Tag: mountain lion

Watch: Mountain lion goes on the attack in front of hikers

A mountain lion on the trail stopped a group of hikers in its tracks in a unique encounter at Big Bend National Park in Texas.

A mountain lion on the trail stopped a group of hikers in its tracks at Big Bend National Park in Texas, but there wasn’t a hint of panic, even as the cougar readied to pounce.

Instead, Robert Turner started videotaping and the hikers continued their conversation, not bothering to lower their voices, as some commenters thought they should.

Seems that was okay with the mountain lion, though, as it appeared to be using the human voices to cover its presence from its prey.

“This is so cool, man,” Turner says in the video. “I’m not taking my eyes off this guy. He wants nothing to do with us…He’s getting ready to pounce.”

Seconds later, the cougar did pounce, and you can hear the result. It didn’t end well for the nearby deer.

The unique encounter occurred March 26 on the Pinnacles Trail between Juniper Flats and the Boulder Meadows campsites.

Some commenters on YouTube thought the hikers ought to have been quiet, thinking their noise was going to mess up the cougar’s hunt.

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“I’m surprised that the mountain lion was able to catch its prey with all the conversation taking place,” one wrote.

“He was very polite,” Turner wrote. “Thanked us afterwards for providing the distraction.”

 

Another commenter wrote that he had captured the hunt on video, as well. The Scenic Route has slow-motion action of the attack; you can find it at about the 16-minute mark.

Photos courtesy of Robert Turner.

Rare Yellowstone cougar encounter caught on video

An ecotour company that operates in Yellowstone National Park has captured extremely rare footage of an active cougar.

An ecotour company that operates in Yellowstone National Park has captured extremely rare footage of an active cougar.

“Low quality video but a high quality sighting!” Yellowstone Wolf Tracker boasted Sunday via Instagram. “Today many of us were graced with a rare sighting of a very elusive predator; the mountain lion!”

The footage, captured from a distance, briefly shows a large cougar, or mountain lion, gazing in one direction before walking lazily out of the frame.

The park estimates the cougar population at between 34 and 42 animals, mostly in the northern range. Other cougars may enter the park seasonally. (Yellowstone National Park encompasses nearly 3,500 square miles.)

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The animals are considered phantom-like because they’re so rarely encountered.

Cougars prey mostly on deer and young elk, but also small mammals such as marmots.

According to the park’s website, bears and wolves sometimes displace cougars from their kills, and wolves sometimes kill adult cougars and cougar kittens.

The park states that “very few documented confrontations between cougars and humans have occurred in Yellowstone.”

–Cougar image is courtesy of Wikimedia Commons

‘Astonishingly’ huge kingsnake encountered by conservation crew

A Southern California conservation worker recently encountered what might be described as the king of kingsnakes.

Southern California conservation workers recently encountered what might be described as the king of kingsnakes.

The enormous kingsnake, spotted last month by members of the Mountains Recreation and Conservation Authority, measured an estimated 7 feet. The average California kingsnake measures about half that size.

The MRCA explained via Facebook that Alberto Silva was inspecting a restoration site near Liberty Canyon in Agoura Hills – the crew had been planting oak trees – when he saw the snake slithering toward a busy road.

“Fearing this long native snake may not be able to avoid vehicles, Alberto quickly rushed into action using a large branch to safely lift and gently move the snake back to a planted area,” the MRCA stated.

Dash Stolarz, an MRCA spokeswoman, told FTW Outdoors that the crew was “astonished” by the size of the kingsnake. She added that the crew also spotted a “more averaged-sized kingsnake” in the same area north of the Ventura Freeway.

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California kingsnakes rarely exceed 4 feet in length. Although larger specimens have been documented, a 7-foot kingsnake is considered extraordinary.

The snakes are endemic to the western U.S. and northern Mexico. They’re known for their striking appearance – a typical kingsnake is black with white or cream-colored rings, but color patterns vary.

Kingsnakes are nonvenomous constrictors that prey on rodents, frogs, lizards, and other snakes, including venomous rattlesnakes.

Liberty Canyon is the site of the future Wallis Annenberg Wildlife Crossing, which will connect the Simi Hills to the Santa Monica Mountains via a 210-foot vegetated overpass that will span the Ventura Freeway.

The bridge, expected to be completed by the end of 2023, will become the largest urban wildlife crossing of its kind and benefit mountain lions and other critters. Apparently, that includes abnormally massive snakes.

In describing the recent kingsnake encounter, the MRCA began its Facebook post by jokingly stating, “We’re going to need a bigger wildlife crossing.”

–Image showing Alberto Silva with the kingsnake is courtesy of the Mountain Recreation Conservation Authority

Watch: Hiker turns around, sees charging cougar, has seconds to react

Hiker coming face-to-face with an aggressive mountain lion acts on “primal instinct” to thwart an attack on a trail near Los Angeles.

Dutch Faro was hiking near Pyramid Lake north of Los Angeles recently when he caught movement in his peripheral vision, prompting him to turn around. When he did, he came face-to-face with a charging mountain lion.

“When I turned around and really got a look at it, I could tell it was a … cougar,” Faro told the Sacramento Bee.

With seconds to react, Faro yelled “hey” and then acted on “primal instinct.”

“I went back thousands of years and just let out a caveman roar,” he told the Bee. “I’m glad it worked; I could have been in the hospital right now.”

At first, he thought it might be a dog running off leash but reality set in quickly. Once he stood his ground and roared, the cougar hurried for cover.

Faro told NBC Los Angeles he believes it was a mountain lion cub and he worried the mother was nearby.

“People are asking me, ‘did your life flash before your eyes?’” Faro told the Bee. “I didn’t have time for my life to flash before my eyes — I had to think on my feet.”

And think fast. He did the right thing in stopping and standing his round.

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The California Department of Fish and Wildlife  has several tips to help keep you safe in lion country, among them are:

  • Do not hike, bike, or jog alone. Stay alert on trails.
  • Avoid hiking or jogging when mountain lions are most active – dawn, dusk, and at night.
  • Keep a close watch on small children.
  • Off leash dogs on trails are at increased risk of becoming prey for a mountain lion.
  • Never approach a mountain lion. Give them an escape route.
  • DO NOT RUN. Stay calm. Running may trigger chase, catch and kill response. Do not turn your back. Face the animal, make noise and try to look bigger by waving your arms, or opening your jacket if wearing one; throw rocks or other objects. Pick up small children.
  • Do not crouch down or bend over. Squatting puts you in a vulnerable position of appearing much like a 4-legged prey animal.
  • Be vocal; however, speak calmly and do not use high pitched tones or high pitch screams.
  • If a lion attacks, fight back. Research on mountain lion attacks suggests that many potential victims have fought back successfully with rocks, sticks, garden tools, even an ink pen or bare hands. Try to stay on your feet. If knocked down, try to protect head and neck.

Tiny dog stares down mountain lion; ‘this is really scary’

Sarah Bole came home to find the unsettling scene of her dog sitting unfazed as a mountain lion approached it. She videotaped the moment.

A tiny dog named Dash stared down a mountain lion, putting up a brave front thanks to a pane of glass separating it from the big cat.

“There is a big, big mountain lion on our patio,” Dash’s owner Sarah Bole said in the video she recorded upon getting home last Thursday evening and discovering the unsettling scene. “He wants to eat my dog…I’m not going to lie, this is really scary.”

Dash remained unafraid, however. He simply wagged its tail and ignored Bole’s commands to get away from the door.

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The incident occurred in Grand Lake, Colorado, an area known for its wildlife, but Bole had never seen a mountain lion before.

“I thought it was very unusual that my little dog was sitting at the door like that and he didn’t come greet me or anything and then I looked up and the mountain lion was frozen on the patio in med-step,” Bole told Sky-Hi News. “That’s where the video starts.”

“I knew the cat couldn’t come in in my rational brain, but…I’m 5-feet away and it’s tapping on the glass,” Bole told Sky-Hi News.

“We’ve always known that there are mountain lions up here, on our property, in this neighborhood, but you do all the things you’re supposed to do…and I just never expected to see one 5-feet away looking in my dining room.”

Woman stalked by cougar terrified, but holds ground; video

A woman who was stalked by a cougar Friday in Southern California was shaking with fear during a tense confrontation that “felt like an eternity.”

A woman who was stalked by a cougar Friday in Southern California acknowledged shaking with fear during a tense confrontation that “felt like an eternity.”

But Rachel de Vlugt knew better than to run and was thankful to have been with a companion who helped prevent the harrowing situation from escalating.

“Thank God Mark was there because I think I would have taken off running, which is obviously the worst thing you can do,” de Vlugt stated on Facebook after the evening encounter in Orange County’s Trabuco Canyon.

De Vlugt and Mark Girardeau were checking motion-sensor cameras on remote trails when an adult female cougar, or mountain lion, charged toward them and paused behind bushes only 20 feet away. (See video below.)

Girardeau’s video shows the cougar eyeing both hikers intently as he yells repeatedly in an attempt to keep the predator at bay: “Get back! Get back, mountain lion!”

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In de Vlugt’s video clip, Girardeau predicts that the cougar will follow as they slowly back away. The cat, indeed, continues its close-range vigil.

Cougar named Uno. Photo: Mark Girardeau

De Vlugt acknowledges “shaking” but she and Girardeau maintain their composure, never turning away from the cougar until it retreats after two excruciatingly long minutes.

De Vlugt, a personal trainer, told FTW Outdoors that she has jogged on area trails for years and had never spotted a cougar. “Although I knew it was a possibility, I never expected it to actually happen,” she said.

Of resisting the impulse to run, potentially triggering an attack, she said, “Everyone knows how to tell you how you’re supposed to act in those situations, but nobody knows how difficult it is to execute when you’re actually faced with it.”

Cougar named Uno passes trail-cam. Photo: Mark Girardeau

Mountain lions in California prey largely on mule deer, which they stalk and ambush. Girardeau and de Vlugt spotted several deer minutes before the cougar sighting.

Girardeau, who runs the Orange County Outdoors website and shares trail-cam footage with researchers, initially thought the cougar was a male nicknamed Toro. A researcher informed him, however, that the animal is an older female named Uno.

–Images showing a cougar named Uno are courtesy of Mark Girardeau

‘Get back, mountain lion!’ Tense encounter caught on video

A photographer who monitors trail cameras in Southern California mountain lion habitat experienced a dangerously close encounter with one of the predators on Friday.

A photographer who monitors trail cameras in the Southern California wilderness experienced a dangerously close mountain lion encounter on Friday.

Mark Girardeau, who was hiking with Rachel de Vlugt in Orange County’s Trabuco Canyon,  shared footage of their 5 p.m. encounter via Instagram.

Girardeau told FTW Outdoors that he and de Vlugt had just checked  a few cameras when he saw the mountain lion run up a hill and stop to watch them from perhaps 20 feet away.

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In the footage the male mountain lion, or cougar, peers intently through bushes and does not flinch as Girardeau repeatedly yells, “Get back!” in an attempt to keep the animal at bay.

As they slowly back away, the cat briefly follows.

Girardeau’s Instagram description reads: “I think there are two things that could have caused this: either he has a kill nearby and he was defending it or he ran up not realizing we were humans since he couldn’t completely see us from down below.

“There were deer in the area that we saw so he probably assumed it was them.”

Mountain lions in Southern California prey largely on mule deer, which they stalk and ambush.

Girardeau wrote: “Mountain lions do not predate on humans and this is why it’s good to hold your ground because any prey item for mountain lions runs away. If you don’t do this, the mountain lion is not going to assume you are prey.”

Girardeau, whose social media feeds contains cougar footage captured by motion-sensor cameras, told FTW Outdoors that about two minutes passed before the cougar stopped following them.

–Image courtesy of Mark Girardeau

Cougar breaks into home after spotting hunter’s trophy mounts 

Police in San Bruno, Calif., believe that a mountain lion, or cougar, broke into a residence early Tuesday after spotting several lifelike critter heads gazing blankly from the walls.

Police in San Bruno, Calif., believe that a mountain lion, or cougar, broke windows to enter a home early Tuesday after spotting a hunter’s trophy mounts gazing blankly from the walls.

In a news release the San Bruno Police Department stated: “It is believed that the mountain lion entered the residence because of several large game, taxidermy trophy heads, mounted on the interior walls of the residence.”

The mountain lion was scared off by the homeowner and nobody inside the house was injured. 

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The incident occurred at 12:20 a.m. Police said that the cougar could not be located during an “extensive area check.”

Mountain lion sightings in San Bruno are uncommon so police reached out to the California Department of Wildlife for tips that all homeowners might find useful:

–Deer-proof your property to avoid attracting a lion’s main food source.

–Remove dense vegetation from around the home to reduce hiding spaces.

–Install outdoor lighting to make it difficult for mountain lions to approach unseen.

–Do not leave small children or pets outside unattended.

–Always remember, mountain lions are wild animals and their behavior may be unpredictable.

–Do not hike, bike, or jog alone. Do not hike, bike or jog at dawn, dusk, or night.

–Stay alert on trails. Keep a close watch on small children and off-leash pets.

–Never approach a mountain lion. Give them an escape route.  

–DO NOT RUN. Stay calm. Do not turn your back. Face the animal, make noise, and try to look bigger.

–Do not crouch down or bend over.

–If a lion attacks, fight back. Research on mountain lion attacks suggests that many potential victims have fought back successfully with rocks, sticks, garden tools, and their bare hands. Try to stay on your feet. If knocked down, try to protect your head and neck.

–If a mountain lion attacks a person, immediately call 911.

*Cougar image is generic 

Details emerge after hunter’s standoff with snarling cougar

A hunter has revealed details about his stare-down with a snarling cougar last month in the Montana wilderness – an encounter his partner caught on video.

A hunter has revealed details about his standoff with a snarling cougar last month in the Montana wilderness – an encounter his partner caught on video.

Janis Putelis, during a Meat Eaters Podcast episode, revealed that the cougar was a kitten, perhaps a year old, weighing 40 pounds, and that Putelis was concerned enough for his safety that he raised his shotgun to scare off the critter.

“That movement was enough to spook it, and then its sibling spooked, and momma spooked off, too,” Putelis recalled. (See the video below.)

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNsNiX9AHtR/

Putelis and Zach Sandau had ventured into dense brush during opening weekend of Montana’s turkey hunting season.

“Down in the gully off to my right, I hear… in my mind it registers [simply] as air coming out of an animal’s mouth,” Putelis says in the podcast. “[But there] might have been a touch more grrr or growl to it….

“Right after that I can hear footsteps. Soft pads, but a little bit of crunching of pine needles and detritus.”

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Putelis, who was sitting beneath a tree during a break from calling turkeys, asked Sandau to document the encounter with his phone. He figured a bear was approaching “because that’s what I’m expecting in this landscape.”

But then he saw tan hide and guessed it was a deer. But the long tails were a dead giveaway: The turkey calls had apparently attracted a “three pack” of mountain lions.

Momma kept her distance but the kittens “caught our movements” and approached, softly growling. The cougar shown in the video was bolder, approaching to within 15 yards.

It crouched and snarled, and that’s when Putelis clutched his shotgun.

“At that point I’m like, ‘Alright, that’s enough of that,’ ” he says. “I then took my shotgun from my lap and I pointed it at it, and that movement was enough to spook it.”

Almost immediately the distant turkeys that had been so vociferous went silent, realizing a threat was in their midst.

Said Putelis: “There was no more clucking, no yelping, no gobbling, and we hiked around that mountain for another 30 minutes and they were gone.”

Turkey hunter’s standoff with mountain lion caught on video

How would you react if you were calling in turkeys and mountain lions showed up?

How would you react if you were calling for turkeys and mountain lions showed up?

Apparently, that’s what happened to Janis Putelis and his hunting companion recently in Colorado, and Putelis caught part of the encounter on video.

The accompanying footage shows two of three mountain lions that approached within yards of Putelis and Zach Sandau as they were stationary and camouflaged, hoping to attract turkeys.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNsNiX9AHtR/

“Zach Sandau and I called in a three pack of mountain lions while turkey hunting,” Putelis explained in the April 15 Instagram post.

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The footage shows one mountain lion passing through the brush and another scrambling in for a much closer look. That cougar appears to stare fiercely at Putelis before backing off to join the others.

A third mountain lion does not appear in the footage and Putelis did not respond to a request for details about the encounter.

Putelis, however, is co-host of the MeatEater Podcast and promised via  Instagram to share details during an upcoming episode.

–Image courtesy of Janis Putelis/Instagram