Unusual incident:

“(Reuters) - A mountain lion killed one mountain biker and mauled another in Washington state on Saturday when they rode into its territory, and authorities later shot the animal dead, police said.

The mountain bikers were riding together down a remote, backwoods trail at 11 a.m. (2 p.m. ET) in an area near North Bend, Washington state, around 30 miles (48 km) east of Seattle, when the two men encountered the animal.

In the ensuing attack, the first rider received deep scratches and the other was dragged away by the cougar to its den, King County Sheriff's Office spokesman Sergeant Ryan Abbot said…”

https://www.google.com/amp/s/m...le/amp/idUSKCN1IL02O

Apparently, neither biker was armed.

I would never, ever, go hiking or biking in these areas without a pistol of some sort.

The way cougars attack, I’m not sure having a gun would have helped much. I would still have one. Cougars like to hide, chase, tackle from behind and go for the easy takedown. It’d be scary as shit to get attacked by one.

quote:

Originally posted by Phantom229:
The way cougars attack, I’m not sure having a gun would have helped much.

If both men were carrying, it would've certainly helped I should think.

I don't carry when I road bike, but I always carry when mountain biking. My Hill People Gear Recon Kit Bag is the perfect thing.

Only the second time this has happened in the past 100 years in this state.

IIRC a female in Cali was killed riding ten of fifteen years back. It was believed the mountain lion killed her with a single blow that snapped her neck. Still, I will ride with my glock 43.

Yeah that had to happen quick and violently. I'm sure the first guy never saw it coming and had no chance to do a damn thing. The second guy may have had a chance who knows, but at least if they were armed they could have had a small chance which beats zero chance.

Doesn't sound like a pleasant way to go

quote:

Originally posted by Lord Vaalic:
Yeah that had to happen quick and violently. I'm sure the first guy never saw it coming and had no chance to do a damn thing. The second guy may have had a chance who knows, but at least if they were armed they could have had a small chance which beats zero chance.

Doesn't sound like a pleasant way to go

Yep, but that's not what happened.
In this instance being armed may have been beneficial.

"The mountain lion mauled one of the men and turned to the second man and started mauling him.

That was when the first victim got up and managed to ride nearly two miles on his bike to get cell reception to call 911 at about 11 a.m. He was then taken to the hospital."

"It sounds like they were just riding bikes when of the victims hears a scream from his partner and sees they're being chased by a cougar," Myers said.
The men then fought it off once, swinging their bikes and the mountain lion ran back in the woods."

"But then, officials say as the men were trying to understand what just occurred, the mountain lion attacked again.
The man who survived said he had his entire head in the mountain lion's mouth, but then his friend ran away and the animal chased him. That is when the survivor made his bike ride to call 911."

Link to Komo News

I never, ever go into NW forests unarmed. It's just simple insurance. Attacks by 2 legged predators aren't unheard of as well as 4 legged ones.

Jim

Had something similar happen to a lady and her two small children from up north except it was a black bear. Killed and ate on the little girl and put the other two in the hospital. Was quite a while back. I’ve been to the park many times. There is a swimming lake and campground as well as the trial and falls. I’ve backpacked the entire area and never seen any black bears but seen the berry seed filled scat while backpacking. I always carry a pistol. What worries me is while I sleep my snoring might attract one. We have bobcats and tons of boar and coyotes but no mountain lions in numbers. One has been captured on a game camera in Tennessee though.

http://www.timesfreepress.com/...ttack-to-air/245337/


By Tammie Goins

Correspondent

When a 200-pound black bear grabbed her 2-year-old son in the Cherokee National Forest, Susan Cenkus launched herself at the animal and nearly lost her life.

The bear tore at her neck, tossed her aside and grabbed her daughter, Elora Petrosek, 6. The little girl didn't survive the shattering attack, and Mrs. Cenkus and her son Luke carry permanent scars.

Now the world will have a chance to hear the chilling tale of how Mrs. Cenkus risked her life to save her children in the 2006 attack on the Animal Planet show "I'm Alive" tonight at 9 and 11 p.m.

Mrs. Cenkus and her children were hiking near the Chilhowee Campground near Benton Falls on April 13, 2006, when the bear attacked Luke, then 2.

She screamed for help and tried to fight off the animal, which turned on her, then Elora.

Help came quickly and Mrs. Cenkus and Luke were rushed to the hospital in Chattanooga.

Erlanger trauma surgeon Vicente Mejia treated Mrs. Cenkus about two hours after the attack. She was conscious but had deep punctures and crush wounds on her neck from the bear's teeth, which had severed her vertebral arteries, he said.

"When these bears attack, they often go to the neck to get the airways and paralyze the victim," he said. Doctors tied closed the arteries to stop the bleeding, because a repair was impossible, Dr. Mejia said.

With extensive soft-tissue injuries to her arms and legs, she lay in a drug-induced coma for nine days while Erlanger doctors performed seven surgeries to save her life.

Luke underwent surgery for significant puncture wounds to his skull, but healed quickly and was released from T.C. Thompson Children's Hospital after a week.

Elora's death was only the second fatal attack by a black bear in Tennessee. The other was in 2000 in the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

The family had come from York Township, Ohio, to see Mrs. Cenkus' oldest son, Christopher Dennison, 23, perform in a recital at Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn.

Mrs. Cenkus, who attended Lee in the 1980s, had camped at and hiked Chilhowee Mountain many times in the past, but had never seen a bear.

According to Cherokee National Forest authorities, the bear responsible for the attack was captured a few days after the incident. DNA samples from the 200-pound bear's front claws linked it to the attack. The bear was euthanized.

Experts concluded the attack was unprovoked and predatory, given that it happened in the spring when bears emerge from hibernation and food sources are scarce.

Mrs. Cenkus made the difficult journey back to Chilhowee Mountain in 2008 where Elora, whose name means "God is my light," lost her life.

She has returned to Tennessee several times to thank paramedics and other emergency workers for risking their lives to help families like hers.

In published reports, she said her faith has made the path easier to walk and credits God for her strength to carry on and help others.

Staff writer Emily Bregel contributed to this report.

Tammie Goins is based in Bradley County. Contact her at tgoins@westwoodlife.org.

IF YOU WATCH

Susan Cenkus will tell the story a 2006 bear attack in the Cherokee National Forest on the Animal Planet show "I'm Alive" today at 9 p.m. and 11 p.m. today.

Ruger Super Blackhawk Stainless .44 Mag in winter.
Glock 20 in warm weather. For a week or so anyway.
100% guarantee? Who knows? But whatever the outcome, it wont be for lack of trying.

Such a random occurrence, plenty of auto accidents too.

Yes, a common 40 semi-auto is plenty. I’m all for a legal hunting season too.

I lived in Snoqualmie, very close to where this happened. When I lived there I would bowhunt alone, and otherwise unarmed, regularly. One evening while walking out of the Teanaway Forest just as it was getting dark, I felt that I was being watched/stalked. I stopped several times to turn around and kept my head on a swivel. I went back the next morning, arriving a little late as the sun was already lighting up the logging road, only to find some good size cat tracks join the trail in the direction of my boot tracks from the evening before. I picked up a Ruger Alaskan the following week although I knew it probably wouldn't have done any good if that cat had a mind to take me.

quote:

Originally posted by sourdough44:
Such a random occurrence, plenty of auto accidents too.

Yes, a common 40 semi-auto is plenty. I’m all for a legal hunting season too.

Cougar tags are over the counter in Washington state. I always bought one with my deer and elk tags. Although I never actively hunted them I would have taken one given the chance. I had a buddy arrow one while we were elk hunting near Mt Adams. That was an adrenaline packed tracking job

its pretty much a shame that neither one could have foreseen this and made a very simple call to the Forrest ranger station in the area.

They would have found out that three people had spotted the animals in the area and either rode elsewhere or postponed the ride.

I have been in this situation more than once with black bear and had a huge Tom get with in 25 yards of me before we locked eyes on each other. Had other times where I knew something was lurking or stalking me. You can just feel it as was mentioned. Harrowing yes, but everyone survived. I was always armed. It certainly could of gone south and ended up in someone dying/being killed. You have to maintain your composure. It is imperative. Fear can paralyze and empower which makes an attack much more likely.

I live in an area where encounters are going to happen. You have to be ready and act accordingly.
This keeps the odds in your favor.

A bell would have done the trick.
No pistol needed.

In California, I'm surprised there haven't been far more mountain lion/cougar attacks than there have. They have no fear of humans because sport hunting of them has been banned there since 1975, and an attempt to repeal it circa 1998 failed.

quote:

Originally posted by bigmule:
A bell would have done the trick.
No pistol needed.

From the reports, it sounds like the cougar was emaciated and really wanted to eat something. It's not like they stumbled on it and it got scared and attacked like a bear.

Totally different comments in this thread versus the local news threads. In those it’s all “pity that the animal had to die, people need to quit encroaching on their habitat“


Fucking ignorant..