Enough about bears, how about cougars?

[alsaqr]

Couple of years ago I was tracking a wounded hog down a gully when something suddenly made me very uneasy. On the bank about 50 feet away sat a big male cougar switching his tail and eying me like I was lunch. A 250 grain bullet from my .50 muzzeloader took care of that guy.

 

[AKElroy]

Basically if its good enough for stopping a human, its probably gonna work the same on a cat. That said, cats hunt by being sneaky, and most likely if you are attacked, and you get off a shot, its likely going to be over your shoulder into the cats head which will be firmly affixed to your neck.

+1. That's the problem; they hunt in thick country & have extreme stealth. Probably not going to see it or hear it coming. Don't be a deer; get used to LOOKING UP in cat country.

 

[Zach S]

Cats are thin-skinned, and there isnt much in the way of the vital parts. Basically if its good enough for stopping a human, its probably gonna work the same on a cat. That said, cats hunt by being sneaky, and most likely if you are attacked, and you get off a shot, its likely going to be over your shoulder into the cats head which will be firmly affixed to your neck.

Sounds about right...

If you think about it, plug your ear with your off hand. If you dont think about it (understandable), you're going to have a pretty good amount of hearing damage to go with the scars you'll have, if you survive, and you'll have an interesting story about why you're deaf in one ear and always wear a collared shirt...

 

[ClayInTX]

I believe I've laughed more through this thread than any yet. When this one runs its course perhaps I'll start one about possums.

Sheesh! I probably just did.

 

[KBintheSLC]

The cougars around here are pretty moderate in size... generally between 75-125 lbs. Basically, any centerfire handgun will do on an animal of that size. I like to also carry my big hunting knife since it is very likely that you won't know you are being attacked until it is on top of you. With a knife, you can do a lot more in close quarters than you can with a gun.

 

[smallbore]

There have been reports of mountain lion sightings her in New Hampshire.

 

[danprkr]

And they wonder where the deer have gone.

I think most of them are in the suburbus of Austin TX. I can't drive in several neighborhoods without having to shoo them off the roads as I idle down the road.

 

[Zach S]

I think most of them are in the suburbus of Austin TX. I can't drive in several neighborhoods without having to shoo them off the roads as I idle down the road.

I see a pretty good amount of them on the stretch of I26 in Madison County going into TN. At least one a week.

 

[danprkr]

I see a pretty good amount of them on the stretch of I26 in Madison County going into TN. At least one a week.

Here in TX they help me unload my tools from the truck, and would come into the house and offer unsolicited advice on how to fix the dishwasher if the home owner's would let them. And I'm not talking one a week. I'm talking up to 12 at a time.

These owners have taken to landscaping with plants that whitetail don't like, and building 'deer proof' fencing. Both measures have proven to be a waste of money. I've been trying to get my step father in law to buy a crossbow and a freezer, but so far no go.

 

[wishin]

I wonder if any of you Texas guys that have seen cougar there can tell me how close y'all are to San Antonio? My daughter and her family moved there not too long ago. Thanks.

 

[azyogi]

"The jaguarundi is a separate species. Very rare north of Mexico."
I have seen one of these, while still hunting behind a bow blind I found myself about 20 feet from one [north side of Pusch ridge near Oro Valley] It was carrying a rabbit in its mouth. I had frozen at the first glimpse [was wearing full camo and de-scented] the cat never the less 'knew' something was around. It set down the rabbit looked around, stared at me for what seemed a long time, picked up it's dinner and vanished. At the time I thought it was an off color cougar, till I saw one {Jaguarandi} at the Sonoran Desert Museum. Thats what I bumped into and it was like a puff a smoke in the wind. I have had the pleasure of bumping into several big cats while still hunting. I don't feel threatened in these encounters probably cause I'm HUNTING. The last Cougar I saw was on Lago del Oro [near Catalina] in '02 just after the aspen fire and floods that brought. He crossed the road just north of Wilds Rd and headed east back towards Mt. Lemmon. I was bow hunting quail along the Canada del Oro wash and not wearing camo and wondered who was more surprised, me or the cat.

 

[Crash_Test_Dhimmi]

Cougars have had so many sightings there is even a TV show about them now. The show highlights the mating habits usually involving older females lurking around and luring younger males back to their dwellings. I believe it is called Cougar Town.

 

[reddogIII]

all you need is a ball point pen

I remember reading anews story a few years back about an elderly couple that were attacked by a mountain lion in northern calif, and while the husband was fighting with the cat(I believe he was feeding it his arm while it was on top of him) trying to keep it away from his wife. He called to his wife to get his ball point pen from his shirt pocket and stab the cat in the eye AND SHE DID IT! Saving his life (get a visual) I wish I had kept the story REDDOGIII

 

[Shadow 7D]

saw one treed when I lived in cali, the F&G shot it with a trank, then tossed flash bangs and shot it with paintballs to teach it fear of cities before it fell asleep and the fire department caught it in the trampoline, only time I ever saw one used, was interesting to say the least, I think it was F&G, may have been animal control, I just thought the flash bangs were cool as a kid, pissed the drunk cat off to say the least.

 

[JCisHe]

Cats are THE MOST VISCOUS HUNTERS THERE ARE!

And I respect them for that... and fear them.

Be careful friend!

 

[Hatchett]

Gonna go with the opinion here that that American's big cats are a borderline sacred animal of which precious few are left. I would need extremely significant provocation to ever shoot one, and I'd go to extreme lengths to avoid shooting one if necessary. A discussion on how best to stay out of their way would be of far greater interest to me than how to shoot one.

 

[ThomasT]

Hey Clay what part of Tx are you calling the thicket?

I was on a deer lease in Graham Tx several years ago and almost met a mountain lion on the trail I was walking down. There were fresh tracks were it had jumped off the trail and into the brush. I guess it spotted my legs or winded me through the brush. I sure wish I had got a shot. The cat had been spotted earlier by another person on the lease.

When driving to my lake house on lake whitney one morning I had a black panther run across the road in front of me. He ran down one embankment, across the road and up the other side. From nose to the tip of his tail he looked way over 8' long. He was stretched out when running so that made him look longer.

There was a guy on a bike coming the other direction that apparently never saw what ran in front of him. He missed the prize of a lifetime. My uncle was on a lease in Meridian Tx just a few miles from there and two black panthers had been spotted. They were told to shoot them if possible. No one ever did.

 

[Zach S]

danprkr, I forgot to mention that none of the deer I saw were alive... They were on the shoulder of the road, shortly after the bloodstain.

Cougars have had so many sightings there is even a TV show about them now. The show highlights the mating habits usually involving older females lurking around and luring younger males back to their dwellings. I believe it is called Cougar Town.

lmao. I dont watch much TV, and have never heard of this show, but somehow I think this isn't related to wildlife...

 

[Big Bill]

Don't underestimate how tough a big cat is. I would feel undergunned with only a snubbie .357 pistol in an area that was teeming with cougars, ets. Because, if you don't hit the lion right off with a kill shot, which is hard to do as a Mt. Lion can move very quickly, it will do damage to you, your dogs, etc., before it dies. I like the idea of having a tactical 12 gage shotgun with a high cap pistol 9mm, 40 or .45 ACP as a backup. Or, a Marlin 30-30 and a DA 4" (at least) revolver with at least 4 speed loaders. Whichever system you choose, you better be proficient with it. And, having a gritty dog or two along is also a MUST, IMHO.

I ran big game hounds (Plotts, Walkers, Redbone, etc.) for years and know a cat can kill several dogs even when you think you made a kill shot when the cat was treed. Big cats, IMHO, are more dangerous than bears. The only animal more dangerous that a Cougar is a pack of hungry wolves.

 

[Shadow Man]

Spent a few weeks backpacking in the Sangre de Cristo mountains this summer, and the four of us spent a few days being stalked by Puma. Yeah, it was a Puma, black as sin. Closest he ever got was about 15 yards, seemed more curious than hungry. By that point, we had been out there for fourteen days without a decent shower, so we probably didn't smell too appetizing. We knew the risks, having been informed of all the dangerous wildlife in the area before we departed. The cat was pure grace to watch though, never been so impressed with an animal in my life.

 

[Zach S]

Don't underestimate how tough a big cat is.

Never underestimate any cat...

Its not hard to kill a house cat that's trying to tear you up, the hard part is catching the little psyco and peeling him off of you.

 

[ClayInTX]

Wishin,
I’m a long way from San Antonio, about 200 miles.

Ratshooter,
The Big Thicket begins several miles north of Beaumont, spans several miles wide both sides of the Sabine, and goes north up past Caddo Lake, except there is much cleared land throughout the area.

 

[wesessiah]

The jaguarundi is a separate species. Very rare north of Mexico.

My wife has had three sightings of cougars in the general vicinity of Thomasville, GA. Somebody asked her how she knew it was a cougar and not a large dog or some other critter. "Easy," she said, "They looked just like the cougar skin that's draped over our couch."

And they do taste scrumptiously good.

yeah, i mentioned them because the park ranger fella said most of the time when someone spots a black mountain lion, or one is killed, they are either a jaguarundi, or claimed to be a jaguarundi by whoever is in charge. frankly, i know nothing about them other than what he said, i hadn't heard of them; but he said they've started moving north from their typical habitat.

 

[Big Bill]

Cougar Attack

2000

24 January.

Clarence Hall, a hunter working for the Canadian government to kill problem wildlife, was attacked by the cougar he was about to hunt. The cougar had attacked a dog at the home of Cecelia and Barry Mack on the Nuxalk Indian Reserve in British Columbia the previous night. While Clarence was waiting for the rest of his hunting party, without his rifle, he was checking out tracks on the nearby Tatsquan Creek. (He left his rifle in his car since he wasn't tracking and because he was in town.)

Clarence noticed the cougar under a tree only 40' away, and tried to get back to his car. Due perhaps to his retreating action, the cougar attacked him on his neck, which felt like "being struck with a baseball bat." The cougar threw him to his back, bit again and shook him. Clarence shouted for help, then placed his hand over the cougar's lower jaw, with his thumb, forefinger and index finger behind its bottom canine teeth, which released its grip on his neck. He described:

Immediately, I envisioned the cougar ripping my belly open with its front claws. With my right hand, I pulled the cougar's head, neck and shoulder over my chest, rendering the front claws useless as I pinned the cougar's claws to my chest. I then instantly threw my left arm around the cougar's neck and shoulder.

Barry Mack then shot the cougar four times from only a foot away. When the cougar went limp, Clarence removed the cougar's teeth from Clarence's skull.

Clarence received over 100 stitches, and nearly lost his right hand, which fortunately has responded to therapy, leaving only some impairment.

Clarence Hall explains that the cougars in Bella Coola valley are starving, making them more prone to attack, because wolves have moved in and are depleting the deer population, the cougar's usual diet.

http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks_nonca.html

 

[Sunray]

"...if you see them..." You won't. Kitty comes from above and behind, extremely fast in absolute silence. You'll never be fast enough.