Cougars (Mountain Lions) in Metro Portland? Yes, and Here’s Why!

[Mark W.]

There were no problems with Cat and Bear populations before Bait and Dogs were outlawed. And now with the reduced habitat and hunting the Cats and Bears are at population levels that are unsustainable. In todays world.

With the Black Tail deer populations dealing with the wasting disease and now the Elk dealing with the Foot rot thing. The big cats being over populated is really hurting the Deer and Elk populations. How well do you think a Elk with 3 rotten feet can run away from a Cat?

I to have hunted in Oregon for a very long time 46 years come this season. And I have never seen so few Deer and Elk and I work in the woods part of the year.

Its so bad I'm most likely not going to bother buying a tag this year.

 

[Certaindeaf]

And that's what they want.. though they are drawing (within small districts) millions more per annum to lick stamps or something. "do" less for more is the motto

 

[The Heretic]

Let me guess, you have no issues with wolves either?

Nope. I don't.

But I am sure you are about to educate me on why I am a total idiot for not having issues with wolves.

 

[Oregonhunter5]

Nope. I don't.

But I am sure you are about to educate me on why I am a total idiot for not having issues with wolves.

Couldn't of stated it better.

 

[The Heretic]

Couldn't of stated it better.

Good.

See - we saved a lot of time and electrons.

 

[clearconscience]

Maybe they saw the gun free zones and figured kids, cats, and raccoons are easier to catch than deer and rabbits.

 

[rick benjamin]

Less territory, or more cats, bigger cats push youngsters out of prime territory.
Younger cats, bears, etc pushed towards settled territory. Settled by Man.

 

[jbett98]

One of the delivery drivers at a commercial building I maintain said that she first heard, then saw a mountain lion on the hillside above the building rear parking lot early in the morning this summer.
The building is located right below OHSU on Sam Jackson Park rd.
At first, she thought the meth head transient I evicted had moved back into the abandoned shack up in the woods, but when she heard a low pitch growling and then spotted the cat, she ran into the razor wire topped vehicle parking area and closed the gate.
The cat then bounded away up into the woods. Scared the bejuezez out of her.

 

[The Heretic]

The area around OHSU is heavily forested and is more or less part of the west hills forest which extend north to Scapoose so that doesn't surprise me.

 

[4Freedom]

Even though bees and wasps kill a lot more people than bears and cougars, there are a lot more people in areas populated with bees and wasps then people walking around in areas populated heavily with bears and cougars. I am not discounting there is a lot of unneeded paranoia and fear, but also stating that the statistics are not 100% accurate based on demographics.. If you spend your life fishing in the Alaskan Wilderness, your chance of being attacked or killed by a bear will be much higher than if you spend your day working behind an office desk in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.

 

[The Heretic]

Even though bees and wasps kill a lot more people than bears and cougars, there are a lot more people in areas populated with bees and wasps then people walking around in areas populated heavily with bears and cougars. I am not discounting there is a lot of unneeded paranoia and fear, but also stating that the statistics are not 100% accurate based on demographics..

The stats are accurate, but as you pointed out, they need to be taken in context.

For example, a certain number of people die while skydiving each year - say (hypothetically), one in fifty million. This doesn't mean I stand a one in fifty million chance of dying from skydiving, because I never skydive.

That said, the OP was about cougars in urban areas where cougars have been seen - so the stats are relevant and I would assert are in context, since urban or rural, domestic dogs, stray dogs and even feral dogs are present in these areas too.

So in general, it is a valid observation that if you have cougars and dogs in your area (as many of us on this forum do), then you are probably 30 times more likely (at least) to be killed by a dog, than by a cougar. Probably at least sixty times more likely to be killed by a dog than by a bear (I would assert more people are probably killed by brown bear than by black bear and since there are no brown bear in Oregon the chances of being killed in Oregon by a bear are probably a lot slimmer).

If you spend your life fishing in the Alaskan Wilderness, your chance of being attacked or killed by a beer will be much higher than if you spend your day working behind an office desk in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.

Actually, I would assert the opposite, you are probably more likely to be killed by a beer in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio than in the Alaska wilderness. I've been in the latter and there just is that much dangerous beer there. Now if you go into downtown Anchorage...

Sorry, just having fun.

 

[4Freedom]

Actually, I would assert the opposite, you are probably more likely to be killed by a beer in downtown Cincinnati, Ohio than in the Alaska wilderness. I've been in the latter and there just is that much dangerous beer there. Now if you go into downtown Anchorage...

Sorry, just having fun.

I personally enjoy my meal of bear with some beer..

 

[The Heretic]

I personally enjoy my meal of bear with some beer..

I haven't had any bear, but if I were to cook bear, I would marinate it in beer

Mmmm...

Beer bear

 

[Provincial]

The beers in Anchorage have killed more people than all the wildlife in Alaska.

 

[2506]

http://www.hcn.org/issues/368/17639

 

[4Freedom]

God forbid that the Canadian wolves start making their way into Western Oregon and Washington.. Cougars will be the least of our worries. I remember hearing them howl when I lived in Idaho and it was a very eerie sound, like I was living in Transylvania or something. They have also effectively help decimate the elk/deer population in certain parts of Idaho and now Eastern Oregon is threatened.

I actually wonder if the lack of grizzly bears in the region would also help fuel an explosion of the invasive wolf species. These wolves are actually as large as many of the inland black bears of the Pacific Northwest.

 

[Roger65]

The reason more wild animals are coming into the Portland area is that starting about eighteen months ago Portland city council decided that all trash would be picked up every other week, instead of weekly.

What did we get for the trash pickups we gave up? A "table scraps" recycling bin. A green plastic, stinking, rotting, fly infested attractant to any critter that scavenges and lives on carrion. This includes rats, (have them now, never did in 40 years), raccoons (have one now), coyotes, (had one for a short time) and now cougars (not yet for me, but close).

And I live in the heart of skinny jean, fixie bike, ironic trucker hat wearing, IPA breath Portlandia, not the burbs.

 

[The Heretic]

 

[Certaindeaf]

Yea but that was before Sharknado.

 

[Jamie6.5]

The reason more wild animals are coming into the Portland area is that starting about eighteen months ago Portland city council decided that all trash would be picked up every other week, instead of weekly.

What did we get for the trash pickups we gave up? A "table scraps" recycling bin. A green plastic, stinking, rotting, fly infested attractant to any critter that scavenges and lives on carrion. This includes rats, (have them now, never did in 40 years), raccoons (have one now), coyotes, (had one for a short time) and now cougars (not yet for me, but close).

And I live in the heart of skinny jean, fixie bike, ironic trucker hat wearing, IPA breath Portlandia, not the burbs.

So, which smells worse, the "table scraps" recycling bins?
Or the hipsters?


In all seriousness, you may be on to something with the smell of rotting meat wafting from all over town, attracting the critters.