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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Rich Landers: Hunter becoming the hunted is ultimate archery experience

Nothing stands out among a hunter’s field experiences like the day he became a predator’s prey.

Three area bowhunters recently had very close encounters in three separate cases that rank among their most delicious hunts in more ways than one.

Ted Kardos and his son, Jesse, had more excitement than they could have imagined during seven days of early archery elk hunting in the 49 Degrees North area recently.

Jesse, 21, had just four months to recover from breaking his femur before he found himself hiking in to the off-road elk camp his family had put up last month. “Jesse is a professional bull rider − that’s how he broke his leg,” his grandmother, Jean Kardos, injected as the story was being told.

Three generations of Kardos’s have hunted out of the elk camp for seven years, some of which haven’t been lucky seasons. Ted jokingly calls their hunting area “Miss Mountain,” because they’ve missed six or seven bulls over the years.

But even with a still-tender limb, this wasn’t going to be one of those unlucky seasons for Jesse. “Adventures in this family come in bunches,” Grandma Jean noted.

“Dad and I went out that first evening. He called in a nice bull. I got it and we packed it out,” Jesse said in a startling bit of understatement.

Getting a five-point bull elk with a bow in northeastern Washington is rare, and worth a celebration. But the hunters from Newport were just getting started.

Two days later, Jesse was working his cow call when he saw movement ahead where his dad was taking his turn as the hunter.

Ted heard Jesse say, “Cougar!”

Apparently Jesse had “cried wolf” a few too many times in the past pulling pranks on his dad during their years of hunting. Ted thought he was joking and didn’t pay much attention.

Jesse became more animated as the mountain lion zeroed in on his father and yelled, “There’s a cougar behind you!”

Ted got the message but was still surprised to turn around and see the cougar just 15 yards away up the slope on an elk path. It’s eyes were locked on the hunter like radar.

Ted spun 180 degrees while drawing his bow for a clear view around a tree. Release. The arrow split the lower part of the cougar’s chin, glanced down through the chest cavity before exiting out the cat’s left side.

“I think it came to the cow call and was more curious than anything,” Ted said.

But he had a cougar tag in his pocket; the opportunity came and he took it − the first cougar either of them had tagged in their years of hunting.

“Tastes like pork, only stringy,” Jesse said of the male cougar’s backstraps.

A couple of days later, Jesse was out again, bow in hand as he called elk for a companion sitting nearby.

“We always buy the full package (of licenses) so we’re ready for deer, elk, cougar, bear − whatever,” Jesse said, noting that he had his bow, too.

“I was cow-calling down a ridge with my buddy below me when I heard a weird noise I can’t really describe. I nocked an arrow and continued.”

One step later, he sensed he’d gone from the hunter to the hunted.

“I looked to the right and there was a cat crouched on a log 4 yards away ready to pounce,” he said. “I pulled up and shot. The cougar jumped and I reached for another arrow in case it came at me. But it ran off. I waited a couple of minutes and found it dead, 40 yards away.”

The cougar was a male nearly 8 feet long, he said.

“Even if I hadn’t had a tag, I still would have have had to shoot that cougar,” he said. “I had no choice.”

A bull elk and two cougars for the family in seven days ought to add spice to the Kardos family hunting campfire conversations for many years.

Bob Legasa of Hayden, Idaho, also got a taste of being in close competition with other predators during a bowhunt in Montana last month.

After sneaking in to begin getting in the right place to call a bull elk, Legasa and his partner found themselves fully camouflaged and in position for a day better than any Wild Kingdom episode.

First, there was the stampede as a herd of 15 elk streaked by in a thunder of hooves, some as close as five yards. They weren’t just running, they were running for their lives.

“The elk were screaming,” he said.

“Two black wolves were right on their tails. One wolf passed by me at 5 feet!”

Legasa moved several times and created close encounters with a few nice bulls only to be busted by surrounding cows or betrayed by shifting winds.

But instead of sulking, he found himself in a bit of heaven for the all-around hunter as he spotted and photographed a grizzly bear feasting on a wolf-killed elk.

“Later in the afternoon we saw the same grizzly swim across a large pond back to the carcass,” he said. “Memorable day to say the least.”

The veteran elk hunter calls that week in Montana “the best archery elk hunt I’ve ever been on,” noting that he had three opportunities to take a decent bull.

“First one I passed up. Second was a 340s bull drawn on but vitals were covered with sagebrush. Third was a nice seven-point that came in broadside to 12 yards − a textbook scenario.

“But I had no cover in that direction when I pulled back my bow. He wheeled hard to the right as I pulled the trigger on the release. I saw my arrow go right along his side an inch away.”

As he left Montana, he told his friends the trip would be hard to beat, even thought he didn’t bag an elk.

Days later, back home in Idaho Legasa headed out for a quick evening elk hunt and racked up another first.

“Putting out some bugles trying to get some responses, I come across a nice seven-point (elk) shed,” he said.

“I strap it to my pack, look up and 5 to 6 yards above me is a cougar staring right at me. I grab my bow and start yelling to get it to leave as I don’t want to kill another cat,” he recalled, noting that he’s never fully recovered from backing his rig over his neighbor’s cat in his driveway.

“I kick some rocks at it, more yelling and still no response. It’s ears are laid back; it’s kind of snarling. I decide I better take my shot now before its on me.

“Six-yard shot and 10-yard retrieve. Intense few minutes!

“Oh yeah, mountain lions are good! Shredded cougar tacos this weekend were incredible!”

Contact Rich Landers at (509) 459-5508 or email richl@spokesman.com.