Arizona Mountain Lion Hunt Turns Into Dangerous Jaguar Encounter

Maybe a giant bobcat?

Couldn't be€¦much too big.

Running back to his mule, Fenn shoved a boot into a stirrup and prodded his mule to take off after his dogs, calling back to Aly that the dogs had a cat. Over the next ten minutes, the chase took them winding down the mountain, through juniper and oak trees, while the father looked and listened for the dogs that were on hot pursuit.

Fenn immediately called Arizona Game & Fish officials on how to handle the situation as the chaos continued. G&F officials asked Fenn to back off and let the big cat go, but Fenn had to get his dogs back first, who were getting beat up badly by the 200-pound big cat.

Hopping off his mule, Fenn started towards the cat, but suddenly saw the big tom hop down from its perch and swipe at one of his younger dogs, sending him flying several feet.

After backing away, the jaguar, which is twice the size of the tom cougars in the area, stayed in the tree for another 15 minutes or so, and then slowly climbed down and headed south.

Fenn always believed that he'd encounter a jaguar someday.

"I just had a feeling being this close to Mexico, that one day I'd come across a jaguar. But I thought it would be a lot later down the road," said Fenn.

Fenn continued his chase on foot for another mile and half, catching cat-punctured dogs and tying them up one at a time, until he saw that the big cat was treed again as the result of a dog named Goose, who was able to stay with the jaguar after it made a big circle down in the flats and alone, was able to tree the cat.

Slowly and cautiously, Fenn approached the mesquite with his S&W .357 on his hip, pulling dogs away. He got within 15 feet of the jaguar, allowing him to get several fantastic images as it stayed steady on its perch.

"I was sure concerned. If that thing came at me, I wouldn't had time to do anything€¦one bullet wouldn't have done it," said Fenn.

After corralling his last dog, Fenn backed away, awed by the experience.

"I've treed and bayed countless lions in rocks and trees and remember all of them like it was yesterday€¦this experience with the jaguar topped them all pretty easily," shared Fenn, "It was a rush, knowing that they're pretty rare€¦I can't even explain how neat it was to see it up in the tree."

Fenn always believed that he'd encounter a jaguar someday.

"I just had a feeling being this close to Mexico, that one day I'd come across a jaguar. But I thought it would be a lot later down the road," said Fenn.

A jaguar!

A small population exists in northern Mexico with a range that extends into southern Arizona and New Mexico and the last jaguar to be spotted in Arizona was a big cat dubbed MachoB, who was accidentally trapped by AZ Fish & Wildlife officials conducting research on black bear and mountain lions. MachoB was collared and released, but later recaptured when radio collar reports indicated something was wrong with the cat. Zoo veterinarians determined MachoB was suffering from kidney failure and was euthanized. There have been only a handful of jaguar sightings since 1986.