Intense Encounter Mountain Lion Attack – Elk Hunter Being Stalked
Wow! I don’t know who or where this guy was. But word is that he was apparently Elk hunting when this mountain lion began stalking him. Evidently having a Glock sidearm for self defense situations such as this, it saved him from being eaten when the mountain lion attacked. My first thought was how or why was he filming this extremely dangerous encounter with his phone camera? Perhaps for proof (Fish & Game) in the event that the mountain lion is killed (illegal except for self defense in this type of attack). Not sure I would have done that (would rather have a two-hand grip on my Glock!). It sounds like a 9mm to me. For the faint of heart, the mountain lion was not killed. However, it might be interesting to discuss (critique?) the events of the short clip.
Man oh man… I can’t imagine that intense adrenaline rush of a mountain lion lunging at you! No thanks. This certainly reinforces the importance of carrying a sidearm when out in the woods, or such places where this type of threat may exist. Be it a bear, mountain lion, bobcat, coyotes, etc.., you-name it… One never knows if one of these predators could be rabid or just wild-ass-nuts, or defending their young, or simply startled into a fight-flight response – even though many or most times they will steer clear! All it takes is once, and you’re dinner…
It reminds me of the following…just this past summer. One day (mid day) Mrs. J went out to tend the chickens. Just ~30 feet away she noticed movement under a tree. It was a bobcat. And it didn’t run away, at least not at first. Mrs. J was spooked pretty good… but likely saved some (or all) of the chickens that day!
Another time when my beloved Sampson was still of this world, while taking him out on potty duty one early evening… Suddenly a decent size black bear rounds the corner from behind the shop building ~50 feet away. We all just froze and looked at each other (fortunately Sampson didn’t see it!). I calmly picked up the dog and the bear calmly walked into the woods.
Okay, here’s the mountain lion stalking/attack video:
Comments?
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Not sure why the guy didnt kill it other than the fact he had that stupid phone in his other hand,
“Why did you shoot it 14 times?” “Because thats all the bullets I had”
-Not this guy
It appears this cat was acclimated to humans. After the first shot a wild one would have been gone imho. This cat may attach another human in the future. Sometimes SSS is the only solution.
Bang bang bang……..that guy was very lucky!
Actually, pretty good use of the phone and the Glock. The footage shows him backing up for some distance and saying: “get back” at least 1x prior to him capping off at the cougar. The guy was thinking of the charges that may be brought against him by Fish and Wildlife agents if he showed up with just a dead cougar on the ground. A lawyer for Earth First would have minimal or no grounds to seek prosecution toward this guy. He had every reason to be in fear of his life. I frequently had to chase people away from the noise and sight of a bear cub calling out for its mom. When I did this job within a National Park, I took the shotgun and was changing out the buckshot for slugs. (Most people realize they are in danger only when an armed ranger shows up and is scanning the area for mom-bear while switching out ammo) When the brush is tall and visibility is limited, things can happen quickly and only then do you realize how quiet cats are when they walk. (Cats have no clavicle and their shoulders float so a big cat can walk making a minimal amount of noise).
Thanks for the video Ken. People need to be educated about animals outside of zoos, cartoons and Disney movies.
I do hope this elk hunter was able to punch his tag and fill his freezer.
Another point about this footage: This provides the best answer to the question: “What is the best survival gun if you could have only one?”
Answer: The gun you have with you on your person.
There are Glock fanboys out there and there are those that do not like Glocks. The point being he had it when he needed it and it served him well.
I am now curious if this guy shot this footage around a site of a recent kill. One would never know unless you are downwind of a kill site.
A few, very few, cougars around here. Saw one cross the road ahead of me while driving the back roads. This was 20+ years ago. Coyotes are thick this year. Not nearly as fearful of man as they should be. Used to hunt ’em around here, but that was in my youth. Hides aren’t worth the price of ammo. Always have a weapon in the old jeep. I guess I should be MORE diligent with having one on my person. Scary stuff.
Having had some experience with cougars, mostly bad, This guy let that cougar get WAY to close. That cat would cover that distance in less than a second. I’ve seen the damage they can do to a colt, calf, sheep, and deer, up close.
Wild cougars are very timid, you almost NEVER see one, they don’t like humans. This cat is not afraid, which makes it VERY dangerous.
Had that been Me, I’d shot that cat in a second, fired every round in the pistol, then I would have shot it in the head with my hunting rifle. I would not film it, or say a word, SSS. I hope I NEVER get that close to a cougar, NEVER.!
He has no idea how close He came to getting mauled bad. He should go buy a Lottery ticket. Just plain luck I guess
StandMyGround,
Yup. Way to friendly, should’ve been dropped. I think off the record many game wardens would tell you the same. If a big cat like that can take down an elk, you’d be a piece of cake. Despite what wildlife protection laws have been passed, SSS is still practised by folks in the West. Be safe out there.
Wow. Humans just do not want to be food for hungry animals.
Does make me wonder if there were any elk in the woods laughing though. Ironic when the hunter becomes the hunted.
What. Too soon?
Keep shooting until that vicious beast is down.
We seem to have a surge in the cougar population around here this year. Lots of sightings close to town (25 miles away). My close encounter cougar has been seen in the morning 1/4 mile up the road, and mid-afternoon in a guy’s driveway about 4 miles away. No report past couple of weeks so we’re hoping it has wandered off or met its maker, preferably the latter. It was just too bold a big cat for an area that has livestock, numerous retired like me, and quite a few small children.
Scarring the cat off may have been the best choice.
A handgun has a good chance of only wounding it and a feller could end up wearing that cat. Could be a bit problematic.
When ever I head for the hills, rather it be low lands or high country, with no exceptions, I carry a wheel gun. Either a 44 mag or 454 Casull.
Big guns? Heavy? Yep. But worth the confidence to me, they don/won’t jam, and I can hit what I aim at also. Those calibers will stop just about any animal, including that cougar.
Well, I’ve been shooting wheel guns for over 50yrs, never had one jam yet! Autos, no such luck.
Cougars and wolves are protected but gut shot critters run off and die somewhere else , just sayin
– We have a very few cougars around her as well. Few does not mean you will not meet one some fine morning, or evening, or… you get the idea. Someone once asked me why I always carry a .357 when I’m out and about. That pretty much covers it. May be a little light for some folks, but a h#** of a lot better than a Swiss Army knife.
When I was living in Louisiana some years ago, a fellow retiring from my unit bought a small farm, had a couple horses and a chicken coop. Had a minor disturbance one night, thought he probably had a coon or the like. Walked out with a .22 autopistol, picked up a 12G pump as an afterthought as he headed out in his PJ’s He told me birdshot at 15 feet gets real exciting with a cougar.
– Papa S.
Now if that 12g had been loaded with #4buck, things would’ve gone a bit smoother. Just sayin’.
When I am out bird hunting, I always keep a couple of slugs in my pocket in case I have to deal with Mr. Cougar or Mr. Bear. Oh, did I mention the Ruger GP-100 .357 on my hip? I did not claw my way up to the top of the food chain to “go green”. Life is a vale of tears. Bleib ubrig.
– Just FWIW, the birdshot (#7 1/2, I think) did end the cougar problem. Didn’t mean it wasn’t exciting. The animal was properly reported to the fish and game folks.
– Papa
Officially there are no mountain lions in Arkansas. Despite this, most of my neighbors claim to have seen them in the past…even crediting them for livestock depredation. Myself, only once have I caught a glimpse of what could have been a lion paralleling me as I was hiking a bench below a bluff line on my homestead. Just a glimpse of a large, tawny tan body with a long tail going through the brush on top of the bluff rocks about ten foot above my head. Never was sure that was what I was seeing, never sure it wasn’t. Always totin’…I sat down in a fairly open spot to see if it showed again…to no avail.
I’m friends with the local game warden. I related the experience to him and asked what would transpire if I had shot it (assuming it had been a lion). He laughed and said that you can’t get in trouble for shooting something that the state swears doesn’t exist. He went on to say that if the state acknowledges their presence, the feds will declare them as an endangered species and require them to develop a recovery plan.
Yes, same in Tn.They prey on the deer. They are here I have seen one, and i have a neighbor that was had one claw down the side of his shop… it did not make it in the window. . “Big Bad Bubba” was scared! They have not acknowledged them here either.
Dennis when I lived in NW Arkansas near the little Osage creek we had a mountain lion frequent our chicken farm often. That was in the early 1950 era. We would hear the ruckus and see it fleeing into adjacent woods. Carrying a broiler away and leaving a lot of carnage in the brooder house.I used to hear them scream at night, nearby in those woods and scare us all.
Interesting Dennis. I live in NW Arkansas. Had some neighbors swear they’ve spotted cougars.
Had a Game & Fish biologist bring out a pig trap to help with a sounder of wild hogs. We started talking about the local cougar sitings. He shrugged and said maybe so, maybe not. They still don’t have definitive proof.
Your comment about US Fish & Wildlife makes me think maybe Arkansas doesn’t want to acknowledge their presence.
Good observation, sir.
Dennis,
The state of Colorado used to insist there were no grizzlies in Colorado, until someone pointed out you could legally shoot imaginary grizzlies. The next year they still insisted there were no grizzlies, but if there were, it would be illegal to shoot them. Rancher friends tell me… they are here, I believe them.
Minerjim
I’ve seen plenty of cougars, but only seen a grizzly once, On the west side of the Grand Teton, out about 800ys, up-wind from me. I was alone, well armed and I boot-scoot and boogie the hell out of there! Ain’t messing with the Devils cousin, nope, no way in hell.
Seen track up in northeast Wash, north of Orville, where I wash panning gold, never saw the bear.
There are several things in this world I am actually afraid of, and Grizzly is one of them. A pissed of moose cow is another. Nope, I’ll pass on that.
Minerjim,
Yes, there is a family down near Creede that has a house with a walkout basement. There were nice big windows there and the grizzlies would come and push against the glass and hang around. The DOW (at the time) knew they were there. Worked with the homeowner to get some window glass used in Alaska that would flex and withstand the pushing on the glass by the bears.
My experience is that in some areas the mountain lions / cougars have become acclimated to being around humans and are NOT afraid and are on occasion as brazen as the urban coyotes. There are regular sightings of these big cats in our neighborhood. Encounter #1: My husband had given me a beautiful terrier for our wedding gift. I was walking him along the river in the upper part of our canyon. All of a sudden, I had this super creepy feeling that we were being followed. The 16 week old, 20 pound pup alerted and we both stopped all of a sudden and turned around. Up on the bank about my shoulder height and 10 feet away was a mountain lion following us, partially hidden in the brush. I scooped up my dog and charged the lion yelling. Initially it stood there and I wondered if I had made a BIG mistake… but then it slowly turned and padded away. The breed of our terrier is used to actually hunt mountain lions in the Midwest and our pup had these bloodlines; he was totally focused during the encounter and did not bark, wrestle to get away – he behaved under total control and I was amazed. We were LUCKY but boy was my heart pounding!!!
Encounter #2. We get up early in the AM before dawn. I went out to get the newspapers from the driveway and there walking calmly down the street on the opposite side was a large male mountain lion. This time I did not challenge the cat, but never took my eyes off him. I picked up the papers and watched him the whole time and once he passed my immediate area I got into my truck and waited till I saw him jump over the neighbor’s fence into the brush. Encounter number #3: We heard a racket coming from our neighbor’s yard, so we hustled over to see what was happening (they have a small child / toddler). Lying on the patio near their pool was a mountain lion. Despite their yelling, the cat was calm, but we were concerned as it started raising and flicking its tail on the concrete and it was completely focused as it stared at them. It got up turned and leapt the 5 foot fence like it was not even there and disappeared into the brush. The company that makes signal flare guns for boats also make a cartridge that is a flash bang; local wildlife experts have recommended their use to scare bears away from people’s homes (check YT for video of momma bear taking cubs for swim in someone’s swimming pool near Los Angeles). This may work with the cats as well in a populated area.
We have 2 around here along with a herd of deer. They like to sit sometimes near the corner of the old folks apartment house and wait for the deer. Most of the old folks there are armed.
Where I live lions or bears for that matter are a normal thing to prepare for. Bears more than lions because as someone stated they are very shy. In 33 years on this mountain I have never seen a lion act this way. I have seen them be casual around humans ( had a friend kill one with a bow in his front yard ) but stalking a person like that is scary
This being a survival blog, I would like to point out to the critics that this guy at least survived. Some encounters with cougars are much spookier. The cougar that was shot in a post office parking lot of a California town used to kill and eat deer that grazed on the green grass of a golf course a mile up a side road. Residents along the side road lost a good number of dogs and cats and had pug marks in the muddy areas in their yard for most of a year prior to this rogue animal ending up on Main Street where he was eventually put down. (This was 4 years into a drought in that area)
In Orange County, a female jogger was killed by a cougar. It ambushed her from behind and bit through her neck. The Sheriff’s dept tracked it and killed it before the sun went down. In Santa Barbara County a male cougar that weighed in at 210 lbs dead was killed by a car. It caused over $1,000 in front end damage. It was the biggest cat I’ve seen. (note to Tmac: No, I did not try to spin these cats an a hardwood floor…I may be weird but I am not crazy)
All these creatures had several things in common: they were living in an area where there was no hunting allowed so their prey of choice was plentiful (mammals the size of ground squirrels to deer). There was also water available for drinking to all the creatures in the form of water from sprinklers on a golf course, people’s hose bibs in their yards, bird baths, quail guzzlers etc. In drought years, the encounters with wildlife tend to get very up close and personal just by doing mundane tasks around the home like watering your garden.
Years ago the person I worked with her hubby was an employee of PG&E. While out checking the lines in a wooded section of the forest, her hubby got that strange feeling. I am being watched aka followed, he never expected it to be a mountain lion.
It followed him for quite a while, yes he was carrying a rifle and a handgun. Apparently those guys had this happen to them before, so they prepared for the in case situation.
What’s creepy about cougars is the fact that they can be 60 feet up in a tree, and silently wait for something to pass under them. They can jump from that height and get their prey. Something to remember if you’re hiking or camping in the forests.
I’ve been in the woods a many a times. I’ve been in precarious situations in some of these same woods. I LOVE the critters in them woods. Even the ones that could eat me.
I am the one who too would give a warning shot. Ain’t their fault. They’re just trying to live. I wouldn’t fault it none. I’d be trying to live too. A second shot sure. Maybe it didn’t understand the first one. If that damn cat is still standing there after number 2 looking at me like “Bro what you do that for?” I’d consider a 3rd warning depending on my mood. My way of saying “Hey dumbass. Leave me alone.” Number 4 ain’t a warning though.
Then I’d change my undies.
Cat must have been mighty hungry. Or protective one. Hope the ending worked out for both man and cat. Looked like both walked away and he probably got A LOT of likes on what ever social media platforms he uses. : )
My home defense shotgun set up is 2 rounds of 12 gauge rubber deterrent followed by a 3rd round of 00 buck. People are sometimes desperate too. Figure if the bad guy doesn’t take the hint of a barrel being pointed at them and then they don’t understand the first 2 “You’ll live now get” shots then they probably need the third. At least I’d give the cat more credit.
Things like this is also why I never sleep in a hammock. Family camping at a nice campground sure. Personal camping miles deep in the woods all alone. Nope. I’ve limped out of many a woods too but never because something took a chunk out of my rump first. ; )
To “Always better then you”, Okay, I need to address this… First of all, your chosen alias name is troublesome. Though you’ve been spelling it wrong (then vs than), you began with “better then you”, now you’re “Always better then you”. Your alias is not conducive towards reasonable conversation. Instead, it’s arrogant. Secondly, we try to keep our conversation here at an adult level of discourse. Everyone has an opinion. However we don’t bash others for their differing opinions. There’s a difference. There is a way to conversate back-and-forth without resorting to flame-throwing. So, if you wish to continue here, I suggest that you change your alias, and tone down your rhetoric.
When my grandsons were visiting I bought a Supersoaker gun for them. They loved it. It shoots 20 to 24 feet and is battery operated. This spring I will be clearing the road through our forest for deadfalls. I think I will load that Supersoaker with ammonia. If working in one area for a long time, I will spray a bit of foliage. That will keep wildlife away. And if confronted, I don’t have to be a marksman.
As this will be the first time do ant of you have suggestions. I would be dealing with bears, cougars, and coyotes.
Skeezix
I will not swear that this actually works but when we purchased this land no one lived on it for a few years. Dh used a trick taught to him by the older men in his family they would urinate on different trees where they working. Believe it has a different odor than younger males in a family.
We had a bear that would come in the area, tear up neighbors trash cans wander through their parcel of land, causing devastation where ever it went but never damaged ours.
Female mountain lion was the worst we had here at the property. We had taken the sheep back from my dad when he could not longer care for them. Birthing time was the worst here at the place. Finally had a tracker take her out, and her mate along with the kids came back in to wipe the sheep we had left out. They did not eat them just used them for hunting practice. So, if you plan on this kind of animal at your place. Put them into a building that is mtn lion proof the best you are able too.
AC’s info is correct about using scent to serve as a warning around the perimeter of your property. This is another reason I reuse an old plastic fruit juice bottle to pee into. I pour a bit of my own urine on fenceposts using the bottle on every other fencepost on the perimeter. (Using the bottle instead of whipping out your unit will also stop your neighbors from calling the po-po on you for indecent exposure in public). Bears and big cats will stop and sniff it and you will see a visible change in behavior/they are much more nervous. This can be a fun project for the rural rancher by purchasing and posting some trail cams around your AO and watch the reaction of the critters to your scent. Combine that trick with Dennis’s range of steel targets…both critters and humans will get the message to move on.
There has been much talk about what gun and load you should use against a cougar on this site. If I was using a shotgun and I knew it was a rogue cougar, I used the issue 00 buckshot or switched out to 0 buckshot for better pattern/pellet saturation than 00 buck. Within 20 yards, odds are the cat will be moving. When I was following a pack of dogs, I carried a Remington model 7 in 223 because the animal was usually treed. I used a 50 – 55 grain frangible bullet so I did not have a big heavy slug punch through and head toward a nearby subdivision. (remember: this was California; a very crowded state).
More info about following up on wounded leopards can be found within the writings of Peter Capstick (now deceased) An author and American that worked as a professional hunter in Africa. The book where he discusses what he used against a charging big cat was in: Death in the Dark Continent. I had put down 2 rogue cougars by the time I first read his accounts and advice. We are/were both fans of buckshot within 20 yards of a charging big cat.
Calirefugee
Glad to know I am not the only with this knowledge.
Your statement about being hauled off was hilarious, yes, a good thing you have/had a container to keep you out of trouble. 😂
AC: I got in the habit of peeing into a fruit juice container from my time within a hunting blind and a fishing boat/canoe/kayak. Rare were the times I actually did foot pursuit of a dog pack on the trail of a big cat. These were when a posse was assembled in the aftermath of stock being killed. There were several fellows in our county that had a pack of hounds that could track. There were several of us that could run after and kinda/sorta keep up with the pack of dogs as long as we travelled light and carried lighter weapons.
This was exhausting work and it almost always led to me destroying a good set of cargo pants and canvas shirt due to branches, barbed wire fences and poison oak. This work was always done with full disclosure with both the Sheriff’s office and the local game wardens. Typically, a pursuit would cross property lines of multiple farms and ranches. (what is the average roaming range of a cougar? Unknown as they are difficult to tag and track. Roaming range for a black bear can be roughly 50 square miles)
Calirefugee
Like you born in the country side. In this area I had heard it was 200 square miles of territory that they roam.
Around here it is usually March going into April that the posted signs for missing animals will pop on the mail boxes. Those boxes which are located along the major roadways going into town.
I know when the cat is back in this area it goes for my neighbors chickens. Those chickens that wonder far enough away from their guard dog (Pyrenees). Large dog but not the brightest light bulb in the package, but he does his job as I hear him barking when I am outside we are around 1/2 mile from each other.
Gratuitous product endorsement for a then new product called the Camelback backpack in which to carry my stuff when chasing a cougar. Other than a hunting license, depredation permit, few first aid items, small bag of jerky and trail mix, headlamp and 2 boxes of 223 ammo. These days, you could probably add a cell phone. Being able to get a sip of water without removing the pack is nice in hot weather.
I live in the heart of Mountain lion, black bear and Grizzly bear country. I almost petted a black bear eating out of my dogs food dish by my front porch one night, had a mountain lion treed in my back yard by my two dogs and was false charged by a Grizzly bear while hunting 8 miles in the Scape Goat wilderness. We had a young boy attacked by a mountain lion on Marshal mountain only to be saved by an older 14 year old boy who fought it off getting injured in the process. We also had a woman killed by a Grizzly in the town of Ovando which was a predatory attack, where bear spray failed again.. I always carry a firearm (Glock 10mm and AK in 7.62X39 or AR in 300 black out or 6.5 Grendel when hiking in the woods..Best defense is keeping your head on a swivel and being capable with your firearms. If I would have had a mountain lion stocking me like that I would have put one bullet next to it and if that wouldn’t have scared it off I would have ended it very quickly. It looks like that guy tried to hit the mountain lion when he shot at it, but his shots were off because his fear got the best of him..Think of buck fever, only fueled by fear..
Minerjim,
Yes, there is a family down near Creede that has a house with a walkout basement. There were nice big windows there and the grizzlies would come and push against the glass and hang around. The DOW (at the time) knew they were there. Worked with the homeowner to get some window glass used in Alaska that would flex and withstand the pushing on the glass by the bears.
To: Fudd, SS and Stand: I have had trouble with some revolvers jamming and breaking small parts. Mostly Smith and Wessons that fired thousands of rounds and a few Colt revolvers (Troopers and Pythons: same thing: fired thousands of rounds over many years of holster carry, use in competition and annual/biannual qualification) The most rugged revolvers I have used and carried were all made by Ruger. I did have a misadventure with my Security Six in putting down an emaciated black bear that was terrorizing pack trains along the Kern River in California. (old, patchy fur, few rotten teeth and around/less than 200 lbs) It soaked up 5 rounds of Federal 158 grain JHP’s before it stopped coming toward me. Technically, it stopped the bear butt the fact that I used up most of my ammo in doing so made me rethink my choice of weapon and caliber. I went to town and upgraded to a Ruger Blackhawk in 44 magnum after that episode. I bought a Marlin trapper carbine in 44 mag a year later as my close range stopper rifle. (works good with 240 grain soft points) I turned down a job in Alaska…I am not comfortable being lower on the food chain in the wild lands up there.
Calirefugee
None of my wheel guns have any where near that kind of use. Maybe 4 to 500 rounds, except the 44mag. It has maybe 2000. It’s a Smith, 1960 production, Dad bought it new in the box witch I still have.
I have a Smith 50cal, but don’t shoot it much, mostly just wanted one.
Wait a minute. This guy was elk hunting, yet he choose to pull out a Glock? Where was his rifle? No one hunts elk with a 9mm Glock! I think I recall watching this video some time ago. They guy wasn’t elk hunting. He was out for a hike when confronted by the cat and he was smart enough to have armed himself prior to leaving his car. Personally, I would have shot that cat and then gone on my merry way. Reporting it just opens up a big can of worms, and remember, no good deed goes unpunished.