COUGARs

[Mark W.]

Using any rimfires, or any centerfire rifle under 22 caliber has always been a game violation in Oregon.

Cougar is considered to be big game by ODFW, so the minimum allowed caliber is a 22 centerfire.

Maximum allowed magazine capacity is 5.

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The maximum allowed magazine capacity is ONLY for a semi auto. Otherwise a Winchester model 94 carbine would be illegal to hunt. Reread the regs.

 

[U201491]

A 22 dropped them like a rock and prior to 1994, no one gave a crap about what they were shot with. They never really cared or checked what predator or pest animals were killed with, only deer, elk , bear, sheep, antelope..... We encountered game officers many times with dogs and a
single six or woodsman on our hip. Never a question.

Not until the ruckus in 1994 when the eco-fruitcakes got into the act.
I don't care how many you have stuffed and mounted, they have a thin skull compared to most predators.
We took cougar at 50 to 80 feet with a ruger single six and bobcat with a T-bolt or 69A many times with calls. It did the trick just fine. In the 50's and 60's they were not considered the warm and fuzzys that the eco nuts decided they would be.

Trying to take one with a rimfire that was not treed and an easy target would be a different story. Legal or otherwise they were not protected like other game animals. Law or no law, they were considered PI the A prey .
Bear we chased we always released, but never a cat.

 

[jluck]

The maximum allowed magazine capacity is ONLY for a semi auto. Otherwise a Winchester model 94 carbine would be illegal to hunt. Reread the regs.

Semi auto RIFLES at that. That is why I'd carry a 5.7x28 for dedicated dog running pistol.

 

[U8395279]

The maximum allowed magazine capacity is ONLY for a semi auto. Otherwise a Winchester model 94 carbine would be illegal to hunt. Reread the regs.

A 22 dropped them like a rock and prior to 1994, no one gave a crap about what they were shot with. They never really cared or checked what predator or pest animals were killed with, only deer, elk , bear, sheep, antelope..... We encountered game officers many times with dogs and a
single six or woodsman on our hip. Never a question.

Not until the ruckus in 1994 when the eco-fruitcakes got into the act.
I don't care how many you have stuffed and mounted, they have a thin skull compared to most predators.
We took cougar at 50 to 80 feet with a ruger single six and bobcat with a T-bolt or 69A many times with calls. It did the trick just fine. In the 50's and 60's they were not considered the warm and fuzzys that the eco nuts decided they would be.

Trying to take one with a rimfire that was not treed and an easy target would be a different story. Legal or otherwise they were not protected like other game animals. Law or no law, they were considered PI the A prey .
Bear we chased we always released, but never a cat.

It is important to differentiate between practices that may have been done in the past, and what is legal to do now. Certainly you must want people to obey Oregon's hunting regulations, and not violate them.

And to label anyone who may not agree with these practices as being "eco nuts" is totally unfair of you. There are many valid reasons why other hunters will choose to use larger calibers, or even avoid taking any kind of head shot with any caliber. Just because another hunter prefers a more powerful caliber for cougar, or does not believe in the practice of taking head shots on big game, does not make him a "eco nut".

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[U201491]

It is important to differentiate between practices that may have been done in the past, and what is legal to do now. Certainly you must want people to obey Oregon's hunting regulations, and not violate them.

And to label anyone who may not agree with these practices as being "eco nuts" is totally unfair of you. There are many valid reasons why other hunters will choose to use larger calibers, or even avoid taking any kind of head shot with any caliber. Just because another hunter prefers a more powerful caliber for cougar, or does not believe in the practice of taking head shots on big game, does not make him a "eco nut".

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Oh stop with the word games. Its the eco nuts that protected the cougar and took hound hunting away on cougar and bear in 1994.
You know what I meant exactly, so cut the Alinsky word games.

I believe in using larger calibers on all conventional hunts as well.
We also carried 44's, 45 colts when chasing bear, but we never used them and released the bear. They were good exercise for the dogs.

Getting to hounds that have an animal treed before they are hurt is more important than carrying a rifle through heavy brush. Speed in getting to them when you hear them is the key. We used what worked, and that was done in the 50's and 60's, not today. We used what worked and was effective enough to get the job done. Southernb Oregon had no cat shortage issues.
The whole state has no bear shortage issues.
You sure have never hunted behind dogs, and Yes they were eco Nuts that pushed that law through to cut it. Just like the damned sea lions they are and will continue to over populate till someone's kid gets killed by one or many big cats that are now coming around the schools and urban areas more all the time.
ECO FRUITCAKES is what they are.. Spotted Owl on the brain idiots.

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[U8395279]

Oh stop with the word games. Its the eco nuts that protected the cougar and took hound hunting away on cougar and bear in 1994.
You know what I meant exactly, so cut the Alinsky word games.

Saul Alinsky and I share nothing in common.

.

 

[johnboy]

No pistol as shot placement is critical or lose animal. .223 on up in rifle fine....

 

[salmonriverjohn]

.25-06, everything from Elk down with this often overlooked cartridge.

 

[Stomper]

So that means everything in North America 'cept grizzlies, moose, and Bison... Yes?

Of course shot placement is just about everything.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Killed several bear with it as a fact. I haven't any intention of going after Grizz or Bison as I have no reason, but Moose fold up to far less than the old .25-06 offers and I wouldn't hesitate to use her.

 

[tahoe2]

for a tree'd cat I just use a Chester M-94 in 30-30 and be done with it. my .02 cents
If I was to only carry a handgun, my 41 mag would get the nod! But I agree that the 25-06
will do it all !!

 

[Bon Sauvage]

No pistol as shot placement is critical or lose animal. .223 on up in rifle fine….


All generalities are false.

 

[U8395279]

No pistol as shot placement is critical or lose animal. .223 on up in rifle fine….


All generalities are false.

In that case, so is your statement too.

 

[Bon Sauvage]

<broken link removed>
No pistol as shot placement is critical or lose animal. .223 on up in rifle fine….
All generalities are false.

In that case, so is your statement too.


That's part of the joke, son.

 

[eightyeight mag]

.223/5.56 will do the job.

 

[U8395279]

<broken link removed>
No pistol as shot placement is critical or lose animal. .223 on up in rifle fine….
All generalities are false.

In that case, so is your statement too.


That's part of the joke, son.

Well, but this is a serious issue for many people. Many have strong convictions about what circumstances they consider to be ethical. Not only for the issue that johnboy raises of possibly losing an animal, but also just for the simple point of quickly and humanely putting the animal down.

So for johnboy and many others who share his feelings, his statement is true.

That said, I don't believe that this is a matter of right or wrong. It is certainly legal and traditional to take Cougars with handguns. It just isn't for everyone.

This whole discussion is actually rather moot, though, since the odds of hunting cougars with dogs becoming available again any time soon is basically nil.

And long term, I honestly don't know how we can stop this growing trend of Oregon becoming more and more like California. There is no doubt going to be a big push to outlaw all hunting with lead ammo in this coming legislative year.

If that happens, that is going to be a major blow to the sport of hunting in our state.

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[Mark W.]

I would say the video of the cougar being shot point blank range TWICE by a cop with his service pistol that then gets up and starts to go charging off before being taken down by the OO buck load from the second cops shotgun also at point blank range. Seals the idea of using a small caliber pistol to kill a big cat as something I would never consider.

Sure a .22LR has taken down just about everything on the continent at one time or the other. Mule Deer, White Tail and our own little Black tails. Have been killed by the thousands with .22 rim fire in the past (and I'm sure still by poachers) But we are talking ethical hunting here not poaching.

The largest (both physically and rack) Blacktail I have ever shot was shot with a 70 gr spire point from a hand load 22-250 fired from a Ruger M77. I saw the bullet hit the deer through the scope at a range of about 100 yards. The bullet hit dead center in the right corner of the chest. The deer was looking towards me but angled to his left.

The deer went down like a bag of cement dropped off a scaffold. I ran down the hill (yes I got buck fever BAD) and as I approached it it jumped up and with a broken right shoulder it went crashing into the brush leaving a few tiny drops of blood. 15 min later it was dark and pouring down rain. 3 of us searched the area as much as 2 square miles for the better part of three days. No deer.

I have not left the house to deer hunt with anything smaller then a 30-30 ever since. Had I had a rifle with a 100+ grain bullet I have no doubt the bullet would have penetrated into the lungs and stopped the deer from ever getting up. No more .22's for me.

25 years later I still get sick thinking about loosing that animal.

 

[salmonriverjohn]

Painfully told as well I'm sure Mark W. Thank you for sharing. Ethics should factor in anytime anyone of us consider hunting.