Mountain lion hunting with hounds is a subject that leans itself toward polarity.

People in the big city don’t understand it.  Folks from the country who grew up chasing the tail of their favorite hound, who in turn was chasing the tail of a lion, love it.

I made my first mountain lion tree in Idaho almost 30 years ago now and have a healthy respect for it as a sport and an important management tool.  Cougars are notoriously sly and are rarely seen by hunters in the field thus making the ability to hunt them with dogs essential.  Without steady harvest, their population would soon blossom to a point where they seriously affected the populations of whitetail and mule deer in turn.

It’s not all about population control though, the booming voice of mans best friend trailing out after a wily cat through raw and unbroken country is one of the purest sounds known to man.  It hearkens back to rugged times when man and dog first made a pact to work in unison.  It’s a sound that can become stuck in your heart if you’re not careful.

Regardless of the reason, sport or population control, men will follow their best hunting partner for centuries to come.  Mountain lion hunting with hounds is in the blood of a select few and it will remain so.