COUGAR HUNTS 

Cougar hunts are the premier hunting experience offered here at Youren Outfitters. Harry is one of the best in the business when it comes to catching cougar. It’s a unique hunt, and there aren’t many like it. Hound hunting for cougar is difficult; it takes persistence, focus, and discipline.

Harry goes cougar hunting with dogs at least 75 times a year, yet he only takes about 4 cougar a year (with hunters). This past winter year, Harry was only 2 cougar away from catching 50. That’s right, he caught 48 different cougar, and only took 4 with hunters.

This is the type of persistence that separates Harry from standard outfits, the ones that run dogs only when hunters are in town or or they do it just for money. Catching cougar is priority #1 for Harry from December through March. When the weather’s right and there’s a hunter who wants a Tom, they get the same persistence from Harry and his dogs on their hunt.

Focus and discipline are what gets cougar caught. A standard hunt starts in the early morning around 5 AM. The cats are moving around and have the best chance of crossing a road in the night. We get up early, starting off by driving the pickup gradually down a snow laden, all the while Harry is looking for a track. The dogs do not strike on a cougar scent as easily as bear; so, this is the hunt where it is Harry’s guidance and focus that gets the gang on the right track. It’s pretty amazing how quickly and precisely trained eyes can pick out a cougar track and make an accurate assessment of size, direction, and context. This is Harry’s specialty. 

Every now and then, a cougar doesn’t cross the road, or it may not be too compromising, perhaps a day or two old. So, what does Harry do? He uses that old-school and new-era hunting prowess to make his own luck. When the snow is plentiful, Youren Outfitters will bring up snowshoes to walk draws and see what’s moving. We’ve come up on countless cougar kills which lead to a treed cat because we find a kill walking. We also have snowmobiles and run tracks out and get to areas where trucks cannot go. Having dogs working in tandem with you for multiple days and riding in trucks, running tracks, and covering ground takes discipline. There is a time and energy management of the dogs to worry about, along with keeping them physically controlled. With so many moving parts, it’s comforting to know Harry has the system on lock.

Every resource we have is tapped into for a cougar hunt. It’s a pricey trophy because of Harry’s efforts and houndsmanship, along with cougar’s beauty, numbers, and reverence among North American hunters. With that said, this experience is unmatched in the cougar hunting world. A genuine Idaho, hound hunting experience with the most consistent and successful hunter there is, Harry Youren.

LODGING

In the winter we stay in Atlanta, ID at the Beaver Lodge. This is a classic, woodland lodge with a bar, restaurant, wifi, and cabins for rental. The cabins are about $100 a night and we recommend our cougar hunters book a room for their hunt. It’s more pleasant to hunt hard and immerse yourself in a winter cougar chase when you can come back to a comfortable cabin, equipped with a shower, and get a hot meal. We are happy to help you and coordinate the booking for a cabin as we have a great working relationship with the Beaver Lodge. You will have your own private cabin. Harry and the guides either get their own cabin or sleep in the truck! This is not included in the price of the cougar hunt.  

TOMS AND GENERAL INFO 

License and tags are available for residents and non-residents alike. This means no hassles or draws, you can just purchase your license and tag in one stop when you get to Idaho, or you can do it online prior to your hunt. We will help you figure out the best decision logistically. 

A cougar hunt can be done with just about any weapon you are comfortable taking a big game predator with. The shots are anywhere from 10 - 30 yards away in most circumstances. We have seen cougars taken with bows, handguns, lever-actions, and rifles. When using a bow, you have as good a chance as any of getting a Pope & Young cougar. We consider a good Tom anywhere between 130-150 pounds. A really nice Tom is anything above 150 lbs. 

Also, we will chase a bobcat if you want us to do so. Every now and then, we will see them or their tracks. They are one of the trickiest critters to catch and make a great piece of taxidermy with their furry bellies and speckled patterns.