If a mature tom behind a seasoned pack of hounds is on your bucket list, this is the hunt. You’ll be chasing mountain lions through the rugged canyon and rim country of western Colorado near the Utah border — big, remote cat country run by a small, hard-hunting operation that trees lions year after year with remarkable consistency.
This is a 6-day fully guided hunt with comfortable lodging and home-cooked meals included, run during the winter months when cold and snow put toms on the move. Prefer to maximize your odds on a true trophy tom? Ask about the stand-by hunt option below — it’s how the most serious lion hunters book this trip.
The Hunt
Each morning starts early, covering country and looking for a fresh track. When the guides cut the track of a mature tom, the hounds do what they were bred to do — and you follow the race until the cat trees. From there it’s a close-range, personal moment: you’ll look your lion over with the guide, confirm it’s a mature tom, and make the call. Rifle, handgun, or bow all work well at tree distances. It’s one of the most exciting hunts in North America, equal parts hound music, hard hiking, and pure adrenaline.
The Stand-By Hunt
This outfit also runs a stand-by format that dramatically stacks the odds on a trophy-class tom. The guides are in lion country all winter long. When they cut a smoking-fresh track from a big tom, you get the phone call — and you get there as fast as you can to take up the race. Instead of hunting a fixed calendar week and taking what the week gives you, you’re hunting a specific, located tom. If flexibility is something you can offer, this is the highest-odds way to put a giant lion on the ground.
Trophy Quality
This corner of Colorado grows heavy, mature toms with dark winter coats, and the operation is selective — the goal is old, big-bodied cats, not just any lion out of a tree. Females and young toms are turned loose to keep the country producing.
Pricing
- 6-Day Fully Guided Mountain Lion Hunt (lodging and meals included): $8,500 USD
- Stand-by hunt format available — ask your consultant about flexible-travel booking
- Rates are confirmed for your season when you book
What’s Included
- 6 full hunting days, fully guided
- Experienced houndsman and a proven pack of lion hounds
- Comfortable lodge accommodations
- Home-cooked meals
- Field care of your trophy and hide
What’s Not Included
- Colorado mountain lion license and required Colorado lion education certificate
- Travel to and from the lodge
- Gratuities
- Taxidermy and shipping of your trophy
Physical Level
Moderate to strenuous. Getting to a treed lion can mean steep, snowy, rough country on foot, and the stand-by format can mean hiking hard on short notice. That said, the guides adapt the chase to the hunter — tell your consultant about your fitness level and they’ll set honest expectations.
Trip Requirements
You’ll need a Colorado mountain lion license and Colorado’s required mountain lion education certificate — our team will walk you through both before your hunt. Bring warm, layered winter clothing, quality broken-in boots, and a rifle, bow, or handgun you’re confident with at close range. Want to keep chasing cats and big game out West? Take a look at our New Mexico mountain lion and bear hunt or pair this country with a western Colorado elk and mule deer hunt in the fall.
WO Trip Protection
For 5% of your trip cost, we guarantee your hunt. If the outfitter cancels, goes out of business, or a wildfire shuts down the area — we rebook you on a comparable hunt at no extra cost.
Ask your consultant about adding trip protection when you book.
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