Hunted south FL non-quota public land with my recurve earlier this month. Was set up and calling in a small clearing in some oaks when I heard something behind me. Didn't want to turn and look because I first thought it might be a turkey. After it got louder I turned and spotted brown about 20 feet behind me, now thinking "deer" until I saw the muscular legs. He circled and stopped 15 feet from me eyeing the jake and hen I had out, then he moved really close to them; looked like he was trying to figure out why they didn't run off. Grabbed my camera for a couple quick pics, then my .45 Auto just in case.
(https://i.postimg.cc/4xP7jKkv/P3043880_(2).jpg)
(https://i.postimg.cc/tgm1CLgY/P3043881_(2).jpg)
Wow buddy! That would be awesome. Just curious is there a season on them?
Very cool.
I know they work on coyotes...Mine was JUMPED!
Quote from: KyScott on March 26, 2019, 12:03:10 PM
Wow buddy! That would be awesome. Just curious is there a season on them?
No season, they are an endangered species and highly protected, estimated numbers of the FL subspecies are from 120-230.
awesome pictures, think I would've grabbed 45 then camera.
That's why you carry toilet p as per with you. ;D
That would be an awesome encounter, glad you were able to witness it!
Cool
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Very cool encounter!!!
Thats awesome.
Very cool!
That is an absolutely awesome encounter.
That is BAD AZZ!!!
What a memorable day.
Awesome pics and an incredible experience. Very cool.
Just....a once in a lifetime experience. Unforgettable to say the least! What a magnificent animal.
Glad you guys like them. Honestly, I never felt threatened, was more worried he would trash one of my decoys so I tired to scare him off but it didn' do much. I stood up and yelled waving my arms and he looked at me in my leafy suit like he had no idea what I was. Told him I didn't want to shoot him and he eventually walked off.
OH, thats just an old barn yard cat! ;)
Amazing the one North American animal I have yet to encounter. Congrats, rare critters to spot for sure.
Super cool encounter!
Like said. Once in lifetime experience. Cool
Cool pictures
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Had to get the heart racing - are you sure you're turkey call didn't sound like 'Here-Kitty-Kitty'
Had a similar experience with a bald eagle trying to carry my hen decoy away.
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Cool pictures. Really neat encounter
That's awesome!!
Very cool memory bro :turkey2:
Awesome to see, we have coyotes, bobcat, and wolves in but very few cougars around. Have yet to see one...
MK M GOB:
That is awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Quote from: harleytom on March 26, 2019, 07:16:32 PM
Had a similar experience with a bald eagle trying to carry my hen decoy away.
I have had plenty of animals come into my turkey decoys... On two separate occasions I had coyotes coming in at the same time as a turkey, and tried to wave off the yotes... They saw my hand motion and rushed me (to within yards if not feet of me) thinking my hand waving was prey...
Had a bobcat actually jump a decoy...
Called in foxes, and even a racoon once...
But, to my knowledge I have never called in an animal that could eat me.... I hunt mountain lion country, and have seen plenty of tracks... I have seen cougars while hunting, but have never had one come into the call Still not sure if I want to?
I jumped one a couple years back in an abandoned isolated shack of sorts... It skidded across the floor and when out a back door... I was glad to be wearing brown pants that day.
As to the OP, that is a unique experience that would be worth the trip, and an experience that will be remembered far longer than harvesting a bird... Awesome photo capture of the experience!
I've had a couple visit me down here . There are plenty of panthers look at the numbers that get ran over each year .
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Here's a bobcat I called in 3 years ago, same WMA.
(https://i.postimg.cc/ZnW19f1p/P3220406_2_zpse91fqws8.jpg)
Awesome encounter! What a beautiful animal. You can see in the second picture that the cat can't quite comprehend what the deal is with that decoy.
Jim
That's awesome. I had a bobcat come in on me like that a couple years ago. Crept in real slow finally got close enough to touch the decoy. He then proceeded to put his paw out and touch the decoy. It was at this point that the light bulb clicked on in his head and he realized this was all wrong and he needed to get out of there. I have never seen an animal move so fast and I almost burst out laughing.
That's a great encounter and memory!! Glad you got the pics to go along with it!! Well done
:you_rock:
Awesome pics
Wow! That is friggin awesome. Bucket list item for me: See a cougar in the wild.
Cool experience.
That would be hair raising but amazing
Wow that's crazy I would not hunt around there again!
Quote from: j.goebel on March 27, 2019, 06:01:44 PM
Wow that's crazy I would not hunt around there again!
Wouldn't have gotten an Osceola if I did that, was only day 3.
Quote from: Marc on March 26, 2019, 09:26:10 PM.... I hunt mountain lion country, and have seen plenty of tracks... I have seen cougars while hunting, but have never had one come into the call Still not sure if I want to?
This ^^^
I've never seen one when hunting. But the places I hunt Merriam's hold big cats.
Saw a track the one place that was made between the time I walked in (in the dark) and about 10:00 AM.
Another place holds quite a lot of them and the terrain is forbidding. If one was bound to get in on you, you'd never know til he was RIGHT THERE. Kinda gives me the craps........... Sitting in cougar country............making noises like cougar food............. If something's big enough to eat me, I wanna, at LEAST see it coming before it gets there.
I look behind me a good bit in cougar country. :D
AWESOME pics, BTW !!!!!!!!!
Pics of a lifetime !!!!
Thanks.
Not my first time hunting with big cats nearby. This was 1 year ago in the Pine Ridge in NE, locals had told me he was around then I saw his tracks in fresh snow one morning.
(https://i.postimg.cc/RVvn5zYw/P82A1770.jpg)
Wow, awesome pictures! That's a once in a lifetime experience.
Awesome encounter, and great that you got pics! I'd have been a lil nervous with thing so close!
CaptJJ let me ask you do you think you saw a Florida Panther or just an ordinary cougar? Living here in South Florida for the past 50 years I've yet to see one. I've seen a few black bears but not the panther/cougar. LOL I'm sure you've seen the debates online about them. I don't hunt much farther south so don't have as much opportunity to see them. Bubba
I called it a panther because that is what the cougars that inhabit FL are called, don't think you can see any difference as they are no longer considered a subspecies. Of course, other than pictures that is the only one I have seen up close; had another one cross a trail as I was driving about a week later but it was a couple hundred yards away and moving.
Very cool experience!! Thanks for sharing the pictures. :icon_thumright:
FWC is full of it though when it comes to panthers. They grossly and intentionally underestimate the numbers so they can get Federal money and control land. Their stock statement was "there are only 60 Florida panthers and they all live in SW Florida". It is only because of verified pictures and game camera pictures that they had to up the number and admit that they are not just in SW FLA. I have personally seen 3 panthers, 2 in Seminole County and 1 in Flagler County. Each time I called to report my sightings, they told me I was wrong, and that I'd seen a bobcat. ::) A friend of mine in Brevard County found a doe that was killed and covered in grass. He put a camera on it and got pics of a panther. It's all about getting Federal money and control of lands, including private land.
Quote from: RutnNStrutn on March 29, 2019, 05:22:59 PM
Very cool experience!! Thanks for sharing the pictures. :icon_thumright:
FWC is full of it though when it comes to panthers. They grossly and intentionally underestimate the numbers so they can get Federal money and control land. Their stock statement was "there are only 60 Florida panthers and they all live in SW Florida". It is only because of verified pictures and game camera pictures that they had to up the number and admit that they are not just in SW FLA. I have personally seen 3 panthers, 2 in Seminole County and 1 in Flagler County. Each time I called to report my sightings, they told me I was wrong, and that I'd seen a bobcat. ::) A friend of mine in Brevard County found a doe that was killed and covered in grass. He put a camera on it and got pics of a panther. It's all about getting Federal money and control of lands, including private land.
I'm with you on that Rut I'd bet you there's a couple of hundred out there. Plus the Florida Panther has been long gone. Been so much relocating of mid west cougars the original has been long gone. Just your regular cougar roaming around. Bubba
Our local news in S/W Florida was showing a video this morning of a panther in Hendry County. Probably n/o Big Cypress. It appeared to be as large as a lioness. Was this your video? Was taken by a turkey hunter. I'm going to mention this post on floridasportsman.com (General Hunting section). I'm not computer savvy enough to link this but you'll be amazed the number of hits and comments your pictures would generate if you or someone could link them. My post will be up within the hour. I would like to see one - kinda ????.
Quote from: j.goebel on March 27, 2019, 06:01:44 PM
Wow that's crazy I would not hunt around there again!
Really? That young cat would not bother you. I killed my BC cat in Wyoming in the Mtns.
Good Lord! That's pretty cool.