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Mountain Lions (Cougars)

Control of Cats Key to Bighorn Recovery

By PETE THOMAS, L.A. Times article 1/14/2000

Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep have been experiencing an unseasonably mild winter on the eastern slopes of their range, which has made their fragile lives a little easier. But last week, the animals got an even bigger boost: federal protection under the Endangered Species Act. Previously, they had been listed on a temporary "emergency" basis. The formal listing is just that--a formality. But it is significant in that now the animals cannot be removed from the list until they are able to stand on their own four feet, so to speak. Over the years, they have fallen victim to disease spread by domestic sheep and fragmentation of habitat, but it was predation by mountain lions in the last several years that led to the push to get the federal listing, which overrides state protection of cougars and enables wildlife managers to kill the big cats if they kill bighorn sheep or pose an "imminent threat" to bighorn populations.

Sierra Nevada bighorns, now in five separate groups stretching from the Lee Vining area south to just beyond Lone Pine, numbered about 300 in 1985. They reached a low of about 100 a year ago, largely because of predation and pressure put on them by mountain lions, which forced the sheep into higher areas with harsher weather. Now there are 125 animals, which is encouraging, but winter has been slow to set in and only this week has the Eastern Sierra received any substantial snow. Meanwhile, one cougar has already been tracked and killed, last month, as an imminent threat to two bighorn groups in the Lee Vining area, one of which contains only one female, which has a yearling by her side. "The mountain lion was continuously staying in an area 1 1/2 miles between the two groups, and for a mountain lion that's about a 20-minute jaunt or less," says Troy Kelly, a Department of Fish and Game biologist and program manager for the Sierra Nevada bighorn recovery effort.

The cougar was an 8-year-old adult male that weighed 121 pounds. Considered "older" by cougar standards, Kelly said it had remained in the area "weeks to months" after the local herd of mule deer moved to its winter range. Deer are the chief prey of mountain lions. The killing of the big cat was not publicized for obvious reasons, notably the outcry it might cause among animal-rights activists who, in 1990, led a successful ballot initiative that banned the hunting of cougars--which are not an endangered or threatened species--and allowed them to be killed only if they threatened public safety. Kelly said the recovery plan--which is still being formulated and is expected to be drafted in June--is not a declaration of war against Eastern Sierra mountain lions. To the contrary, cougars are vital to the ecosystem and must meet strict criteria to be considered problem animals. Direct evidence or actual sightings of lions killing sheep fit the criteria. So do cougars lingering consistently around bighorn sheep and thus posing an imminent threat.

"It's a judgment call," Kelly says. "And that's my job, to make sure our predator management team is informed enough . . . to make sure we make the right call." Predator management is only part of the recovery effort, which also includes a captive-breeding strategy in case such a plan should become necessary; relocation of animals from group to group for balance, and DNA analysis to help prevent problems with inbreeding. "With this year's lambs, we could be looking at 160 animals [this spring and summer]," says John Weyhausen of the Sierra Nevada Bighorn Sheep Foundation in Bishop. "We've been rooting for easy winters, but on the other hand, a long-term drought doesn't bode well for the sheep, so we do need some snow." They finally got some this week.

End of article

Predators and Prey—A Case of Imbalance Mountain Lions and the North Kings Deer Herd

Predators are usually considered to be beneficial to ungulate populations by keeping animal numbers in balance with the habitat and removing the weak and old individuals. It is also often said that: predators cannot control a healthy deer population, and predator numbers are controlled by the prey population size.

According to Don Neal, a research scientist with the Forest Service, Pacific Southwest Forest and Range Experiment Station (PSW) (now retired), stationed in Fresno, California, a recent cooperative study by PSW and the California Department of Fish and Game has shed light on a situation where these theories appear to break down. In the study area on the west slope of the Sierra Nevada, apparently mountain lion numbers have increased while deer numbers declined to about one-eighth their peak numbers in the 1950s. Neal, along with George Steger (also with PSW), studied the California mule deer in the Sierra Nevada from 1970 to 1985 as part of an interagency effort to reverse the decline. This effort showed that the decline was primarily due to loss of fawns during the first 6-8 months of life.

The focus of the study was the North Kings deer here, a population of California mule deer. This herd declined from an estimated 17,000 animals in 1950 to about 2,000 animals in 1988. While the initiation of the decline was probably a result of overpopulation in the 1940s and 1950s, the lack of recovery seems to be related to heavy predation.

Fawn survival a problem
The research team captured 96 newborn fawns and equipped them with radio collars over a 7-year period from 1979 to 1985. These radio transmitters not only allowed the researchers to determine the locations of the fawns, but they also sent out a special signal when the fawns died. This allowed researchers to locate the fawns soon after they died and determine the cause of death. They were able to monitor and determine the fate of 90 of these fawns through their first year of life. All the fawns were healthy at time of capture, and their size and weight were comparable to those of fawns from other mule deer herds. During the 7 years of the study, fawn survival ranged from 13% to 42% and averaged 38%. Two percent were killed in accidents, 9% died from disease or birth defects, and predators were responsible for the deaths of 51% of the fawns. Of those taken by predators 3% were killed by bobcats, 22% by bears, 27% by coyotes, and 49% by mountain lions.

Neal and his team were at first surprised by these results, because the general perception was that mountain lions were in very low numbers in California--the State Legislature had placed them under protection in 1971. It was obvious that it would require a healthy mountain lion population to be responsible for the death of an average of 25% of all the fawns born each year, as was the case in the North Kings deer herd.

A look at the mountain lions
The next step was to look at the mountain lion population and gain some understanding of movements and density. They knew this would not be an easy task. So Neal and Steger asked for the cooperation of Ron Bertram of the California Department of Fish and Game. This team uncovered some surprising results that run contrary to accepted understanding of mountain lion biology and behavior. First, they selected a 215-square-mile area within the 800-square-mile range of the North Kings deer herd and set out to capture as many lions as time and funding allowed. Over a period of 3 years, they captured, radio equipped, and tracked 22 mountain lions. During the study they discovered 15 adult mountain lions that were using the area but were not radio-equipped, yet were known to be different individuals. The lion locations determined by radio triangulation were computer plotted onto large-scale maps and aerial photos. This gave a good picture of daily and seasonal movements of mountain lions in the study area.

Home-range size
By plotting the locations of each cat on a map, the scientists were able to determine the size of the animal's home range and the relationships between individual lions. Home ranges of 14 adult lions tracked over 12 months averaged 285 square miles. Those of females averaged 244 and those of males averaged 340 square miles.

Seasonal movements
Each time a mountain lion was located by radio triangulation and plotted on a map or aerial photograph, the elevation was also recorded. This combination of location and elevation showed that most of the mountain lions migrated to high elevations in the summer and to lower elevations in the winter, following the patterns of the deer--their traditional prey. However, detailed examination of the data revealed that several of the lions remained at low elevation in the foothills and valley edges throughout the year. They were found on ranches and among the rural communities. These lions occupied territories below most of the migrating deer in the winter, and these areas had no deer in the summer. This leaves only small mammals, livestock, and pets for a diet--a good way for a mountain lion to get into trouble.

Density
With the data on the radio-equipped cats, plus information on the known individuals without radios, the team had the data they needed to estimate mountain lion density. Of the 22 lions captured and radio equipped within the 215-square-mile study area, not all were alive with operating radios during the entire study period. Therefore, one date was selected, January 1, 1987, and only the 14 lions alive and being monitored on that date were used to estimate density. This of course, underestimates the lion density because it does not include lions without radios using the area , or those with radios that have quit transmitting.

The team recognized that the number of lions using an area and lion density are not the same thing. Every radio-equipped lion used some area outside of the 215-square-mile study area. They calculated the proportion of each animal's home range that was within the study area and used that to estimate density. In other words, if a lion's home range was 50% within the study area, it was counted as 0.5 cat. Therefore, the 14 adult cats using the area on January 1, 1987, adjusted to a total of 6.3 lions, or 2.9 per 100 square miles. When the scientists added in the known cats that were not radio-equipped, making a similar adjustment to allow for only partial use of the study area, they calculated the density of adult mountain lions in the study area at 6.1 per 100 square miles.

Home-range overlap
Mountain lions are generally thought to be solitary animals that defend their home ranges for their exclusive use. But, when you look at the density of mountain lions and the size of the home ranges, it's easy to see that if all the female lions maintained exclusive home ranges, there would be 7.2 times as many acres of home ranges as there are available within the study area.
This can only mean overlap and home-range sharing.

Extensive home-range overlap was found between females, between males, and between females and males. One female shared parts of her home range with five other radio-equipped females and an unknown number of males and unradioed lions.

Reproduction
Other workers have stated that when the density of mountain lions reaches the point that home ranges overlap, breeding stops. However, in this study reproduction continued at what appeared to be a normal rate; and litter size averaged about 2.5 kittens. When the known kittens are added, the density of all mountain lions using the area becomes 10.6 per 100 square miles.

Adult deer are being killed also
To estimate the effect of mountain lions on adult deer, Ron Bertram and his coworkers with the California Department of Fish and Game radio equipped 25 adult does. Their work revealed that a sizeable number of does were being killed by mountain lions in the central Sierra Nevada. Of 25 does radio equipped over a period of 3 years, 12 have died. One was killed by a coyote and 11 by mountain lions.

The bottom line
The bottom line is that in the study area, mountain lions appear to be controlling an already depressed deer herd, and they are apparently not benefiting the population by taking only the weak and old. The density of the lion population is not limited by the need for exclusive territories, and reproduction is continuing within this high-density population.
The magnitude of the problem can be understood when we consider that the ratio of deer to mountain lions has apparently declined from an estimated 750:1 in 1950 to about 30:l in 1988. Deer populations cannot meet the needs of the mountain lions and maintain their numbers with the heavy predation that these ratios bring. This is especially true when you consider the additional predation from coyotes, bears, and bobcats.

Livestock losses to mountain lions have become a serious concern of this team. The number of permits to take mountain lions that are killing livestock reached an all-time high in 1988, with 145 issued and 62 lions taken. Neal, Steger, and Bertram expect livestock predation to continue at a high level or even increase, and deer to continue to decline in all but the most favorable years.

To learn more about this subject, contact PSW Station and request Research Note PSW-392, titled Mountain Lions: Preliminary Findings on Home-Range Use and Density in the Central Sierra Nevada.

Mountain Lion ( Felis concolor) Biology

Mountain Lion. Felis concolor, Latin for "cat of one color." The Cherokee Indians call it Klandagi, "Lord of the Forest."

Description

Body length: 3-4 ft. Tail: 2.5-3 ft. Height at shoulder: 25-30 in. Weight: 70-230 lbs. The mountain lion is a large, slender cat with a smallish head and noticeably long tail. Adult males often have a larger head, neck and shoulders and more husky appearance; females and subadults are often more lean and slender. Color is a light, tawny brown which can appear gray or almost black, depending on light conditions. The tail is long, cylindrical, and about one-third of the animal's total length. The limbs are short and muscular. The feet are broad, with four digits on hind feet and five on forefeet. The retractile claws are sharp and curved. The skull of the mountain lion is noticeably broad and short. The forehead region is high and arched. The rostrum and the nasal bones are broad. The mandible is short, deep, and powerfully constructed. The carnassial teeth are massive and long. The canines are heavy and compressed. The incisors are small and straight. The mountain lion has one more small premolar on each side of the upper jaw than have the bobcat and the lynx.

Cougars have binocular vision, which is important for depth perception and judging distances. Their eyes allow them to hunt both day and night. A cougars hearing is well developed and they are able to detect ultrasonic frequencies. The cup shaped rounded ears can move together or independently in the direction of sound to further aid in hearing. Cougars have a keen sense of smell and can easily follow scent trails. The back of the nasal cavity is densely packed with olfactory cells. Cougars make a variety of sounds including chirps, peeps, purrs, growls, moans, whistles and screams. They can sprint 35 mph in an ambush, jump 15 feet high & 40 feet broad jump. Cougars can climb a tree and swim a river. They can live up to 20 years in captivity. Free-ranging cougars seldom live more than 13 years.

Contrary to popular belief, there are no black panthers; no one has ever captured or killed a black mountain lion. Also called cougar, puma, panther, painter and catamount.

History

Felis concolor, means "cat of one color." Cougars were native throughout most of the New World when European settlers arrived in the 15th century. Because cougars are powerful predators, settlers feared for their own safety and for their livestock. Cougars were hunted with dogs, harassed and persecuted until they were believed extirpated in the eastern United States and Canada by about 1900. Cougar populations in the West were also greatly diminished but have rebounded to some extent since the 1970s, when bounties on them were removed. Cougars have recently moved back into their original range in the Midwest and eastern U.S. There have been confirmed sightings of wild cougars in Minnesota, Iowa, Illinois, Missouri and other states. Mountain lions have considerable trophy value. Their pelt is either fashioned into a rug or attached to a wall as a flat skin. Mountain lions are hunted for sport. They are also captured to be put in zoos.

Behavior

Mountain lions are solitary animals. Their solitary existence is interrupted during the breeding season and during the period of juvenile dependence. Population densities vary from as low as one individual per 85 square kilometers to as high as one per 13 to 54 square kilometers. These mammals space themselves so that local food supplies and other essentials are not depleted. Females with dependent cubs live within the wide space used by the resident male. Residents mark their territories by depositing urine or fecal materials by the trees they marked with scrapes. The mountain lion is primarily nocturnal in its activity. It acquaints itself with its environment and food sources by relying mainly on vision, smell, and hearing. The mountain lion vocalizes with low-pitched hisses, growls, and purrs to get attention. The loud, chirping whistle by the young serves to direct the mother's attention to the cub. Males are found together immediately after leaving their mother, but rarely as established adults. The mountain lion has summer and winter home areas in different locations, requiring a migration between ranges. Not until radio telemetry became available in the 1970s were wildlife researchers able to identify and track individual cougars to learn how they behaved.

Diet

A carnivore that preys on a variety of animals; favorites include deer and wild hogs. Also preys upon rabbits, jackrabbits, Javelina, and rodents. Some lions occasionally kill livestock or dogs. The lion maneuvers to within 15m of the prey, then leaps on its back and breaks the animal's neck with a powerful bite below the base of the skull. Yearly food consumption is between 860 to 1,300 kg of large prey animals. Cougars are most active at dusk and dawn. However, they may roam and hunt at any time of day and night and in all seasons. They favor dense forest and brush that provides good stalking cover while hunting. Cougars also take advantage of steep canyons and rock outcroppings to remain hidden.

Except when prey is scarce, cougars do not normally feed on carrion other than their own kills or possibly those taken away from other predators. They usually carry or drag their kills to a secluded area under cover to feed and drag marks are frequently found at fresh kill sites. Cougars generally begin feeding on the viscera (liver, heart, lungs, etc.) through the abdomen or thorax but like other carnivores, individuals differ. Some begin feeding on the neck or shoulder while others prefer the hindquarters. Like other cats, cougars normally leave relatively clean-cut edges when they feed compared to the ragged edges of tissue and bone left by coyotes. They also may break large bones in feeding on domestic and wild animals. Cougars frequently try to cover their kills with soil, vegetation (leaves, grass, limbs) or snow. They may eviscerate prey and cover the viscera separately from the rest of the carcass. Even where little debris is available, bits of soil, rock, grass or sticks may be found on the carcass. However, where multiple kills are made at one time, there may be no effort to cover more than one or two of them.

They frequently kill sheep and goats by biting the top of the neck or head. Broken necks are common in these kills. This differs from the typical coyote bite in the throat and general mutilation caused by dogs. However, cougars also may kill sheep and goats by biting the throat. This may result from prey falling or being knocked down and caught, or it may simply be the method found effective by individual cougars and most convenient on some prey animals. Cougars may kill by grasping the head of prey such as sheep, goats and deer and pulling the head until the neck is broken. Many of these may not have been bitten but die quickly. Cougars kill calves much like they do sheep and goats. Multiple kills of sheep and goats by cougars are common; cases of a hundred or more animals killed in a single incident have been recorded. As a rule, very few animals, often only one or two in such incidents, are fed upon by the cougar.

Cougars usually kill larger animals, such as deer, elk, horses and cattle, by leaping on their shoulders or back and biting the neck. Claw marks on the neck, back and shoulders are characteristic of these kills. The prey animal's neck may be broken by bites or by the animal failing from the attack. There may also be bites in the throat of these larger prey. The size of the canine tooth punctures and the type of bone damage help distinguish cougar kills from those made by coyotes, dogs and foxes. An adult cougar's upper canine teeth are approximately 1 1/2 to 2 1/4 inches apart; the lower teeth are approximately 3/8 to 1/2 inch closer together. A cougar's teeth are massive compared to those of the average coyote or bobcat.

Reproduction

Mountain lions are polygamous. Courtship and mating occur from December to March. Gestation periods last from 82 to 96 days. A female mountain lion can come into estrus any time of the year. Estrus lasts about nine days. Females usually give birth every other year. After six cycles without mating, the female has a lull for two months before coming into estrous again. A mountain lion in the wild will not mate until it has established a home territory. When the female is in estrous, she vocalizes freely and frequently rubs against nearby objects. The male responds with similar yowls and sniffs the female's genital area. The highest frequency of copulation was nine times in one hour. A single copulatory act lasts less than one minute. There is a 67% chance of conception per mated estrous. Males remain reproductively active to at least an age of 20 years, and females to at least an age of 12 years. Litters vary in size from 1 to 6 cubs with an average of 3 or 4. Birth weight is between 226 to 453 grams. The cubs open their eyes 10 days after birth. At the same time their ear pinnae unfolds, their first teeth erupt, and they begin play. The cubs are fully weaned at about 40 days of age. Mother and cubs remain together for as long as 12 months. Males reach sexual maturity at about 3 years of age and females at 2 1/2 years.

Habitat and Distribution

The mountain lion has the widest distribution of any wild cat, from Canada to South America. Formerly distributed throughout North America, the mountain lion is now found mostly in the remote areas of the western U.S., as well as western Canada and much of Mexico. A small population still exists in southern Florida, where the species is considered endangered.

Tracks

Cougar tracks are 3 - 4 inches (8 - 10 cm) across and usually don't show claws unless climbing trees. Each track has 4 rounded toe pads that form a semi-circle and a heel pad. Front paw tracks are slightly larger than hind tracks. The pad has what many call the M & M shape on the rear of the pad (three lobes on heel pad). Fur may show in print. Generally cougar are solitary animals, if tracks show cougar traveling together it probably indicates a female with kittens. Their large padded feet enable them to stalk without making noise. The tail drags in deep snow. Cougars take slow deliberate steps when hunting.

Scat

Cougar scat is tubular in shape and will contain hair from deer and other animals it has feed upon. The diameter of the scat will be approximately 1 inch to 2 inches depending on the size of the cat and will be deposited in several pieces of varying lengths.

Cougar Attacks and Safety

4/4/96 SUTTER CREEK CA. (Western Outdoor News) -- Just days after the voting public turned down a proposition to begin studies on mountain lions and put them back under the control of the Department of Fish and Game, a, mountain lion attacked a turkey hunter. On the opening day of turkey season, Saturday March 30 Amador County Deputy Sheriff Bob Bower was turkey hunting at daylight near the town of Sutter Creek when he was attacked by a hungry mountain lion. Because of his quick thinking, he managed to evade the initial attack of the 100 pound cat.

"I was using a hen call and a gobbler call," Deputy Sheriff Bower told WON on Saturday evening following the attack, "and after about 5 or 10 minutes, I heard a twig snap off my right hand side up the hill. I caught a blur of an animal about 8 feet high with my peripheral vision and I rolled to the side. I knew it was going to land on me if I didn't move, so I rolled to my left and it hit about 3 feet from me." The description of the event by the DFG lion tracker called to the scene was a bit more descriptive: "He told me he was looking at nothing but fangs and claws!" he said.

Bower related that the lion would have "gotten me" if he hadn't rolled behind a bush. He said after he rolled and evaded the initial attack, the lion moved back 8 or 10 feet, then it got into a crouching position as if to spring again. "It had moved to the same side of the bush as I was on and as I got into a kneeling position and saw it ready to spring again, I fired. But I was low and to the right. Then it came a bit to my right in a circling motion and it wasn't leaving. I was backing up, and I shot again but I wasn't sure if I hit it or not. It quartered away from me up the hill and I shot again."

That wasn't the end of it, though, and if there was any question as to whether the lion was intent on its victim or not, it was answered when the lion " . . . went up the hill about 30 yards and turned around and looked back at me, but it didn't come back," said Bower. "It definitely knew I wasn't a turkey after the first spring," Bower said, "and it wasn't leaving. Next time I might be a little more on my toes, but I'm very aware of the danger, anyway. It was close enough. They just consider you part of the food chain." "Larry". the tracker, received the call on Saturday from DFG wardens to bring his hounds and help locate the lion.

"He was lucky," Larry said. "I heard about the incident at 9 a.m. on Saturday and I loaded up and met them on Hwy. 104 near Irish Springs Road. I got the cat about 11 a.m. this morning - it didn't take them 10 minutes to catch it," he told WON Saturday night. After shooting the cat, it was confirmed that the 100-pound female had been hit by one of the shots from the deputy. The lion didn't tree ... but stayed on the ground fighting the dogs until the tracker dispatched the cat. "They took it down to the lab (DFG laboratory in Rancho Cordova) for analysis," said the tracker. It appeared to be a healthy female lion, and it had not had cubs, he said.

A similar event occurred a few years back when a mountain lion attacked a turkey hunter, but the Department of Fish and Game determined the lion had mistaken the hunter for an actual turkey. Despite head, and scalp wounds and subsequent stitches to the hunter, the DFG did not consider it an actual attack.

Cougar crashes through window at Lake Tahoe home

ZEPHYR COVE, Nev. (AP) -- Kay Packard thought an earthquake struck when the guest bedroom window shattered at her friends' home near Lake Tahoe. Terrified, the Los Angeles woman pulled the covers over her head and never saw the 120-pound mountain lion that invaded the room and left it in shambles before making its exit about 10 seconds later out the same window it entered. Packard was visiting Andy and Tracy Chapman in Zephyr Cover when the incident occurred around 2 a.m. Sunday. Officials believe the big cat may have attacked its own reflection in the window.

"The explosion we heard was like a tree coming through the window," Tracy Chapman said. "The room was just turned upside down." Andy Chapman said he hurried to the bedroom, but never saw the feline intruder. "I had no idea there was an animal in the room," he said. Chapman was boarding up the window later that morning when he noticed his dog looking up a tree. The 4-year-old cougar was perched on a branch. Wildlife experts tranquilized the mountain lion and released it Monday in the Pine Nut Mountains east of Gardnerville. The cat was tagged with a radio collar and will be monitored by researchers at the University of Nevada, Reno, said Chris Healy, a spokesman for the Nevada Division of Wildlife.

Interaction between humans and large animals like bears and mountain lions is becoming increasingly frequent as housing developments encroach on wildlife habitat throughout the Sierra, wildlife officials said. "A mountain lion in there is not common but it is not rare either," Healy said Tuesday. "One of the attractions of moving into an area like that is the rural, alpine appeal. But they are also going to be living in and amongst animals. The animals don't respect lines on a map. They only respect habitat." The mountain lion probably was feeding on coyotes and other small mammals in the area, Healy said. He said the reflection in a window likely prompted the attack. "They are very defensive of their own territory," he said.

"Suddenly this lion is confronted by this other lion. It jumps from a boulder through the window and when it lands through the window, it was confronted again with its own image in a mirror, it tore after the mirror and some of the room." Healy said everyone has the same question: Is the mountain lion still a danger to people? "If it is jumping through windows, it is dangerous to people. But is it going to come back and jump through another window? We don't think so."

THE HUNTER AS ONE OF THE HUNTED

Jim Matthews - Outdoor News Service- Fall 1995

The mountain lion probably was thinking that it was hearing a deer move up the hillside just opposite the ridge where it had been sitting. The cat moved silently along on a trail toward where the rustling sounds indicated the deer was coming up the hill. At 30 feet, the hunters surprised each other. Had Rob Van Zanten, a Riverside deer hunter looking for a buck in the southern Sierra's D9 zone, been a deer, the mountain lion was close enough that it could have been on him in a second, before he could have turned to run. But the cat froze in its tracks, one foot poised up in the air, tips of it's toes just touching the ground.

"At first, I was amazed and it was kind of neat. But after a minute, I'd seen enough and was ready for it to run off," Van Zanten said. But the cat didn't runoff. So the two-legged hunter raised his arms and made himself look bigger. He yelled. He stomped his feet. He did everything he was supposed to do in a lion encounter. But still the cat stayed there, staring at him. "He didn't even flinch and he never blinked." So Van Zanten brought his hunting rifle to bear on the cat, just in case this was one of those mountain lions that was thinking of making a meal of a human. "I remember thinking that if it came down to him or me, it sure wasn't going to be me. I wanted to go home where I had a wife and one-year old son."

And so the standoff continued. Van Zanten looking at the cat through the scope on his rifle, and the lion looking through the hunter. Van Zanten - his mind racing the whole time about consequences if he shot the cat, what to do if it attacked, how to scare it off -suddenly thought of the movie "Jurassic Park" and the pair of hunting dinosaurs: one keeping eye contact, while the other stalked from the blind side It was then the cat's front foot finally touched the ground firmly, and it moved off, down the trail. Van Zanten was relieved - until he saw the second cat following the first on the trail. Van Zanten melted to the ground watching the cats move off.

"I'll never hunt quite the same," Van Zanten said. "I have always been on the offensive, looking for game to shoot, but this makes things different. "I will never in all my life forget the look in his eyes - especially through the three-power scope - the intensity." Deer hunters throughout Southern California apparently were seeing more big predators than deer lately. Dick Phillips, a Department of Fish and Game warden from Wrightwood, said he couldn't "believe how many people reported seeing mountain lions and bears."

"I'm pleasantly surprised these guys are using so much restraint," said Phillips, referring to the fact that the cats are protected in California. "In my whole life, I never saw a mountain lion until a few years ago. "Now, the past few years, I've been seeing an average of four per year driving around in my truck."

Phillips said one hunter told him he'd had the craziest day of his hunting life: he saw a bobcat, a coyote, ~ bear, a mountain lion, and one doe opening day. He never fired a shot but called the trip a rousing success. It's the kind of success hunters like Van Zanten, who go to the woods for reasons that encompass more than a venison steak, can appreciate.

Cougar Safety

Generally, cougars are solitary and very secretive animals. Sighting are rare, attacks on humans are extremely rare, but it is best to be prepared and to learn as much as possible about this elusive, but beautiful and graceful wild animal. Their prey is mostly deer, although they will kill and eat wild sheep, elk, rabbits, raccoons, beaver and grouse, and they have been known to go after livestock. Cougars are most active at dusk and dawn, but can be seen anytime day or night, no matter the season. Cougars are predators and we have little or no understanding as to what might provoke an attack, but being prepared and taking precautions never hurt. For some reason, cougars are more likely to attack children than adults, maybe its because of their voices, small size and quick movements. Teach children about cougars and what to do should they see one.

If hiking back country areas where cougars could roam there are a couple of things to keep in mind. Never hike alone, groups offer more protection. Try not to surprise a cougar, be noisy when hiking and carry a strong stick that can be used as a weapon, keep children close by and under control, and most important watch for cougar signs and tracks. Should you meet up with a cougar, never approach the animal, leave the cougar an avenue for getting away, stay calm, do not run, and never turn your back on a cougar. If there are children with you, pick them up as quickly as possible and make sure the cougar knows you are a threat, not prey, so arm yourself with a stick, throw rocks, speak loudly and fight back if attacked.

Cougars are beautiful animals and deserve our respect. After a sighting both you and the cougar should come away from this exciting experience unharmed. If the cougar is a threat to you or your family, inform the nearest Conservation Office.

Cougar Links

Cat Attacks: True Stories and Hard Lessons from Cougar Country .... book Jo Deurbrouck, Dean Miller. Book Description As many mountain lion attacks have occurred in the past ten years as in the hundred preceding. What's happening? Cougar populations are rebounding, but these wild cats have fewer and fewer places to live. This is the first unflinching look at what happens when cougars and people cross paths. Impossible to put down, Cat Attacks chronicles mountain lion attacks and encounters that have occurred in the last ten years in the West. These riveting stories of heroes and victims will tell you what to fear, what to ignore, and what to expect when we make room for the cat that is arguably America's most effective largest predator.
Cougar Predation Info ....
Hornocker Wildlife Institute .... For more than a decade the Hornocker Wildlife Institute, has followed the wisdom of the great conservationist Leopold by using hands-on field research to understand our place and responsibility in the natural world's fragile ecological structures.
List of Mountain Lion Attacks On People in California ....
Mountain Lion Foundation ....
North Island Cougar Ecology Project ....
Outdoor California Magazine Article on Cougars ....

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