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Show ' - Jl - , ' ' . sl- -C-'"'' -s , V - . , Hi' , , ;-'vr. .... y I l . m.-.'.ir-.-:. --Ut ...-..,T , -.. Lauren Hagge, 78, of Park Rapids, Minn., and Black Mountain Outfitters guide Bill Frandsen PANGUITCH Local Pan-g'iitch Pan-g'iitch guideoutfitter Bill Frandsen is feeling fortunate having given a 78-year old man "one of the two outstanding events in my life." Frandsen, who owns Black Mountain Outfitters in Panguitch, is a 30-year veteran of hunting and gliding in this southern Utah area. Mis client, Lauren Hagge, 78, of Park Rapids, Minn., was able to take back with him a mountain lion, weighing 175 pounds and measuring seven feet four inches. Hagge is a retired coach and physical education instructor who has enjoyed hunting and fishing with his four sons all his life. Just last summer he and wife Bonnie, who reside winters in Mesa, Ariz. display this trophy mountain lion, which weighed . 175 pounds and measured 7 ft 4 in. 78 -Year-Old Minnesota Hunter Takes Trophy Mountain Lion were traveling through Panguitch when they came across a phone number for Black Mountain Outfitters. Outfit-ters. Afterwards, they got to know Bill and his wife, Marion "The Rabbit Lady" Frandsen through numerous phone calls. The Hagges found out from the Frandsens how to go about getting an out-of-state mountain lion hunting hunt-ing tag and set up a three-day hunt for last week. Frandsen at first was wary when he first met the 78-year-old Hagge because in all their phone calls age had never come up in their conversations. conver-sations. But Hagge more than proved he could hold his own on the hunt. Frandsen even found the older client, now his friend, working work-ing out and exercising during what was supposed to be a rest period. Hagge had hunted and bagged nearly every species in Minnesota, Wyoming, Idaho, Montana, and Alaska except for a mountain lion and a grizzly bear. So this Utah hunt was pretty special with Hagge bringing along a friend, Tom Chmilesky, also from Park Rapids, for the first three-day hunt. When that hunt produced no trophy, Hagge opted for a second go at it but his partner had to return home. Frandsen also invited veteran guidetrappers Mike Owens, Travis Hatch and Gene Roundy of Panguitch Pan-guitch and fatherson team guides and outfitters Stan and McLain Mecham of Tropic. The group set out on horseback with a team of five trained dogs, to an undisclosed location. Finding lion tracks on some pretty dry ground, with difficulty diffi-culty they followed those tracks for nearly eight miles. About 2 p.m., they got close enough for Hagge to take a shot with his 243 Winchester. He caught the lion as it was treed and just as it leaped toward him out of the tree, for a scary and tense few seconds. The group was able to get one horse into the difficult terrain into which they had ventured, to load up the lion and pack it back into town. All the veteran guides knew Hagge had a trophy or near trophy on his hands. Frandsen was astounded at the physical shape and stamina of this (See LION on page 3-A) LION From Front Page elder hunter. For his part, Hagge said the most amazing thing on the hunt was listening to the hounds bay up ahead. Each trainer could pick out the sounds of his own dogs. On arriving back in Panguitch, they looked up Division of Wildlife Resources Officer Mike Roach to report the results of their special hunt and give all the vital statistics DWR requires on the animal taken. Hagge will have the animal prepared pre-pared and mounted by a taxidermist in Prescott, Wis. With his sons, Hagge has taken a caribou, white dall sheep (his second most outstanding hunting success) and a 60 pound King Salmon in Alaska and many nice mule deer from Wyoming. His three sons who live in Alaska fly down each year to meet him and his other son in Minne-: Minne-: sota, and they travel together to hunt pheasant in western North j Dakota. In their 20 years of marriage, Bonnie Hagge says she has always encouraged her husband and her ; sons in their hunting pursuits. She j once accompanied Lauren to Alaska : on a dangerous hunt, but she is an J avid hiker and Bonnie generally J takes off while her husband is on a hunt. This trip she explored beauti-r beauti-r ful Bryce Canyon close up. She is r.A a former registered nurse and both Hagges believe their active retire- ment of hunting, fishing and hiking has kept them in top shape, leading very vital lives. They enjoy their children and nine grandchildren on their forays to visit and hunt. Having traveled the full distance of Highway 12, the Hagges said - they believed it to be possibly the most beautiful scenic route in the : country. '. As a gesture of thanks the Hag- gees took all of their outfitters and ; their wives out for a steak dinner at Ruby's Inn before returning to their winter home in Mesa, Ariz. |