguise talked about on this story is the equal of about $1,015 as we speak.
On a chilly January morning in 1948 Boyd McCracken, our native recreation warden, parked his pickup truck on the finish of a gravel highway half a mile from Maxfield Creek and walked into the timber to depend elk.
Snow had fallen within the evening, and earlier than Boyd had walked far he hit the contemporary observe of a cougar, following a band of elk. In McCracken’s ebook that spelled hassle, so he hurried again to the highway and drove to my house within the little city of Forks, on the Olympic Peninsula in northwestern Washington, to ask me and my looking accomplice, Charlie Crawford, to deliver our canine and check out for the lion.
He didn’t must ask twice. I declared my very own personal conflict on cougars a very long time in the past. Everybody I ever adopted was a killer, ranging in massive circles and knocking off as many as eight or 10 deer and elk in per week.
I began again in 1916, the second yr after I got here out to Washington from my boyhood house within the southern Michigan city of Napoleon. I used to be working a packtrain for surveyors and timber cruisers on the time, and my cougar looking was restricted to week-ends and holidays. My kill wasn’t spectacular, for lions weren’t too plentiful within the Olympic nation then, however I had enjoyable.
In 1938 some 900,000 acres of rugged mountain wilderness went into the Olympic Nationwide Park, and all that space was closed to looking. Consequently the inhabitants of recreation animals and predators alike has expanded, arid lately the cougars have been spilling over the park boundaries, coming down into the densely wooded river bottoms to prey on elk and deer. They saved getting increasingly plentiful and presenting a much bigger and larger temptation, so in 1945 I acquired a pair of top-notch lion canine and went about cougar looking in earnest. Charlie Crawford teamed up with me a yr later and we’ve been at it ever since, as usually as we get the possibility.
I’ve bagged 64 cougars, all advised. My greatest rating was 16 in a yr. One winter Charlie and I accounted for eight in 33 days. As well as, we’ve claimed bounty on about 300 wildcats. That many cats, massive and little, have taught us rather a lot and furnished us our share of vigorous motion.
So Charlie and I couldn’t have had higher information that January morning than the phrase McCracken introduced us. In quarter-hour we had our canine loaded into my pick-up and have been headed for Maxfield Creek, with the sport warden main the way in which.
We had three canine that winter. Every of us owned one privately; the third was joint property, with neither wanting to say him outright. Mine was a feminine named Lu, black and tan and bluetick, with the bluetick blood dhowing. Charlie’s Prince was from the identical litter. Our partnership canine, Jim, was an ornery crossbred combination of Walker, redbone, and collie, quarrelsome with the opposite hounds and imply to deal with, however among the best tree canine we ever used. That was the one purpose we put up with him.
Maxfield Creek drains a wild and rugged chunk of nation, working into the Bogachiel River about 4 miles above the Pacific. Boyd had discovered the cougar signal some 12 miles west of Forks. We crossed the decrease Bogachiel on a swinging bridge, parked the 2 pick-ups on the finish of the gravel highway, and headed into heavy timber afoot. Inside half an hour we lower the cat observe on the aspect of a steep ridge.
It had been made towards daylight and the canine hit it large open, heading north by means of one of many roughest and wildest areas in Washington. The three of us lit out after them and managed to maintain them inside listening to for half a mile. Then they cut up up. Lu and Jim made a pointy flip to the west and went out of listening to in that route. The final we heard of Prince he was nonetheless working due north, shouting phrase of a contemporary observe each foot of the way in which.
We got here to the place the place they’d divided, however the timber was thick and there wasn’t sufficient snow on the bottom for us to piece the story collectively. It was a secure wager we had two cougars going, nonetheless, and we determined to observe Prince. From the way in which he sounded we wouldn’t have far to go. The mountain lion is notoriously short-winded. Pressed by a quick, contemporary canine, he’s more likely to make a really quick run. On prime of that, we knew we might decide up Jim and Lu on the way in which again to the highway. “In the event that they don’t chase that cougar out into the ocean,” Charlie added with a chuckle.
It was half-hour earlier than we heard something extra from Prince, after which, near a mile forward, we heard him barking treed. We hadn’t been loafing as much as that point, however now we actually hurried, for Prince was a younger canine and more likely to get discouraged and depart the treed cat if no one gave him a hand. However he caught with it. We discovered him down in thick undergrowth on the backside of a canyon, barking underneath a small spruce. About 20 toes up the cougar was crouched in a fork, evident down on the canine and infrequently reducing unfastened with a spitting growl — which was simply the encouragement Prince wanted.
At the moment I carried a Remington pump .22 Particular on my cougar hunts. You don’t want a heavy caliber for cats, since you’ll be able to depend on a stationary goal at shut vary and put the bullet precisely the place you need it. You possibly can’t at all times kill a cougar stone-dead with one shot, in fact, however in case you smack a .22 into his head he gained’t reside lengthy.
One precaution we at all times take, nonetheless. Earlier than the capturing begins we tie the canine. In any other case they pile into the cat the moment he hits the bottom, and even a dying cougar can kill a canine with one swipe. We misplaced one good one which means, killed so fast he didn’t have time to howl, and we not take probabilities. Charlie caught Prince and received a rope on him. I handed the rifle to Warden McCracken however he handed it again.
“Your canine, your shot,” he insisted.
At 20 toes it was like capturing a can off a put up. I put the little soft-point bullet between his eyes and he was lifeless when he left the tree.
With wildcats we enable our canine the enjoyable of inspecting the carcass, as soon as we’re positive the cat is totally out of fee; however not with cougars. A cougar pelt is price $10 or extra — if it hasn’t been labored over by a cat-hating hound.
This lion was a teenager, six toes six from tip to tip and weighing solely about 75 kilos. We hefted him and voted to get him to Forks in a single piece and pores and skin him there.
Taking turns shouldering the cat, we hiked again to the place we’d final heard Lu and Jim. They have been nonetheless out of listening to, so we went on to the highway and removed our cougar. It was now 3:30 p.m. and McCracken needed to head for house. Crawford and I might attempt to decide up the opposite two canine.
A few miles to the west of our authentic parking place we drove in on one other dead-end highway and stopped to pay attention. From away off to the north got here a throbbing, damaged drumbeat of sound — Jim’s deep voice, and the excessive, clear belling of Lu. They have been barking treed. No must hurry this time. Jim had loads of faults, however quitting the tree was by no means considered one of them, and so long as he stayed Lu wouldn’t depart.
We turned Prince unfastened, and he ran towards the distant baying like greased lightning. Charlie and I adopted as quick as we might — by means of a dense swamp the place shell ice broke underneath Charlie and dumped him into mud and water above his knees, then up a steep ridge with sweat streaming off us. It was near darkish once we lastly received as much as the canine. They have been raging round a giant hemlock that had fallen in order that its prime caught out over a shallow ravine like a diving board.
The cougar had taken refuge among the many branches on the far finish and the canine have been hazing her, loopy with pleasure. They’d cost out on the fallen tree till they have been 20 or 30 toes from the cougar. Then she’d rush them, snarling and spitting, and the canine would change ends and all however knock each other off the log getting again to the bottom of the tree. The cat would retreat, growling and lashing her tail, and the moment she was again among the many branches the canine could be after her once more.
However we didn’t have time to look at this present. Shadows have been falling within the timber and we’d have to maneuver quick if we meant to kill the cougar earlier than it was too darkish to shoot.
Charlie caught and tied Prince. After leaning the rifle in opposition to a stump, I slipped out of the packsack I at all times cany on such hunts and fumbled previous the first-aid package, emergency rations, candles, matches, further shells, and different gear to get my canine ropes. I fished them out and began for Lu and Jim. I might have caught Lu with none hassle, however not Jim. He noticed me coming and, cantankerous and cussed as at all times, evaded me by leaping down the financial institution. I referred to as him again however he paid no consideration. He was immediately underneath the cougar now, baying and fretting, and he preferred it down there.
I didn’t waste any extra time with the ropes. If the canine wished to play it that means he might take his personal probabilities. I picked up the rifle and slid down the financial institution to affix him. The 2 of us have been underneath the cougar now, only some yards away, with Charlie and the opposite canine nonetheless up on the financial institution.
That was an excessive amount of for the lion. Earlier than I might shoot, she was dashing down the trunk, spitting and snarling. Lu was in the way in which however the cat jumped clear over her. I can see that leap but, the cougar’s legs unfold out like a flying squirrel’s, her lengthy, black-tipped tail streaming behind for stability.
She virtually landed on prime of Crawford. He jumped again to get out of the way in which and half misplaced his footing. Prince jerked the rope out of his hand and spurted after the cougar, together with the 2 different loco canine. They have been respiratory down her neck and making the woods ring with their baying. Dragging his leash by means of tangled undergrowth, Prince was in about as harmful a scenario as a canine can get into. If the cougar made a long term, there was an opportunity he’d dangle himself on a snag and be lifeless earlier than we received to him.
However the cat by no means had an opportunity for long term. The canine crowded her up tree 100 yards down the ridge.
We hurried down, and I labored round on the uphill aspect for a shot. I used to be virtually on a stage with the cougar there and solely 30 yards away, however by now it was so darkish I might see solely a shadowy form among the many branches. There was no telling head from tail and no hope of selecting an important spot for a goal. And in one other 5 minutes it could be too darkish to shoot in any respect. Nicely, the canine must look out for themselves this time. I lined my sights on the center of the darkish kind and smashed a shot at it.
The cougar got here out of the tree in a hovering 25-foot leap and made a tremendous touchdown within the prime of one other tree farther downhill.
I slid and scrambled down for one more strive. By this time Charlie had managed to seize the rope Prince was trailing and take him out of the fracas. However Jim and Lu have been now so excited we couldn’t get close to them.
The sunshine was slightly higher underneath this tree and I had a clearer view of the lion. I aimed a lung shot that jolted her off her perch and he or she fell, turning finish over finish and clawing the air. She landed in a gulley and was underneath a log in much less time than it takes to inform it. Now there was the satan to pay.
Prince broke away from Charlie once more and all three canine dived underneath the log after the cougar. We received maintain of them and dragged them out, however as usually as we pulled two off, the third eluded us and went again into the struggle. The cat was spitting and growling, the canine have been snarling and baying, and it was so darkish underneath the log we couldn’t inform which was which.
Twice Charlie received all three canine off lengthy sufficient for me to drive a shot underneath the log, however I didn’t hit something. Then I had a 3rd likelihood and there was a rasping snarl from the cougar that progressively died away. When the canine went in once more they met no resistance. We allow them to fear the cougar for a minute or two to verify, then received down on our knees and pulled the lifeless lion out. She was larger than the primary one we had killed, weighing about 90 kilos. We concluded they have been a mother-and-son looking crew.
It was darkish now, apart from the celebs and the mirrored glow solid by the sunshine fall of snow on the bottom. I discovered dry matches and a candle in my pack and we debated lighting a hearth to pores and skin the lion by, however lastly determined in opposition to it. It will be simpler to hold her out than to take her pelt off with firelight the one illumination.
We began down off the ridge, dragging and carrying her, lifting her over logs and windfalls: It was sluggish, arduous work till we broke out of the underneath brush onto an outdated path. We hadn’t adopted it greater than 300 yards when the canine arrange a sudden clamor simply forward. They’d discovered a contemporary deer kill, the place a cougar had been feeding. There was too little snow for us to make sure, however we determined later that we’d shocked him on the kill and pushed him off. The cougar scent was smoking sizzling, and the canine opened on his path with all stops out. Our efforts to name them off did no good.
“You’d assume they’d had sufficient,” Charlie grumbled as we listened to their keen bawling fade. “Three lions in sooner or later! We’d like this one like a salmon wants two heads.”
We skidded our lifeless cougar all the way down to the pick-up, drove house for a hurried supper, then got here again and parked the truck the place we’d final heard the canine. Faint and much off, we might hear them barking tree once more.
However we’d been responsible of a foul over sight. Anticipating to seek out the canine fully performed out and ready for us on the finish of the highway, we’d introduced no rifle!
We have been too drained now to make one other journey again to city, and we’d each had all of the after-dark cougar looking we wished for sooner or later. It took us solely a minute to resolve to name the canine off. “We will come again within the morning and kill this cat by daylight,” I reminded Charlie.
We didn’t know then that we’d produce other fish to fry the following day. After we received again to my home, towards midnight, we discovered Howard Sackett, a logger from the Sitkum space east of Forks, ready for us with phrase that he’d discovered the tracks of a giant cougar alongside the Sitkum River late that afternoon. Did we wish to take a crack at it?
We chewed on that one for a couple of minutes. There was no telling whether or not we might discover and bounce the Sitkum cat, and we had a reasonably positive wager within the one the canine had left within the tree. However in the long run the lengthy shot gained out.
“Let’s go to Sitkum,” Charlie argued. “That lion we left on Maxfield Creek has a contemporary kill to feed on and can possible dangle round a day or two. The opposite one could depart the nation.”
So it was settled, and Sackett agreed to satisfy us on the logging highway above the Sitkum River the following morning.
We left house at sunup and drove 30 miles east. The nation was increased right here. There was a foot of snow on the bottom and trailing circumstances have been good. Sackett confirmed us the place the lion had crossed the highway, going up the mountain, and we parked the pick-up and took the observe.
Lower than a mile above the highway, the canine put the cougar up from his daytime mattress. They drove him at a quick clip and he made a brief circle and got here previous us solely 100 toes away, in timber so thick we noticed neither lion nor canine. Just under us he climbed.
We did issues the routine means this time, catching the canine and getting ropes on them. My first shot belted the cougar out of his fork as if lightning had hit him. He didn’t kick after he dropped. The entire hunt was over in an hour after we left the pick-up.
“This makes up for yesterday,” I advised Charlie whereas we have been skidding our cat down the mountain to the highway. “We’ll be house in time for lunch.”
However I bragged too quickly. On the truck we discovered Sackett once more, ready to inform us {that a} second cougar had crossed the highway a few miles farther on.
We have been there in 10 minutes. This cat had gone down towards the river, and from the observe we figured he was larger than any of the three we had killed thus far.
A brief distance under the highway we drove him off a kill. He had pulled down a yearling elk that weighed about 250 kilos and was feeding once we got here on him. The canine had precisely what they wished now, they usually have been out of listening to in 5 minutes.
The cat headed for thick stuff down alongside the bottoms, however the hounds made issues too sizzling for him and he modified his plans. It’s been my expertise {that a} lion prefers to run uphill if he can. Possibly he thinks his probabilities of eluding the canine are higher that means, or perhaps he simply prefers excessive nation in a pinch for the rock ledges, caves, and different locations of shelter it gives. Anyway, this fellow turned uphill towards us and from their bawling we knew the canine have been stepping on his heels.
Listening to canine drive a lion straight at you builds up your boiler strain quick, and that’s the way in which it was now. Prince, Lu, and Jim got here on, louder and nearer minute by minute. Then, 50 yards down the ridge, we heard a sudden loud scratching of claws on bark, and virtually in the identical on the spot the canine have been barking treed.
We tied them once more and I dropped the cat lifeless. He was a good-size male, about 130 kilos, and it was uphill all the way in which to the highway this time. We determined that was an excessive amount of cat to tug out, so we stripped his pelt off and stuffed it into my pack. The strolling was robust within the snow, and the solar was down once we received again to the pick-up. However we have been a lot happy.
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In two days we had eradicated 4 lions. Washington pays a $75 bounty on ’em, so we’d made some cash. Extra essential, we’d ended the careers of 4 relentless killers, all younger ones with an extended life forward. I determine Charlie and I saved extra deer and elk in these two days than the entire city of Forks will kill by looking within the subsequent dozen years.
We went again to Maxfield Creek earlier than the week was over and clobbered the cougar we left that evening once we referred to as the canine away from the tree, too, however that’s one other story.
