Experience the thrill of mountain lion hunting with Ridge Runners Outfitting in Burns, Colorado Image

Experience the thrill of mountain lion hunting with Ridge Runners Outfitting in Burns, Colorado


Dream Sporting Trips

Updated: April 18th 2016 @ 5:00am

Ridge Runners Outfitting, LLC in Burns, Colorado, offers big-game hunting thrills that let you track and take down dangerous mountain lions and tests your fortitude in the wild. 
 
Dream Sporting Trips writer contacted owners, Dillon and Samantha Kujala, to find out more about these magnificent hunts: 
 
Dream Sporting Trips 
Thank you for taking time to talk to us today. What made you decide to become a hunting guide/outfitter, particularly in such an exclusive venue as mountain lion hunts?
 
Ridge Runners Outfitting 
Dillon (owner/houndsmen) got the opportunity to go on a couple of mountain lion hunts and was immediately hooked. He got a mountain lion, and it wasn't long before we started getting dogs. Mountain lion hunting is a great way to tie our love for hunting and dogs into one amazing experience. Dillon worked for a couple of different outfitters during lion season and we decided that the best way for our dogs to become great dogs was to try and start our own business. Mountain lion hunting, in most cases, is a once-in-a-lifetime adventure! We feel that predator mountain lion populations need to be managed, and that’s what we do. It's a great thrill for hunters to see a pack of dogs work a track and then get the rare opportunity to see a mountain lion in a tree. For Ridge Runners Outfitting, it’s all about the thrill of the chase because to see our dogs (trained by Dillon) work a track and put a mountain lion in a tree is the best part. We take a lot of pride in our dogs.
 
Dream Sporting Trips 
Where do you take your clients to hunt?
 
Ridge Runners Outfitting 
All or part of this operation is conducted on public lands under special permit from the U.S. Bureau of Land Management. We also have a lot of private land on ranches that we hunt.
 
Dream Sporting Trips 
The Colorado terrain can be challenging. Please describe this for our readers what would-be hunters can do to prepare for the hunt.
 
Ridge Runners Outfitting 
Mountain lions live in remote, rugged, and high-altitude areas. Our permits and the private land we hunt are all at high elevations, from 6,500 - 10,000 feet. The best way to prepare for a hunt is to be in good shape and drink lots and lots of water! You never know with mountain lion hunting how long the chase will last so you want comfortable boots and warm clothes because the mountain lion season is in the winter. We try to get as close to where the mountain lion is treed on a ATV if possible. We have use of ATV's, snowmobiles, trucks, and horses if we need them!
 
Dream Sporting Trips 
Is there a particularly exciting hunting adventure you'd share with our readers?
 
Ridge Runners Outfitting 
As with any hunt, no two hunts are the same and so to pick out one that was the most exciting is pretty hard for us to do. Every lion hunt is exciting because when you cut a lion track early in the morning and as the sun comes up, we turn out six to eight dogs. The dogs' noses instantly hit the ground in search of the track and as soon as they can smell the lion, their mouths open and the chase is on! From then on you don’t know what’s going to happen next, how long will the chase last, how big the lion is, or how many lions will be in the tree! It truly is an amazing site!
 
One of the most memorable hunts we have had was one in which a lady who came to us from West Virginia. She and her husband were in Colorado elk and bear hunting, and getting a mountain lion was on her bucket list. They had been mountain lion hunting with other outfitters and hadn't had any success. They came and visited with us and they decided to stick around until lion season started and see if we could get her a lion. She had some health issues and it was going to take a lot of hard work and the grace of God to get a lion in a tree that she could physically walk to. Dillon worked hard to find a nice tom track to turn out on and on the third day of her hunt, she was tagged out! It was a great experience for us and a great feeling to know that she got something she wanted but didn't know if it was going to happen!
 
Dream Sporting Trips 
Bucket list success -- that's great! Would you please tell us about hunting lodge accommodations you offer?
 
Ridge Runners Outfitting 
We offer hunters a place to stay with us, and that is included in the cost of the hunt. We serve them a homecooked meal at night and provide sack lunches for the day. Most hunts start at 2 a.m. because we have a lot of area to cover and we want to be the first to a good lion track. Some hunters choose not to stay with us, and we have a few different options they can choose from (at their own expense).
 
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What are others saying?

"I was absolutely amazed by Dillon's drive, work ethic, and enthusiasm – up at 2:00 a.m. cutting tracks, hunting all day, and then tending to his dogs and chores at home. Where he gets his energy I’ll never know but one thing is obvious – he absolutely loves lion hunting! Literally, my hunt can pretty much be summed up in one statement: “He did all the work, I just showed up to fire a shot.” If you’re considering a lion hunt in Colorado, look no further than Dillon at Ridge Runners Outfitting. Thanks very much to Dillon & Samantha for a great hunt. Frankly, the entire experience was amazing, taking a lion was just an added bonus." - Steve, Colorado
 
"This was definitely a hunt that will be remembered. I'll tell the story for the rest of my life. I had a blast every minute of the two days I spent there. You can't find a better team of dogs. They worked phenomenal finding the trail and keeping the cat treed. And with Dillon leading them, your chances of getting a cat are extremely good. He really knows his stuff.  To top it all off, after a full day of tracking and hunting, you're welcomed back to the ranch with great food and great people. This hunt was by far the best birthday gift ever! I'd strongly recommend this outfit to anyone who wants to go on a lion hunt of a lifetime." - Dylan Wahlert, Wyoming
 
"I had the time of my life riding around with Dillon looking for tracks and learning as much as I could about hunting big cats, as well as what to do when we caught one. It was obvious to me that Dillon was well informed on all these subjects, and that hunting lions is something he loves to do! We were both ecstatic the morning he spotted a really fresh and big lion track. Within a few minutes we had the dogs ready to turn loose. Not only does Dillon know his stuff, but his dogs do, too. Within a few hundred yards from where we turned out the dogs they caught up with the lion and the chase was on. Thanks to Dillon's persistence and hard work, I was able to harvest a great tom a couple of miles down the trail! If you are considering a lion hunt, then I highly recommend Dillon Kujala as the guide of choice for a great experience and a great hunt." - Travor Dunsdon, Colorado
 

So... are you ready for a hunting experience of a lifetime?

Find out more about the hunts and how to contact Ridge Runners Outfitting, click on this link: 
 
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Responses (1 comments)
Dan loomisPosted: December 11th 2018 @ 8:25pm
How much for lion hunts