I had a relationship (not sure what else to call it) with a huge male cougar over the period of about 6 years as a kid. We used to ride quads and hunt above my parent's cabin in Eastern WA and one summer when I was about 11 I was riding my quad on an old abandoned road that dead ended in a steep, rocky draw. My little brother was with me on the back of the quad. There was a huge pine tree that had come down across the road that had just enough space under it to squeeze the quad through. On the way back down the road towards the main logging road, just after we cleared that tree I went to accelerate and the quad died. I reached down to my left to grab the pull-cord and heard gravel slinging and twigs snapping and all of a sudden this huge male cougar came busting over the edge of the road and skidded to a stop about 2' from the quad. I had one hand on the pull cord, one hand on the handlebars and had my eyes locked on his. We had a stare-down for about 10 seconds, neither of us flinching. My little brothers arms just got tighter and tighter around my waist, neither of us breathing or making a sound. The cat glanced to his left, padded around in front of the quad, eyes never leaving mine. He stopped in front of the quad, glanced up the hill on the other side of the road and then took off up the bank an out of sight. My little brother started screaming and crying, I got the quad re-started and hauled ass out of there back to our cabin to tell my parents. About 4 years later, I was deer hunting solo up behind the cabin and approached that steep, rocky draw from the other side of the mountain, opposite the old logging road. The brush in the draw was so thick that I had to crawl through portions of it. As I was on my hands and knees, I saw some HUGE cat tracks in the dust on the trail. The hair on my neck instantly went up and I was sure that it had to be that same big Tom that I had seen a few years prior. I made my way out of the draw and followed the tracks up towards that old logging road. They tracks led to a big downed pine tree, so I walked along the trunk of that and jumped off where it intersected a pretty well used cattle/game trail (they ranged cattle in the forests in WA sometimes). His tracks were on that trail as well. I followed them in to a stand of young pine trees, maybe 7' tall and very thick, with the trail being the only clear spot through them. I debated going around those trees because I was not comfortable with the amount of cover surrounding the trail but it was very steep on both sides, so I decided to go through. Right in the middle of the stand of pines it opened up into a rough circle about 20' in diameter. While I was in the middle of that little clearing, the cat growled at me from my right, what could have been no more that 20-30 feet away. I froze, then took my rifle off of my shoulder, turned to my right and held it at my hip, safety off waiting for it to come bursting out of the trees in front of me. I stood there for about 30 seconds, didn't hear another sound and slowly backed my way out of the clearing and the rest of the way through the pines, knowing he was probably watching me the whole time. The last encounter came about 2 years after this. My friend and I snow-mobiled up to the top of the mountain, above that steep, rocky draw on the last weekend of deer season. We were planning on walking the ridge and hopefully spotting deer on the back side of the mountain. About 100 yards from where we left our snow mobiles we came across a huge set of fresh cougar tracks heading across the ridge and down towards that rocky draw. My friend had a cougar tag and I told him it was probably the same cat I had seen and heard, as it was right above where I had my encounters. We decided to follow the fresh tracks down into the draw with hopes of seeing him. After about 15 minutes of creeping down the hill following the tracks it started to get very thick and steep. We were having problems staying quiet and starting to slip a little in the snow, so we decided to abandon the pursuit and go back to the ridge top. About 25' back up the hill, I looked down at our own prints in the snow and saw the cat's tracks on top of ours... He had circled behind us and was following us down into the draw. We both instantly started to look in all directions, weary that he may be right near us and concerned he may attack. We made our way slowly back up the hill, him watching in front, me watching behind. We never saw the cat but again, I guarantee he was watching us. This was in the 90's. I have always wanted to go back to see if maybe there are still cats in that draw, some of his descendants. While it was scary, those encounters are something I will never forget.
I truly miss these days of meateater. Not just the cooking specials but when steve would walk you through everything as he worked on it in the kitchen. This show is still the best but I miss the old stuff a little. Thats a nice way to cook Lion though
Cool video. I bought an old Chevy Suburban from Bart 10 years ago. Nice guy. That old rig has taken several elk out of the mountains and is still going strong.
I had a black and tan hound that was the spitting image of the female in this video. She was trained for deer, and was the best deer dog I ever had, and I had several good ones.
Ive seen all these redrops but thats ok, ill watch em over and over. Simply great content. Meateater is unmatched, in my opinion. Not that theres not other folks doing amazing outdoor content, there definitely is but idk meateater is just quality every time
Thanks for sharing what cougar hunter with hounds is really like. I live in Oregon, where the practice was outlawed years ago by voters who likely had no idea how challenging the sport is. Certainly they could not have known how rewarding it is when hounds and hunter work together toward a common goal.
if Oregon outlawed them by vote, instead of allowing the biologists & natural resources officers to figure it out - then you have a lot of problems. i hate it for you. if the general public understood the diff in conservation vs preservation, it would solve it all. but if you have a rural poplulace, and they don't have time to study, they get indoctrinated by the msm. jmho
Unfortunately, liberals often vote against basic conservation in favor of feelings based on Disney movies. Sadly, the first to get banned is "Kitty Cats" 🐈 & "Teddy Bears" 🐻.
@@boostjunky24 The guy has fished every major of body of water in the world. Caught crazy diseases in the process and made a badass show that even you watched. Who are you again?
I like the episodes with Steve because he does more so of a catch and cook than just catch. I love watching hunting videos but especially when they cook some at the end. I’m now a Big fan of Steven.
Steve is the best. The others in this series never appreciate the animals nor do they get one. Garbage. Keep Steve forever. Always love the cooking at the end
I GREW UP IN THE IDAHO PANHANDLE. AS A YOUNG BOY MY DAD WAS A HUNTING GUIDE. SPECIFICALLY BEAR COUGAR AND BOBCAT...THERE IS NOTHING LIKE GETTING UP IN THOSE MOUNTAINS IN THE DEEP DEEP SNOW AND DOING A WEEK LONG CAMP AND GETTING. OUT AFTER THESE CATS...I MISS LIVING LIKE THIS SO MUCH..THE AREA I GREW UP IN WAS NEAR KELSO LAKE. OUTSIDE PRIEST RIVER....BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY
@@xfighter1117 depending on your age. you might have seen me and my dad walking up and down the streets with a giant wooden sign with bible scripture on it in the early 80s lol
WOW man, you guys really capture something special every time you let that camera roll Steve. The perspectives you pull out from the haze of complication in events, places and processes give clarity, and context to the true contrast between pure beauty and honest natural brutality that exists for us and them in this place we all inhabit.
i've watched most of steve's hunts this one i'd love to be apart of! just really cool letting the dogs loose. Not the whole the elk smelled my grey whisker and ran 10 miles east lol
My father in law was kind enough to give us a ham from a lion, it was like pork but better. The one we ate tasted identical to pork in flavor but without that icky feeling you get after eating too much pork. I would definitely leap at the chance to hunt one in the future just so I can eat it!
This episode inspired me to hunt and eat a mountain lion. Part of my own hunting ethos is to eat whatever I kill. Like Steve, I had an amazing trip and the meat is wonderful, you would never know its not pork.
In Oregon there's getting to be too many lions out there, and they are starting to encroach on civilization and attack people looking for food. They keep declining hunting seasons over and over, and they are getting out of control. Mountain men said that puma was the best meat in the mountains, I always thought that was crazy because predator often tastes terrible
Most cougars are in Florida and can be found by the nickel slots.
💀
Yeah we have those type of cougars here in the uk 😂
Hahaha
they taste like smoke and loose morals though
We also have lots of panthers. Real ones....
great now another thing to watch while i procrastinate.
Great now I want Taco Bell Nachos...
True.
Literally me rn
I had a relationship (not sure what else to call it) with a huge male cougar over the period of about 6 years as a kid. We used to ride quads and hunt above my parent's cabin in Eastern WA and one summer when I was about 11 I was riding my quad on an old abandoned road that dead ended in a steep, rocky draw. My little brother was with me on the back of the quad. There was a huge pine tree that had come down across the road that had just enough space under it to squeeze the quad through. On the way back down the road towards the main logging road, just after we cleared that tree I went to accelerate and the quad died. I reached down to my left to grab the pull-cord and heard gravel slinging and twigs snapping and all of a sudden this huge male cougar came busting over the edge of the road and skidded to a stop about 2' from the quad. I had one hand on the pull cord, one hand on the handlebars and had my eyes locked on his. We had a stare-down for about 10 seconds, neither of us flinching. My little brothers arms just got tighter and tighter around my waist, neither of us breathing or making a sound. The cat glanced to his left, padded around in front of the quad, eyes never leaving mine. He stopped in front of the quad, glanced up the hill on the other side of the road and then took off up the bank an out of sight. My little brother started screaming and crying, I got the quad re-started and hauled ass out of there back to our cabin to tell my parents. About 4 years later, I was deer hunting solo up behind the cabin and approached that steep, rocky draw from the other side of the mountain, opposite the old logging road. The brush in the draw was so thick that I had to crawl through portions of it. As I was on my hands and knees, I saw some HUGE cat tracks in the dust on the trail. The hair on my neck instantly went up and I was sure that it had to be that same big Tom that I had seen a few years prior. I made my way out of the draw and followed the tracks up towards that old logging road. They tracks led to a big downed pine tree, so I walked along the trunk of that and jumped off where it intersected a pretty well used cattle/game trail (they ranged cattle in the forests in WA sometimes). His tracks were on that trail as well. I followed them in to a stand of young pine trees, maybe 7' tall and very thick, with the trail being the only clear spot through them. I debated going around those trees because I was not comfortable with the amount of cover surrounding the trail but it was very steep on both sides, so I decided to go through. Right in the middle of the stand of pines it opened up into a rough circle about 20' in diameter. While I was in the middle of that little clearing, the cat growled at me from my right, what could have been no more that 20-30 feet away. I froze, then took my rifle off of my shoulder, turned to my right and held it at my hip, safety off waiting for it to come bursting out of the trees in front of me. I stood there for about 30 seconds, didn't hear another sound and slowly backed my way out of the clearing and the rest of the way through the pines, knowing he was probably watching me the whole time. The last encounter came about 2 years after this. My friend and I snow-mobiled up to the top of the mountain, above that steep, rocky draw on the last weekend of deer season. We were planning on walking the ridge and hopefully spotting deer on the back side of the mountain. About 100 yards from where we left our snow mobiles we came across a huge set of fresh cougar tracks heading across the ridge and down towards that rocky draw. My friend had a cougar tag and I told him it was probably the same cat I had seen and heard, as it was right above where I had my encounters. We decided to follow the fresh tracks down into the draw with hopes of seeing him. After about 15 minutes of creeping down the hill following the tracks it started to get very thick and steep. We were having problems staying quiet and starting to slip a little in the snow, so we decided to abandon the pursuit and go back to the ridge top. About 25' back up the hill, I looked down at our own prints in the snow and saw the cat's tracks on top of ours... He had circled behind us and was following us down into the draw. We both instantly started to look in all directions, weary that he may be right near us and concerned he may attack. We made our way slowly back up the hill, him watching in front, me watching behind. We never saw the cat but again, I guarantee he was watching us. This was in the 90's. I have always wanted to go back to see if maybe there are still cats in that draw, some of his descendants. While it was scary, those encounters are something I will never forget.
awesome, thanks for sharing!
Neat story man
I truly miss these days of meateater. Not just the cooking specials but when steve would walk you through everything as he worked on it in the kitchen. This show is still the best but I miss the old stuff a little. Thats a nice way to cook Lion though
Never get's old, listening to Steve tell the story!
100 %. I honestly think he's the best to listen to.
So true, when caught covid this help me alot i love it.
i love it
*GETS NOT "get's".
@@worldboss9927 *a lot NOT 'alot'.
The sound Steve makes when the moose gets up might just be the realest sound ever recorded.
I 1000% agree
I think I could watch MeatEater for the rest of my days
Cool video. I bought an old Chevy Suburban from Bart 10 years ago. Nice guy. That old rig has taken several elk out of the mountains and is still going strong.
Steve is an amazing story teller
Cool video. The only cougar I ever got was at a bar in Anchorage Alaska
Darwins Theory bar
Mountain lion is absolutely delicious. Congrats on the Tom!
I had a black and tan hound that was the spitting image of the female in this video. She was trained for deer, and was the best deer dog I ever had, and I had several good ones.
what breed?
@@scoobidydoobin8598 Black and tan/walker mix.
one of my fav episodes, loving the reuploads, getting to rewatch these after a few years is a ton of fun!
Glad yr back Steve, sure missed yr content. 🤟🤍
Ive seen all these redrops but thats ok, ill watch em over and over. Simply great content. Meateater is unmatched, in my opinion. Not that theres not other folks doing amazing outdoor content, there definitely is but idk meateater is just quality every time
Thanks for sharing what cougar hunter with hounds is really like. I live in Oregon, where the practice was outlawed years ago by voters who likely had no idea how challenging the sport is. Certainly they could not have known how rewarding it is when hounds and hunter work together toward a common goal.
Gotta love Portland and Salem….
if Oregon outlawed them by vote, instead of allowing the biologists & natural resources officers to figure it out - then you have a lot of problems. i hate it for you. if the general public understood the diff in conservation vs preservation, it would solve it all. but if you have a rural poplulace, and they don't have time to study, they get indoctrinated by the msm. jmho
Good thing people who will never own a firearm or know where food comes from, get to decide for those who do both.
@@Briathos1 Don't forget the turds in Eugene.
Unfortunately, liberals often vote against basic conservation in favor of feelings based on Disney movies.
Sadly, the first to get banned is "Kitty Cats" 🐈 & "Teddy Bears" 🐻.
Man what a trophy. For the house and the freezer. That's a nice mature cat. Love to see it. Keep up the good work.
Steve Rinella, Jeremy Wade and Gordon Ramsey. Badasses at their craft and good enough to narrate their own show. Love these guys.
Wade is a hack. Heavily edited videos and not that skilled of a fisherman. He's put in the hours but is hardly a master fisherman.
@@boostjunky24 The guy has fished every major of body of water in the world. Caught crazy diseases in the process and made a badass show that even you watched. Who are you again?
Jeremy Wade, the host of Trouser Monsters?
Song at 7:28
Best eating wild game that there is.
dogs need some insta 360s, footage would be insane
I like the episodes with Steve because he does more so of a catch and cook than just catch. I love watching hunting videos but especially when they cook some at the end. I’m now a Big fan of Steven.
Excellent hunt guys and loved the meal prep at the end. Thanks!
Did 2 weeks elk hunting in that area in 2022. Rough country and that's from someone who grew up hunting the Frank Church!
I just saw Shooter Rick the last couple days (the guy @ 12:20). Helped him with his bow for elk season in a couple weeks 😅
I deer hunted for 10 years in Oklahoma, saw mountain lion tracks frequently, and only saw one in the wild once, a young one.
Love me some Idaho.
Very good meat ! Thanks, Steve and crew for showing the efforts required. Not an easy hunt.
Have you tried wolves?
Are dogs required to track mountain lions ? Are they too elusive or somethin ? I know nothing about hunting lol
Cat Hunters ball in Darby, MT at Dotson's bar serves some excellent lion. Happens every year.
The "really" after Trichinosis got me :D
Yesss!!!!! Another steven renella video.
Thank you Steve
It's nice to see a Benchmade Saddle Mountain Skinner being used as an actual skinner and for meal prep.
Awesome hunt, thank you for sharing! Whoa!
I lived in Cour d aleme for a year. Beautiful place!
Been here my whole life, don’t know when the last time you were here but it’s almost unrecognizable nowadays.
Steve is the best. The others in this series never appreciate the animals nor do they get one. Garbage. Keep Steve forever. Always love the cooking at the end
Love from California brother.
From Idaho & have a buddy who's a houndsman, thanks for the visit back home.
Dream jobbb.! @MeatEater STEVE TAKE ME ON A HUNT.! 🤣🤣
It’s cool to see Bart George on here. He is in the Inland Northwest Wildlife Council.
I GREW UP IN THE IDAHO PANHANDLE. AS A YOUNG BOY MY DAD WAS A HUNTING GUIDE. SPECIFICALLY BEAR COUGAR AND BOBCAT...THERE IS NOTHING LIKE GETTING UP IN THOSE MOUNTAINS IN THE DEEP DEEP SNOW AND DOING A WEEK LONG CAMP AND GETTING. OUT AFTER THESE CATS...I MISS LIVING LIKE THIS SO MUCH..THE AREA I GREW UP IN WAS NEAR KELSO LAKE. OUTSIDE PRIEST RIVER....BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY
Dude why you screaming
@@benjaminawesome4321 MERICA
THANK YOU!!!
Born and raised just south of that in spirit lake. It’s gods country no better place. I’ll never leave.
@@xfighter1117 depending on your age. you might have seen me and my dad walking up and down the streets with a giant wooden sign with bible scripture on it in the early 80s lol
WOW man, you guys really capture something special every time you let that camera roll Steve.
The perspectives you pull out from the haze of complication in events, places and processes give clarity, and context to the true contrast between pure beauty and honest natural brutality that exists for us and them in this place we all inhabit.
Love your story’s
Awesome video, congrats. You guys need a less sketchy bridge and a 3 to 1 for hoisting a deer/gambrel!
I can't wait to hunt I just love it the tracking the attention to surroundings and I'm turning my phone off no ppl from outside watching
Wonder if Steve comes bearing gifts of First Lite gear when hunting with these guests?🤔
Incredible episode.
Beautiful soundtrack around the 7:00 mark
Great stuff! I can't wait to get a lion!
Always eat well at the end of the hunt, you got it going on.😃😃
Damn I love this show
Great way to start my day
Cool
Haven’t seen a predator based episode in a few months, good to see!
The last sentence of this episode nullifies this comment😂 they’re all predator based episodes
I love all these cougar jokes ! 😂
i've watched most of steve's hunts this one i'd love to be apart of! just really cool letting the dogs loose. Not the whole the elk smelled my grey whisker and ran 10 miles east lol
Magnificent job
Amazing watching those dogs work
Thanks for re uploading it. 😊😅
Yesterday in Texas, it was 115°. Lucky you
Thanks for doing your part in predator control!
Very well done
I've eaten cougar a couple of times. The meat is excellent!
Mountain lion is a good meal. There back legs are delicous. And the heart
Steve's voice is up there with Mike Rowe as a narrator!!!
Nice, thanks. - N Idaho -
I didn't realise all these guys were Haitian, learn something new everyday.
loved the video as always. I may have missed this but why was Cat killed? Just for meat?
Cougar ham and smokies are incredible... meow
Got all three holes with my first cougar. She was a bit overweight but she did the job 👌
My father in law was kind enough to give us a ham from a lion, it was like pork but better. The one we ate tasted identical to pork in flavor but without that icky feeling you get after eating too much pork. I would definitely leap at the chance to hunt one in the future just so I can eat it!
This episode inspired me to hunt and eat a mountain lion. Part of my own hunting ethos is to eat whatever I kill. Like Steve, I had an amazing trip and the meat is wonderful, you would never know its not pork.
the cats will learn tracking dogs are food for them in time
What? 😂
Never hunted cougars, but had a couple hunt me.
Steve's narration is right up there with the greats. Paul Harvey, Mike Rowe and Steve Rinella
One of my favorite meats to eat!
Man looks like alot of fun
Why are you reauploading? I know I have seen this before. Great content thou
Would love to hunt a mountain lion but dont even know where to start as I have never met anyone who has. Any recommendations in Colorado?
I went to the same high school as Bart in Iowa and chose my Senior year football jersey number after his, number 55!
I love the sound of hound dogs
Wonder if he was using Clark Fork Outfitters?
I enjoy lion but like Steve I only ever did the slow cooker option because I didn’t kill it and I was gifted a leg and it was super lean!
I've eaten mountain lion hunted by Bart. Would recommend.
Those are some good boys.
Will this be on Netflix?
160 degrees for pork?!? Steve, you monster
I had to wrestle a couger in the mountains near Boulder Co. I didn't mind losing that match.
Action Bronson collab would be insanely good here
I’m watching this in a pool in Oklahoma in August. Brrrrr….😂
Mountain lion is one of my favorites 👍
I didnt know that some americans eat cats.Do they eat wolves jackal fox or cayotes?
November 30th ill be behind hounds chasing lions in montana with the bow ,, I cant wait.
Does these cougars taste like the ones at the bar?
When the tracks peter out, it is because they jumped into a portal😂
In Oregon there's getting to be too many lions out there, and they are starting to encroach on civilization and attack people looking for food. They keep declining hunting seasons over and over, and they are getting out of control.
Mountain men said that puma was the best meat in the mountains, I always thought that was crazy because predator often tastes terrible
Had the privilege of trying some mountain lion last year. Steve is right on about how similar it is to pork, both in appearance and flavor.
Ate my 1st bobcat this year was great
There's exotic African and Asian cuisine and theres Steven Rinella
My stomach feels so much better..!!