cougar hunting with a handgun

[Jaydub in Wi]

Has anyone here taken a cougar with a handgun. If so, what load?my friend and I are going in 07/08. I'll probably use my blackhawk 45 colt. My friend may use his 10mm or his 454.thanks for any help

[oso45-70]

Has anyone here taken a cougar with a handgun. If so, what load?my friend and I are going in 07/08. I'll probably use my blackhawk 45 colt. My friend may use his 10mm or his 454.thanks for any help

Jaydub in Wi.

Are you going to use dogs to hunt them with ? Lion are not hard to kill any good center fire Pistol will work. I used 357, 44 mag 45 colt all loads were just normal plinking loads. Did use 22 Mag on some of the hunts Where we treed the cats. Good luck............Joe...........

[Mikey]

Large cats are not hard to kill, at least those in the US.  Many years ago I took a pair of foraging cougar in Colorado with a 357 magnum using 125 gn hps and broadside shots.  I also took a Jaguar in Central America, but used a 44 magnum on that one.  

Some guides I have read about use dogs to tree the cats and a 22 magnum to take them.  

However, that being said, if it is a one on one situation and you happen to be blocking the way out for a large cat, you will need enough gun to stop them or they will use you for a launch pad and their claws will tear your butt right up.  

If I was to go out again looking for large cat I would use any of the magnum calibers just to be safe.  HTH.  Mikey.

[wyocarp]

While a cat in a tree with dogs below mind be an easy kill, the tables can change very quickly.  They are able to move and kill VERY quickly.  Like the previous post said, if they are cornered or feel threatened, a small handgun isn't what I'd want.

I have personally had experience that tells me a cat from 25-50 yards away might not be able to be stopped before they get to you if they want to.  I didn't stop two mountain lions before they got to me using a .500.  I did know they were dying though.

A smaller handgun will work much of the time, but I like the extra insurance of a large magnum handgun.

[rockbilly]

 I killed my first cat with a model 28 Smith, .357, 4 inch barrel.  The dogs had treed the cat in a small pine tree.  One shot to the base of the neck and down it came.  We were hunting with an Outfitter in Northern New Mexico's Carson Nat'l Forrest near the town of Cimarron  The party also took two Bear on this trip.

At that time, the gun of choice for most of the guides was a .357.  A few carried the .44 Mag, but they were rare, but this was back in the early 60s. :wink:

[Jaydub in Wi]

[Jaydub in Wi]

Thanks for the info. I'll either be using my 44 or 45 rugers probably loaded with H 110 and either xtps or lbt wfns. Cats don't seem to be huge so the xtps should work.