A few months ago, we put up some feeders on about 1000 acres of family land in the hill country that's never been hunted.

The corn and protein have been getting eaten by the typical native game and there have been a couple of exotic sightings pop up (Oryx and Aoudad). So last week I put up come cellular game cameras to see what's out there.

Scrolling through today's pictures I thought this was a weird shadow in the middle of the image until I looked closer - pretty sure it's not a house cat!

Mico, Tx

Can't tell, did it get that opossum?

The elusive ole Bandera branch of puma genetics. One of the few apex cats to evolve w the feociousness of an apex predador but the size of a housecat. Only captured on game cams and ring door bells. The favorite hide and go seek partner of bigfoot. affectionatly nicknamed by many as the "soccer mom snipe".

How far apart are those t-posts? That gives a good size reference. Especially on the 3rd pic.

And I agree - definitely mountain lion. We saw one in our neighborhood (Spring Branch, TX) when we moved in around 2009.

this is how you texags.

Keep this picture in mind as you walk to your deer stand before sunrise.

El Gato Charro said:

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Keep this picture in mind as you walk to your deer stand before sunrise.

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This is why I bought a thermal hand scanner lol

That actually look like a legitimate Cat! Juvenile, but I'd confidently say it's a mt lion.

Crazy enough this is our second sighting of the year. First sighting was at the end of August down south at another property near Dilley.

Ranch foreman was on the tractor shredding a road and a campsite we have hunters come stay at. He saw a couple cubs playing on a log about 20 yards from the middle of the campsite. Leaving them alone, he came back down the next day and while he was shredding he heard something weird, turned the tractor off, and heard it again - the momma mountain lion screaming standing next to the same log about 20 yards away.

The foreman quickly turned the tractor on and drove it out of there as fast as it could go (apparently the forks flung off the front at some point). He didn't go back down there for another week.

Momma and cubs haven't been seen again since.

El Gato Charro said:

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Keep this picture in mind as you walk to your deer stand before sunrise.

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Why?
You can see it's clearly inside the pen.

Yes, we have cats in the hill country. Hide your kids, hide your wife….

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1000 acres of family land in the hill country that's never been hunted.

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I was born into the wrong family.

Ho hum, I have 1,000 acres of virgin Hill Country land with Oryx, Aoudad, Lion and god knows what else.

I worked for the best guy ever when living in Austin. Great old Ag. He was a father figure, and we spent lots of time together because his only son was at A&M. We fished and hunted together, it was awesome. He has passed but the family has a ranch out Spicewood way. I had to Google it to remember the area. But there is a place called Canyon Ranch that was not there back then but for reference it would be west of that, huge property and bordered LCRA. I had never seen Ringtails before but there were a bunch out there, we saw a few mountain lions but I didn't think that was out of the possibility for the area. The one that was really crazy was a long distance photograph of a blackish cat. I didn't know what it was, thought it was a doe at first as it went further from me. It was pouncing on something and that's why I questioned what it was. I didn't have binoculars that evening and pulled the rifle up and sure enough a big cat, I just didn't understand how big. At 300 yards it was easily seen and the tail was extremely long. I took a bunch of pics with my old ass cell phone put up to the scope, in 2001 you can imagine the quality of those pics. But it sure as hell looked like a panther. I have always thought the light and distance made it look darker and it was just another mountain lion. But that ranch was awesome and not overhunted and in the middle of nowhere back then. Now I see homes popping up everywhere.

El Gato Charro said:

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Keep this picture in mind as you walk to your deer stand before sunrise.

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I run trail races that go into/through the night. In June, I ran into a mountain lion just before dusk on the trail, alone. I then spent the next 12 hours through the night in the mountains on the trail, solo 99% of the time. That mountain lion occupied a lot of territory in my head that night.