September 2026
Adrenaline Rush: An Idaho Mountain Lion Hunt with Hounds
Hunter: Hannah Watkins
Species: Mountain Lion
Location: Idaho
Method: Rifle, behind hounds
My mountain lion hunt has been many years in the making. I have been out several times with my husband and absolutely love watching the dogs’ natural ability to cold track these elusive cats.
I have always loved the simple beauty of lions, but I also know how critical it is to manage the numbers to protect our livestock and fawns. We have a network of amazing friends with hounds, and we were actually planning to go out the following Saturday to run tracks with them. Instead, we got an early morning call from them a few days prior saying there was a problem lion that had been spending time a little too close for comfort at a friends’ ranch.
A Call About a Problem Lion
By the time my husband and I were geared up, our friend Paul was already en route to the ranch to release the dogs on the lion track from the evening before. We linked up with Paul and the rancher to get caught up on the chase. The dogs were covering ground quickly, and they showed “treed” on the Garmin handheld soon after. I couldn’t have been more excited because, honestly, most lion hunts don’t culminate this quickly. We went from drinking morning coffee to the absolutely insane adrenaline of chasing down a predator.
Treed Within a Half Mile
Usually, you will circle roads wherever possible to keep up with hounds as they are tracking, and this lion ended up treed less than a half mile from where we were able to drive. We grabbed our packs and my rifle and started the hike into where we had the dogs locked down.
The excitement grew and grew on the hike in, but honestly, when I first laid eyes on my amazing tom, my last thought was shooting him. They are absolutely beautiful animals, and I just wanted to study him in the tree and take pictures.
One Well-Placed Shot
That quickly turned to a primal urgency to take a well-placed shot to ensure that he didn’t bail out of the tree and potentially hurt one of the dogs. After I shot, everything seemed surreal knowing my dream had just become a reality. The hounds were barking out of control, and all I could think about was tracking this huge cat to make sure he wasn’t still alive. Fortunately, he only went about forty yards before expiring.
I was so incredibly in awe of the hounds that made it all happen and so thankful for our friends who are always willing to take us on these crazy adventures.
Hunting Behind Hounds
I’m not sure that I was prepared at all for the hunt. When a track is cut, you have to move fast to keep up with the natural drive of these dogs, and you just have to hope you have the stamina to make it come together while somehow staying calm.
It’s an experience I will always cherish and appreciate.
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