I have this posted in Younghunters section but figured i would put it in biggame section as well. Being in this part of California(or at least Bakersfield) we don' t generally have Mountain lions in the area but we do in fact have some not too far from here. My question is how bad do they affect the human/pet population in your area? Just curious because several years ago a male M.Lion came down from the near by hills (probably about close to 15 miles) and stirred up a scare at a local college we have out here. Happy to say no humans were hurt or killed but it did kill and eat a few dogs and cats before animal control was able to shoot it with sleeping darts.

I prefer catamounts to mos' people. I like seein' ' em in the wild. They rarely show up ' round town. Every couple years or so. Don' t care for mos' pets either, so you know where I stand about thet. Come to think of it, chilrin' ain' t my favorite thing no more neither. Specially with them skate boards, wierd haircuts an' baggy jeans ' round their a$ses. Maybeso we need more lions.

Funny, it reminds me of what happened to me two years ago. I was collecting morels in the burns here in montana and I saw this guy a few hundred feet from me and I motion to him indicateing this is my spot and the guy just kept comeing towards me ignoreing my motions. Funny thing about this guy is I could see his body and he just wasn' t moveing right, kinda like backwards/awkward and he was ugly as hell, maybe kinda scarey. As he got closer I could see he had a plastic halloween mask on the back part of his head, and I said to myself, " I got to cheque this out," so I worked my way up to this guy and after a while we started talking and I had to ask, " hey whats with the mask?" He replied that his brother was attacked the previous year in Idaho by a cat from the rear and the mask is suppose to give the impression that it can see it and thwort out an attack. To each there own I guess.
It enters my mind of an attack at times but then again so do the Griz and Blackies with cubs and along with the elk/moose calving, but if you spend so much time worring about an attack its very difficult to enjoy a hunt. Good Luck, Bobby

You find much plastic mask parts in the Lion scat out that way?

Just curious where in Montana you live in because i used to live in Great Falls before moving back to CA

121553, It' s funny that you mention that. There was a documentary about tigers on Discovery chanel a while back. The natives would wear masks on the back of their heads while they were out hunting or gathering food in the jungle to make the tigers think they were looking at them. Cats seem to like to attack from behind.

To the original question, we don' t have to wory much about any cats coming down into the suburbs. Every once in a great while we' ll have one come down. We have to look out for the bears every spring and summer though. Had a bear in someones garage about two miles away just the other day. Same neighborhood I took those elk picstures in that I posted the other day.

Never have Trapper, so maybe the mask works.
Redhawk we be down here in the Rocky Mt trench at the British Columbia/Alberta border. Its the last of the best.
Bigbulls, I really don' t need a mask. Just naturally scarey I guess.

We definatly have a problem with them around here. We saw one awhile back out the kitchen window about 100 yards from my kid' s playground. Two years ago a cat took down a horse about a mile from here, It has been seen alot but never shot. It was screaming like mad alot at night this spring about 1/4 mile from our house. one neighbor had to take both of their dogs to the vet and one had a cougar tooth stuck in it' s head. In my oppinion it was a big mistake when the voters did away with hound hunting. There just is' nt any other way to get them in this brush country.

earlier this year in our january archery deer season i was hunting and found some big kitty tracks. the bad thing was that the cat was tracking people and probly still is to this day. think that i' ll be investing in a kitty tag this year

CA outlawed hunting cats years ago. Just about the same time the deer starting getting harder to find. Cats are the only thing that realy scare me in the forest. Have come face to face with several bears (black) even one a night and they have always gone their own way. Cats on the other hand are hunting you. Read a few stories in Outdoor Life last year about N.CA and Oregon. Seems bow hunters get a lot of attention. Found the biggest tracks i' ve ever seen last year right on the trail (foot/motorcycle). Didn' t see him but the hair was standing on the back of my neck as I crept thru the woods and hour before light.