Walker Jones, Holcombe, proudly displays ….

Walker Jones, Holcombe, proudly displays a mountain lion he harvested while on a hunting trip in Colorado. It was a dream of Walker’s to hunt the big cats, and he now acts as a mentor to younger hunters who also are interested in the pastime.

“Everyone tried what lion tasted like,” said Walker, who thinks the white meat is gamey, but similar to venison.

Now, five or six years later, Walker has more experience under his belt and continues hunting in the Rifle area. The hounds are also more experienced and even if the track is a couple days old, the dogs can usually pick it up, unless the lions go through shale rock.

“The bigger the animal, the more the scent,” said Walker.

While there is not much risk of the lion hurting the dogs, the terrain it takes them through is another matter. The hounds could lose their footing on the cliffs while in pursuit of the animal, which is a risk hunters have to accept.

“A lion you can tree with one dog,” said Walker. “They kill moose, they kill elk, they kill these monster animals, but…it’s scared of one dog.”

It’s also not without risks for the hunters, and though Walker says it is beautiful country in Colorado, you never know what’s under the snow, because of the steepness of the mountains and hills.

This year, when Walker made the annual trek to Colorado, there wasn’t much snow to contend with, which made tracking hard.

“This was the toughest year we’ve ever had out there,” he said.

Traveling with Walker this time, were his friends from Holcombe, Tyler Jones and high school junior Nate Jones, Cornell resident Roger Jenneman, and a friend from the Madison area. Walker says he can’t wait for the next trip out to Colorado, and also likes to bear hunt in Utah, as hunting is such an important part of his life, as instilled by his dad, Jesse.

“When it’s in your blood, it’s all you do, it’s all you think about.”