quote:

I love mountain lion stories. We even have some around here. Tracks around here are seen from time to time. Wildlife folks deny it because it would be a can of worms for them to explain.

I absolutely love mountain lions probably my most favorite animal. I sure would love to see one in the wild but certainly not in this fashion.

I for the life of me cannot figure out why KY Fish and Wildlife is so hell bent on denying their are any wild mountain lions in the state.

With as well as black bears and elk have done in the state with direct reintroduction methods it is not out of the imagination a few lions have made their way from the west be it on their own or from folks that had them and they got loose or let them go for there to be a nominal population in the state that not even a century ago was home to many.

My grandfather tells stories of a couple of sightings and 1 encounter that he had in the early 40s living on the KY/TN line.
The closest encounter was when he was out coon hunting with his dog and carbide lamp. Up came a pretty nasty storm so he tucked into one of the numerous caves in the area. He lit up his lamp to give a little light in the cave to see two glowing eyes deeper in the cave. He slowly headed back out as the eyes started coming closer.
Probably not the best idea but he began to run. Out of the cave came a mountain lion probably pretty young as he said it was not much bigger than his dog.
The lion and the pup squared off cat took a couple swats at the dog and the dog went for the neck of the lion and it took off. Gramps says if it was a full size lion the dog likely would not have scared it off and the outcome would have been a little different as his little .22 would have been no match.

I had a squirrel dash in the house when I went outside to check the mail. Holy crap was that a pain. Can't imagine if it was a mountain lion. I certainly would not have been chasing it with a broom like I did the squirrel.

quote:

Originally posted by jhe888:
They baited that lion.

Attractive nuisance?

Sorry about their dog and too late now, but they make electronic doggie doors. Your pet actives it by the collar it wears. Of course it does not really matter anyway if there are cougars around. Just an FYI.

I think of how much an average house cat can really mess up a human. Then, I extrapolate a 6-lb housecat into a 150lb lion.

No, thanks.

And, I agree, they are more dangerous than bears (even Grizzlies). Lions are ambush hunters, so you likely would never even see it coming. A pistol or rifle is little use if a 150-lb lion leaps onto you from an elevated ambush site and knocks you to the ground.

We were hiking through a really lush park in Tucson (Sabino Canyon - only place there that had running water, IIRC). They had mountain lion warnings (meaning actual sightings) posted. My wife asked me "how do I know when a mountain lion is watching me?" I didn't say a word, but just took my right hand, extending my fingers like claws, and lightly raked them down her shoulder/back. It really creeped her out.

I then pointed out all the little children running around, and explained that WE had nothing to worry about. Lions would go for the small children; not the adults. Surprisingly, this didn't comfort her any.

Women.

Same thing happened a few miles down the road from me back in August of 2008.

http://www.denverpost.com/2008...from-owners-bedroom/

A mountain lion slunk into the master bedroom of an Idledale home early Monday, snatched a yellow Labrador retriever and vanished.

Officers are hunting the mountain lion and have set a trap, said Jennifer Churchill, a spokeswoman for the Colorado Division of Wildlife.

“A lion that will brazenly go into someone’s bedroom . . . we need to be careful of,” Churchill said.

The dog’s body was found near the property.

Churchill said the residents had left open the French doors to their bedroom, apparently to cool the house, and didn’t have screens.

There were dogs sleeping in the bedroom when the mountain lion entered between 4 and 4:30 a.m.

Idledale, between Morrison and Evergreen along Bear Creek, “is definitely in lion country,” Churchill said. “It’s not unheard of for unattended or easy-to-get-to pets to be taken by mountain lions in areas from Boulder to Evergreen.”

Mountain lions are known to partially eat their kill and then cache it for later meals by covering it with leaves and pine needles, Churchill said.

<END OF STORY>

The picture below was taken 2 years ago this May by the school bus driver. Not in the picture is the dead mule deer she had just taken down.

quote:

Originally posted by Hound Dog:
I think of how much an average house cat can really mess up a human. Then, I extrapolate a 6-lb housecat into a 150lb lion.

No, thanks.

A friend of ours tried to separate two domesticated cats that were fighting. That was a mistake. One or both of them went for her. Tore up one of her arms right down to the bone in places!

I remember that every time I start thinking about how cool it would be to have a "full size" cat.

The daughters of one of my best friends are committed "dog people." The youngest one trolls my wife and I with occasional "dogs > cats" posts. We troll right back

I was tempted, when reposting this story on FB, to add "Cats > dogs" and tag her, but, decided that would've been a bit heartless.

In the story I read on FB, it was written that the cat grabbed to dog and walked out. I noted "Not ran. Not sneaked. But walked. As if to say 'Who's gonna stop me?'"

I really want to meet a mountain lion, but I'm not sure I will be ok after this

quote:

Originally posted by Black92LX:



The lion and the pup squared off cat took a couple swats at the dog and the dog went for the neck of the lion and it took off. Gramps says if it was a full size lion the dog likely would not have scared it off and the outcome would have been a little different as his little .22 would have been no match.

Some other factors also. Lions aren't used to having their prey bite back. They're used to tiny or wimpy dogs quitting, not attacking. Trained hunting dogs will often take the offensive. Cats seem to know that an injured one doesn't last long in the wild. Most lions aare taken with 22s, but with time to aim if its treed. For its size its not particularly hard to kill. They prefer to win quickly and easily, not duke it out in a matched fight.

For 1967goat: I have a friend who lived on S Timothy drive up Conifer Mountain. A few years ago a guy walking his dog had a lion come after them in broad daylight. I assume its not far from you (he was at 9600'). They live where you are.

And its a good reason to have both you and your wife/walking partner armed. While its been stated the lion prefers the smaller target its probably used to having the other person/deer/elk run off, not stand and join the fight. I don't subscribe to the quick fair kill theory of sportsmanship. If the critter selects you, its perfectly fine to give it a shot or two in the gut or anywhere else it can be hit. Your adversary needs to know the fight isn't just to your death and that its going to pay a big price for dinner.

There are books that give photo views of various animal tracks. I have no Apache blood, but I sure like tracking. I even like seeing dinosaur tracks! Everyone should learn what wolf, bear and lion tracks look like.

quote:

Originally posted by rburg:
I love mountain lion stories. We even have some around here. Tracks around here are seen from time to time. Wildlife folks deny it because it would be a can of worms for them to explain.

Michigan did the same thing for a long time, and as a result they had zero regulations/restrictions on them. They seemed content with their ostrich approach (aka head in the sand) to mountain lions / cougars until 2004 when someone hit one with a car (carcass not found so assumed it lived) and the DNA came back cougar.

Now, mountain lions / cougars are listed as endangered and is protected under state law.

<snort>...awww what are you barking at no... AHHHH!!!

<bang>
<bang>
<bang>
<bang>
<bang>
<bang>
<bang>

There are vicious pumas in the crevasse!