Yesterday, when I went out to feed, I saw a mountain lion jogging down the road about a half-mile from the lease place where I keep my horse and miniature donkey. This got me to worrying about it maybe trying to attack the horse or donkey. I know that they can (one was attacked about twenty miles away about a month ago), but I didn't know how likely it was. I tried to do some research, but all I found was that it can happen. There are deer and rabbits and stock in the area, but I am worried about my two buds. Do y'all have any thoughts?
worried about seeing a mountain lion
- Thread starter texastele
- Start date
- Status
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Generalizing, lions rarely attack full-size/full-grown big critters. Calves, colts, deer, yeah, but those are fairly easy prey. Sheep, goats, coyotes, dogs, house cats, rabbits and such are a lot less work.
JeeperCreeper
Member
I wouldn't panic just yet, but I would still keep an eye on the situation. Check for tracks/signs when you go out. I would worry more about the mini donkey than the horse. What are the fences and acreage like on the lease property?
It's just ranch fence. The place sits on the edge of a creek with some pecan bottom and then the rest is a fallow field and pasture. There are several houses nearby on my side of the road and across the rd is a big ranch. There are several fields and pasture. The ranch has some relief but they are certainly not mountains
rcmodel
Member in memoriam
We had a mountain lion killing full grown horses in their pins 20 miles south of Colorado Springs in 1968.
Never did stop until it moved on it's way.
The best thing to do is go out and yell at it to go away, and shot one shot in the air, like they do on the 'Mountain Men' TV show.
Works for them!
rc
Never did stop until it moved on it's way.
The best thing to do is go out and yell at it to go away, and shot one shot in the air, like they do on the 'Mountain Men' TV show.
Works for them!
rc
JeeperCreeper
Member
Problem is, mountain lions will be active when you aren't out there to see him: dawn, dusk, a night. You might not know it is a threat until it is already too late and it kills one of your animals. Mountain lions also have established terrritories, which means if you saw it, then you're probably in its territory.
If you leave it be, it will either go about its business and leave you alone or it will hunt your critters. The likelihood of either option is not predictable.
If you trap it or hunt it, thus removing the resident lion, then another transient lion may take its place (or multiple subadults and then you really have a problem).
I do not know the legalities of your area, but I would contact the game commision or other wildlife preservation society locally and see if they have advice/intel.
If you leave it be, it will either go about its business and leave you alone or it will hunt your critters. The likelihood of either option is not predictable.
If you trap it or hunt it, thus removing the resident lion, then another transient lion may take its place (or multiple subadults and then you really have a problem).
I do not know the legalities of your area, but I would contact the game commision or other wildlife preservation society locally and see if they have advice/intel.
steveracer
Member
Mountain lions are like meteors: You won't ever see it if it hits you, you'll just be dead. So don't worry about it. While you are looking around for them they are laughing at you.
I'd have to say there is some good advice here that has already been given. My 2cents is that it will be most interested in smaller game. I would look for sign, and install a game camera near your mini donkey. I also wouldn't expect to see anything happen, and if something did happen you wouldn't know until its too late.
There were Florida panther sightings in a nearby town several years ago. The panther and mountain lion are virtually identical except for territorial domain. People would actually catch glimpses of the panther lounging in their backyard trees. Completely silent booger that would just hide and watch. The area had lots of horse pastures. As the events unfolded lots of feral cats disappeared but no horses were bothered. Once the kitty cat population had decreased the panther moved along.
Best of luck
There were Florida panther sightings in a nearby town several years ago. The panther and mountain lion are virtually identical except for territorial domain. People would actually catch glimpses of the panther lounging in their backyard trees. Completely silent booger that would just hide and watch. The area had lots of horse pastures. As the events unfolded lots of feral cats disappeared but no horses were bothered. Once the kitty cat population had decreased the panther moved along.
Best of luck
sage5907
Member
Mountain lions don't stay in one place very long at a time. The animal that you saw may be 20 miles away by now or even 100 miles away. I think the only time they stay in one place very long is when they are raising their young. Farmers see them in the area where I hunt but they are here today and gone tomorrow. I may see tracks and then not see tracks again for a year or so, probably a different animal. I have made casts of their tracks but I have never seen them. Two times in the past 40 years I thought I may have seen one but I have never been sure. I have never heard of them killing farm animals in western Oklahoma. I have been around cattle when one is in the area and farm animals catch the scent and just their presence scares the hell out of farm animals. You'll know by the actions of the animals when one is around.
Last edited:
Captcurt
Member
I'm with Sage. Mountain Lions, especially males, have a huge home range. That cat may be in the next county by now. just be thrilled that you got to see one. The majority of us never will.
Art Eatman
Moderator In Memoriam
Lions roam. Texas wildlife biologists claim that a lion on the hunt might travel as much as twenty-five miles in a night. That's a sizable circle.
I know of one radio-collared lion which was released near the Rio Grande in Black Gap WMA and was killed in a rancher's sheep pen near Marathon two nights later and some eighty miles from the release point.
My flight instructor had a contract to monitor a radio-collared lion whose travel path, north to south and back, was some 150 miles. From around Marathon south into Mexico's Del Carmen mountains.
I know of one radio-collared lion which was released near the Rio Grande in Black Gap WMA and was killed in a rancher's sheep pen near Marathon two nights later and some eighty miles from the release point.
My flight instructor had a contract to monitor a radio-collared lion whose travel path, north to south and back, was some 150 miles. From around Marathon south into Mexico's Del Carmen mountains.
herkyguy
Member
- Joined
- Jul 31, 2009
- Messages
- 1,409
Can't relate to the lion, but I do have a mature black bear destroying my feeders, so I can relate in some sense. Sucks walking in with a headlamp in the fog for early morning hunts. Spooky to say the least.
Just out of curiosity, what does the mini donkey do? Is it s pet?
Just out of curiosity, what does the mini donkey do? Is it s pet?
JohnM
Member
We have quite a lion population in this western part of Wyo where I live. There always were a few around, a lot over the last 15 years or so. Even so there's not much livestock loss, but they do put a hurt on the deer.
Most are seen at night in headlights while driving these dirt roads.
This cat was walking along the river bank behind my corrals, pretty good size, they're over 4" across.
Most are seen at night in headlights while driving these dirt roads.
This cat was walking along the river bank behind my corrals, pretty good size, they're over 4" across.
Attachments
Don McDowell
Member
Lions do like to get horses and burro's, they are easier prey than a deer. But has been said they do most of their work at night, so protecting your equines is going to be a bit of a problem. Maybe installing a motion sensored light or noise maker would help to deter the cat if it's checking on your equines.
The good news is lions do travel quite a bit, altho they don't lollygag around much and they cover all of their territory every few days.
You might want to check around near where you saw the lion, as it's most unusual to see a lion in broad daylight, unless it's coming to a predator call, or you happened to spook it off of a kill it was still feeding on.
The good news is lions do travel quite a bit, altho they don't lollygag around much and they cover all of their territory every few days.
You might want to check around near where you saw the lion, as it's most unusual to see a lion in broad daylight, unless it's coming to a predator call, or you happened to spook it off of a kill it was still feeding on.
witchhunter
Member
Male lions patrol their area. it may be 20 square miles or more, but they will be back every two weeks or so, depending on the size of the area they are defending. In Nevada and California they kill deer, donkeys, burros and wild horses whenever available.
steveracer
Member
As a rule of thumb, a 150 pound cat kills a deer every week just for food, and more for normal "cat-crazy" stuff. I would love to be able to hunt them, even if only to improve the deer population in some areas. BUT, it's murder on dogs. Teddy used to hunt them in the West, and lost a few dogs per cat.
Ifishsum
Member
Teddy had the wrong dogs apparently. It's pretty uncommon for a hound hunter to lose one to a cat, cougars usually tree pretty quickly and generally don't fight the dogs unless it's absolutely necessary. If that happens, it's ugly - but highly unusual.
lion
I guess it matters where you live. If you are in an urban area or sub urban area
where lions are a public nuisance, then you may wish to contact your F & G dept.. If you are in a rural area that is considered normal lion range then that's different. Then F & G's attitude would likely be quite different unless other complaints are coming in from time to time.
For instance lion problems used to be rare in Boise, Idaho 20 years ago, maybe one in town per year each winter. Now it's at least 6 - 8 times per year.
F & G normally will remove them ,often terminally, as they tend to keep coming back, and there is an over population of lions state wide. Lately one lion tried to kill a bicyclist dog as he was riding just above town. It's only a matter of time before a baby gets grabbed in a back yard in my opinion. Dogs disappear often.
Now here in SW Idaho lions are common on the BLM ground and occasionally
show up in the agricultural area from time to time. A neighbor about 1/2 mile away was knocked down and scratched up a bit on his way to the milk barn early one morning in the wee hours a couple years ago. His old dog was Johnny on the spot and shushed him off pretty quickly. We did wonder about the negligence of old spot that morning. That's pretty rare though, and I don't particularly worry about it here at home. We do shut the gate on the pasture when the horses come in about dark, though.
I guess you could pick up a nanny goat or two, if that's an option, and throw them out with your equines. Suspect the lion would go for them first. So if one shows up missing it might give you an advance warning that the culprit is hanging around in the vicinity. Lions are fairly easily trapped if they are in the habit of frequenting an area. About 15 years ago we would catch one about every year now it's 3 or 4. So F & G might be willing to trap your guy if he's caught killing stock (meaning nannys), or attempt it at least, as not all F & G personnel are good cat trappers. In fact few are.
As far as horses being scared of them, I'd guess that depends. These guys here have seen plenty in traps over the years. They always want to get a closer
look each time. So I'd guess they aren't particularly terrified of them. More than once they have laid their ears back and stomped the ground when being spit at. To be sure they wouldn't be so brave if we weren't there. OYE
I guess it matters where you live. If you are in an urban area or sub urban area
where lions are a public nuisance, then you may wish to contact your F & G dept.. If you are in a rural area that is considered normal lion range then that's different. Then F & G's attitude would likely be quite different unless other complaints are coming in from time to time.
For instance lion problems used to be rare in Boise, Idaho 20 years ago, maybe one in town per year each winter. Now it's at least 6 - 8 times per year.
F & G normally will remove them ,often terminally, as they tend to keep coming back, and there is an over population of lions state wide. Lately one lion tried to kill a bicyclist dog as he was riding just above town. It's only a matter of time before a baby gets grabbed in a back yard in my opinion. Dogs disappear often.
Now here in SW Idaho lions are common on the BLM ground and occasionally
show up in the agricultural area from time to time. A neighbor about 1/2 mile away was knocked down and scratched up a bit on his way to the milk barn early one morning in the wee hours a couple years ago. His old dog was Johnny on the spot and shushed him off pretty quickly. We did wonder about the negligence of old spot that morning. That's pretty rare though, and I don't particularly worry about it here at home. We do shut the gate on the pasture when the horses come in about dark, though.
I guess you could pick up a nanny goat or two, if that's an option, and throw them out with your equines. Suspect the lion would go for them first. So if one shows up missing it might give you an advance warning that the culprit is hanging around in the vicinity. Lions are fairly easily trapped if they are in the habit of frequenting an area. About 15 years ago we would catch one about every year now it's 3 or 4. So F & G might be willing to trap your guy if he's caught killing stock (meaning nannys), or attempt it at least, as not all F & G personnel are good cat trappers. In fact few are.
As far as horses being scared of them, I'd guess that depends. These guys here have seen plenty in traps over the years. They always want to get a closer
look each time. So I'd guess they aren't particularly terrified of them. More than once they have laid their ears back and stomped the ground when being spit at. To be sure they wouldn't be so brave if we weren't there. OYE
Well, there has not been any sightings or trouble since then. In answer to your question, the miniature donkey doesnt do much of anything. He and the horse got to be friends at the last lease place that I was at. The guy was getting rid of all of his stock and I asked him about the donkey. He went on at some length about how he had paper that it came from the official line of the king of Spain's minitaure donkey line or something and how much he had paid for it and I told him I had fifty dollars in my pocket. So, now I have a donkey. It's good for the horse to have a buddy, I think.
bainter1212
Member
- Joined
- Sep 17, 2012
- Messages
- 1,175
You might look into getting a bull. Some are worthless but there is a Spanish breed bull that will confront predators when they come close. Just my not-so-informed opinion.
My only experience with lions is while hiking. They have followed me a couple of times. I'd see the tracks outside my tent in the morning (yikes!). They are QUIET. Had a buddy who spotted one while hiking, if he hadn't been looking at the right spot at the right moment he would never have spotted it. Thing made no sound whatsoever.
My only experience with lions is while hiking. They have followed me a couple of times. I'd see the tracks outside my tent in the morning (yikes!). They are QUIET. Had a buddy who spotted one while hiking, if he hadn't been looking at the right spot at the right moment he would never have spotted it. Thing made no sound whatsoever.
JeeperCreeper
Member
That is a good deal! Horses and dogs have similar mental functioning as humans (in my semi-professional opinion) and this is especially true for socializing. That is why dogs and horses like having companions and are so trainable by humans to coexist. Try getting a mako shark or a siberian tiger to be a good pet... even after generations
To not derail, I am glad the cat situation is working out so far. Keep us posted and hopefully it is miles away doing "cat things" in another section of its turf
.455_Hunter
Member
My family has had numerous close calls and several face to face encounters over the past 25 years in the foothills just west of Boulder. Cat behavior is extremely complex, and we could write a book on their advanced hunting techniques and social interactions. Though it sounds kind of stupid, make sure you are frequently marking your territory around were your animals stay by drinking lots of liquids- the cats understand that language.
gamestalker
member
If it were me, I would be rather concerned. We've had quite a few live stock killed by lions out here in the southwest over the years, cattle, horses, goats, and everything in between. And not far from my property, a few hikers have been attacked over the years, one or two in the last couple years in fact. I don't trust lions at all, and if it were me I would take some measures to keep them safe.
GS
GS
- Status
