Backcountry tips: What to do in a mountain lion encounter
A mountain lion, one of the larger big cats prowling North America.
Going through the electronica of the outdoors world, I ran across an interesting post on BellaOnline. It deals with what you need to do to prevent a bad encounter with a mountain lion.
Mountain lion sightings have been a hot topic here in Oklahoma, mostly because you have one side swearing they’ve seen the creatures and others citing a lack of proof.
I’ve been told that there are mountain lions in the Wichita Mountains. And late last year, in Atoka County, a landowner caught one on film prowling about his hunting lands.
They may not be as common as black bears, which we know number in the hundreds in southeastern Oklahoma. But it appears that in some fashion, these predators seem to be spreading east, finding suitable habitats in the wooded hills of southern Oklahoma.
If mountain lions take root here, they’ll become the second largest predators in Oklahoma, behind only the black bear. Male mountain lions can grow to 160 pounds while females can reach 110 pounds. Unlike black bears, the mountain lion’s diet is exclusively meat. They generally avoid people and are rarely seen. But like any wild animal, they take advantage of any opportunity to feed themselves and their young. Particularly tempting targets include pets and children, though attacks on adult humans do occur.
That said, it’s not a bad idea for hikers, backpackers, campers, hunters and anglers to learn a little about what to do to avoid a bad encounter with mountain lions.
BellaOnline listed these tips, courtesy of the Government of Alberta Sustainable Resource Development Web site:
To prevent encounters
- Be alert and aware of your surroundings.
- Learn to recognize signs of mountain lion’s presence (tracks, scat and markings).
- Watch for signs of kill sites (especially flocks of scavenger birds, like crows and vultures, feeding on carrion).
- Travel in groups and make noise in sheltered areas with poor visibility.
- Walk your dog during daylight hours, on a leash.
If you do encounter a mountain lion
- Face the animal, avoiding eye contact, and slowly back away.
- Try to leave space for the animal to escape.
- Pick up small children and pets.
- Stay calm and talk in a firm voice.
- If the cougar approaches, throw sticks or rocks and act aggressively.
- If you come in contact with the animal, fight back.
Chances are, you’ll never see a mountain lion in the wild. They’re pretty elusive. But if you do, be careful and try to enjoy (as best you can) such a rare moment.
Bob Doucette
bdoucette@opubco.com
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Comments
You’re exactly right. Proximity and numbers are a major part of that. However, in the mountain states, you’ll see cases of pets being snagged or mountain bikers and trail runners/hikers being attacked. It happens. Awareness is the key.
Too often, we think of the outdoors like we might a man-made venue, expecting that someone has made it safe for us. Wild areas are not that way. That’s one of the biggest reasons we need to build our outdoors knowledge. If you get hurt at the mall, you can sue the owner. Get hurt in the wild, and it’s no one’s fault but your own. Nature does what it does.
I am a research scientist who works in SE Arizona on projects that revolve around large and smaller cats, as well as other animals found in Arizona and Mexico. In working with Puma concolor (Mountain Lion) as well as Panthera onca (Jaguar-which believe it or not is being seen again and studied in northern Mexico and Southern Arizona after years of thinking they had become extinct in the US) I have to concur with the above described methods of staying safe in mountain lion country.
I would also add that based on years of working in mt. lion country that a good barking dog(s) is helpful for your protection. Now, clearly a mountain lion can kill about any dog in no time but they are adverse to the barking..in fact I have two Jack Russell’s and they have treed a 120 mt. lion due to their barking. If they hadn’t barked they would have soon been breakfast. Also make sure you stop and look around you in heavy country, especially behind you. And especially in vertical country.
Look for signs of track, scat or kill, and if on horseback pay a lot of attention to your horses behavior (and you know your horse).
We have a saying in working with Puma, “the first sign of an attack is when he hits you on the back of your neck” Although in attacks that has been true (and they are so, so rare, you are more likely to get hit by lighting, especially in Oklahoma)I can tell you that carrying some bear repellent in Lion country is a smart thing…. keep it on your belt, and ready to go, You can buy it at a Cabellas or elsewhere. Get the big 13.4 ounce container-I have used it twice with cats (Puma) and it will stop them on a dime. It is much better than a pistol since you would not have to aim and use a pistol in the event of a cat attack which generally last less than 6 seconds. The spray is a mist, and if you are lucky enough to have one come from the side or front it is a much, much better situation than a firearm (most people cannot hit a target coming at them at 35 miles an hour in 2-4 seconds).
And most importantly, don’t travel alone, at twilight or dawn, and make some noise. Big cats, although extremely powerful, are much like any other cat-they don’t take chances when the odds are stacked against them.
And they are amazing to see..
Very cool comments there from someone who knows. Hopefully I’ll never have to experience the big cat’s teeth on my neck.
Hello Bob,
Thanks for the advice. I’m researching mountain lion /cougar presence at the Grand Canyon. Do you have any links, etc. for this specific area of Arizona. I have already contacted NPS. Since the South Rim park boundary is so close to State land, I’m looking for data provided by the State of AZ and not NPS. Thanks in advance.
Gary Barnes
Here’s one link, which pretty puch confirms the cats’ presence in Arizona, from a state agency there:
http://www.azgfd.gov/h_f/game_lion.shtml
And another:
Hi Gary,
i know you’re really after hard data, not anecdotes, but I just got back from the grand canyon and I’m all excited. I stumbled across a fresh kill – adult female deer partially buried. I could not discern a bite to the back of the head or neck, the fatal wound more on the side of the neck, where the front leg meets it. Some flesh was missing from the stomach, some fur torn out, but the site was very clean – no blood. The park ranger advised that only a lion or human could have taken an animal that size – chances are it was a lion kill. I’m a bit crap and didn’t think to look for tracks/scat at the time. This was in the Kaibab National Forest – state land & I told a (NPS) ranger, so hopefully the state collects some data on these things…
Cheers,
Iain
It is always good to be on the lookout for danger in the out-of-doors. But be aware that only 21 people have been killed in the past 120 years in the US and Canada. For comparison, dogs killed 32 people last year.