Have You Been Treed Yet?

There’s snow on the ground as I write this. Snow is a quiet form of magic to me, blanketing the world in a hushed white of powdered gem.

I don’t like driving in it, but I particularly do love to enjoy the outdoors —fly fishing, hunting, floating or just hiking— as the snow transforms a familiar landscape into a stark monochrome. I’ve had times when the silence was surreal, as if God had laid down a blanket of silence, muffling the world’s sharp edges.

Even now, it reminds me of fly fishing in the rockies with my good friend, Kenny, when we had to hike through 12-inch-deep undisturbed snow to reach a mountain stream where the only sound was the gurgling of the gleaming water on that sunny day.

My memory is also awakened to thoughts of past mountain lion hunts in the snowy mountains of Idaho near Pocatello where my son, Nick, lives. Nick is an intriguing man who, among other things is a husband, a father of four, an elementary school principal, an outdoor journalist, a fisherman, an avid hunter who has killed the “African Big 5” as well as most species of North American big game, and last, but not least —he is a houndsman.

In the winter when there’s snow on the ground, especially new snow, we hunt for mountain lions with the necessary help of Nick’s hounds. The mountain lion, also known as a cougar or puma is an elusive and formidable adversary. In an adventurous turn of events the mountain lion turns from predator to prey as we pursue it, but could easily transform back into predator faster than Dr. Jekyll could turn into Mr. Hyde.

Ninety percent of his hunts for mountain lions are actually a form of catch-and-release, where the only shots are made with a camera. Nick and his hounds have treed more than 125 lions. I’ve been blessed to be there for 15 of those epic encounters.

I love to watch Nick’s hounds in their relentless pursuit. Once they pick up the scent of a lion, their persistent tracking and treeing of the massive cat is the epitome of focus and unrelenting determination. The adventure involves physical endurance over steep terrain for the hounds as well as the hunters. The music of the hounds howling and the bond between Nick and his hounds are truly an experience to witness. He can distinguish the sounds his hounds make while in pursuit of a mountain lion and can interpret the progress of the hunt based on those specific vocalizations. He can read the hounds by ear. Every howl, bawl, chop, bark and shriek means something to Nick.

And each hound has a unique “voice” (howl, bawl, or bark), allowing Nick to know which specific dog is leading the chase, which one is on a fresh scent, and which might be lagging behind.

When the hounds have a mountain lion treed, they make a distinctive, loud, repetitive, and often musical sound called baying, a deep-throated howl or “hollar” that communicates the excitement of the hounds and the treed location. At the culmination of the pursuit, a pissed-off mountain lion growling at you from a relatively few feet away in a tree is an unforgettable marvel to behold.

Years ago when I first heard the phrase “hound of heaven”, my actual experience in hunting with hounds gave me perspective and helped form a picture in my mind. The phrase “hound of heaven” originates from the title of a 1890 poem by Francis Thompson, which describes God’s relentless and loving pursuit using the imagery of a hound tracking its quarry, a metaphor that has influenced figures like C.S. Lewis to describe their conversion to Christianity. This concept itself draws from biblical passages, particularly Psalm 139, which speaks of God’s omnipresence and inability to be escaped.

God loved me enough to track and pursue me through the mountains and deep valleys of my wilderness years and he treed me after my first divorce. For a while, I was that pissed-off, angry lion in a tree, but after I heard and processed the good news of the Gospel, I surrendered and proclaimed Christ as my Lord and Savior. Then He released me and actually allowed me to call Him friend. We have been companions since in a relationship that I wouldn’t trade for anything. In a way, I now hunt and fish with Him. You could say, we are now hunting buddies and fishers of men.

I have a friend who got treed while in the St. Louis County Jail, where he spent almost a year. While he was treed, he found a Bible which he read at first to kill time, but then he read it through two more times. Once he was forced to slow down and process the truth that Christ, through His death and resurrection, had paid his sin debt for him —he chose to trust in Christ as his Lord and Savior. It changed his life forever.

I met another man who was treed by the hound of heaven while in prison, where he had spent nearly 40 years of his life. He too chose to put his faith in Christ as Lord and Savior. Now, he’s out of prison and he too runs with the hound of heaven.

I’ve only visited men in prison a few times so far. I know there are lots of lions and predatory fish there, but I’ve already also met several other houndsmen and fishers of men there. It’s a special blessing to be able to share hunting and fishing stories with them.

I was wondering…what about you? Have you been treed yet by the hound of heaven? I’d love to hear about it. Do you feel God may be pursuing you… or maybe someone near and dear to your heart?

What do you think? Share your thoughts on the FATC FORUM about this or whatever is on your mind. And please contact me if you would like to talk about this subject. Remember…It isn’t just about the fly fishing.

John Muckerman

FATC Inspirational and Leadership Lead