Mason Payer sat on his pack, hidden in a small group of Christmas tree-sized firs in the Rogue-Umpqua Divide Wilderness. Positioned near the top of a ridge overlooking a small meadow, he was set up for an evening elk hunt, hoping a group would come in to feed before dark. Instead, after some time, he was visited by a completely unexpected guest—a mountain lion.
Payer was beyond excited. He’d finally seen a cougar in the wild—something most never witness in a lifetime of hunting. Even better, because he buys a lion tag each year on the off chance he sees a big cat while hunting, he had a legal tag ready for the occasion.
Almost as quickly as the cougar arrived, however, it melted back into the trees. Payer slowly eased the bow out of his lap, nocked an
