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Post by lavandulagirl on Feb 23, 2009 23:51:33 GMT -5
In my neighborhood. It's dark, and stormy, and the chickens are snug in their coop, I think. The cat and the dogs will not be going out if I can help it. A good night for sitting in by the fire and drinking copious amounts of red wine. I'll be spending a good deal of time over the next few days freaking out when i go out to the hens in the early morning.
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Post by grunt on Feb 24, 2009 2:32:36 GMT -5
Lav: Find a stick, broomhandle or equvalent to pack with you, preferably with something a bit bulkier looking than the diameter of the stick. Carry it with you and if you see the big cat hold it up so that it would make you much taller if it was part of you. If you ever saw "The Gods Must Be Crazy" You will remember the kid holding the stick over his head to ward off the hyena. It actually does work. They can't differentiate between the "you" and the "not you" if they are connected. For those of you on or near the coast, and troubled by seagulls, a stick or fishing pole waved or even held above your head vertically, will keep you from getting harassed or dive-bombed as well.
Cheers
Dan
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jason
gardener
Posts: 246
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Post by jason on Feb 24, 2009 17:15:38 GMT -5
That must be exciting. I've heard a few stories recently of mountain lions making their way down into cities along the rocky mountains through stream beds and things like that. My sister lives in a city near mountains and they sometimes have letters at the door warning them of local mountain lion sightings too. Grunt gave good advice, although I wouldn't worry too much unless you are jogging or mountain biking a lot by yourself. I was in Wyoming yesterday and saw some tracks in the snow. When I was living there a few years ago I was riding my bicycle home along an out of town road in the middle of the night and heard something running after me. I was so scared but it was only antelope.  |
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Post by utopiate on Feb 24, 2009 17:56:13 GMT -5
I just recently examined some fresh mountain lion tracks in the snow on the ridge just above here. Plenty of deer around, and therefore always some mountain lions about doing their thing, but mostly unseen. Saw a mom and three kittens farther down that same ridge once. They had a young deer down in the brush, and were laid up digesting. Many years ago one did come right into the yard not eight feet from the porch in broad daylight. It seemed quite curious about my exwife in the garden, who was covering the tomato plants unaware of the visitor. Well, it wasn't crouching ready to spring, but may have been considering such a course of action, since scarcely fifty paces seperated the two. When viewed in the context of our eventual divorce and the state of feelings and behaviors at the time, sometimes I rather regret throwing open the door and running the cat off.
A pack of wolves is moved in up behind the mountain now, first in the state in about eighty years. My kinda neighbors. Those deer always were hell on gardens and fruit trees before the fence was up.
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Post by grunt on Feb 25, 2009 1:32:52 GMT -5
Another "deterrent" or safeguard (don't laugh now, this is said seriously). If you are nervous about going out because there is a cougar in the area, get a reasonably lifelike kids mask, and put it on the back of your head. They do this in south east Asia, where they have tigers to deal with. The cats can't tell that it's not your face - - - they see the "eyes" and won't approach from that side, as they don't like to be watched. They no longer lose loggers to them as a result.
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Post by flowerpower on Feb 25, 2009 7:13:44 GMT -5
We have a few mtn. lion in the area, but the DEC says there are none. People are "mistaken". I know I saw one cross the road not 3 mi from my house. I am not mistaken- the tail made it pretty obvious. There are thousands of acres of state forest in this area for them to hide in.
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Post by Penny on Feb 25, 2009 7:50:17 GMT -5
I have seen a show that describes what Grunt is talking about and it really does work.
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Post by macmex on Feb 25, 2009 9:47:52 GMT -5
One of my wife's co-workers lost FOUR adult cattle to a mountain lion in just a week. I can't figure why it would kill that many.
I pity the predator which scares my wife, when I'm away. she does the chores with a shot gun in hand!
Mountain lions are not good on cattle. We hear reports of loses, all the time. I wish they'd select deer more often. Deer are increasing, even here in Oklahoma, where hunting is a passion for many.
Perhaps the scariest tales I've heard, from more rural parts of Oklahoma, are those of escaped exotics. Beats me why someone would keep, let alone release a tiger, lion or leopard.
George
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Post by utopiate on Feb 25, 2009 10:28:47 GMT -5
Well it would certainly be unusual and fearsome and dramatic to go down under tooth and claw, which is perhaps why we dread it so, but realisticly, a person's children or they themselves probably stand a million-fold more chance of being killed or maimed by the neigbor's dog, or a drunk driver, or a bad traffic accident the next time they drive to the supermarket. One could compare cougar attack numbers to any of a million different common or uncommon causes of death that happen often enough that we just take them in stride as ordinary misfortunes to be avoided if possible, without living in a state of active fear about them. That's just to put the odds of dramatic but highly unlikely events like such wild animal attacks in perspective. Particularly, the number of maulings and deaths caused by dogs is appallingly high when compared to deaths caused by wild animals, but really nothing can compare to the carnage caused by auto accidents, yet we don't live in terror of our own cars and pets.
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Post by americangardener on Feb 25, 2009 11:07:11 GMT -5
Utopiate..
While it may be true statistically that you're more likely to be hit by lightning than being attacked by a mountain lion. It means nothing. Statistically there are less people who have mountain lions in their back yards than there are lightning strikes.
If you're gonna go jogging in an area that is populated by mountain lions.. or swim in shark infested waters.. it'd be naive to rely on statistics. Not only naive, but deadly.
I love all the tips you're giving Grunt. It is always better to be prepared and to know what to do ahead of time. If you got mountain lions in the area you'd better know what to do Lav. Whatever you do.. don't ever run! It's just instinct for a large cat to chase and kill whatever runs from it. Even more so than a dog... dogs will chase anything that runs too.. but cats are way worse. But, i'm sure you already know all that. Just be safe!
Dave
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Post by americangardener on Feb 25, 2009 15:22:20 GMT -5
I like statistics as much as the next guy Utopiate.
Here's a statistic for ya Lav. When in the presence of a mountain lion you're much more likely to be eaten than getting hit by lightning if you were in a wide open field waving a golf club and swearing at the heavens for god to strike you down in a lightning storm.
Chances of getting attacked if you run from one.. 100%. If you ever do find yourself in the proximity of a mountain lion... take Grunts info with ya. Make yourself appear as large as you possibly can. Stretch out your arms.. and if at all possible grab two large sticks to beat it off with when it does attack ya. And if it runs at ya.. for your own sake beat it off with the sticks before it reaches ya. Your only chance for survival will depend on you hurting him first. It won't do you any good to climb a tree.. cause he can climb faster than you can. Only option there would be to find a tree that is really, really skinny. And that's if you had time to climb one. Best bet.. walk slowly away backwards. And don't turn your back on it.. i wouldn't.. not even with a face painted on the back of my skull.
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 25, 2009 15:59:16 GMT -5
And another thing:
Apparently, mountain lions (just like domestic cats) stalk more than they attack and attack even when they're not necessarily hungry or at least that's what I remember reading once in an article in a nature mag. That said, I grew up in cougar country (Vancouver Island and the Mainland) and only saw one once from a distance. We did have a mountain lion attack and kill our giant dog - the cougar was fatally injured as well but was found some distance off. It had been attacking farm animals in the area - an uncommon occurence at the time. Our dog slept with the goats. They were found in the field about a quarter mile off. The suggestion at the time was that the mountain lion was somehow old or weak to be attacking farm animals (a myth I understand now - they are just doing what they do), which was the reason it was given that our dog managed to injure it. I don't know but I remember I wasn't allowed to see the bodies.
I love all nature, even these big cats by the way, but they are to be taken very seriously.
Oh and don't go out in lightening storms with metal buckets to collect water either.
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Post by ottawagardener on Feb 25, 2009 16:05:29 GMT -5
Oh you reminded me of another difficult to believe story. When I was a teenager, I was crawling through the underbrush one early morning around London Ontario and felt the accute sense that I was being followed.
Why was I in the underbrush? I just liked exploring when I was a kid.
I quickly got out of the forest and started to run across the farm field (didn't know any better btw) to my Aunt's house. I leapt up the porch, slammed shut the glass porch door and turned around. I swear to you that there was a lone wolf standing on the other side. No not a coyote or a dog or a husky or a racoon (someone suggested I mistook it for one, seriously), a wolf. I had seen them before in parks, and since. It was skinny and brown in colour and had moved without making any sound at all. I had not heard it, only felt terrified. I turned around again to get a camera and when I turned back, it was gone.
Hence pretty much no one believes me. London, Ontario wolves? In the daytime (in my defence, it was close to dawn). Don't believe me do you? It's true!
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Post by americangardener on Feb 25, 2009 17:09:31 GMT -5
Hey.. i'll beleive ya OG.
I don't know what statistics say about the possiblity of wolves in your area..but then i don't rely on statistics for everything either. You know what you saw... and that's good enough for me. Now if you'd said it was big foot.. i might have a few doubts.
Just like most predators.. that's exactly what a wolf would do is chase you if you were running. You should never run from any predator no matter what.. course you know that now. And you did just get lucky that he didn't catch you before you got inside.
Mountain lions are the worst though as far as predators go. They can no more stop themselves from attacking someone running than you can stop yourself from breathing. It's just instinct.. it's not even a choice for them. Even if not hungry they will attack just for the sport of it.
Now, i used to live in Maine.. and my father actually used to go hunting mountain lions for the bounty. (Yeah they used to put bountys on em.) So, i've grown up all my life ever since i was a little kid being taught not to ever run from an animal. Even a bobcat will chase you if you run. But, to alot of people.. that's almost as much of an instinct to run as it is the cat's instinct to chase em. People living in an area populated by wild animals owe it to themsleves to learn about the nature of the beasts in the area. Otherwise it could be a tragedy in the making.
I actually love all animals.. and i do mean all.. even mountain lions. Just you need to be aware of their nature.. and get all the info you can if you're gonna co-exist with em. Give em the respect you would any killing machine.. and just steer clear of em. And just out of common sense don't go jogging where they live.
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Post by americangardener on Feb 25, 2009 17:27:54 GMT -5
Utop..
I got no quarrel with you. You're just wrong is all. On all accounts. I've got pictures of me when i was 4 years old with my arms wrapped around a dead mountain lions neck. What do you got? I've seen more mountain lions in the flesh than you'll ever see. But, then again i don't really care how many you'll ever see. My only concern is keeping Lav and whomever else might come into contact with one alive.
I also happen to be right about animals.. i know alot more about animals than most anyone. But, if i'm gonna be wrong.. i'd rather be wrong keeping someone safe than by telling them to go pet a rattlesnake. No harm is done by being overly cautious... whereas thinking everything is perfectly safe can get a person killed.
Seems like you feel that i have something against mountain lions... i don't. I just respect them for what they are is all. I'm not telling anyone to go out and shoot em on sight. Just to use common sense. What would you perfer me to tell em?
Dave
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