SOUTHERN BC MOUNTAIN LION (Cougar)
The Cougar, also commonly known as the Mountain Lion, ranges from the Canadian North to the Southern Andes of South America and is the greatest of the predatory cats. An adaptable species, the Cougar or Mountain Lion is found in most North American habitats. It is the second-heaviest cat in the New World, after the Jaguar. Secretive and largely solitary by nature, this cat is primarily a nocturnal animal. Mountain Lions are an ambush predator and pursue a wide variety of prey and prefer habitats with dense underbrush and rocky areas for stalking. Cougars are territorial and big mature males will patrol large territories, traveling great distances to find females in heat. Mountain Lions depend heavily on an abundance of ungulates and become concentrated in winter ranges where they can prey on these animals.
Gillnockies Guides specialize in world class hunting for trophy Mountain Lions. British Columbia's holds some of the highest cougar populations thanks to the concentration of many elk, deer and moose. B.C. cats carry the finest hides due to colder temperatures which requires theirs coats to grow thick and full. We specifically focus on harvesting mature males for our clients that can weigh up to 180 lbs, some scoring well enough to be entered into Boone & Crockett. This is one of our highest success hunt thanks to our champion pack of cougar hunting hounds. Our experienced dog handlers and cat trackers have been hunting in this area for most of their lives and have a true knowledge and understanding of the habits of the big tom lions that live here. They are habitual predators, and knowing their range and crossing areas is crucial to finding the tracks of this impressive, solitary beast. These hunts are conducted during December and January with the use of 4x4 trucks and snowmobiles to access lion country. You must be prepared for very early mornings and many hours searching for tracks. Once we find a good track we put the dogs on the scent and the thrilling sound of our hunting hounds echoes through the valley as they chase down their quarry. Pursuits can be anywhere from 1 to 6 hours, in steep snowy terrain as these are very smart and agile predators. It is not uncommon for these big cats to tree relatively close to a road or trail and if luck is on our side we will be able to close the distance significantly, but is not always the case. This is also a great combination hunt with Bobcat and/or Lynx and Wolf. We have a strong population of small cats here as well and we have the dogs to get the job done to tree these crafty felines