Anti-hunting advocates and others who don't understand the sport criticize the perceived ease of shooting a treed cat, but Colorado's 2004-05 season had a success rate below 25 percent. That's far from a sure thing. In fact, that rate is far less than the success rates for general rifle season deer and elk hunters. The guide has to find a fresh track, the dogs have to pick up the trail, and the lion has to stay treed long enough for the hunter to catch up and get a shot.

Ray offers some perspective: "A lot of people underestimate how difficult mountain lion hunting is. It can be the most rugged hunt you can get in on. Once you set it in motion and you let the dogs loose, you've got to see it through. There are lots of reasons why people who hunt don't kill, and it doesn't have anything to do with incompetence. The dogs might try to head into an area that's too rough for the client. A cougar can lose dogs in steep, rocky country. Or a hunter might look over a treed lion and decide it's not the right one; he snaps a picture and lets it go. That teaches a mountain lion to avoid people and dogs."

Ray cites physical fitness as the most important element in preparing to hunt lions. "It takes stamina to hunt cougar. We've never had a client perish, but we've had some who thought they were going to. Whatever your condition, get in better condition -- and know your limits. On a hunt, you want to press your limits, not find out you're way beyond your ability."

Winter weather and the nature of cougar hunting make proper equipment selection essential. "You need to be prepared to spend the night out, because of injury, inconvenience or you just went farther than you thought. It's the kind of an adventure a hunter needs to be ready for, mentally and with the right gear. We advise our clients to bring rubber boots with leather uppers and thick felt liners, a good daypack, and layered clothing that will keep them warm even when wet. I prefer wool."

Ray finds that many of his clients haul excess firepower. "A lot of guys want to bring their 7mm Mag with a scope. It'll work, but that's the worst thing you could use," he advised. "You're over-gunned and carrying a scope you won't need most of the time. Wet, snowy brush will fill that scope and rifle with a lot of ice. We recommend a substantial handgun -- in a backpack or a shoulder holster. A hip holster gets old if you walk very far."

ABOUT LION SEASON

"There are pros and cons for every type of season structure. Colorado has a separate quota-based season. Arizona hunts year' round with no quotas. They rely on deer and elk hunters to take a large percentage of their lions," said Dick Ray, a member of the Colorado Wildlife Commission, in comparing the philosophical approaches in settling mountain lion season structure. "Cougars can put an awful lot of pressure on deer and isolated herds of bighorn sheep. If a state needs more lion kills, longer or coinciding seasons can offer more opportunity -- a hunter has a shot at more than one species during his trip." The downside to no-quota hunting, says Ray, is that some biological data go unkown, such as the number of lions killed and the number of males compared to females that are taken. "There's less selectivity, and you're going to have some crippling and wounding loss," he said. "A lot of hunters talk about going after a wounded lion, but when it comes time to do it." A problem with year-round hunting is that dogs used to hunt lions might interfere with overlapping big-game seasons. Other hunters might find dogs disruptive, and it's certainly more dangerous for the dogs. "(Quota) hunting with dogs is probably the best way to do it because it's much more selective," Ray said. "You can have a great deal of fun chasing lions, even if you tree and release, there's virtually no crippling or wounding loss; and if you wound the lion and it escapes. The dogs will likely find it again." Ray is also a member of Colorado's Outfitter Licensing Board and vice president of the Colorado Mule Deer Association. -- Michael Kaffar

What keeps a veteran guide excited about cougar hunting? "Every lion hunt has a unique story," Ray says. "When you go mile after mile, day after day to get a lion, it doesn't have to be a record-book trophy. A worthwhile chase and a representative specimen make the story. And, there's something special about winter hunting. A lot of times, it's just you, the dogs and that lion in places that are crowded during deer or elk season. The area could be overrun with hikers and fishermen in the summer, but in winter, you don't see a soul. So what if it's public ground? Like the man said, 'You don't have to own the land to enjoy the view.'"

FOR YOUR INFORMATION
Mountain lion season runs Nov. 21 through March 31, 2006. Licenses are available and for sale over the counter at license agents throughout Colorado. Quotas vary by unit.

For additional information, contact the Colorado Division of Wildlife, 6060 Broadway, Denver, CO 80216; (303) 297-1192, or go online to http://wildlife.state.co.us/hunt.

The Colorado Outfitter's Association can be reached at P.O. Box 1949, Rifle, CO 81650; (970) 876-0543, or online at www.colorado-outfitters.com.