This is a discussion on Mountain Lions! within the Carry & Defensive Scenarios forums, part of the Defensive Carry Discussions category; We have a great running/walking trail that goes right behind our place. I use it for my runs. We use it to take the dogs ...
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We have a great running/walking trail that goes right behind our place. I use it for my runs. We use it to take the dogs down to the bark park.
Well the mountain lions have been visiting town again. This past week a mountain lion attacked a goat at veterinarians house (this is a cool story--a donkey actually fought off the lion). A couple of other folks I know have had sightings while they run.
Just one more reason to carry!
God is love (1 John 4:8)
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Since its a wild animal, make sure its a gun that'll leave a big hole. I've shot wild animals with small caliber guns before. They can go on a while before succumbing to blood loss.
A CCW is like a parachute; if you need one, and don't have one, you'll probably never need one again.
You may be armed, but you may never see the mountain lion attacking coming until it's right in your face.
Stay armed...stay very alert...stay safe!
"That I cannot do."
"Give this to, uh, Clemenza. I want reliable people, people who aren't going to be carried away. After all we're not murderers in spite of what this undertaker thinks."
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Certified Glock Armorer
NRA Life Member
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Luckily, mountain lions, unless they are sick or starving, are very timid (hence the nickname "scaredy cats"). They will typically back down from direct retaliation and confrontation. Much like the average criminal, they tend to want the weak and easy kill. I have personally turned back a mountain lion by simply making large hand gestures and screaming at it. I wouldn't recommend this for most predators but this is one animal that will back down from an aggressor.
I'm sure that except in the rarest of circumstances the sound of even the oft disparaged .380 would scare a mountain lion away whether it hits it or not.
Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the face.
- Mike Tyson
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I'd just run somewhere else.Originally Posted by gruntingfrog
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Things like running and biking stimulate the 'prey' response in big cats. So if you are out jogging on trails in cougar country, you are labelling yourself as potential prey.
I have confronted a cougar on a trail...from 30 ft away, but not jogging, just walking. He was happy to just sit and watch me, as I walked away. It was an amazing experience.
Healthy cougars dont generally attack adults unless you trigger that prey response. As an adult, standing up to a cougar, looking as big as you can with arms above your head, stretched out, should make a cougar reconsider. Predators cant afford to get hurt taking down game they cant handle.
If you are jogging in cougar country, you are making yourself a target. In the end, it's the cougar that will be hunted down and killed...one way or another.
Fortune favors the bold.
Freedom doesn't mean safe, it means free.
The thing about "defense" is that it has practically nothing to do with guns. (As passed on by CCW9MM)
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They stalk prey. I've seen news stories of prople being attacked and just like ret said, it's a sneak attack. We've got coyotes and bobcats, but no confirmed sightings of mountain lions yet.
Know Guns, Know Safety, Know Peace.
No Guns, No Safety, No Peace.
Guns are like sex and air...its no big deal until YOU can't get any.
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Should never run from a mountain lion, stand your ground, yell, act menacing, I personally would shoot as a last resort, they will normally turn tail if you look menacing to them. Jogging though, you might not know they are there until they are on you as stated earlier, they stalk, and a lot better than most BG. Keep alert and stay safe.
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If the lion is in view of humans it should be shot on site.
Biker
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A 125-150 lb cat can certainly take down a person, even a strong and athletic one. Definitely be cautious. Back in my running days, in cougar country it was a permanent rule amongst our group to never, ever go running alone off asphalt.
I'm with BikerRN: ditto on the idea of erasure when cats are preparing to take down humans. Basically, we're food. If they're in the area and close-in, they are a severe threat. Imagine the risk to children, even in 10yds away our own yards, let alone animals.
Your best weapon is your brain. Don't leave home without it.
Thoughts: Justifiable self defense.
Explain: How does disarming victims reduce the number of victims?
Reason over Force: The Gun is Civilization (Marko Kloos).
NRA, GOA, OFF, ACLDN.
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We have had suspicions of the big cat in MI. for years,(with some sightings) but the DNR has just officially declared that they are here, with one being hit ,and some verified tracks that this time they'll verify as true cougar.
I don't know how I'll react (if), (when) I come in contact with one. My hope is that it would have a good ending for all, but if its attacking or the like, I most likely would start shooting.
Trying to control crime with gun control laws is like trying to reduce drunk driving by making it tougher for sober people to own cars.
If you want to make God laugh, tell him your plans.
Washington didn't use his freedom of speech to defeat the British, He shot them!
Politics is the art of looking for trouble, finding it whether it exists or not, diagnosing it incorrectly, and applying the wrong remedy." -- Ernest Benn
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Exactly.
Unless its hungry from starvation, they scare easily. Scream and wave arms and they run. Combined with the bang of a round to the ground and they turn tail immediately.
After that, if they still stalk, its likely starvation and requires direct force.
Running away triggers cats prey drive. Stand your ground.
"When plunder becomes a way of life for a group of men in a society, over the course of time they create for themselves a legal system that authorizes it and a moral code that glorifies it."
- Frederic Bastiat
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We have seen one on our hunting property 3 times. The kids have named it "Fluffy". We want to take it out, but the only shot my friend had was at his butt, and he did not want a wounded lion walking around.
A guy hunting with us had him 30 yards away. He noticed him because the deer went nuts. He had a .270 and a .45 caliber pistol. He said when he looked at the lion, it looked back and all he could do was pray that it did not eat him, lol. He said the eyes just paralyzed him.
We have kids that hunt with us, so we would like to remove him from the herd. Hopefully with my bow.
Socialism: A great Idea...'til you run out of other people's money. Margaret Thatcher
"A man without a gun is a subject, a man with a gun is a citizen."
~Ted Nugent
Mountain lions aren't especially tough, but like any wild animal--don't underestimate it!
The biggest problem with mountain lions is we're occupying what was formerly their turf. And yes, most attcks are from ambush, so the likelihood of you being able to defend yourself are reduced--not impossible, but reduced.
If you sight one, the best preventative action is, like with bears, to make noise. If they're downwind, a shot of pepper spray toward them will tend to make you undesireable. I've only seen one in the wild. It was hightailing it away!
Retired USAF E-8. Avatar is OldVet from days long gone - 1978. Oh, to be young again...
Paranoia strikes deep, into your heart it will creep. It starts when you're always afraid... "For What It's Worth" Buffalo Springfield
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This^^^
Spent a lot of time in the woods hunting on the ground with a predator call. I'm still amazed how fast and quite a large predator can come in before you know it. Even with your head on a swivel expecting it, don't underestimate it! I would tend to think your 1st shot will be with the lion already on you, fast draw or not.
While people are saying "Peace and safety," destruction will come on them suddenly, ... and they will not escape. 1Th 5:3
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