Montain Lion

[Mr_Sheesh]

Very like a woman's scream.

Farmer friend one fall called me to come shoot a coyote on his place, in the San Juan islands. At low tide, there is a land bridge from mainland to this island. Asked the usual questions and he said it was open terrain, long sight lines, so I picked out the .243. I forget why but the follower was not in it at the time, oddly.

We get there and the terrain is more doghair, 30 foot visibility or so tops... We sat in his trailer talking for a bit then hear -scream- "There, that's it, the coyote!" he exclaims. -facepalm-

Go outside and could hear it walking in the woods on the other side of the dirt road, crunching dry leaves. It was within 30 feet of us, knew where it was, but no visuals? With a bolt action single shot, scoped long range rifle. Kitty eventually decided they weren't getting his livestock that day & left.

Until then - We respectfully stayed on our side of the road... If we'd had a 12 gauge, or semi auto carbine, would have felt far better armed for that situation!

[MT Gianni]

The smell of them is strong also. When you're in lion territory you know it. Still it is very hard to get a shot on one unless treed or trapped.

[FISH4BUGS]

I positively ID'd a mountain lion here in Southeast central New Hampshire a couple of years ago.
There is no mistaking the profile of a mountain lion.
You would think I had seen a flying saucer the way people treated the sighting.
NH Fish & Game will not admit they are here. They say they are "passing through".
My understanding is that if they officially admit the existence of mountain lions here, federal regs will kick in.
No, it wasn't a bobcat. It was a mountain lion.
I may only have one eye but it works pretty well.

[Battis]

Not too long ago, on a farm in Salisbury, MA (MA/NH border), they found a dead calf in a tree, which, apparently, is a sign of a big cat.

[firefly1957]

The smell of them is strong also. When you're in lion territory you know it. Still it is very hard to get a shot on one unless treed or trapped.

What is the smell you refer to ?
I have for years been asking about a smell both me and my father both smelled while we got a strong sense of being watched while bow hunting 00 yard apart . The smell was like skunk and coffee next day we found very large cat tracks in area.

[MUSTANG]

What is the smell you refer to ?
I have for years been asking about a smell both me and my father both smelled while we got a strong sense of being watched while bow hunting 00 yard apart . The smell was like skunk and coffee next day we found very large cat tracks in area.

Smells like exceptionally strong Cat Pee.

[cwtebay]

Smells like exceptionally strong Cat Pee.

Fairly certain that out of the last 100 or so lions I've been around - I haven't noticed the odour other than a handful.
Their range is a 65ish mile radius - not like every square foot is their litter box.

Sent from my Pixel 5 using Tapatalk

[Idaho45guy]

Saw one dead on the side of the road today on my way to work. We have quite a few out here, but that's the first one I've seen hit by a car. Looked like a young one, so probably out looking for new territory.

When I lived in Iowa, had a friend who lived in the country call me in a panic one night and said he had a Mountain Lion in his tree and his dogs were going nuts circling the tree and barking.

He said he called the Iowa DNR and they refused to come out because they said mountain lions don't exist in Iowa. But then said if he killed it he would be fined heavily. I asked him what he wanted to happen and he said he wanted it to leave. I told him to get his dogs in the house and the lion would leave.

He did, and it did. He showed me the pictures he took and it was indeed a mountain lion.

[gwpercle]

Mountain Lions make their living by being stealthy, very stealthy!

Three44s

A big cat is something I wouldn't want to tangle with .
At the New Orleans Zoo a Jaguar got out for about 45 minutes and killed 5 alpaca , 2 emus , 2 foxes and injured several other animals ... all in under 45 minutes !
The Jaguar is named Valero , his cage repaired and is back on display ... the zoo director said he was just doing what Jaguar's do . Big cats are killing machines and I would not like to be attacked by one .
Gary

[quilbilly]

If you have ever heard the scream you will never forget it.

. We had a pair mate right under our bedroom deck at 2 AM one night a few years back. Our indoor house cats were never quite the same after all the screaming and hollering.

[firefly1957]

Mustang Thanks for clearing up what they smell like I am still after quite a few years puzzled at the coffee /skunk type smell back then while bow hunting on my land here in Michigan . Whatever it was it spooked first my father then me and every animal around too even chickadees got still and quiet.

[jim147]

Mustang Thanks for clearing up what they smell like I am still after quite a few years puzzled at the coffee /skunk type smell back then while bow hunting on my land here in Michigan . Whatever it was it spooked first my father then me and every animal around too even chickadees got still and quiet.

That would have been a Bigfoot that spilled his morning coffee down his front side when he saw a funny meme on Facebook.

[gwpercle]

. We had a pair mate right under our bedroom deck at 2 AM one night a few years back. Our indoor house cats were never quite the same after all the screaming and hollering.

I don't think I would be the same after all that screaming and hollering under my house ...
I would consider doing something drastic ....
Gary

[Gator 45/70]

I don't think I would be the same after all that screaming and hollering under my house ...
I would consider doing something drastic ....
Gary

Kinda reminds me of my younger days with the down da bayou women....

[gbrown]

Kinda reminds me of my younger days with the down da bayou women....

Thanks for the humor!! LOL

[Mr_Sheesh]

gwpercle I remember the "Great White hunter" who was contracted by an African Government to kill some killer Lions (IIRC, Man eaters of kumaon?), it got into a killed woman's hut and was roaring etc. in there, GWH was getting all ready to confront it...

Meanwhile one of the military guys attached to him, pulls the pin on a grenade, and tosses that in there, BOOM, dead kitty.

Sometimes the direct way works best AKA "Peace through superior firepower" LOL

Should do for Cougars too, tho in the US you might have BATFE issues

[firefly1957]

That would have been a Bigfoot that spilled his morning coffee down his front side when he saw a funny meme on Facebook.

It was before there was a facebook I think AL GORE had recently invented the internet then

We saw large cat tracks next day and for the next year and a half I never caught that smell again I have had bear near me there is is nothing like the smell of a bear. There are more cougar sightings in this area then bigfoot sightings of coarse our DNR says neither are here but the state did pass a law protecting bigfoot back in the 1970's .....

[Three44s]

Don’t kid yourself, those cats Mark territory with urine that smells but they do not wet themselves as that would be counter productive.

If they were wounded or in some big fight they might spill some but their order of business, their very survival is summed up in one word: Stealth

Three44s

[Mr_Sheesh]

Their ability to jump amazing distances helps, too.

If in cougar country and you feel watched. pay attention, our brains just know sometimes.