112 THE OREGON SPORTSMAN 
COUGAR HUNT IN JOSEPHINE COUNTY 
By Joun B. HAMMERSLY. 
Most all readers of The Oregon Sportsman have had their outings. 
Some have gone far from the haunts of man, while others have driven 
their automobiles to a shady brook or stream and let their imagina- 
tions enthuse them with the spirit that they were roughing it hugely; 
but to take your provisions upon your back and “siwash” it, as the 
Northerners call it, which means no blankets except the starry or 
clouded sky above you, as the case may be. Under such conditions 
James McTimmons, Claude Bardon and myself started from Grants 
Pass on the morning of February 16th, with three trained varmint 
dogs and provisions to last us ten days. The object of the trip was to 
endeavor to find a cougar, panther or mountain lion, as the large cat 
is frequently called, and capture it alive if possible, as not a few of our 
townsmen and sportsmen remarked during the weeks previous to our 
starting, after learning that Mr. McTimmons desired to get some 
wild animals from our Oregon jungles for the purpose of later on 
making some pictures with a moving-picture camera. Those whom 
stories had been told of the cat’s cunning and ferociousness doubted 
the ability of man and dogs to get to its habitat and remove it from 
its lair. But man can accomplish all but the impossible, if he knows 
the game and has the courage to undertake it. So, equipped with 
ropes and provisions, we sallied forth with my three hounds, headed 
for Greyback Mountain, where some of the cougar family are usually 
found. How the mountain Greyback derived its name I am unable 
authentically to state. However, I can state that no insects were 
visible in the vicinity, the snow being several feet deep where we 
were, on the western slope of the mountain. We had now been out 
four days. When we reached what is known as the Government Cabin, 
on Greyback Creek, we had crossed the divides of Murphy, Deer and 
Williams creeks without finding any cougar sign. As I had been 

Picture showing cougar captured in the wilds of Josephine County by John B. Ham- 
mersley, James McTimmons and Claude Bardon. 
