Mountain Lion attack (Thermopolis: condo, homes, camping)

[WyattE]

Check out this clip of a man's encounter of a mountain lion attack in Wyoming.

Good Morning Yahoo! (http://gmy.news.yahoo.com/vid/14594373 - broken link)

Are there reports of mountain lions attacking often? Or is this a rare thing for Wyoming?

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by WyattE

Check out this clip of a man's encounter of a mountain lion attack in Wyoming.

Good Morning Yahoo! (http://gmy.news.yahoo.com/vid/14594373 - broken link)

Are there reports of mountain lions attacking often? Or is this a rare thing for Wyoming?

Pretty rare. There are a few each year but I've never seen one that had a lion that was this aggressive. Usually they'll jump on a human, thinking deer or elk, and once they realize it's not deer or elk, they take off.

There had to be something wrong with this one. Maybe young and stupid or possibly deseased.

[WyattE]

Are there any reports of this happening in the Bighorn Mtns. and is it generally safe to take a family hiking there in the Mtns.?

[ElkHunter]

Originally Posted by WyattE

Are there any reports of this happening in the Bighorn Mtns. and is it generally safe to take a family hiking there in the Mtns.?

I don't remember the last time we had a report. Real rare.

My kids (in 30's now) all take their campers, tents and such up into the mountains in early spring and set up. They leave them up there all summer long and drive up every weekend and enjoy the outdoors. (have to move campsites every 2 weeks). All my grandkids (1 yr to 18 yr) go with them and wander, hike, fish, 4 wheel all over the place. They have never encountered or even seen a mountain lion.

We did see one a couple years ago while fly fishing the LittleHorn. He watched us from about 100 ft away. He never moved, except his tail kept twitching. But that's down a pretty rough canyon that you enter from the Montana side.

[WyoNewk]

Originally Posted by WyattE

Are there any reports of this happening in the Bighorn Mtns. and is it generally safe to take a family hiking there in the Mtns.?

I can't remember ever hearing of an attack in the Bighorns, but if it can happen in Thermopolis it can certainly happen in the Bighorns. (Also keep in mind, I don't hear about everything, and I forget much of what I do hear!)

Those things are more apt to attack family pets or children, but very rarely they will attack adults. That chainsaw must have REALLY irritated that old cat! Honestly, I'd be concerned about rabies.

Is it "generally safe"? Yeah, generally. I'd guess there would be more danger from getting between a cow moose and her calf, but I wouldn't like to see a small child go wandering off in the mountains. Family hiking should be fine in most cases. Carry a walking stick and be cautious if you come upon moose, elk or bear.

[Dwatted Wabbit]

Interesting story. Of course, cat attacks are pretty rare considering the predation that man has visited on the mountain lion population.

For another perspective, see this wire from the feline wire service Catamount Times:

c) Catamount Times Eleven more of our brother and sister catamounts bought it last week. Three were hit by vehicles while at work, five were chased down and treed by dog packs, then shot by a man with a high caliber rifle, one died a terrible death after eating a poisoned bait carcass, one died after drinking from an antifreeze spill, one was shot by a sniper.
Score for week: humans 11, cats 0. Another typical week.

While I wouldn't want to have to fight off a cat, we humans are by many magnitudes the most dangerous species on the planet, to our own and others.

We are far more likely to be hurt or killed by a human or a car or truck than by a big cat.

[mike8290]

Chances are a mountain lion will see you first and it will either go away, watch as you go away, or attack you. If it attacks a person, they won't see it coming. They tend to attack from behind or above.
Mountain lion attacks are rare in the U.S. IMO, the best defense would be a large and powerful dog that can defend a person. Lions do not want a fight, they'll run if they get into one. A good dog can put up a serious challenge, serious enough that the lion will likely run away.

[BennyPhoenix]

There was an attack a few years ago in Orange County Calif. The man was jumped by a mountain lion and his German Shepherd attacked the lion and fought it off; he saved his owner's life. Having a large dog that isn't a coward is, IMO, an absolute necessity when hiking or camping. A mountain lion can take down an adult in seconds because you wont see it coming.

[rmmoore]

Yes, mountain lion attacks are rare, but not unheard of. Attacks are increasing in the suburban areas of the country that are nestled in the foothills of traditional habitat, as well as mountain homes and weekend getaways. You can either accept and deal with it, or MOVE. Your call.

Many small pets, and several small children, have been attacked and killed the last several years, NATIONWIDE, and not specifically here in Wyoming. When I go into the mountains, I personally carry a large caliber handgun, along with my Rottweiler when possible. A good dog, preferably a BIG one, is a good idea. They can warn you, defend you, and more often than that, deter a cat in the first place, although I wouldn't bet my life on that.

Now, for a seperate issue. I take issue with Dwatted Wabbit, or at least the "feel" of his/her post. To begin with, I DO NOT consider the feline species to be my "brothers and sisters". I'm fairly certain those that were hit by cars were not ran down with murderous intent. While I can't be certain of the particular ones mentioned, the folks I know that hunt Mountain Lions usually shoot them with .22 caliber rifles after they are treed, usually. While that may not be relevant, don't attempt to paint the "high powered rifle" (ie. the "gun") as a tool of evil visited upon your poor, defenseless cat family. You ever seen what a Mt. Lion does to it's prey? In your front or back yard? There are hunting seasons for a reason.

Further, while I don't particularly condone poisoning anything, I'm guessing that you don't know what the circumstances were, and neither do I. Perhaps it was a rogue cat that was attacking livestock, domestic pets, or maybe even a HUMAN , GASP!!!!! Unfortunately, and sadly, I have had personal pets die after drinking antifreeze that was spilled in my garage. Does make me a "murderer" of my family pets? Does that raise the "body count" numbers for me vs. them? Your posted comment about a "sniper" killing a cat is pathetic, and is uncalled for.

I fail to see ANY reasonable, or positive contribution to the question asked in this Forum by your comments and posting from an obviously biased, pro-animal rights publication. Your comments on humans being the most dangerous species on the planet, again, serves no purpose and has no bearing on the question posed in this Forum.

Big cat attacks are rare, and the chance of being involved in one are NOT very high, that is true. Your additional comments are unnecessary and do not belong here. Take that to a PETA Forum and have a philosphical debate there. THIS is a place to discuss life, living, and issues relevant to Wyoming, not political positions/beliefs or personal philosophies. Take it somewhere else please.

Am I alone in feeling this way?

[ElkHunter]

A few years back I took my grandson up to the Little Horn to do a little fishing. Early spring, snow still on the ground. He was 5 at the time and very impressionable. So I took time to point out tracks in the snow. That one is a coon. Probably 25 lbs or so. Look at how far apart his tracks are and how big and deep they are. Well, we fished up the Horn about a half mile and were walking back. Grandson pointed and said, "Look grandpa." There were cat tracks, on top of our tracks. He was stalking, or following us probably out of curiosity. But until then, I hadn't paid attention to my grandson's clothes. He was dressed in Carharts. Tan bib's, tan coat, tan gloves and a tan hat. Probably looked like a deer.

I carry a .40 cal. I looked at that cat track, and looked at the .40.

We never saw a cat on that fishing trip, but we darn sure saw tracks everywhere.

That day, when we got back into town, I went to the local gun store and purchased a S&W 500. I figured I might only get once change to shoot and if so, I wanted to take some meat off.