Well, two subscribers who recently participated in the program have filed reports recommending the experience to fellow hunters. The first is from Robert Logan, who successfully darted two jaguars this past March. He says this "hunt" was conducted much like a mountain lion hunt behind dogs. The day began at 3 am, when he says they set out in a vehicle, running a loop in and around the biosphere looking for a fresh cat track. When a track was found, they set out the team of dogs, and he and the biologists followed them through the jungle. Although the terrain is fairly even here, Logan says the jungle is thick and dark, requiring a lead man to cut a trail through the foliage for the party to follow. Once the dogs treed a cat, Logan says he was told when to shoot, and the tranquilized cat was then manually lowered from the tree. After the biologists took blood and other samples, Logan says he was allowed to take photos with the cat before it was collared and prepared for release.
In addition to jaguars, Logan says there are also cougars, ocelots and other cats the biologists may want to study if the dogs successfully tree them. In fact, subscriber Paul Dachton, the other subscriber reporting on this hunt, reports darting both a jaguar and a cougar. Both hunters say the jaguars are numerous here. Logan says there were eight known to be using the area he hunted, and one of the cats he darted was an individual the biologists had never identified before.
Accommodations for this hunt are in safari-style tent camps with thatched roofs, hot and cold running water, toilets and beds with clean linens. The food served........(continued)
