Having monitored recent developments in the struggle between the wild cougar and modern man and harvesting my first cougar with a bow several years ago, I was very interested in reading Ms. Etling's book.  I was not disappointed in what I found there.

   Kathy documents a partial history of cougar attacks going back as far as the late 1800’s.  Using official reports, others research and Internet sources, Kathy takes us on a state by state and province by province history of cougar attacks.  She focuses on the prime territory of the mountain lion and gives detailed accounts of attacks in British Columbia, Alberta and Vancouver Island, Canada.  From there she moves into the U.S.A. and reports on the history of attacks in Washington State, Montana, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado and ends with California.

   The scariest part of her little history report is that attacks by the mountain lion are dramatically increasing all across the western U.S. and Canada.  Cougar sightings are increasing nation wide with sightings occurring in areas where they have been non-existent for years.  As more and more wilderness consumed by the vicious chomp of civilization’s aggressive appetite, the cougar’s numbers continue to grow and violent confrontations between it and man are rapidly increasing.

   This situation is aided and abetted by the dense populations of city people that determine policy for managing the cougar in the wilderness with their popular vote from the relative safety of their concrete jungle.  As so often happens, the control of the puma population through hunting is being determined by the majority who base their votes on pure emotions and who live in metro areas where predacious threat of this killing machine is non-existent.

   Meanwhile, the rural folks who live the wild areas where big cat populations are exploding face an escalating danger as the cougar seems to lose its fear of man.  This combined with hunting bans, which have allowed cougar numbers to soar unchecked is like throwing gas on an already roaring fire.

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   Kathy’s book describes scores of attacks in detail.  As we read of one attack and then move on to another, a familiar pattern emerges.  We learn that the cougar is efficient and deadly when it decides to stalk and then kill.  Unlike other big predators that will charge from the front, the cougar usually hits from behind with deadly a force aimed at the neck and head.  Many folks, especially youngsters, were believed to be killed instantly by the vicious rearward attacks of the mountain lion.  Other fought for their lives and limped away from the encounter maimed and scarred for life.

 This is not a good place to be.  The cougar is a calculating killer!

   The book also provides helpful hints on preventing puma attacks.  It also provides a list of things to do when one attacks.  Important things that could save your life or the lives of loved ones.  The tragic reality of cougar attacks is that the most common victims are children.

   Kathy has done her homework and makes a well-organized presentation that both entertains and informs.  Her writing style is easy to follow and understand and fortunately for me, she doesn’t use too many big words.  She seasons her work with interviews, which establish the very different and sometimes far apart theories on how the modern cougar should be managed and handled. 

Never run from a cougar!  It is a pursuit hunter.

   One thing is obvious!  The numbers of attacks are escalating.  The folks in the city are in staunch support of the cougar.  They demonstrate a disturbing attitude, which places a higher value on the life of a wild animal, than that of a human being.  This is a common trait of city folks who have become so civilized and have lived in pens for so long, their wild minds have gone deep, deep into La-La-Land.

   I would strongly recommend this book to anyone who has an interest in learning the true facts about what many consider to be the meanest, most prolific and most aggressive predator on the North America continent.  The survival tips alone make this book a real value to the outdoorsman who lives or who travels into cougar country. 

Some cougars have been documented to kill multiple deer in one night.

Cougars inhabit the country pretty much nationwide and are becoming more numerous and seen more frequently in heavily populated areas.