Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

2 seasons ago, walking out at dusk after deer hunting all day by myself. Walking downhill on an old logging trail out of the clear-cut I always hunt. Saw a dark lump where the road I was on T'd with the road out to my truck (~3/4 mile away) but thought it was a stump. Kept walking quiet, trying to be sneaky in case a deer was nearby (had seen several deer while walking out this way in the past). No deer but still that dark mass in the road ahead. Got to about 50 yards away and decided to see what it was through my scope. I brought my gun up to my shoulder and looked and just as my crosshairs settled on the "stump" it stood up from a sitting, facing away position, and walked off the road over the edge away from me. I couldn't believe my eyes but I was seriously scared. After it disappeared over the edge I heard crashing, snorting, and thumping as it must have been stalking some deer on the far side of the road. It never knew I was even there. Of course I had to walk to the spot where it was sitting to get out of the area but by this time I was shaking. I looked around very hard but s/he was gone. Full size cat I'm sure but not a huge Tom.

Needless to say I walked backward to my truck that night. I still hunt the same area and every day I walk in there I get nervous and think about what I would do if attacked. Hunting the same area last fall my brother-in-law and a kid from the camp next to us saw a cat (probably the same one) in the exact same spot. It darted across the road right in front of them chasing a hare in the mid-morning.

Finally this year I've come to grips with it and since I'm 6', 220lb. I finally feel like I'm big enough that I could hold my own against him, or at least give him a run for his money. I have started to carry a fixed knife on my belt from now on up there (instead of the folding one I also carry). Still I play it out in my mind just what I would do "in case". I also leave a note at camp on where I'm hunting every day and stay true to that note.

Anyone else have some true, exciting adventures of close encounters in the wild?

-Power

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

They will make you pay attention as you walk out in the dark!Saw one while sitting in my stand during bow season.

Hunting is not a sport,it's a lifestyle.

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

Don't be so sure big guy that you can take care of yourself with a cat. A cougar/mountain lion/Florida panther are capable of killing an animal 6 times their size in body weight. I have heard of a few attacks here in the NW and it seems a majority are male juveniles. Its seems the older cats (as long as food source is availiable) will be more recluseive and not near as bold. It would be a freaky thing for you to be attacked by a cat but the chances are there and since you are in their yard, I would show them the respect. Later.

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

Hey man I know it makes you need to clean your shorts! But,,,,,how many people never get the opportunity to get that close. If you are really worried about it you could wear a helmet and protective collar. Bottom line is if IT wants you, you may wind up in a very BIG cat's litter box. Want to read about experience with big cat's try looking up an author by the name of Capstick. No, not Chapstick, Capstick.

"Size may not matter but it sho IS nice!" [/quote]

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

I dont know why I read these stories? It just makes me think more when I go out in the woods. I am glad MN dont have no big cats like that around that I know of, but I have heard up where I will be hunting in a few weeks there has been supposedly sightings of mountain lions but I dont know specifically where. As I have said before, I like to carry a trusty 45 or 9mm at my side just in case I would have to use it if I was attcked and lost my rifle in a struggle with an animal like that. Then even if that happened, I just hope to get a handle of my side arm if it did attack me. Extra precautions dont hurt. I think I would have been cleaning my britches out for a couple of days if I had an encounter like that. Good story.

Starrman

Ron Starr

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

Don't get me wrong, I know a big cat could definately put the hurt on anyone. Just most of the attacks you hear about are on women or children. Us big burley men usually don't have to worry about it as much. I guess I'm just picking your brains a little about what you do to deal with the fear of being attacked, even if they aren't going to try to eat you later. When they attack deer and elk they generally go for the throat like a lion and suffocate their prey. I figure if he's chomping on me like that I got at least a couple minutes with at least one arm to either beat on him real good or get my knife out.

Hopefully that will never happen but who knows?

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

On Monday, I walked out from where I was sitting in a clear cut, and had cat tracks cut mine in the snow about 100 yds from where I was sitting. Got the heart beating a little faster

bag em' and tag em'

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

Starman, you as others have a misconception that you can really protect yourself with a sidearm from a cat or bear. Maybe in Hollywood, what that side arm does though is give you confidence, but in reality you are not going to have a chance to react to an attack with a pistol fast enough. You are usually being attacked/abushed within a split moment and out of surprise. If I had to leave my 45 or bear spray at the kabin I would choose to take the bear spray in the bush.

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

A close encounter can certainly make you more aware of what is in the woods with you. Last week I was in my stand, watching a doe and her fawn brouse by, while I was also watching a squirrel family coming and going from their hole in the tree next to me. The doe turned, stomped and snorted and I thought she had winded me when I saw movement in the grass between us. In a heart beat, there was a bobcat in the tree next to me, clawing at the squirrel hole and I about jumped from the tree. My movement caused the bobcat to bolt, but my heart didn't slow for quite some time. It happened sooo quickly, I dont think I could have drawn a pistol, without shooting myself.

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

To me having a pistol or knife at my side isn't so much to fend off the animal but to grab for in desparation after the animal is attacking me. I'm no expert but in my mind if I'm on the ground being attacked hopefully I'll have the presence of mind to grab for the weapon to get the critter off me.

Who knows? The reality of it is pretty bleak but I'd rather have that option than not.

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

Cougars are incredible predators and, as has been stated above, a person wouldn't normally have much of a chance in a surprise attack.
We have a significant population of them here. Over the past few years in British Columbia, they have attacked pets, colts, joggers, people on bikes, and even people on horseback. A few years ago, a woman was killed in south central B.C. while she and 2 others were aboard their horses.

Yet, there recently occurred an attack on a lone individual, which he survived and the cougar did not. A fellow on Vancouver Island (an island 240 miles long on coastal B.C.) was pounced on but he managed to get out his lock-blade knife and kill the cat. This happened last Summer and he was interviewed on TV just 2 nights ago. His multiple injuries are still healing.

Although packing some sort of weapon could possibly help you survive such an attack, wresting with a cougar is not something that I'd recommend.

Edited by - Canuck_2 on 10/23/2002 16:11:51

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

They are impressive creatures. On my land the Brazos river cuts through it. I set one day scoping for mule deer and noticed a cougar working the river. He caught my attention, so I watched him for about an hour. He was stalking a hog. It was pretty cool, I wish I would have had a video camera. He caught the hog and killed it pretty quick. I was glad I was on a 40 foot bluf, It allowed me to set and watch him for about a hour and a half.

I always carry a side arm when I hunt (44mag) incase I have hogs come up on me. I now carry it for the cougars as well. Dont want to be the food for one of those guys.

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

Power,

Have you ever had a common house cat freak out on you? Man, a 15 pound cat can mess you up as far a pretty serious wounds, I know.

I came across a Bobcat a few years back and buddy that was enough to get my attention, esspecially when the big puss seemed to not like me in his area and came twords me pretty aggressivly.

Nothing a shot over his head couldn't do to ward him off. BUT, what if you managed to run into this or a really big cat like a mountain lion or it stocked you.

Unless your pretty lucky and can manage to get your knife out or your side arm you may have a chance.

Keep those eye open, remember that cat could absolutley take you and me down in a spit second. Our strangth may be a challange to the cat but it those claws and TEETH!

Never run from a cat or bear ect. we can manage to ward of large animals that could eat us just my standing our ground and making some noises, scream like heck!

KEEP HUNTING THE GREAT OUTDOORS & GOD ALIVE, PASS IT ON!

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

THE KNIFE IS GOOD, BUT YOU ALSO MAY WANT TO CARRY SOME PEPPER SPRAY.
-RYAN

RYAN SMITH

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

121553 quote,

Ya I know what you are saying that I probally would not have time to react, but extra precautions could not hurt the matter. The main reason I do carry my side arm is because of timber wolves. You do not want to run into a pack of them. Bigger and stronger then regular wolves. I could use my rifle but its just extra precation. I think I will bring some pepper spray out.

Starrman

Ron Starr

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

Starrman
A side arm is a good Idea. Rifles are a little two hard to swing around and shoot when something is right up on you. I use to not carry one until one day while turkey hunting a buddy of mine had to use his. He had made a blind in a wash out with only one way in and out. He always carried a 357. He didnt see any trukey that day but had a rather large hog crawl in his blind with him. The hog freaked out and went for him, the only thing that keep him from getting hurt was that 357. I now have one with me any time I am hunting on the ground.

RE: Snuck up behind a Cougar!
 

burniegoeasily: I hear that! You just never know. Even if there was some kind of struggle with an animal like that, hopefully I could just be able to grab my side arm! My buddies have been hunting the area for years now where I am going. Every year someone in the group has seen timberwolves in the area. There are supposedly Mountain lions too, but I just hope I dont run into either. The land I will be in is quite vast which goes for hundreds of miles all the way into Canada. It gets pretty thick. I will probabally be laughing my ass off walking through the woods thicking about these stories, but also looking over my shoulder every couple of seconds.

Ron Starr

While Mule Deer hunting in 2007 and Elk hunting in 2009 (both in Colorado), I never saw one, but the big cats were certainly in my fore thought as I walked as dusk and dawn. I hunted alone and the elk trip was with archery equipment.

Can't wait to get back

remember the old saying for every second a cat has his claws on you you'll require 100 stitches...

how long you planning this fight to last? have health insurance...?

A number of people have been seeing more cats in the southwest bowzone around Calgary (about a 25mile radius) in the last few years. It's a fairly settled area, lots of small subdivisions of places where 1/4 sections have been subdivided,a lot of places you can't hunt on. People have had their dogs and cats taken out of their yards, one guy had both his dogs taken the same week off his porch, he saw it out the front window.
I know two people who have shot cats that were following them while hunting, one with a gun, followed him for over a mile at less than 50yds,he shot it at 15. Had to retrace the route with a fishcop following the cat track. He got to keep it. Another one who was bowhunting , shot one at 20 yds,you have to handle one to appreciate how big and strong they really are. This one jumped about 50-60ft when hit and ran into a swamp to croak. It's still there.
Need to respect them, they definitely can take any of us down if they want to.

My Neighbor got a picture of a large Cat on thier property a few years ago,our land joins theirs and it only has to walk a few hundred yards and it would be right where I hunt,ever since then I pack a knife and/or a handgun whenever possible....I don't care if a Big Cat has the upperhand on us or not,I'm not going down without a fight! ;)

It can be a scary experience to think there's an animal out there that can be stalking and hunting You...I've been extra cautious when I walk out of the woods in the late evenings and have seen several Bobcats on numerous occasions,even had a nice big Bobcat walk across a downed tree about 25 yards away when I was Bow Hunting in a natural ground blind and I saw a Bobcat chase after a young Doe a few years ago so I know they can be pretty threatening too and have been known to take down prey much larger than themselfs!