Let's Go On A Lion Hunt

Book excerpt: AN INTRODUCTION AND INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO USE THIS GUIDE Dave Fjelline took over 10,000 photographs of mountain lions and lion sign over the course of his career tracking and capturing California mountain lions for research study. He, his friend and fellow lion hunter, Cliff Wylie, and dozens of research students and wildlife personnel would weigh, see if it is a male or female, age, and evaluate health conditions of each lion before releasing the cougars back into the wild. Throughout his tracking days, Dave captured over 300 mountain lions. And it's because of his work on the trail with his hounds and his knowledge of the big cats that today we know as much as we do about mountain lions.We want you, the reader, to take each image and examine it. Treat each photograph as a mystery, and you have to figure out what's going on, what information is in the picture, and what it tells you about the lion. On each photograph page Dave will ask you a question or two. See what all you can hunt down from the clues, or sign as we call it in the field. Don't worry, Dave will help you along as you track down the California mountain lion. Sometimes even when you know there is a mountain lion in the photograph, it's mighty tough to see them. And that's why some call them the "ghost cat". Do your best, and Dave will walk the narrow trail of the ghost cat right alongside you. And chin up, because Dave knows more about the lion than anyone else alive today, so you're safe and sound with the greatest mountain lion tracker in the world. ---Sunni Leavell, editor.