- Joined
- Jan 28, 2003
- Messages
- 13,341
Please watch this video before replying to this thread.
https://youtu.be/FDGM7QgxuWw
In any case what prompted me to start this thread is an event that happened three days ago. My daughter had three class mates from Vet school decide to take a hike up a trail just to the west of Ft Collins in the foot hills of the Rockies. Their plan was to hike up the trail predawn and watch the sun rise from atop a popular overlook 1.7 miles from the trail head. The trail takes some time to climb because it gains over 1200’ elevation in that distance.
About .75 miles into the hike one of the three young ladies noticed a set of eyes shinning in her head lamp beam off to the side of the trail in the grass fairly close to the trail. As they stopped and tried to figure out what kind of animal it was it quickly became apparent that it was a Mt Lion crouched swishing the tip of its tail and getting ready to pounce.
None of the three had a weapon of any kind. While I consider that their first mistake what they did next saved them from a mauling and very likely a fatality. They all three went shoulder to shoulder to appear as large as possible and they started to loudly and as deeply as possible make grunts and shouts as they slowly approached the cat. At first the cat challenged them and after a tense stand off decided to turn and run away.
They then stood back to back scanning the the area with head lamps and waited for the sun to come up before cautiously returning to the trail head.
They handled the situation as well as it could be handled given their lack of having any defense tools amongst themselves. They broke the cats predatory response by facing it and moving towards it. They threw off its confidence by shouldering up in a group making themselves appear large and they did not turn and retreat down the trail in the dark which very well could have renewed cats predatory response.
Now on to the linked video. The point the guy makes in the video is that it doesn’t really matter what defense platform you carry, mindset and training are far more important than caliber or spray. I’ll add that understanding predator behavior and habitat is one of the most important elements in staying safe in the back country.
Taking one look at the terrain where this event occurred makes my lion hunting sense tingle. The trail goes up a narrow steep rock draw with tons of ambush points for cats, in short it’s perfect Lion habitat in the middle of some of the most densely populated Lion country in the USA. I’d definitely carry a gun or spray at all times and I’d really like to have a dog with me if I was hiking it in the dark.
I can’t blame the three young ladies, they aren’t from the local area. While they understood enough about predatory behavior to react as well as they could. I’m guessing they never figured that they’d run into a large predator in a state park almost within the city limits. This is a common mistake that people make. Park does not equal safe, in fact it means that the meat eaters living their are not frightened of humans as they don’t see them as a threat.
https://youtu.be/FDGM7QgxuWw
In any case what prompted me to start this thread is an event that happened three days ago. My daughter had three class mates from Vet school decide to take a hike up a trail just to the west of Ft Collins in the foot hills of the Rockies. Their plan was to hike up the trail predawn and watch the sun rise from atop a popular overlook 1.7 miles from the trail head. The trail takes some time to climb because it gains over 1200’ elevation in that distance.
About .75 miles into the hike one of the three young ladies noticed a set of eyes shinning in her head lamp beam off to the side of the trail in the grass fairly close to the trail. As they stopped and tried to figure out what kind of animal it was it quickly became apparent that it was a Mt Lion crouched swishing the tip of its tail and getting ready to pounce.
None of the three had a weapon of any kind. While I consider that their first mistake what they did next saved them from a mauling and very likely a fatality. They all three went shoulder to shoulder to appear as large as possible and they started to loudly and as deeply as possible make grunts and shouts as they slowly approached the cat. At first the cat challenged them and after a tense stand off decided to turn and run away.
They then stood back to back scanning the the area with head lamps and waited for the sun to come up before cautiously returning to the trail head.
They handled the situation as well as it could be handled given their lack of having any defense tools amongst themselves. They broke the cats predatory response by facing it and moving towards it. They threw off its confidence by shouldering up in a group making themselves appear large and they did not turn and retreat down the trail in the dark which very well could have renewed cats predatory response.
Now on to the linked video. The point the guy makes in the video is that it doesn’t really matter what defense platform you carry, mindset and training are far more important than caliber or spray. I’ll add that understanding predator behavior and habitat is one of the most important elements in staying safe in the back country.
Taking one look at the terrain where this event occurred makes my lion hunting sense tingle. The trail goes up a narrow steep rock draw with tons of ambush points for cats, in short it’s perfect Lion habitat in the middle of some of the most densely populated Lion country in the USA. I’d definitely carry a gun or spray at all times and I’d really like to have a dog with me if I was hiking it in the dark.
I can’t blame the three young ladies, they aren’t from the local area. While they understood enough about predatory behavior to react as well as they could. I’m guessing they never figured that they’d run into a large predator in a state park almost within the city limits. This is a common mistake that people make. Park does not equal safe, in fact it means that the meat eaters living their are not frightened of humans as they don’t see them as a threat.