Mountain lion kills California man in state’s first fatal attack in 20 years (Los Angeles: home security, camping)

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Thing about mountain lion attacks is they are so stealthy and so quick that victims don’t usually have even a split second warning … they’re just on you before you can react with weapons.

My guess is maybe the lion was first on the younger brother who survived and when big brother intervened, he was killed while younger brother was ripped up and disoriented and running way. Likely didn’t even know his brother was in the mix.

Yeah, I don't think most understand that these animals can move in absolute silence. They can jump between 15-20 feet so if they're behind you, once they're 15 feet away they can be on you in a single leap. The person won't even know what hit them.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by NORTY FLATZ

Now here's someone who is greatly under estimating a mountain lion's capabilities. Greatly.

Yeah, a 150 point Mountain Lion can bring down an Elk weighing 1000 pounds. To them a human is like an overcooked Cornish Game Hen. The only time a person can fight one off is if they are sick and weak and that's usually why they would even attack a human normally. They can't catch anything else.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by ChrisMT

There was a situation here in Nevada where a mountain lion was harassing a girl walking a Great Pyrenees on a leash!

So the lion ran away after a face-off, but I was a little freaked out that it would approach the Pyrenees in the first place???

Yes, a mountain lion will run from some hunting hounds in a pack, but they also will attack and kill dogs, they do hunt coyotes in the wild. I live in the wildland interface and am nervous about my big dogs in my back acreage because we have so many deer all over the neighborhood....I figure the lions have to be close by :O

Interesting about the comment regarding predators and policies...here in Nevada, mountain lions can be tracked and killed with depredation or hunting tags...and they are more afraid of people because of it. Very rare to have a close encounter here even though we have many lions. You do have to wonder if they are losing fear of humans through no hunting policies and also, of course, because of more humans living close to them in California.

If the brothers were collecting antlers, then they probably were in an area where many deer congregate regularly and the lion might have had a kill nearby and was attacking more to protect its food. Ugh. How many times have I come upon a deer carcass in the wild? Sometimes even fresh blood all over...I have lucked out, thinking about some situations over the years....

Mountain Lions kill lone wolves too.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Yes, those cats can kill any dog … but they won’t unless there is no escape. Why? All carnivores - except grizzlies - know instinctively that injuries suffered in the wilds can kill them.

Black bears won’t mess with dogs either, even though they too can likely win a fight. But grizzlies are truly fearless.

Good news: no grizzly populations in California.

”Current policies towards predators are making the wilderness more dangerous.” LoL. The wilderness used to be safe? Back in the good ‘ole days?

Think

Exactly. Predators, especially solitary ones avoid unnecessary confrontations. Like you said, an injury is a death sentence.

[mattja]

Originally Posted by Tulemutt

Yes, those cats can kill any dog … but they won’t unless there is no escape. Why? All carnivores - except grizzlies - know instinctively that injuries suffered in the wilds can kill them.

Black bears won’t mess with dogs either, even though they too can likely win a fight. But grizzlies are truly fearless.

Good news: no grizzly populations in California.

”Current policies towards predators are making the wilderness more dangerous.” LoL. The wilderness used to be safe? Back in the good ‘ole days?

Think

Bad ideas:

* Releasing wolves into habitat that has been clear of wolves for near 100 years (Colorado comes to mind.)

* Making it illegal for farmers and ranchers to kill cougars and other cats they have killed for more than 100 years.

* Outlawing the hunting of the same.

All these policies make the great outdoors less safe for the unarmed hiker.

120 years ago people would not consider going into the back country unarmed. And it wasn't because of Indians.

[RetireinPA]

for well over a decade now we have been hearing them crying out around place in NW PA and a number of years back my kid was first to see one, out hunting small game octoberish, but he had my 16gau double and #6 shot...its totally against the law but I always insist on keeping a couple slugs in the pocket. few momths later he ran out a snow covered field and almost into our car....spun around back and forth for a moment before going back and we think it was he that killed a yearling deer in an ambush behind the property where I had an apple tree that fell.


They can cover 100ft in seconds and blend well. since no neighbors live around anymore and mans influence is down, the animals are moving back in. we have hundreds of coyotes around in a couple dozen packs, but the big cats moving down from NY was inevitable - they can range easy a couple hundred miles over the course of a year and our game populations are exploding. we tend to keep a pistola nearby anymore and we NEVER walk the NCT or 'the horn' without arms


plus, there be squatch out there

[mattja]

Originally Posted by Gentoo

Yeah, a 150 point Mountain Lion can bring down an Elk weighing 1000 pounds. To them a human is like an overcooked Cornish Game Hen. The only time a person can fight one off is if they are sick and weak and that's usually why they would even attack a human normally. They can't catch anything else.

You might have a chance with a decent spear.

[Gentoo]

Originally Posted by gofunme

If they were armed then chances are they both would be alive. It being California, the news outlets would have made a big deal about being armed and still attacked. I have read numerous different sources on this story and none of those sources said anything about being armed. I was not there, so not sure about it. What makes you think they might have been armed?

How long did you live in CA when you were here?

[Aredhel]

Originally Posted by mgforshort

The following is from the late evening edition of the Sacramento Bee. This wasn't a silent ambush. Unfortunately they didn't carry a suitable weapon, a gun or at least a machete.

The harrowing description of the attack in the article you quoted from honestly makes me wonder if the cat could have been rabid. I have heard of a few similar attacks by much smaller bobcats which sounded similar, with the cat suddenly launching a completely unprovoked and over the top aggressive attack that was only ended when someone shot it. I hope someone is testing that mountain lion’s brain!

If the cat doesn’t turn out to be rabid, this was clearly an unprovoked predatory attack. Either way, shooting the cat was an absolute necessity.

It sounds like those two young men did everything right. They just happened to have the misfortune of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, and without a firearm at a time when they really really needed one.

[Tulemutt]

Originally Posted by mattja

You should try thinking.

Bad ideas:

* Releasing wolves into habitat that has been clear of wolves for near 100 years (Colorado comes to mind.)

* Making it illegal for farmers and ranchers to kill cougars and other cats they have killed for more than 100 years.

* Outlawing the hunting of the same.

All these policies make the great outdoors less safe for the unarmed hiker.

120 years ago people would not consider going into the back country unarmed. And it wasn't because of Indians.

Lol … I didn’t address any of those issues ^^ … l laughed at (and am still chuckling at) your notion that the wilderness was ever ‘more safe’. (And now continuing to infer human safety is the goal for wilderness management). Hahahaha … but at least you acknowledged that people used to know it was dangerous out there “120 years ago.” News flash: the wilderness has never been ‘safe’ (emphasis of the word *wild* in *wilderness*.)

Have a nice day tough guy