Mountain Lion attacks hunter

[DustinF]

Over the years I have heard of lions attacking runners and children. You don't have to look long to find those stories. There are quite a few stories of guys hunting or calling and discover when they leave a set there was a lion a few yards behind them trying to figure out if they should pounce or not. Has any one ever heard of a lion actually attacking a lone hunter that was trying to call in coyotes or other animals? A lot of guys hunt alone with out issue. Maybe a state like California that has more protections for cats has issues. I know the lion is capable of taking humans but the stories of attacks seem to be of children and runners. These set the lion up for a different kind of experience it seems. Its unnerving to think of a 150 pound tom coming up behind you for lunch but is it just that, nerves psyching our self out?

 

[warboar21]

My friend is one of those who has had fresh cat tracks yards away from him while calling out in a remote area. Took him a long time to start hunting alone again.

I've come within 20-25yds of big cat while up in the Unitah Mountains in Utah while Elk hunting. Scared both of us.

I've also heard the stories of guys walking into a set in the snow and then while walking back to the Truck there were fresh Cat tracks following their foot prints into their set.

 

[royinidaho]

My friend is one of those who has had fresh cat tracks yards away from him while calling out in a remote area. Took him a long time to start hunting alone again.

I've come within 20-25yds of big cat while up in the Unitah Mountains in Utah while Elk hunting. Scared both of us.

I've also heard the stories of guys walking into a set in the snow and then while walking back to the Truck there were fresh Cat tracks following their foot prints into their set.

Many years ago up along Morgan Creek Road (Challis Idaho) came upon grizz tracks that went to within 30 feet of where my buddy was perched on a tall stump.

Pretty interesting. He was armed with a 30-30 and I w/a 300 Wby. We tracked it for awhile just for the adventure. Luckily, no adventure....

Saw a wolverine on the same day.

 

[dstark]

I got one

In fall of 2012, I was supposed to go along on an elk hunt with my buddy, I got held up and had to meet him up there later in the morning. He shot a cow at first light, a solid hit but she still was able to go about 1/4 mile before she dropped. It was on a steep ridge in thick pine, my friend was following a great blood trail when a lion came running up on him hissing and snarling. He shot the ground in front of it when it got to 10 yards and he says it jumped about 15' into the air and bolted off into the brush. He found the cow down about 100 yards further. I arrived at his location about 30 min later. This was in the upper snake region of South East Idaho in early November.

He thought he may have hit the cat with his shot, and there was about 4" of fresh snow so it was easy to pick up the tracks. We went looking for it but after getting into the thicker brush, the tracks circled and paced all over and we couldn't make sense of where he headed. We found no blood or hair and concluded that he had indeed only shot the ground.

Since he had an elk on the ground, we had to get to work and didn't spend as much time looking for the cat as we would have liked. That's as near a lion attack as I'm aware of.

 

[dstark]

Another story from the same area. Just a couple months later in winter of 2012-2013 and about 15 miles from the previous story.

My job at the time required me to drive through a national forest 5 nights a week at about 2:00AM. I occasionally saw lions (once or twice a year) in an area that is popular for ice fishing and thus gets a lot of daytime traffic. One night, as I came around a corner, I saw a pickup pulled over in a turnout off the side of the road. The driver was sleeping in the cab. There was a very large tom lion circling the truck maybe 10 feet from it. He took off as soon as my headlights got on him.

I know a guy with hounds and when I told him about it he offered to take me out after him the next time I saw one, but that was the last lion I saw that year, and a new job keeps me working day light hours.

I have never been nervous in the woods before that, but now when I'm out after dark in that area I'm certainly well armed!

 

[nw07heavy]

A buddy and I were javelina hunting just east of Buenos Aires National Wildlife Refuge in AZ this year. I had just reached my shooting position on my hill when I heard four snarls 200 yards back on the main trail, and saw a mountain lion 100 yards behind my buddy who was hiking up to a hill to our north. There was a response from another cat on that north hill. My buddy was totally unaware of the cougar (hearing aids) and this was approaching late afternoon, so I got him off the hill and we both got off that rocky canyon before dark. Southern AZ has some cougar problems, and 'culls' are underway in spots. The area we hunt is usually avoided at all costs due to the lack of US/Mexico border security, hence the high number of predators.

 

[_RJ_]

How about taking a nap in an area where cougars are known to frequent? I always make a hasty shelter. One day I woke up and there was a cat walking around about 250 yards from the tree I was under. By the time I had cleared my eyes and pulled out my rifle the cat had slinked away. I do always keep a pistol on my person with the thought that if I get pounced on a long gun won't do much good. Let's hope none of us ever have to find out.

 

[Rupe]

Back in Nov. of 2000, I was calling for coyotes when I caught a glance of what I thought was a coyote that had come in and I hadn't seen it. It was running behind sagebrush about 10 yards away.
As I watch the movement there was a small opening in the sage a d as the animal ran across it turned out to be a Cougar instead of a coyote. I was so shocked I didn't even think of firing even though I had a tag in my pocket. I just wasn't prepared for a cougar when calling coyotes.
Well I really watch out when I coyote hunt now. That Cougar was coming to eat that dieing rabbit but he must have smelled human and changed his mind. It was amazing how close he got without me seeing him until he started running away. whew! Glad he went the other way. This was on the SE edge of Steens Moutain, Oregon South of Alvord dry lake bed.
Rupe

 

[sharps5070]

Not a lion but back in Sept 0f 2005 west side of Towogotee Pass US 287/26 Wyoming I was on my first day of an Elk hunt. Still dark, got out of my truck which I had parked about midnight at a trail head. Standing there with nothing in my had for defense, suddenly a loud howl from in front of me, then another to my right, then snarls growls, teeth clashing and the sound of animals circling, moving thru the brush, sage and on the gravel road in front of my truck. They got closer and kept up the vocals. Suddenly they were gone. I found my self standing in the back of my pickup, I do not remember getting off the ground. It was so dark I could not see them at first but as the event progressed I finally was able to make out movement. A pack of 7 {?} wolves. Forty minutes has elapsed for start to end as I noticed the time on my truck radio when I got out to P. The wolves just disappeared. Then abut 10 minutes later I heard them again down in the valley making lots of noise, and moving fast. I got my video cam and although I was not able to get the wolves in the video I did get their howling and other vocals on the chip. Needless to say I saw no game except for squirrels and chipmunks this day. I made my wolf sighting report to the forest service and was told it was probably part of the Teton pack of wolves that I had run into. Be it Cats or Wolves, we are not the top of the food chain unless armed.

 

[stonehands1]

Few years ago my buddy and I were scouting out some tree stand locations on the back of his dad's property. It's a wooded plateau area at the base of the mountain. We climbed through the blackberries and brush up the side of the hill. As we hit the tree line about half way up he draws his pistol rapidly. I ask him what the heck he's doing and with wide eyes he replies ca ca cat. We have never seen one before and here is one looking him in the eyes at about 15 feet away. It turned and ran off and I didn't even get to see it. We climbed up to where the cat was standing on the skidder road. I began looking for tracks and into the trees in the direction the cat ran off with no luck. Meanwhile buddy is on the phone calling his dad to tell him about it while continuing to walk up the skidder road. I was lingering behind (about 30 feet) still bummed because I didn't get to see it and looking for tracks. Movement catches my eye about 15 feet to the left of my buddy and to my surprise the cat is sneaking around a tree right above my buddy. At first I was like cool there it is (first time I seen a cat and all) then the reality of the situation hits. It was just like watching a house cat hunt a mouse in the grass. As soon as the cat crouched, pinned it's ears, and curled it's tale up I knew what was coming next. Everything went quiet and into to slow motion as I quickly drew my 1911 and put one in his shoulder. The cat jump straight up (just like whitetail do) came down and jump straight in the direction of my buddy. I kept the sights on him the whole time and when he hit the road about 5 feet from my buddy I put another one in him. This round hit home about an inch from the first one and sent the cat spinning circles on the ground. I ran up to the cat and put one in his head that ended the excitement. I'm sure you can imagine my buddies surprise (who was still on the phone and had his back to me when the shooting started) when he turned around to see a cat spinning circles within 5 feet of him.
It was over so fast I hardly remember thinking about it. Funny how we go Into automatic mode when we find ourselves in these situations.

 

[Rupe]

Few years ago my buddy and I were scouting out some tree stand locations on the back of his dad's property. It's a wooded plateau area at the base of the mountain. We climbed through the blackberries and brush up the side of the hill. As we hit the tree line about half way up he draws his pistol rapidly. I ask him what the heck he's doing and with wide eyes he replies ca ca cat. We have never seen one before and here is one looking him in the eyes at about 15 feet away. It turned and ran off and I didn't even get to see it. We climbed up to where the cat was standing on the skidder road. I began looking for tracks and into the trees in the direction the cat ran off with no luck. Meanwhile buddy is on the phone calling his dad to tell him about it while continuing to walk up the skidder road. I was lingering behind (about 30 feet) still bummed because I didn't get to see it and looking for tracks. Movement catches my eye about 15 feet to the left of my buddy and to my surprise the cat is sneaking around a tree right above my buddy. At first I was like cool there it is (first time I seen a cat and all) then the reality of the situation hits. It was just like watching a house cat hunt a mouse in the grass. As soon as the cat crouched, pinned it's ears, and curled it's tale up I knew what was coming next. Everything went quiet and into to slow motion as I quickly drew my 1911 and put one in his shoulder. The cat jump straight up (just like whitetail do) came down and jump straight in the direction of my buddy. I kept the sights on him the whole time and when he hit the road about 5 feet from my buddy I put another one in him. This round hit home about an inch from the first one and sent the cat spinning circles on the ground. I ran up to the cat and put one in his head that ended the excitement. I'm sure you can imagine my buddies surprise (who was still on the phone and had his back to me when the shooting started) when he turned around to see a cat spinning circles within 5 feet of him.
It was over so fast I hardly remember thinking about it. Funny how we go Into automatic mode when we find ourselves in these situations.

Wow! I sure hope your Buddy bought you several beers after stopping what could have been his last hike.

Rupe

 

[Schnyd112]

Never been attacked, or really anywhere close to it but I was in a situation that still makes my skin crawl. We were archery hunting mule deer in northern Nevada. We had packed in and walked most of the day to get to our spot. Archery season is in August and the nights are pretty mild so we just had bivy sacs and sleeping bags. We were watching a good group of does down below us that we're acting kinda funny. One was very suspicious and hardly moved for 30 minutes, just stone cold staring with her ears up. They eventually all left, not in any hurry, but left.

My buddy spotted something in the rocks, it was white, but not the right size or shape for a deer. We were trying to decipher what it was when we saw that big long tail flip back and forth, just real quick. Then the rest of the body took form and we realized we were looking at a lion just waking up from a day of napping. As we talked it over, I was convinced we were sitting where that lion would want to be when the sun came up. I wanted to pack up and walk out. My buddy on the other hand, quite the outdoorsman, responded with a level head.

"We have one bow, two packs, and it is about to be dark. We are way more safe here than trying to hike out in the dark without protection." So we spent a very sleepless night in the lions den.

 

[Rupe]

And did you have a nice BIG campfire to keep the shivers on the back of your neck warm?

Rupe

 

[tt35]

You've got some stones, Stonehands1! You can cover my six any time!

I've got a called-in mountain lion on my Bucket List. It's going to be expensive though--it'll go on the wall.