They are all over up where I hunt. And in my opinion, if there is anything to fear in the forest, it is the Mt. Lion. I know a few years back a lion killed someone near placerville (my grandma has a cabin there). Up in and around trinity, I personally see a couple lions every hunting trip. Never had a problem but when they passed a ban on lion hunting a few years ago, I heard lion attacks went wayyy up in that area.