Charlie Chases Kitty by Las Vegas

[Robert Delk]

We've got 'em in Iowa too.

[Bruce Day]

Charlie's photos while hunting in eastern Nevada.

The hounds are cold trail hounds and spend all day trying to cross a scent. There has been so much snow lately that everything has been holed up and not moving, and they hope there will be a break in the weather.

[Bruce Day]

So Charlie is hunting with Monty Dwire of www.bullcreeklionhunts.com who was telling an interesting story about this old gold miner's place. There were partners running a mine operation, pulling gold out but nuggets kept disappearing . They were squabbling and blaming each other for stealing gold from their supply, and the partnership fell apart in recriminations. Another fellow bought out their interest in the mine and building, and in tearing out a rotten floorboard found a packrat nest full of the missing gold nuggets.

[John D.]

These pictures are amazing.... I wish I were there just to photograph the incredible country out there... Many thanks Bruce - and please keep them coming!!

- John

[chris dawe]

When I see an old stone structure like that it always has me thinking of how hard people would work for just the basic necessities of life (ie:a roof over your head )...just imaging the work that would go into building the likes of that in wild remote country ,everything was packed in ,everything was pick and shovel...everything was by hand !

Today I think most of us ,though we think we do ,have no clue as to what "work " is.

[Bruce Day]

Originally Posted by John Dunkle

These pictures are amazing.... I wish I were there just to photograph the incredible country out there... Many thanks Bruce - and please keep them coming!!

- John

John, CH has been seeing Gambel's quail. Now if a fellow had a shotgun and a bird dog........... Think about the possibilities.


Charlie and I talked last night about the hounds. I was thinking that they drove the roads looking for a lion sighting or a hot or recent scent. On the Great Plains, they look for a coyote in the fields, then let greyhounds loose to visually sight then run down the coyote. For raccoon hunting, the hound men drive about looking for hot scent, then the dogs follow by ground and or air scent. With lion hunting, the scent can be up to three days cold and is only ground scent. Lions have an oil on their pads which stays for several days, and they cruise roads and trails looking for lion paw prints. When they find that, the dogs are let loose, and they keep a low head to follow ground scent. On dry ground, the dogs learn to lick the ground when they see a print in order to re-moisturize the oil and that way they can determine if it is fresh enough to follow. So these dogs may follow a trail for up to 18 or 20 miles until the cat trees or goes into a cave. The Dwire's dogs are specially bred cold trail lion dogs from southern Arizona and it is quite valuable to have dogs that will track a three day old cold trail. One reason why they mark their dogs is to prevent theft. I asked Monty Dwire why they didn't use greyhounds to run down lions. His reply was that it wouldn't work, and of course it would not, greyhounds being sight pursuit dogs. When the lion is brought to bay, sometimes it is killed, sometimes released. The big tom cats will be as big as a six foot man, and far stronger . They will eat about 3 -4 deer per week.

The other client hunting with Charlie, a fellow from upstate New York, got a lion late yesterday afternoon. About 160 lbs with a bow. So today, two teams of dogs and both Cleave and Monty Dwire will be trying to get one for Charlie.

[AmarilloMike]

The lions are in the Panhandle of Texas. Saw one on my lease four years ago.

Great pictures! Thanks for posting them.

[Bruce Day]

Now isn't this a cute cat. Just the type a PETA person or an anti-hunting person would want by their back yard with the kids and house dogs.

[jsd245]

Holy cow. Look at the size of that thing. It's no wonder they were pretty much exterminated. On the one hand I can say wow, aren't they magnificent creatures , isn't nature grand. On the other hand I have a 4 year old son and I live in the middle of the woods- and if they were around here I'd kill every one I saw. No way I want one of those stalking him in the back yard.

[Richard Flanders]

They would be doing just that too Jeff were they around your house... The size of their paws is incredible, as is their power, I'm sure. This one looks like an African lion in size.