Author Topic: Here kitty kitty kitty (Read 10345 times)

gofaster · « **Reply #15 on:** November 25, 2003, 01:41:21 PM »

"... and as the guy's buddy snapped the picture, the sound of the shutter closing was apparently all it took to wake up the sleeping cougar."

I'm guessing he shot it in the chest, between the two front legs, which would imply that the cat was facing him.

Jack55 · « **Reply #16 on:** November 25, 2003, 02:05:09 PM »

Photoshop? Cougars don't get that big, do they?

Ripsnort · « **Reply #17 on:** November 25, 2003, 02:19:27 PM »

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Originally posted by Jack55
Photoshop? Cougars don't get that big, do they?

Doesn't look it, but I don't think the guy is 6' 2"...just look at the broom or garage door in the background for height reference, granted he is bending backwards alittle.

Frogm4n · « **Reply #18 on:** November 25, 2003, 02:32:33 PM »

you must have a small noodle if you feel like a cat is a threat to you if you have a gun. One shot into the air and its a mile away.

Dune · « **Reply #19 on:** November 25, 2003, 02:47:37 PM »

Yeah, whatever. And if that shot just pisses it off, which has also been known to happen, while you're jerking around with your bolt-action, it's trying to open you up like a can of deviled ham.

If it's that close to you, you shoot it. Better the cat than the person.

Ripsnort · « **Reply #20 on:** November 25, 2003, 02:47:55 PM »

These attacks are becoming common in this part of the country, as urban areas expand. As an example, they teach you to hike with a friend in the Cascades, not because of humans, but because of mtn lions that tend to attack single hikers.

Just what are you going to do about human expansion? I'm sure Mother nature will take care of that eventually.

Heres one that happened two weeks ago:

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An elk hunter in the Blue Mountains of southeast Washington fended off an attack by a cougar while starting to field dress a dead elk this week. Kirk Zehner, 33, of Walla Walla was bending over the carcass of an elk shot by a member of his hunting party, skinning knife in hand, when something hit him from behind, knocking him on to the carcass and driving his head into the ground. He instinctively struck at the attacker with his knife and heard a squeal. He attempted to get up but the animal pushed down on him again as it ran off. He saw only a grayish white blur leaving without another sound. When Zehner's hunting partners arrived on the scene in off-road vehicles to haul the elk out, they found him shaking and drawn but uninjured. About half the length of his knife was covered in blood from his strike into the attacking animal. The backside of his sweatshirt was torn and bloody. Zehner helped field dress the elk with his knife, then cleaned it and his sweatshirt with water. The incident occurred October 27 at about 7:30 a.m. in a brushy, steep ravine of the Lewis Peak area in northern Walla Walla County. Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife (WDFW) officers were notified of the attack October 29. WDFW officer Mike Johnson of Walla Walla led an investigation of the incident and is convinced it was a cougar that attacked Zehner, based on the clothing tear marks and the strength and silence of the animal. Although Johnson is not sure about the cat's motive, WDFW policy is to attempt to track and kill any cougar that attacks a human. A local hunter with cougar-tracking hounds was contacted, but scenting conditions were so bad two days after the incident that no immediate attempt was made to locate the animal. Zehner's stabbing of the animal could have fatally injured it, however, so hounds may be used to attempt to locate a carcass in the area to possibly learn more about the incident. Cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare. In North America, fewer than 20 fatalities and 75 non-fatal attacks have been reported during the past 100 years. However, more cougar attacks have been reported in the western United States and Canada over the past 20 years than in the previous 80. In Washington, there have been nine recorded attacks by cougars on humans over the past 80 years, (including one fatality in 1924), and five of those attacks have occurred during the 1990's.

capt. apathy · « **Reply #21 on:** November 25, 2003, 02:53:15 PM »

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1. They are a really beautiful animal (in my eyes) - is it
necessary to kill them i.e. would that cougar have actively hunted that guy as prey or are they afraid of humans??

that guy wasn't likely to be attacked. not a 6'2" man, anyway.
they usually take out kids, or women joggers.

the number of attacks and 'near people' sightings have really gone up around here lately. more people moving out into the sticks.

plus with the dog ban we've had for several years we have a whole population that have never been hunted with dogs. the end result of that is the family dog walking the kids to the rural bus stop wont be able to chase it away from an easy meal.

we've had 3 or 4 instances in the last year where there have been signs (mostly tracks but a couple sightings) ofcougars stalking kids while they wait for the school bus.

btw-I'd love to run into that while packing a deer riffle.

Ripper29 · « **Reply #22 on:** November 25, 2003, 03:08:49 PM »

http://www.bigcats.org/abc/attacks/whattodo3.html

DENVER, Colorado, August 5, 2002 (ENS) - In January 2001, Frances Frost, 30, was killed by a mountain lion in Banff National Park while cross-country skiing alone on the Lake Minnewanka Loop. According to Park Chief Warden Ian Syme, "The cougar leapt on her back, bit her neck and I suspect that she may not even know what hit her." A healthy adult male cougar was later shot by wardens where her body was found.

In July 1997, Mark David Miedema, 10, was killed by a female cougar while returning from a hike to Cascade Falls on the North Inlet Trail on the west side of Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. The boy had raced ahead of his family on the well traveled trail to see if animals had eaten the peanuts he had left on the trail on the way up.

In April 1994, Barbara Schoener, 40, a long distance runner in excellent physical shape, was killed by female mountain lion in northern California on the American River Canyon trail in the Auburn State Recreation Area. No one observed the attack.

Mountain lions
Since 1970, across the United States, there has been an average of 14 mountain lion attacks per year on people, according to Tom Chester, an astrophysicist with an interest in recording mountain lion attacks.

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http://www.bigcats.org/abc/attacks/victoria.html

VICTORIA, British Columbia (AP) - A 61-year-old man was seriously slashed in a battle with a cougar in British Columbia, but managed to kill the animal with his pocket knife, officials said Friday.

The 100-pound cat leaped on Dave Parker from behind Thursday evening as he walked down a road a mile south of Port Alice, a village on Vancouver Island about 230 miles north of Victoria.

Conservation officer Ken Fujino said Parker was being mauled by the adult male but was able to reach his 3-inch knife. Port Alice Mayor Larry Pepper added Parker then slit its throat..

Mini D · « **Reply #23 on:** November 25, 2003, 03:44:45 PM »

I will say this...

If that cougar happened upon me and I had a gun... I wouldn't sit around waiting for him to "come right at me". I would shoot it.

MiniD

Ack-Ack · « **Reply #24 on:** November 25, 2003, 04:34:09 PM »

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Originally posted by Sparks

Ok I don't live where those things live (biggest cat I'll see answers to name of Tiddles) and I therefore have never met one. I also have no problems with hunting - to quote another thread "Bambi tastes nice"

But I have some questions :-

1. They are a really beautiful animal (in my eyes) - is it necessary to kill them i.e. would that cougar have actively hunted that guy as prey or are they afraid of humans??

Sparks

If they are hungry they will actively stalk and hunt humans or any other food source. Here in San Diego we have a large mountain lion population in the backhills and not a year goes by without hearing about a few hikers being either stalked and chased or attacked by mountain lions. A few years ago a lady was killed and partially eaten by mountain lions.

There was another incident here in San Diego where two hunters were out hunting for wild turkey and were using one of those hearing amplifiers. One of the hunters kept hearing what he thought was, according to him, a muscle car idling. When the hunters finally got to their spot, both of them started hearing the throaty rumbling sound. When one of the hunters looked around, he saw a mountain lion about 12ft away getting ready to pounce both hunters. The hunter managed to get a shot off and the mountain lion literally dropped dead at their feet. Turns out that the muscle car sound the first hunter initially heard was the mountain lion's breathing as it was stalking them from where they left their car to where they finally shot it. It had stalked them for 7 miles.

ack-ack

Frogm4n · « **Reply #25 on:** November 25, 2003, 05:05:27 PM »

dont move into the hills. There should be a law that allows mountain lions to kill and eat people, to keep morons from spreading into the wild.

mrblack · « **Reply #26 on:** November 25, 2003, 06:14:32 PM »

It was killed WHY?
Again people must accept what happends to them whe they venture into the animals turf!

When in the wilderness or the ocean we are no longer on top of the food chain Get over it:aok

LePaul · « **Reply #27 on:** November 25, 2003, 06:22:09 PM »

Can ya imagine how ticked Rip would be if that animal bled on his finely carpetted garage

capt. apathy · « **Reply #28 on:** November 25, 2003, 07:51:26 PM »

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It was killed WHY?
Again people must accept what happends to them whe they venture into the animals turf!

When in the wilderness or the ocean we are no longer on top of the food chain Get over it

maybe the cat should have considered it before entering the hunters territory (effectively about 300yds.)

what happened to the hunter is he gets a great new rug.

judging from the pic, I'd put the hunter a rung or 2 above the cat on the foodchain.

davidpt40 · « **Reply #29 on:** November 25, 2003, 09:51:50 PM »

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1. They are a really beautiful animal (in my eyes) - is it
necessary to kill them i.e. would that cougar have actively hunted that guy as prey or are they afraid of humans??

No, they do not hunt humans. Every once in a while a cougar will kill a human. Very very rare.

Most likely this cougar was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The U.S. does not have a huge bio-diversity of animals. Its important to hold onto the species we have. Cats in the USA are pretty rare. Other than the zoo, I've never seen a bobcat, or puma, or cougar.

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There was another incident here in San Diego where two hunters were out hunting for wild turkey and were using one of those hearing amplifiers. One of the hunters kept hearing what he thought was, according to him, a muscle car idling. When the hunters finally got to their spot, both of them started hearing the throaty rumbling sound. When one of the hunters looked around, he saw a mountain lion about 12ft away getting ready to pounce both hunters. The hunter managed to get a shot off and the mountain lion literally dropped dead at their feet. Turns out that the muscle car sound the first hunter initially heard was the mountain lion's breathing as it was stalking them from where they left their car to where they finally shot it. It had stalked them for 7 miles.

Story sounds a bit fishy to me. Why would a cat stalk two animals of comparable size, that do not look like prey (bipedal rather than quadraped).