Baiting for Mountain Lions?

[Skillet]

Has anyone tried/heard of such a thing?

Reason I'm asking, I have regular access to a W. Texas ranch where historically, lions have been seen/killed. I don't have dogs and was pondering the effectiveness of using killed javelinas, tied-off as baits and checking them regularly for signs of feeding... much as is done in Africa for getting leopards.

Could find nothing in Texas game-regs against baiting for them. They are not a protected animal in Texas. Hunters take around 50 a year in this state.

I'd read some on a report from California where lions were found to feed on mule deer carcasses that were set out in similar fashion (tied-off so that they couldn't be dragged and checked daily for signs of feeding). The baits here were hit by lions on numerous occasions.

Of course the ideal situation would be to have buzzards lead me to a fresh lion-kill to hunt over. There are plenty of mule deer out there (it's in Brewster county).

I'm thinking on spending a couple of weeks out there. Might try walking the canyons during the day with a predator call in the hopes that a big tom might pop out for a look and maybe get a shot.

An intentional digression, one of the owner/partners actually took some pictures of a black bear near one of the watering troughs earlier this year, a BIG first for the ranch. The ranch is about 20 miles N of Big Bend. Naturally, I'm not out to shoot a bear as they are heavily protected and as rare as an honest politician down here.

Any thoughts/suggestions about those lions?

Best Regards,
Skillet

P.S. I won't settle for one any smaller than this!!!

[backstrap]

i never done these or heard of this for a mountian lion but i would think if u have coyotes very thick in west texas they wouldnt give a big cat time to find a carcase that had meat on it up here in northern Okla we have many coyotes and a deer that is struck by a car on the highway will be gone in like 2 days from all the yotes feeding off it and all that will be left is bone, so if u dont have yotes and volchers than i dont see Y it wouldnt work

[quickdtoo]

Baiting big cats is SOP in Africa, but doing it here is usually precluded by laws in most states, but if legal, a fresh kill would be mandatory, less than 4 days old from what I've read.

Tim

[iiranger]

One point, in Africa, the bait and the kills of cats if often "up in trees." The cats will haul it up and stash it in a crotch to "season" (rot) and to keep it away from the competition. Hyenas, etc. No idea if that would help with mountain lions, but might be worth a try. luck.

[Ladobe]

Never mind.