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136 • S P O R T I N G C L A S S I C S Hard as it might have been, Keni managed to thank everyone in turn and then most of the dogs before allowing herself to examine the trophy. We then moved him to a clear spot, took pictures for a very long time and then skinned him out for a rug. Keni and Dustin also bagged up the wonderful meat in order to share it with their friends. "You gonna tell them what they're eating?" "Some of them, yes, but a few won't find out right away. If they get mad, so what? They'll eventually get over it." I couldn't help but smile as we rode down the mountain that afternoon, and not just because the hunt had been successful. I was proud of the woman that my little girl had become, even for all my teasing. n Editor's Note: Copies of the author's first book, Born A Hunter, are available at www. sportingclassicsstore.com. To book your own Idaho hunt with Bruce Duncan, visit www.selkirkoutfitting.com. branches and talked through the shot. Just as Keni was settling in, the cougar became nervous and then jumped out of the tree. The cat sailed right over Keni's head and landed 30 feet away, nearly disappearing into the deep, powdery show. She swung the rifle around and got ready for what would have been an easy shot, but Bruce called her off and told the guys to release the dogs. With Gus in the lead, the yodeling pack disappeared up and over the mountain again, though it wasn't long before we could hear them barking treed far below. "This time we'll hurry," Bruce yelled over his shoulder as he slid down the mountain. "I don't want him jumping again, and we already know he's big." We waited until everyone was ready before starting up the sleds, then worked our way carefully down the canyon toward a group of trees where the dogs were going crazy. Having climbed a smaller tree with thin branches, the cougar offered a clean shot this time, and Bruce quickly got Keni into position while everyone else grabbed dogs and scooted out of the way. Then the .243 Winchester cracked and the cat toppled out, stone dead. Outfitting yourself for a cougar hunt is more important that it might appear at first blush, and everything begins with the proper clothing. For men, this isn't a big deal. For women, finding good gear is as difficult as drawing the permit in the first place. Keni's Prois Xtreme pants and coat kept her warm and comfortable the entire trip, even through all the changing weather conditions. The material remained soft and pliable even in the cold, and dead quiet even though it didn't matter this time around. In other words, it would have been perfect for late-season deer as well. See for yourself at www.proishunting.com. Hunting with hounds pretty much eliminates the possibility of long shots. That said, Keni had a wolf tag in her pocket, so the possibility of taking a crack at several hundred yards came into play. The selection of a Winchester XPR in .243 Winchester seemed natural. First of all, the rifle is light—really light—which made it easy to pack. It has a crisp trigger right out of the box, and accuracy was fantastic. Given that the shot was likely to be close and quite possibly through a tiny shooting lane, we sighted dead-on at 25 yards. At that distance, the bullets stacked on top of each other through a tiny, ragged hole. A quick check at 100 yards proved sub-MOA, to no one's surprise. Tough as nails and surprisingly affordable, an XPR deserves to wear the Winchester logo. Find out more about them at www.winchesterguns.com. I'm a proud Burris alum, having worked there for several years early in my career. Burris optics were good then, and they're great now. The Fullfield II 2-7x35mm with Ballistic Plex reticle Keni used on this hunt made sighting in a snap. More importantly, it gave her the additional aiming points she would have needed if a wolf had shown itself far across a canyon. Since I know firsthand that Burris glass is tough clear-through, I wasn't worried about the zero slipping either, even though the rifle took a terrible pounding while strapped down on the kennel. Information can be found at www.burrisoptics.com. I'm a bullet snob of the first order, and darn proud of it! After all, if a bullet doesn't perform properly—opening reliably, maintaining integrity, and tracking straight after expansion—then bad things can happen. Keni did all her range work and took the shot with Federal Premium Ammunition loaded with 95-grain Nosler Ballistic Tip bullets. Her shot was spot on, to be sure, but the performance was outstanding in every respect. A host of information can be found at www.federalpremium.com. One piece of important cougar-hunting gear that I overlooked for a long time is binoculars. After all, the cat is right there in a tree, so why pack the extra weight? Then came a time Bruce and I spent three very cold hours under a tree, trying to determine just how big the cat hidden somewhere above us might be. Well, never again. Keni and I each carried a pair of Steiner Predator 8x22 compact binoculars this time. They folded into our pockets, were so light they weren't noticed, and absolutely paid off at the first tree. Details are at steiner-optics.com. Family tradition calls for everyone to care for their own game. Keni grew up helping, so by the time she was doing the shooting, the rest of it had become second nature. She also understands why it is important to use a blade strong enough to take on an elk while keeping an edge so that the delicate parts of skinning can be easily managed. While Bruce did much of the work on the cougar, being the expert and understanding the best way to care for its thin skin, Keni helped out with my fixed-blade Boker, then took over when it was time to bag up the meat. Once home, she told me the knife was still sharp, and that I probably wouldn't be getting it back. Check out www.bokerusa.com. hunting gEar & CLOthing Keni's cougar tag and the author's fixed-blade Boker. Opposite: After 20 years of waiting, Keni finally notched her cougar tag, helped with skinning, and then boned out the wonderful meat.