Quote:
Originally Posted by 308 at my gate
I think that big cats bother me more than bears. The cats are just to stealthy and can be on you before you know it.
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Yea buddy. We had a great lease in North Louisiana for 8 years. This was quite a while back. Over time we would get reports from others in the group that they saw a bob cat, or a yote, and then one day we got a report of a big cat. Seasons go by and you don't think much of it. Well one day I am in my stand which is 12' off the ground, self supported with 4 legs set in the corner of field. It was not a closed stand it was wide open. I used to use a springfield sar 8 with a scope on it. One morning i am sitting in my stand watching all the trails. A cat gave me that (deep lung) growl just at my right side. When I say just at my right side I mean this cat was no more than 10 feet from me. Danger close. I felt something radiate from my toe nails and shot up my body and made my hair stand on my head. I took that sar-8, swung it around and let a 20 rnd pack of 308 fly.
I must have looked like a 60 gunner on a chopper in nam. I had never been so scared hunting in all my life.
You see pics of big cats up on the heals of deer and it makes you wonder. Some of the guys would call me crazy packing (3) 20 round clips. I was never afraid of the 4 legged animals. In Louisiana, it's the 2 legged type you gotta worry about. Or so I thought.
I never had a clue this cat was on me that close. Not a clue. You can hear birds, squirls, rabbits, anything move but I didn't hear a thing with this one.
Funny thing is I never saw it eigther. Buy the time I swung around, and locked on the ground and the first bullet flew it was over.
It was real hard to get out of that stand. I remember making it back to camp, feeling weak, laughing hysterically and went straight for the whiskey.