Marc Hubbard of Okanagan Outfitters has hunted the Canadian province of British Columbia for many years and has access to a vast area, some of which has barely been touched by hunting. He has produced several toms that score at the top in the record books, including the world record and two others in the top-10. Last year, Hubbard had an "average year," producing 16 cougars, three of which made B & C. One made Pope & Young, and the rest qualified for SCI. It is not uncommon for Hubbard's clients to kill a tom that weighs over 180 pounds but that does not have a large enough skull to qualify for B & C. Even so, one of these huge toms looks impressive whether or not he makes the book. Hubbard's seven-day hunts cost $4,000 on a 1 x 1 basis. Although the British Columbia government recently increased the bag limit on cougars to two, Hubbard only lets each of his clients take one cougar; it's part of his philosophy of "letting the little ones grow older and bigger."
Clients can hunt lynx or bobcat in combination with cougar for a total cost of $5,500, but Hubbard says lynx are much harder to hunt than cougars. For one thing, a lynx will jump from tree to tree, confusing even the best of dogs. Also, a lynx can run on top of crusted snow that dogs will break through. Moreover, lynx often get into a bunch of rabbits and loop back and forth. For these reasons and others, Hubbard says it's almost a waste of time to start a lynx track in the afternoon because you seldom have enough time to catch it, but it is still a worthwhile animal to hunt. In their winter pelt, they are just about the most beautiful cat, certainly in the Americas. The bobcat and lynx season runs from December 1 through February, which allows for a combo hunt schedule. However, one should recognize the odds of success. If you run 10 lynx, Hubbard feels you will only catch four. On the other hand, you can go 10........(continued)
