Utah Mountain Lion Attack!

[Guy Miner]

A good reason to carry a reliable firearm when in the wilds:

Trail runner hurt by cougar in Utah Canyon; animal found and euthanized - East Idaho News

SALT LAKE CITY — Wildlife officials believe they found the cougar that hurt a runner Sunday morning and euthanized the animal. Utah Department of Wildlife Resources spokeswoman Faith Jolley said a woman and her friend were trail running on the Pipeline Trail in Millcreek Canyon around 8:30 a.m...

www.eastidahonews.com

 

[DrMike]

So glad the animal was "euthanized" and not killed. There is no question but that wild animals are "wild." Don't really understand how this concept is so difficult for city dwellers to grasp.

 

[RL338]

Don't really understand how this concept is so difficult for city dwellers to grasp.

Today most don’t know what bathroom they should pee in , much less that Hello Kitty will bite them.

 

[NYDAN]

I am glad the lady wasn't hurt worse.

 

[wvbuckbuster]

All you have to do is go to Yellowstone to see firsthand the misconception of peoples understanding of wildlife. Really pathetic sometimes. Dan.

 

[FOTIS]

Don't forget to pet the Bison in Yellowstone.

 

[DrMike]

Don't forget to pet the Bison in Yellowstone.

Yeah, and it seems as if I read about such shenanigans on a far too regular basis. Used to watch the tourists (especially Chinese tourist) try to pet the bull elk in Jasper during rut so they could get a picture. Seldom turned out well.

 

[diverdown]

Yeah, and it seems as if I read about such shenanigans on a far too regular basis. Used to watch the tourists (especially Chinese tourist) try to pet the bull elk in Jasper during rut so they could get a picture. Seldom turned out well.

Got that right Doc. I remember an article some years back of a Japanese woman trying to take pictures of an Elk in Estes Park during the Rut. He wouldn't cooperate and she tried to physically move him to a better position. The Elk turned and literally picked her up with his antlers. She ended up about ten feet away with minor injuries believe it or not. At that point she stopped her stupidity.

 

[KinleyWater]

I used to trail run north of there, and I was always very aware that meeting a lion was a possibility. I never saw one, but knew plenty of people who had either seen one, or seen sign. One gentleman (I use the term loosely, as he was a Marine ) was bow hunting for elk in the same area I ran, and when he was walking back along the trail, spotted lion prints inside his boot prints. There are a lot of lion in Utah - anyone with sense knows that when you leave the populated areas, you stand a chance of meeting one. For that matter, even in the populated areas. And all that without people being deliberately stupid, like when photographers try and get up-close with bison out on Antelope Island (really more like Antelope Peninsula with the way water levels have declined).

*gets off soap box*

 

[DrMike]

I used to trail run north of there, and I was always very aware that meeting a lion was a possibility. I never saw one, but knew plenty of people who had either seen one, or seen sign. One gentleman (I use the term loosely, as he was a Marine ) was bow hunting for elk in the same area I ran, and when he was walking back along the trail, spotted lion prints inside his boot prints. There are a lot of lion in Utah - anyone with sense knows that when you leave the populated areas, you stand a chance of meeting one. For that matter, even in the populated areas. And all that without people being deliberately stupid, like when photographers try and get up-close with bison out on Antelope Island (really more like Antelope Peninsula with the way water levels have declined).

*gets off soap box*

I've had the experience of "endangered" grizzly spoor imprinted over my boot prints on multiple occasions. If more of our politicians and Ministry of the Environment overseers would trek through our AO, they would see quite a few of these "endangered" bears, and the manner in which they are increasing and growing more aggressive.

People can be deliberately stupid. I still recall a Park Warden telling me of an incident in Jasper while we were living there. A warden noted a "bear jam" as he was travelling about the townsite. He was prepared to caution people not to get close to the bear when he saw a tourist crouched behind a small bush that was dangerously close to a grizzly tearing at a rotten tree. The man apparently wanted a really great picture of said bear. The warden called out with his loud hailer, "Hey, you, tourist! Come back now!"

The man stood up and pointed to a canister of bear spray. At that moment, the bear noticed the man standing and proceeded to do a quick march toward said tourist. The tourist fumbled with his capsicum spray, finally arming it and depressing the button, spraying himself full in the face. He was, of course, blinded and now gasping for breath.

The bear, meanwhile, ambled over to the man writhing on the ground, sniffed and drew his head back before returning to his log. Soon after, the bear decided he had enough entertainment for that day and wandered away.

The tourist had gone into cardiac arrest, but the warden was laughing so hard he couldn't do much for him. He did call the RCMP who quickly attended since the incident was close to the townsite. Relating how the incident unfolded, the constable joined the warden in laughing. They did manage to call the ambulance attendants who quickly dispatched an ambulance.

The tourist did survive, but he certainly provided entertainment for those who observed the incident, and it is still funny after all this time as I recall the story when it was being told to me.

 

[JD338]

Don't forget to pet the Bison in Yellowstone.

We witnessed this in Yellowstone. We stopped off the road to watch and photograph a big bull bison. People stopped behind us and walked in front of my truck. They retreated back to MY truck when the bull crossed the road about 40 yards in front of us.
You can't fix stupid!

JD338

 

[PJGunner]

My last elk hunt on December 2019 was almost a disaster. During the three days the guide and I saw exatly two raghorn bulls and the were extremely skittish. It was almost totally dark the last day of he hunt when I got very lucky and got my cow elk. Ten more minutes and it would have been illegal to shoot.

This was quite disturbing and we wondered if there were any elk around. Usually I had my choice of dozens of elk based on five previous hunts on that ranch. IIRC, we were taking a break and trying to figure out where the elkmight be when I noticed tracks from a Mountain lion. The guide said he'd seen a lot of lion sign and tracks. He estimated there might be as many as four or five lions working the area. Guess that explains the spooky elk. My guide told me he had tags for a couple of lions and said if we had a crack at one, he'd sign it over to me. Never saw one. He'd asked me to shoot a coyote we'd spotted and I missed. He watched through 10 X binocular while I shot and said I was a bit high but he saw hair fly. Must have just burned that doggie's back. Rifle was my custom Mauser in 30-06 running the 165 gr. AccuBond. I switched to the .35 Whelen the next day and stayed with it the rest of the hunt. If I have a rifle or load that is new, I usually try it the first day out. Win, lose or draw if I take nothing that first day I go with old faithful, my .35 Whelen. I call it my lucky rifle.
Paul B.

 

[Vince2]

Watched a YouTube video of a guy backing away from a mountain Lion while holding a gun.

My opinion he let the cat get too close. It was stalking him. He finally shot a couple rounds in the direction of the predator and kicked up some dirt and made noise.

In my head I was screaming, “SHOOT THE ( insert curse words of choice here) THING!” Cat finally turned and walked off. Lots of animals, especially cats, seem to have lost their fear of man in certain localities.

The way that cat behaved he’s lucky to be alive. I’d rather be charged with poaching, if I couldn’t articulate why I shot the bloody thing or some prosecutor is a tree hugging bunny loving granola eating ferret, than be injured or killed by a predator. The same goes for human predators too.

In that situation I’d most likely have shot the thing. Even in California I’d have shot it. My survival comes first in that situation.

Vince