Mountain Lion!!
 

Some dude stopped by the other day because he said he hit a mountain lion with his mini-truck the other night.:o

It ran off into the night. He stopped at each house in the area.

We live out in the country, vineyards, between Napa and Sonoma.
I've seen rabbits, coyote, snakes and mice, but this wigs me out.

I used to go out and check the mail the middle of the night or watch a meteor shower at 3 am.

Now I wonder if the Big Cat is watching:confused:

I've been here in the same place for 15 years and now I can't stop thinking about cougar attack.

What should I do?


KT

Yes. I was robbed recently.

I still come home daily expecting to see my Porsche stolen or house robbed again. It's pretty upsetting.

KT

Mountain lions tend to be skittish around people. If they know you're there, they usually wander off the other direction.

While it's true they will see you, and you probably won't see them, unless they feel threatened, they will avoid contact.

But, they're big.


KT

They really don't eat people. They are big, but mostly afraid. The only time you really must be careful is when mom has little cubs. Get too close and you are history. I was able to get fairly close to a mom and her two cubs many years ago in the Santa Monica mountains. Wow!

Dave

Man I don't know about cougars not eating people. I seem to remember a mtn biker getting eaten near Los Gatos. But I agree with the others about the two legged predators.

I'm more scared of mountain lions than bears. At least I'd know if a bear wanted to take me down. Mtn. lions stalk their prey, attack from behind, hold you down with their hind legs, and crush your neck.

Don't hike alone and be aware of your surroundings. That's the best piece of advice I can give you.

See the cougars power here:

http://tinyurl.com/qwekf

Reality:

http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks_ca.html

(See the death of a mtn. biker in 2004)

Mountain lions have a very large area that they call home. We have restricted that in a lot of places, especially California. The mountain lions that have attacked here are the ones that have been surrounded by humans.

Dave

Pretty much right on...

I know that in the Santa Monica mtns. the NPS rangers track the travel patterns of the cougars in the area. There aren't many cougars, if I recall less than 20, but their area gets squeezed day by day.

Statistically speaking, how many people have been attacked by mountain lions? That's right, practically none. I'd say you're very safe.

Take some pepper spray with you, won't hurt them much, and they don't like it. If you go stargazing, urinate around the area where you go, they don't like people, no matter how fat and tasty they may be

How many people have cougars within sight of their front door?



Hey!! What are you trying to say?
I'm working on it...


KT

Trek you big baby :)

You are fine, chances are better that a meteor will fall on your noggin' before that cat takes you down.

Well, maybe not, but it's close!


-Chris

I think there has been something like 15 deaths due to mountain lions in the last 100 or so years. Contrast that to deaths due to domestic dogs. There are about 15 or so of those a year. And there are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of cases of injuries caused by domestic dogs. I bet if you go to your local hospital today, you can find some kid that’s been bitten by a dog.


I’d be more worried about a neighbor’s Doberman than a mountain lion.

I'd say you're more likely to be wiped out by some pot farmers up in them hills if you accidentally come across their gardening area (booby traps have been known to be set up out there, particularly in the Angeles National Forest), as well as patrolled by guys with guns, than attacked by a cougar.

If you ever are attacked by a cougar (chances slim to none) fight back with everything you've got. Unlike bears, cougars do not "bluff charge" and if they mean business, you're in a fight for your life. I'd say your chances are virtually zero though. They don't single out humans unless they feel threatened or are very, very desperate.

http://forums.pelicanparts.com/uploa...1157038703.jpg

Here kitty kitty!!!!

christian worried about lions? :D

I've seen bobcats in my area but never a mountain lion. I have a friend Paul Newman (no, not that Paul Newman) who lives on some acreage of citrus trees that heard a commotion on his porch one night, heard his Alaskan Malmute "yelp' and when he turned on the porch light, a mountain lion looked at him with the dogs head in its mouth and casually leaped over the porch railing taking the dog out into the orchard. Dept. of Fish and Game tracked it, tranquilized it and moved it up into the Sespe Wilderness.

http://www.joystiq.com/media/2006/1/grandma's-boy.jpg

Noobody messes with a Lion yo...

12 March.1992 (Attack #5) A 9-year-old boy, Darron Arroyo, was attacked by a cougar as he was hiking on a trail with his two brothers in Gaviota State Park, Santa Barbara County. His father, Steven Arroyo, about a hundred yards behind the boys, heard the screams and saw the lion dragging Darron. Steven rushed toward the cougar, picked up a rock, threw it and struck the lion between the eyes. The lion dropped the boy and retreated. Darron sustained bites to the face and head and scratches to the chest. His parents sued the State of California. (MLCSP; OC; SDUT 4/15/95, A3; Santa Barbara News Press, Gaviota State Park; California Department of Fish and Game; Abundant Wildlife Society Of North America; Mountain Lion Fact Sheet by T. R. Mader, Research Director)

They sued the state of California for a lion attack?