Cougar

[StickMark]

Went out with espresso and an urge to see sunrise in a canyon I hunt.  Spur of moment thing...and in I went.  Thought it weird that a fox by headlamp let me get close.  Turned out he was watching a "bobcat" that I got real, real close to, then I figured it out.  The cat did that vibrating sound, then screamed.  No way to describe that sound, believe me.  Off and on the cat came in, screaming, with me yelling back.  I left my gun and knife in the house; this hike was spur of the moment.  I had a lighter in my hiking shorts, and struck a fire and waited till sunup..  When I went back the tracks showed the cat not below a small cliff like I though, but in brush... Asked a lion-guide about it later, he said replay that scenario 9 more times and I would be dead.  I now like to bring a revolver while hunting.

[sleek]

You wish you had a cougar stalking you, Steve-O 

Jdub, your sense of humor is on point sir. When I grow up, I wanna be like you.

Dude, at my age the cougars are saber-tooths!

[sleek]

Went out with espresso and an urge to see sunrise in a canyon I hunt.  Spur of moment thing...and in I went.  Thought it weird that a fox by headlamp let me get close.  Turned out he was watching a "bobcat" that I got real, real close to, then I figured it out.  The cat did that vibrating sound, then screamed.  No way to describe that sound, believe me.  Off and on the cat came in, screaming, with me yelling back.  I left my gun and knife in the house; this hike was spur of the moment.  I had a lighter in my hiking shorts, and struck a fire and waited till sunup..  When I went back the tracks showed the cat not below a small cliff like I though, but in brush... Asked a lion-guide about it later, he said replay that scenario 9 more times and I would be dead.  I now like to bring a revolver while hunting.

Rule #9 dude.

[Hawkdancer]

I saw one years ago on a scout outing, bounding away.  like JW, I like a .41 mag with HP loads by Bill(Ruger).  Real nice to have along.  Got one that matches for the little lady, and she is good with it, too!  Don't know of a proven cat attack here, but we have several suspected cases, based on behavior of dogs and knowledge of trackers.  Snakes and other AH's are a different story. 
Hawkdancer

[DC]

It's funny, I walk up back quite a bit. I will just be walking along thinking about nothing, then I think, Cougar, and the hair on my neck all stands up.

[PEARL DRUMS]

I believe BC has the highest attack rate in the world Don? I could be off a bit, usually am.

[DC]

Wikipedia says that 2/3 of Canadian fatalities happen on the Island. There are a lot of cougars here. Like I said I've seen 5 and I really haven't spent a lot of time in the woods compared to some people. About 20 years ago I was working on a repeater housing at the bottom of a pole on the side of the highway. I heard a screech and thump and turned around to see a mostly dead cougar on the road right beside me. It had come up a ditch about five feet behind me and tried to cross the road. Didn't make it. If the truck hadn't hit it I would have never known that it was there. I don't think it was after me. It just wanted to cross the road. He had a big chunk out of his backbone. Some young fella's with a .22 put it out of it's misery. When the warden came I gave him my name and number in the hopes that they would let me have the claws. Never heard back from them. That was the last one I've seen.

[willie]

then I think, Cougar, and the hair on my neck all stands up.

let me rearrange that statement a bit, Don.

when I smell a cougar, the hair on my neck all stands up, and then I think cougar.

I am not sure that we have to be conscious of a smell for our brain to react, but I have learned to be very conscious of the hair on the back of my neck. It can be surprisingly accurate up here in bear country

[Parnell]

You wish you had a cougar stalking you, Steve-O 

Ha!  I had a rabid one one my case back in the day, buddy! Craziest critter I ever seen.  Think she might have left me with fleas for awhile there.

[mullet]

All the time I've lived in Florida and Colorado I've only seen a Cougar three times and all three times in Central Florida. I don't worry about them, we have a lot more down here to eat your but in the woods, now.

[k-hat]

Went back out on Sunday afternoon with my son, we were in the north woods and an older gentleman and his two high-school age sons were stand-hunting pigs in the south woods.  He sends me a text "Did you hear that!?!?!" evidently Kitty got him some dinner and let out a scream  .  He then sent me a msg a little later saying his sons bailed on him and ran home lol   I probably would have too but we didn't hear it.

[High-Desert]

Just like JW said, the danger is highly over stated. Be more concerned with your drive out to your hunting location than a being mauled by a cougar. You should feel lucky that you got to see one, it's rare.  I live in cougar country, and I feel lucky whenever I get to see them.

[k-hat]

Yeah, i kinda wonder how long he has been there and no one knew.  While we were walking in the north woods, we did come upon some relatively recent tracks..man those are big paws!!

That said, it DOES make the experience entirely different going into the woods at 5am during his hunting hours!  I went in yesterday morning entering in thru the south woods where i haven't been (scouted it in goolge), and the atv path I walked in on was clear but lined on both sides with 5-6ft tall reeds. AND it was moonlit and quite windy.  I can guarantee if I heard him scream in that mess I'd have definitely peed my pants.  I was a little on-edge to say the least with flashlight and buckknife in one hand,  bow in the other!  Kicking myself for misplacing my headlamp.

[sleek]

Glad to hear im not the only one who gets very nervous out tjere in the dark alone like that. I always just thought I was a chicken. Maybe not now...

[Hawkdancer]

Don't fear the night!  Fear what goes bump in the night!  Those moments definitely raise the hair on the back of your neck!
Hawkdancer