Lurkin Lenny got his Lion

[Randy Morin]

Way to go Lenny!  I'm real happy for ya bud.  Wish I could have been in on it. Lookin forward to the story...and dont be modest...tell us how awesome you are...type damn it, type.  

[tradtusker]

congrats!! great looking lion!
     

[Aeronut]

Congrats!

Dennis

[tim roberts]

Way to go Lenny!          

[Steve H.]

Great cat what a Christmas present!

[fxe]

WOW what a CAT!Congrats!

[longbowben]

Thats a monster.congrats

[Brent Rudolph]

Done us proud Lenny! Great cat my friend. Now, where is the story?

[slayer1]

Hear kitty kitty kitty...Wow that is a great cat! Congrats!

[Whip]

Is Lenny a real little guy or something?  That cat looks huge!        
Congratulations - Looking forward to the story!  

[Mark Baker]

Hey Whip...yeah, that Lenny is a little guy.   That cat coulda had him for an appetizer, it looks  like!   Congrats, and Merry Christmas Lenny....I know you've been getting after them kitties for a  few years now.   Way to go, bud!    Now  tell  us the  story!

[bohuntr]

Awesome cat Lenny, congrats!!!          

[robslifts]

lloks like a great cat cant wait!!

[hormoan]

I taught I saw a putty cat  

[Lenny Brown]

Thanks for the kind words. Now here's the story as I remember it.
   Yeah it was another fine morning in the mountains of Southwest Montana.  I met up with John the houndsman at 4 am in great tracking conditions, due to  6 inches of powder from the day before.  Since we were the first on the scene that morning we elected to check out a few canyons we could drive through before returning to one of our  favorite spots where we started hiking at 5:30.  With flashlight in hand and longbow on back I took the lead with Johns two veteran dogs, Spike and Baxter.  John was bringing up the rear with three new pups who had never been on a track or off the leash.  At about 6:30 I came across a fresh lion track.  The dogs didn't react as quickly as the usually do but as I stood there examining the prints both dogs went wild. With in minutes John and the three pups had caught up and the mountains were echoing with hound music.
   We got the dogs tied up so we could study the track.  It was a good size track coming down out of some steep cliffs, crossing our path and heading south.  As it started to get light, John let Spike and Baxter loose. The hounds generally don't bark much on the trail, they wait until they have the cat treed or at bay before they let loose. So after letting the big dogs go we set out with the pups on lead to follow the tracks.  After about twenty minutes heading south we heard the dogs choppy tree barks coming from high in the cliff to the north.  After analyzing the situation we agreed that the cat must have been at bay atop the cliffs to our north so we abandoned the tracks and headed towards the music.  Nearing the base of the cliffs we cut the lion track again with dogs in pursuit. At this point I had my doubts about being able to get to the action at the top of the cliffs.  John assured me that the cat can't go anywhere the dogs couldn't follow. So the question was, "Can I go anywhere a dog can go?" . . . We'll see!  At that  point we let the three pups of leash to join the chase. They took to the trail like ducks to water and ten minutes later we heard the young voices added to the choir.  
   Soon I found myself about halfway up and around the cliffs, on all fours, gasping for air, with legs trembling. I had to stop and take a brake with John already fifty yards ahead of me.  That was the last I saw of him until I caught up to the action. Arriving on the scene I saw John and all five dogs at the base of a fir tree.  Among the chorus of hound music I heard John say, "Lenny, he's bigger than we thought!  He's a big tom with a pumpkin head!".  

Gotta run to the taxidermist but I'll give ya the rest of the story tonight.

-Lenny the Lurker

[swp]

Did you get him, did you get him? Com'on Lenny lets have the rest of the story.  

[Killdeer]

"Gotta run to the taxidermist but I'll give ya the rest of the story tonight."

And now you know...the REST of the story!
Great storytelling here, I am feeling the cold air in my lungs and hearing the hounds! MORE!!

Killdeer

[MWhitehair]

Nice!

[Brent Rudolph]

Well, well, well. Fellin a little like I got stood up for the prom. Taxidermysmermy, MY LORD Lenny!!!!!!!!!! Don't make me call your cell phone.

[Walt Francis]

It appears Lenny needs to quit lurking all the time and practice his typing with posting more often:        I wasn't on this hunt with Lenny and John because I had been checking for tracks in a different drainage that morning.  Doug and I were delivering Christmas baskets to some of the landowners who let me hunt their property when we received the call from Lenny so we went over to his house then took some pictures.  Lenny has been hunting lions seriously for three years and has turned down numerous opportunities waiting for a nice one.  I think the waiting paid off.