Beware of Cougars...

“there have been a few cougar attacks in Northern California in the last few years. people jogging on forest trails and such.”

“oh - hi hodge, hi tx...”

“They probably read the 'Felinicide' thread and decided to take revenge...”

“Good evening, Pepper”

“I had a sister that studied in Vancouver a few years back. She and her friends backpacked on Vancouver Island a few times.

They never saw any cougar signs, but saw bear tracks. Once her boyfriend's pack was stolen by a bear, even though they had hung it up a tree. They found his pack quite a few yards into the woods all shredded.”

“I dunno, guys. Next thing you know, Charlie Tuna will be after your ass...”

“A woman jogger was killed by a cougar here in Orange County, Calif. a few years ago. Attacks are very rare, however there seem to be more sightings lately.”

“I think I mentioned this before, but there was one just up the road from my place a couple months ago. It's sort of exciting, that they are in the area, but also makes me nervous about Newergirl.”

“Definitely.”

“We've got them here in NM and in the Sandias by ABQ. I've never seen sign of them.”

“Here's a question I have:

I've heard that a cougar will not attack you if it thinks you see it. There are some hunters that I know (here in MT) that wear masks backwards on their heads, in order to "fool" the cougar into thinking that you have eyes on the front and back of your head. I guess the idea is that you will not be attacked from behind, if the cat thinks you see it. Do you guys think there is truth to that?”

“First, I want to deny any responsibility that the Feline-icide thread had in the recent attacks. There is no proof that cougars read TT. (Whew, my lawyer made me say that....)

Second, it shouldn't come as any surprise that there are more encounters, given how we are gradually (maybe rapidy!) moving into their territory. In fact, the surprising part is how few attacks there are. It just shows how much they want to stay away from us.

Third, I'm not at all worried about being attacked by one in the backcountry. It's been noted (accurately) on TT numerous times that you're more likely to be injured in a car wreck on your way to the trailhead than by any kind of wildlife. Truth is, I'd love to see one (not too close up, though).

Fourth, one of my running acquaintances got bitten by a crazed coyote on a semi-rural paved running path a couple years ago - seems like a more likely scenario than getting jumped on by a cat.

Finally, for those with kids, even though the chance of attack is extremely remote, make sure to have a plan for what to do if you see one: pick them up (the kids, not the cat!) (to appear bigger); don't let the kids shriek or squeal - that means "Food!" to the cat; speak to it in a low voice (tone-wise, not volume-wise); and back away (don't turn around - that says, "Bite me here!"). Maybe others can add or subtract from these tips.”

“I carry a carbide tipped spear, aka hiking pole without basket.”

“Hey ng - we posted about the same time. See the last part of my "tips" about BACKING away from it. Hadn't heard about the mask thing, but sounds like a good idea! Last year I was pumping some water out of a creek all by myself, with lots of tall grass around. I couldn't help but imagine a mountain lion pouncing onto my back out of the grass - yikes!!”

“I'm not sure who to feel sorry for, the cougars or the Canuckleheads.”

“newgirl, i once saw a documentary about tigers in india, & they wear backwards masks on their heads for that very reason.


i just read an article in outdoor life about how they really dont know how many cougars there are because they are so illusive. it also mentioned that there are some beurocratic bioligst that are miffed cuz they are reboundind without the help of the government.”

“Marty, I already knew that tip. Thanks though. I meant that I was worried in the "pay much closer attention" sense. Do you guys want to hear a scary cougar story? Maybe I told it before, I have no clue.

Newergirl's dad worked w/ a guy a few yrs. ago, whose aunt and uncle live near Libby, MT. Actually, they lived really far out in the country (the closest town was Libby). They take a dirt rd. off of the highway a few miles back into the trees and from there park their vehicles and 4-wheel (in summer) or snowmobile (in winter) 4 miles to their place. Anyway, one mild winter day the aunt comes home from getting a few staple items in town. For whatever reason the snowmobile wasn't available, so she and their 4 yr. old son were going to have to walk to their house. No huge ordeal, these people are obviously hardy. So they walk home, every once in awhile aunt picks up son and carries him and the groceries. Later on uncle gets home, as he is walking in (it might be that their snowmobile was being repaired, I can't remember), he notices mountain lion tracks. Everytime his sons prints are in the snow, there are lion tracks near to the trail. Everytime there were only the prints from the aunt, the lion tracks retreated further into the trees. Naturally, the uncle is a little freaked and pretty much runs home. When he gets there, everyone is safe and sound, but the aunt had had no idea that the lion was there. It had apparently been stalking the boy and decided against attack everytime the aunt picked him up. Skeery!”

“I haven't read this yet, but it looks good.

NM Game and Fish-Lion Country”

“That IS scary, ng!!!

The part about the mountain lion, too....”

“Good post Pathman. Everyone living in lion country should read.

Cougars apparently are making a comeback in the east, but still are extremely elusive. There have been credible sightings around some cities, but strangely not so much in the mountains. I have seen a bobcat, but never even a sign of a cougar.”

“I think we had a bobcat in the backyard a couple of weeks ago. The boys found a pair of rabbit ears, still attached to a circle of skull, and a neat gut pile.”

“So I guess I shouldn't hike with any lose straps on my pack while wearing my mouskateer hat.”

“I've seen bobcats several times. I've never seen a cougar though. That stupid neighbor kid got to see it though. Bummer!”

“stanlee,
i just had a thought about seeing you in rambo gear with a pen in your mouth stalking the cat...


pretty funny thought.”

“Every once in a a while a jogger gets nabbed in the foothills by a puma. When you're heading out on the trail at some of the trailhead, sometimes the sticker with the number of people who have been killed in a particular area has been increased.

I have heard mtn. lions are attracted to small children and dogs.”

“I.....I....I can't do it...”

“Me either. I reached for the mouse and chickened out! It was a temptation though!”

“I actually had the message all typed in and everything...just couldn't press the "Submit Message" button.”

“ok can someone e-mail me the joke cause i just dont get it...”

“I think we should both win the Restraint in the Name of Political Correctness Award for 2002.”

“Can't rememeber how long ago, 2-3 years I think, but up the Southfork River from Cody a lady was in her house and a mountain lion jumped through her front picture window. Her daughter was in the bathroom taking a shower when it happened. The mom went to the bathroom and banged on the door for the daughter to let her in, which she eventually did. They had to wait in there for like 4 hours before the thing left the house when the husband/dad came home.

We also had one running along the top of some fences right in Cody a few years earlier. the game and Fish guys shot it right in town as it was running across the fences. Apparently many small dogs and cats turned up missing at the same time.

(And they were blaiming the local Chinese restaurant for the missing animals)”

“thats why its called
meow gu gi pan
(i think thats how its spelled)”

“ok can someone e-mail me the joke cause i just dont get it..."
Maple Leaf
01:16:07 PM
08/05/02


I think it must be about mtn lions being "attracted to small children and dogs".”

“meow goo gai pan”

“got it
boy am i slow or what

lol guys very funny”

“Wearing masks backwards on their heads?

You guys are weirder than I thought. And that's pretty damn weird, LOL”

“I'll make sure I wear a mask, on the back of my head, while I'm crawling around looking for that puma.”

“Where do you wear your mask backwards?”

“I ran into one in the Olympic Mtns a couple of summers ago. I had just finished hiking up the Skokomish River, over to the Duckabush, up to Lake Lacrosse and then back when I saw him.

I was hiking solo and less than 1/2 mile from the trailhead (beer and a burger were sounding *real* good). He was in the middle of the trail, which was as wide as an old logging road facing the other direction. I didn't realize what it was until I got to around 100 feet of it. Once I figured out what it was, what a rush of adrenalin! (It's weird how instinct sort of kicks in.) I did the make yourself look big thing and yelled/cursed at it to get it to move off the trail. It did a bit at first and then just stood and stared at me. I didn't have a good weapon (although I did have a Swiss Army knife that I now realize could have helped), so I looked for a rock or a stick. I found a good-sized stick about 3 feet long and a couple inches around. Not a bad club. I started banging it on a nearby log to startle him. Again, he moved a little further off the trail into the woods. I began to inch forward, still banging the stick. Then the stick breaks, leaving me with a 4 inch stump. Great. Now what? Throw the stick, of course! Unfortunately, I still had my backpack so I made a terrible throw, offline to the left of him. Fortunately, it was so bad that it actually carromed off of a tree and nearly hit him. That got him to move far enough, so that I could get by.

I went to the ranger's cabin at the trailhead to let them know that I'd seen one. I felt bad because there was an older woman getting set to solo up the Skokomish. You could tell she was not liking the idea of heading up that trail at that moment!”

“Pathman, on second thought, maybe I'll wear my Minnie Mouse mask on my butt...since I'll be on my hands and knees stalking that cat. :o)”

“Later, the boy was heard calling his neighbor a bastard.”

“LMAO, chili!”