Lions & Tigers & Bears...ok, Mostly Lions

[1515Art]

Took the jeep out for a first run in the hills and while out around deadwood and Forrest hill, stopped to chat with this guy who was out scouting deer and doing a little hunting. I don't know how accurate the information, or if anything is really any different than usual as the danger goes out in the woods, but... He was telling me to be a little more cautious than normal on account they been having a mountain lion problem of late in town, seems the critters are wandering into town in much higher numbers than in previous years. So, the guy who drew the short straw has been trapping any that come into town and after putting tracking collars on them, they drive them out to the end of deadwood road by the cemetery and let them loose.

point of the story there may be more than a few hungry lions hanging around the area so if you are out and about the area doing a little prospecting they'll see you... 

the deer were scarce too, usually I see a few this time I didn't see any.

[Ridge Runner]

1515Art

When it's less deer out there for lions to eat they will come into town looking for dogs and other pets we have..In Colorado this store I trade at that is in the edge of town had one kill in front of it. What happen a guy pulls up with his dog chained in the back . He goes in to shop but when he comes out this lion had kill his dog. It couldn't get the dog out because it was chained.

This why you need to carry a gun with you at all times when out. You go look in the mirror and you see you but that lion see's one big T bone steak.

Be safe and live long !

Chuck  

[WesD]

I rarely see much  deer in those surrounding forests anymore, due to them being hunted out by people, forest fires, or maybe cats.  But there are bazillions of them living around the lower elevations in town, where they are not hunted. Make sense the cats are frequenting town more often to get their food.

[1515Art]

12 hours ago, Ridge Runner said:

1515Art

When it's less deer out there for lions to eat they will come into town looking for dogs and other pets we have..In Colorado this store I trade at that is in the edge of town had one kill in front of it. What happen a guy pulls up with his dog chained in the back . He goes in to shop but when he comes out this lion had kill his dog. It couldn't get the dog out because it was chained.

This why you need to carry a gun with you at all times when out. You go look in the mirror and you see you but that lion see's one big T bone steak.

Be safe and live long !

Chuck  

Up until a few years ago when I had a pretty bad crash I used to mountain bike almost every day and on the mornings when I was on duty we would hit the forrest about 4 or 5 in the morning and ride the trails in the Santa Cruz mountains in the pitch black, with only the lights on our bikes. We would climb for 30 minutes to an hour depending which trail, going 3 or 4 miles an hour up hill with only a small tunnel of light and no vision outside the light beam, we nervously called ourselves meals on wheels. Occasionally I'd wind up riding alone and the whole time the hair on the back of my neck would be standing straight up and every sound, creaking in the brush would give a little adrenalin boost and I'd feel myself kicking up the rpm's a bit.

one time I was riding one of the lower trails in the afternoon very near to town and came up on one big cat standing in the middle of the trail. I stopped and got off my bike and was ready to use it as a weapon, me and the cat just stared at each other for a minute and then he just slinked off into the brush. I cut my ride short and made a bee line back down hill.

[Ridge Runner]

1515Art

You are a lucky one being others have been jump doing the same thing. That cat I think got two people on bikes. A guy when out to shoot it and it came after him too. He did kill it. With a big cat like that we are a easy kill and you take a old cat likes that easy kill with little fight.

Years ago I had a farm and I had a young cat on my place. My brother in law watch it one time from a deer blind on my place. Another time another friend I had told him to keep a lookout for it. He was walking up the middle of my place and it jump up in front of him and ran off.

If you come across one don't run because you can't out run it. The best thing if you can get your hands on a big stick to fight it off. Just don't turn your back on it. because it will jump you then.

I had a friend that did have one as a pet. It had a bowling ball that was 16 lbs. and it could throw it around like you would a small ball.

Chuck 

[1515Art]

Ya, every time we weren't eaten we felt pretty lucky...I think they would be cautious of the lights on the bikes but it was still creepy being sitting ducks out there in the dark, one time I packed a gun, but I think the way they ambush attack I probably would have had a struggle getting it out of my pocket and gave that up as a false sense of security and extra useless weight to pack up hill. Main thing like you said is don't run and to get off the bike case on the bike they say you look just like a deer running to the cat and you won't get away anyway. Also holding the bike over your head makes you look bigger and you can swing it as a weapon for protection.

terrable shame about the poor dog being killed by the cat, must not have been that big of a dog, or one very desperate hungry cat.

[strick]

The only statistics  that I could find on how many Lions are killed under depredation permits each year. 

https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Mountain-Lion/Depredation

There has been a ban on hunting them since the early 70's. I was trying to find out how many were killed by hunters each year before the ban took place but could not find that data. I'd be willing to bet that it was less then what is taken now under depredation. When I was at UC Davis we had a freezer full of dead lions. We did autopsy's on all the lions killed by depredation permit. 

strick

 

[1515Art]

6 hours ago, strick said:

The only statistics  that I could find on how many Lions are killed under depredation permits each year. 

https://www.wildlife.ca.gov/Conservation/Mammals/Mountain-Lion/Depredation

There has been a ban on hunting them since the early 70's. I was trying to find out how many were killed by hunters each year before the ban took place but could not find that data. I'd be willing to bet that it was less then what is taken now under depredation. When I was at UC Davis we had a freezer full of dead lions. We did autopsy's on all the lions killed by depredation permit. 

strick

 

Freezer full of dead lions...sounds like some of the restaurants in China I've been to.

Hmmm, Bans on hunting man eating lions, bans on dredging, releasing lions in prime prospecting areas and land closures, Chuck,  if I didn't know better it would seem like we aren't welcome out in the woods and somebody was trying to make things difficult for us.

[Rivers rat]

18 hours ago, 1515Art said:

Up until a few years ago when I had a pretty bad crash I used to mountain bike almost every day and on the mornings when I was on duty we would hit the forrest about 4 or 5 in the morning and ride the trails in the Santa Cruz mountains in the pitch black, with only the lights on our bikes. We would climb for 30 minutes to an hour depending which trail, going 3 or 4 miles an hour up hill with only a small tunnel of light and no vision outside the light beam, we nervously called ourselves meals on wheels. Occasionally I'd wind up riding alone and the whole time the hair on the back of my neck would be standing straight up and every sound, creaking in the brush would give a little adrenalin boost and I'd feel myself kicking up the rpm's a bit.

one time I was riding one of the lower trails in the afternoon very near to town and came up on one big cat standing in the middle of the trail. I stopped and got off my bike and was ready to use it as a weapon, me and the cat just stared at each other for a minute and then he just slinked off into the brush. I cut my ride short and made a bee line back down hill.

OOOOOO BOY love this story!!

 

 

RR