USA: Arizona Dry Ground Mountain Lion Hunt With Seven Anchor Outfitters

[cpr0312]

Hello,

I recently changed my avatar pic to my mountain lion I harvested in 2013, and have been asked about it a few times, so like most of us I love to share and talk about hunting. I have attached the write up I did for a magazine after my hunt, which was published. I'll basically let the article serve as the hunt report, and have also attached the pics from the magazine and a few pics from the hunt itself. I had wanted t hunt a mountain lion for a while, and I was able to work out a short 3 day hunt after a business trip to Phoenix back in 2013.

The difference here was that in Arizona, or at least this part and south, they do hunts with doge witho
ut the benefit of snow for tracking. It was exciting, very rugged and very different country than I had ever hunted before. Also, being a horse riding rookie, that added to the excitement and newness. Luckily Logan had a great mule he let me ride for 2 or the 3 days, and gave me an extra pad to sit on to reduce the saddle soreness for a rookie!

The hunt was based near Kirkland, AZ, and the lodging was in a rustic casita, or as I would call it an old cowboy cabin. It was a one on one hunt and I had a great time with Loagan and his family. The lion we ended up getting was tracked off of an elk kill about 150 yards from his father in laws front door. As they told me in this area, lion usually kill calves or deer, not elk, so they knew he would be a bigger cat. I don't have an official weight on the cat, but 4 different guys who have hunted lion all their lives including the taxidermist all guessed him at between 180-200 lbs.
I also included a few pics of the lion as well as the finished taxidermy work which I am extremely happy with!

 

[cpr0312]

I forgot to upload the write up, so here it is:


My Arizona Dry Ground Mountain Lion Hunt

I recently was able to hunt with Logan Anderson of Seven Anchor Outfitters, in the area of Kirkland, AZ. This part of the country and this type of hunting were both a new experience for me. I have always wanted to be able to hunt Mountain Lion, but was never able to afford to go on a traditional snow based hunt up north in states like Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, or Idaho. Recently, I was setting up a business trip to Arizona, and I just started researching types of hunts that I could possibly take while in Arizona. That is when I discovered there was dry ground lion hunting in Arizona. I started doing some more research, and found Seven Anchor Outfitters. I called Logan and we discussed possible options, I was limited to 3 days, but he worked with me and we eventually worked out a deal to make this hunt happen! I arrived and hunted in late March 2013. Logan is a great guy, and he went out of his way to make sure that I was comfortable, safe, and had everything that I needed while on this hunt. His horses and mules were very easy going and gentle, which was a huge plus for me because I have never been on horseback or mule back before!

As far as the hunting goes, it was a totally different experience for me than any other hunting I have ever done. Riding on horseback through some rough but beautiful country was both rewarding and challenging for a newbie but well worth it! We set out at a trailhead on day one at daylight with the dogs, and trailed a lion all day the first day, but were unable to get on it. I was amazed at the surefootedness of the mule and horse over rocks and rough, uneven terrain. We saw some amazing country, and it was neat to see the dogs work also! I found out that many things in this part of Arizona will stick you, including many different kinds of cactus and a few scrub type trees and plants. Day two we set out again at daylight, and got on a few tracks, but were unsuccessful in finding a lion. The third day we were able to find a recent cow elk kill, so we went there and put the dogs on it and started tracking. It was really cool to see the dogs at work on this trail and very exciting following them on horseback. We trailed up and down quite a few different rock based canyons, some were very steep. We got to about the 5th canyon at about 10 am, and the dogs were circling around trying to get on the track. At that point Logan says, “I bet the lion went off the side here to double back on us.” We sat there a few more minutes, and one of the dogs had went down the rock face and barked, which must have been a alarm bark because all the other dogs immediately went down also. This canyon went steeply downhill, we listened for a few minutes and Logan said, “get your gun, it sounds like they might have it treed.” I immediately got an adrenaline rush and my heart was beating at a high rate of speed. We went down about 50ft, and Logan peeked over the edge of the rock face, and in the one tree that we could see, there was the lion! At that point I had to take a deep breath to calm myself down from all the excitement. It was now 11am, we moved into position, and the lion had its back to us, and he was some 15-20 below us at a slight downhill angle. We got steady and waited for the lion to turn slightly, so I could get a good ethical shot at his vitals. Once he turned, I was ready, Logan said shoot, so I got one off with the lever action 30-30, right behind the shoulder! The cat was obviously hit good and kind of stumbled in the tree trying to get his footing. I was able to get another one in him, and then he was done and fell from the tree. Logan said, “congratulations, you got a lion!” I was overwhelmed and extremely excited at that point, and had to stop to catch my breath before proceeding down the canyon to retrieve the lion.

Once we got to the lion, it was amazing. The lion was bigger that we thought which was icing on the cake for me. I was just happy to get on a lion and to be able to harvest one. We got some great photos and were amazed at the size of the lion’s paws and head. We then got him out of the canyon, and put on horseback and headed back to the truck. What a day and experience, from the ride through beautiful country and some amazing views, to the dogs doing a great job, to the harvest of this amazing lion.

I would highly recommend Logan Anderson and Seven Anchor Outfitters for a Dry Ground Lion hunt. Logan is professional, but a t the same time a great down to earth guy who treats you like family. He, his dogs, and horses know what they are doing. Thanks to Logan to helping me achieve this hunting dream!


Charles Reedy

Monroe, NC

 

[Royal27]

Man that's a great cat....

And you're right, the taxidermy turned out great. Thanks for sharing and what took you so long!

 

[cpr0312]

Thanks Royal, I am really happy with him! Not sure what took me so long to post, a little prodding from a few members since I changed my avatar helped push me to post though!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Well done Charles, whereabouts in Arizona were you? It looks like it's on the transition between the low desert and what we call the rim country.

 

[cpr0312]

Thanks Phil, The outfitters home was about 90 minutes west/NW of Prescott. And if memory seves me, where we took the cat we could see Camp Verde and way off in the distance we could see Sedona

 

[cpr0312]

Here is another couple of angles of the final mount

 

[Royal27]

That last picture really shows the motion of the mount, and the look on the face.

And I'd love either bull too.

 

[CAustin]

Big cat! Big Cat!
Great report reedy.

 

[CAustin]

Is it about ten days till you head to Africa?

 

[cpr0312]

It's so close Charlie, 17 1/2 days now till wheels up!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

[CAustin]

Sleepless nights setting in now!

 

[PHOENIX PHIL]

Thanks Phil, The outfitters home was about 90 minutes west/NW of Prescott. And if memory seves me, where we took the cat we could see Camp Verde and way off in the distance we could see Sedona

Not quite the same country I was thinking of, but similar terrain for certain. And yep, a couple of nice bulls there.

 

[Brent in Az]

That's a really nice Lion. Most cats out here average much less in weight

 

[cpr0312]

Yeah @Brent in Az , the outfitter and taxidermist were all impressed and said it was one of the biggest they had ever seen in that area, a once in a lifetime cat for me for sure!

 

[Red Leg]

Dude. That is one amazing cat. Well done. You could hunt Africa for twenty years and not kill a leopard that big.

 

[rinehart0050]

Thanks for sharing- sounds like a great hunt! I'm glad you got to enjoy some of the Arizona countryside. I know we fell in love with it when we moved here about 3 years ago - now we hope to retire here (a few years from now yet... I'm sure the Army has a couple more moves planned before they are done with us).

 

[LivingTheDream]

Well this hunt is definitely added to the list. Awesome cat!!!

 

[cpr0312]

Thanks guys, it was a great hunt and experience, I couldn't have asked for more!

 

[375 Ruger Fan]

Great looking cat. I'm looking at the feet and can't get over how huge they are. Very impressive.