To be honest, about this deal, it all really started with a bobcat hunt but ended in the lion category. Got all kinds of excited by the end result. But when it was put down on paper the beginning had to be changed. Lets start it over by saying that this fellow had been out the day before and while his dogs were out chasing one bobcat there was another one crossed the road right in front of his truck. We had thought , maybe we could tree that one and make a few dollars to pay for some dog food. We had arrived at the spot where the bobcat crossed the road and called upon Miss Sheba to see if she could smell it or not. All in all we had 4 dogs with us, Sheba and Anne were mine - with Luke, and Draco belonging to my hunting partner. Miss Sheba had a bit of trouble getting the scent in her nose but as she kept at it, it came to her more and more. In a while she was moving right along. Sheba is lucky to be with us, She had a real bad infection this last summer and about did not make it though. Thanks to the great vetting of Barb Calm she is with us today. All dogs are different as all people are but of course they are all dogs. Sheba has the coldest nose of these 4 dogs, which means that she can smell the oldest track. Going from when Jayson had seen the cat tell now, would be about 15 hrs. There are several hound hunters who would not turn loose on a track that old but I must be bull headed or some thing for I thought we could catch it. Sheba cold trailed it up the mountain for an hour or so tell it crossed a road and then another, where the cat walked down that road quite aways. There is some thing about roads that hampers the pups ability to smell. Not much on the facts, but it appears to be the emissions form the vehicle's tail pipe that screw them up. As we made our way up the mountain road we caught up to her and tried to help find where the cat had left the road. Thinking we had not missed it, we continued on looking intently at every inch of the white surroundings for a trace of the elusive feline.

       To add some kind of a foot note here the bobcat track looked like it had been made by an 18 to 20 pounder and had that look of a female. There tracks are a little different than a males but one has to be paying allot of attention to tell the difference. Most of the time I do not have enough money to pay attention. Ha Ha. None the less, today, like I said afore time was a bit on the odd side. The brushed in road, the snow and the day laid before us and off the adventure went, not to see that bobcat track again.  We were led up and over the ridge, our path being laid before us. Down into another drainage we traveled just a mile or two further and low and behold coming onto the road, was a little print, running in a straight line and round as it can be. A sure fire sign that another cat had come upon the road. It was however like the last time, in that we could not find were it left the road, so we went on searching. Going up the crick bottom of this same drainage, the road continued, with us still looking out the windows for a track leaving the road. As we moved along Jayson was talking about something and went to change the channel on the radio when something caught my eye and deep in my inner being came a sound like the erupting of a volcano, a sound so familiar to hounds men  a long drawn out bawl escaped my mouth. Jayson thought I had been spending too much time with the dogs. I said,  did you see that. What? he says as the truck came to an immediate stop. That was a lion track leaving the road. Did you see where it came on?  No he says one can sit over here for hours and as soon as I went to change the channel I missed the track. As we backed up it was obvious , thats exactly what had happened, None the less, there was a track coming right across the road and heading towards the creek.Ooh baby we had better look at that. It was made last night and Sheba had no problem getting the sent and lining the trail out. Better turn another dog with her to give here a little help. It is not the best idea to have only one dog running a lion. There is more of a chance of getting her killed. Draco should do the trick so we kicked him out also and up the creek they went following where the lion had been hunting his dinner just hours before.

       The track must have been a little older then we thought for Draco was having a little trouble smelling it and seemed to be more interested in Sheba then any thing else. He was barking a little so that was helping us keep track of them. They were still going up the creek bottom first one side and then the other it seemed. Then the cat track came onto the road and walked up it for aways. It didn't take too long to find where it had left the road and after gathering up Draco we showed it to Sheba and off she went. Still going up the creek with our road right next to it. Was pretty nice to drive right along the whole race and hear that beautiful music that those dogs can make. The road makes a switch back corner crossing the creek headed up the mountain on the other side and leaves the creek. There is a locked gate there so that was the end of the road for us. Guess thats when Jayson got a hold of Draco, saying he is not helping her at all. As we stood there on the side of the road the small water channel gurgling in the back ground. The hound calling her long bawl telling all the woods she is on the track. It was such a nice race and I hated the thought of my dog getting further away from us. Better turn Luke loose to help her out don't you think. Pulling him out of the truck and showing him the track was the next step and off he went . As we listened to him go up the drainage ,Jayson commented it sounded like Luke was running the track and not running Sheba, a great report. Only a few minutes later and it sounded like they were both together and getting further away by leaps and bounds.

       Now this here creek comes off of the top of a big ridge about a 2 hour hike from where we stood in our own tracks, already tired from thinking about having to hike up there. Thinking about an easy button or some thing. Luke and Sheba were just almost out of hearing one could just barely still hear them if you held your breath. I said to my partner, sure sounds to me like there is allot of baying going on up there. He mumbles some thing back like ya. By this time it was more definite and closer. Then closer and closer. They were running hell bent for election right back down the creek and right toward us. Smiles formed on our faces and my legs started felling better by the moment. They were relatively close by now maybe a half mile or so but it sounded like they were running in small circles for their barking was loud one minute and then distant the next. Jayson decided to walk up and see, while I put my boots on. About the time I was ready he called back on the radio that they were treed but he was still to far away to see what. By the time I got the  other dogs out of the truck. Jayson came over the air waves with an affirmative remark. Turning the dogs loose I headed up the track, realizing the water was not big enough to fall into and the clearest path available I went right up it and with new vigor I went on, over the downed logs under the snow covered brush and across the rocks. ever getting closer to the sound of treeing hounds. All four of the dogs were there now and making lots of noise. My adrenaline was up when I reached the tree. It was a big Douglas Fir tree that had died long ago with not a needle left on it. There, perched about half way up, was a beautiful, tawny creature with rippling mussels under his fur coat. A magnificent male, young in years but well on his way, being some 115 pounds or so. Almost makes I guy want to climb up and pet it.  I settled for some pictures and called it good. Left to run another day and, us ,real thankful for a very nice race. We gathered up the dogs put them on leashes and headed back to the truck. Crazy as it might seem that is what I call fun.