Bill Van Pelt is expected today to lead a team in search of a gulch where there were several sightings of the mystery animal. Timothy Hurley • The Honolulu Advertiser

A plan to lure the animal by playing an audio tape of jaguar sounds into the Olinda night was apparently foiled by wind and a bit of rain, Van Pelt said this morning.

The megaphone-assisted recording — played in various locations near the rural community — carried perhaps only a couple hundred yards and was muffled at times by the rustling of vegetation. While dogs barked, no cat was seen or heard.

Today, Van Pelt is expected to lead a team of up to a dozen wildlife officials in a search of a gulch where several recent sightings were reported. It is the same gulch near where an axis deer was mauled nearly a month ago in a manner consistent with a big cat, the expert said.

Van Pelt, an official with the Arizona Game and Fish Department, said he hopes to find a sign that might provide the physical evidence needed to identify the animal.

Also yesterday, no photos were taken by a "camera trap" set up the day before. That’s not surprising, he said, because human scent is probably lingering on the trap.

The likelihood of a photo will grow over time as the scent fades, he said, and the camera, which uses an infrared beam to help snap a flash picture, is designed to operate for six weeks unattended.

Last night’s audio session was intended to get a response from the cat. Officials were equipped with night-vision gear and a tape recorder.

"All cats are territorial. What this cat is doing is trying to establish a territory," he said. "Last night we wanted it to go: 'There’s a challenger. I’m here to challenge you.’ "

Van Pelt said officials will have to get a bigger megaphone and try again on a calmer night.

But it won’t be tonight. Van Pelt, who hopes to find some rest, has been working nearly nonstop since he arrived late Saturday night. "I’m running on adrenaline," he said.