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Hey luv2,

I remember reading an old Capstick story once where he bet a guy something like 5 or 10 thousand dollars that a jag could be successfully hunted without dogs. He was on an island off Brazil and he only had a few days. On the way to the island him and his guide picked up a couple of piglets from a farmer. They tied a piglet to a bush, pierced its ear, and tied a string to the ear. They climbed into their machan and the guide was holding the other end of the string. He would tug it periodically to make the piglet squeal. The guide was bitten by a very poisonous snake, and Peter had to rush him back to camp for medical treatment. He miraculously survived, but Peter had to go back a couple days later to try it again, this time alone. He had to use the 2nd piglet as the first had been taken by the jag. He waited and at about 2 AM he did kill the jag, and it was huge.

Maybe we should be thinking in terms like this as far as baiting a lion. I know of many instances of lions eating animals out of leghold traps, so I am sure they would be attracted to live bait, if not dead.

I will be going to west Texas later in the year for Aoudad and Corsican rams, hogs, and bobcat. There are also a lot of lions on the property, and I have permission to kill one if I see it. The only thing though, is that they are rarely seen. I am seriously considering picking up a couple lambs or piglets on the way and trying this out in honor of my late friend whom I sure miss. It may not work for me on my limited time, but I am sure that lions could be hunted in this way.

Now then, in regard to the question of whether or not lions will "scavenge," or "eat carrion," or however one wants to phrase it, I put this question to a good friend of mine last night who is a retired Alaska and New Mexico professional hunter, and now lives about 20 miles west of Truth or Cosequences, NM. He tells me that lions certainly do like their fresh stuff, but will absolutely not pass up something that they find, especially if times are a little tough, like they are in NM right now due to their long drought. He also told me that if you can find an old lion kill, you can freshen it up and they will come right to it. He says they are especially fond of dead calves or fawns that have been aborted, when they can find them. He says he has seen them get into stuff that would make you sick at your stomach to even look at. He told me that he has heard many times where a person will say, "lions are hunters, not scavengers," but that this is completely false. He said that a lot of people think the same thing about African lions, and that is equally false. He also pointed out that they will even eat other lions, given the chance. He did say that a lot of people do not realize that they will feed on a carcass, because few hunt them in this way, as it is illegal in most states. I sure am glad I live in Texas. He also pointed out that there would be no reason for a law to exist like that if lions would not come to a carcass. I thought that to be a particularly good point. He also told me that if a person wanted to set up a bait, that the hardest and most crucial part is to locate some place where you know there to be lion in the area. He also says that if someone does not believe that a lion will scavenge, go to Lobo, Texas, in the Big Bend area, and look up an old lion hunter there named Blackie Woods, and hear him out. He told me a lot of other things, too, but I am trying not to make this post any longer than it already is. I will admit that I have no personal experience on this matter, but I have learned to trust my friend, and I know he knows an awful lot about lions.

At any rate, even if they won't come to a dead bait, I am sure they would come to a live bait. I hope I can see one come to some kind of bait first hand later in the year.

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Learn from other people's mistakes - you can't live long enough to make them all yourself.