Mountain Lion/Big Cat shot with Thermal in East Texas...

I wanted to share this video with my friends here in this forum. I post alot of hog hunting videos and a few days ago I had either a Mountain Lion, Cougar, or some type of Panther show up during one of my late night hog hunts. This has been a little secret of mine that I haven't shared with many people, mostly because I didn't want people around here in East Texas to think I was crazy, but I've had a Mountain Lion/Big Cat either living or hunting 100 yards from my front door for the past 8 months. In the past he's always eluded the opportunity for me to take a clean shot...until he showed up for the last time during the middle of hog hunt. From the video you'll see him amazingly jump 7 or 8 feet in the air after taking a shot to the front right shoulder. Be careful out in those fields chasing hogs guys, you never know what you might run into..

Sucks you couldnt find him

The grass that he was laying behind, I measured is two feet tall. Laying down with his head up he was several inches taller than that very tall grass. He was big, definitely wasn't a feral house cat, haha!. On thermal, it's really hard to see his size because he is directly facing me. It isn't until he jumps that you get to see how long he really is. But, before I flipped the camera on, I saw him walk over before laying down and I knew it was that Big Cat. Now it might be a panther or cougar, not really sure. I was just sad that I didn't get to recover him...

I know!!! I'm sick about it...

hopefully some one will find it, too cool an animal to just lose

I haven't gotten a good night's sleep since. My biggest fear is my neighbor Paul finding it dead somewhere on his property and taking credit for shooting it, haha!

No disrespect but my monies on a big bobcat. Not a cougar.

No disrepect taken at all. I'm open to all opinions. I've shown the clip to many of the farmers around here and everyone of them said it was either a cougar or panther. I know it's hard to tell on thermal because the warmest parts of the body will glow a brighter white then say a foot or even tail. I did see him walk over to the spot where he laid down before I flipped the camera on and noticed the long time. The very first time that I saw him I thought the same thing, that it was just a huge bobcat, but every time I've seen him I've noticed the tail. At the end of the video, I freeze framed it to show how long the tail is, but that's the problem with not recovery him. We will never know for sure, you could very well be right..

Outstanding looking shot. Bummer he hasn't been recovered. What caliber were you using?

How fast did you get a blood trailing dog out there? Hard hit Cats leave good blood trails. Once in a lifetime opportunity there.
When you saw him in the tree was he a mountain lion?

I was using a .223 with hog load ammo.. I don't know anybody with dogs and the grass was too thick to track him

Definitely appears to be a mt. lion. When you say panther you mean ?

Yeah, I have no clue. I've heard that they are all the same thing but I know nothing about them other than some pictures that I've seen and articles that I've read..

Pretty sure its not a bobcat. Has to be a mountain lion. Hopefully someone comes across him. I would look for a trailing dog.

I've been calling around for dogs

Do you really believe lions are that uncommon in Texas or are you just stirring the

???

I'm pretty sure I saw a long tail when it jumped. Looks like a lion to me.

Mountain lion, panther, puma and cougar all synonyms for the same thing.

Freeze-frame of the long tail. With all the hogs that we have on our property a mountain lion would have plenty to feed on..

I've only seen 2 mountain lions in my entire life. Can't bring myself to shoot one for that simple fact. Super rare at least in my world

We have them on our prooerty in Montell ive never seen one live but had a friend see one in the stand and have them on camera if i see one their taking a dirt nap.

That's probably OK in East Texas but getting towards the Trans Pecos and Big Bend area there's a very small chance of it being a Jaguar. They have been spotted just over the border in New Mexico. Shooting an endangered animal could get you a pretty stiff fine.

Just because you don't see them mountain lions with some regularity does not mean they are not around.

Very true.. they are very elusive