Cougar Hunts

Idaho Cougar Hunts

December – February

For many big game hunters, harvesting a cougar is a life-long dream. Don’t wait to make it happen! We have great cougar numbers in Idaho right now with generous hunting seasons and opportunities. There isn’t much more that will get your heart pumping than being within 25 feet of the mountain’s deadliest predator. 

We offer 4 to 9 day lion hunts, depending on what trophy class you’re after. We can’t guarantee a giant tom, but the longer you hunt with us, the greater your odds are at getting a chance at one.

For several years now we have leased from a landowner that owns 68% of the unit that we hunt. He has all the bottoms and best access so we have no competition. You will have at least two guides hunting separate properties with their own dogs and equipment each day. 

We use satellite devices to stay in good contact and when a cougar is located we converge to make it successful. We are usually at least 75% opportunity but this last winter our landowner bought more land that tied some things together for us and we were 100%. 

We took one mature female, two young toms, and four big toms (who’s skulls were 14 1/2”-15 1/8”), which is a very large, old Tom cougar.

We hunt dirt and snow and prefer the dirt, which our dogs are more than capable of tracking in. When we have dirt conditions we spend our time free casting dogs and walking areas that we know cats like to frequent. If you’re not much of a walker, we gladly do the walking and have you wait nearby for us until we have one jumped. On dirt, we can’t really control what the dogs run, big or small, they just run cat scent. When we have snow, a lot of time is spent driving roads on machines and looking for tracks. Lots of sitting and waiting on a cougar hunt, that’s why the add-ons are nice. On the snow, we can see a track and tell you approximately how big it is before we turn the dogs loose. We prefer dirt and I like to schedule hunts but we also do some on-call hunts as well if you’re schedule is quickly flexible. 

Coyote hunting with decoy dogs and thermal scopes can be added for $300 a night. And jump shooting ducks and geese on our landowners ponds can be added for $200 per morning. 

The cougar guides will still be cougar hunting, so if we find a cougar while you’re shooting birds or coyotes, those guys know how to get you where we are so the add on hunting doesn’t effect the main hunt. Bobcats can also be hunted but any time we spend chasing a bobcat, won’t be spent cougar hunting. 

Dates on cougar hunts are flexible. If you need to move a hunt by a few days we can. We hunt every day, even between hunts, but I schedule a few days in between to fix equipment and rest legs and dogs. So it’s not exact dates – it’s all flexible to accommodate your schedule. I have room for two guys before Xmas,  one between Xmas and New Years, two in January, and one in late February. Again dates are flexible as I don’t book solid.

If you’ve got questions about when to come or what hunt is right for you, give us a call or send us a message and we’ll be sure to figure out a plan that fits the type of experience you’re wanting to have.

F.A.Q.

Frequently Asked Questions

For our guided hunts, you’ll need your personal clothing and toiletries, a gun or bow with ammo, and typical hunting gear such as a backpack, binoculars, etc.

For a drop-camp hunt, you’ll need everything for a DIY hunt except for a bed, tent, and stove, as you’ll be staying in one of our canvas tents equipped with twin size beds and a wood stove.

All meals, lodging, accommodations, and snacks are included in our guided hunts as well as transportation and the professional guide services.

Drop-camps hunts include transporation to the camp and sleeping accomodations.

  • Idaho State Sales Tax of 6%
  • Tags and Licenses
  • Gratuities for guides and camp help
  • Taxidermy services, although local recommendations can be given
  • Meat processing services, although local recommendations can be given

Due to the nature of hunting, we cannot guarantee a successful harvested animal. We do, however, have a high success rate with hunters who are willing to work hard and can make a good shot on an animal.

We outfit in Units 33 and 35 of the Sawtooth Zone.