Mountain Lion Defensive Pistol

[Capin JRo]

He definitely mentioned in the video that there were some cubs nearby.

 

[TorchRedTulsan]

He definitely mentioned in the video that there were some cubs nearby.

This. The first story I read about it said he saw the cubs first, then the mother

 

[Flymph]

I thought that's what he was filming in the road before he noticed mama come out of the bushes to the left... actually don't see mama until he starts standing his ground.

 

[RVTECH]

I find the fact that he concentrated on videoing the whole experience as opposed to ensuring nothing was behind him a bit disturbing.

Is the 'need' to video your experiences (such as this) so overpowering as to completely surpass your own safety and to take up the use of your hand and arm that may be required to defend yourself?

Man, I hope I run into some earth muffin like this guy sometime and have a conversation with him...

 

[Helocat]

I find the fact that he concentrated on videoing the whole experience as opposed to ensuring nothing was behind him a bit disturbing.

Is the 'need' to video your experiences (such as this) so overpowering as to completely surpass your own safety and to take up the use of your hand and arm that may be required to defend yourself?

Man, I hope I run into some earth muffin like this guy sometime and have a conversation with him...

You probably will not run into any due to Darwinism.

 

[Andy54Hawken]

Cat nip and an open can of tuna placed around your buddies sleeping bag will do wonders for keeping the mountain lion away from you....

Oh...still looking for a hunting partner this season....
Andy

 

[Flopsweat]

... earth muffin ...

I learned a new word today!

 

[Flopsweat]

Excellent observation.
A kill or maybe some cubs...

That was a guy that was wishin' that he was carrying.
He had quite a while to think about it, too.

You can see the cub near the beginning of the video.

 

[XoXSciFiGuy]

Anyone here actually been attacked or at least been seriously confronted by a cougar? Or known someone who has been attacked? Or seen the stats about attacks on humans BY cougars?

A total of 125 attacks, 27 of which were fatal, have been documented in North America in the past 100 years.

Fatal cougar attacks are extremely rare and occur much less frequently than fatal snake bites, fatal lightning strikes, or fatal bee stings.

Most of the victims were children.

Trouble from cougars? That's a laugh. I chased one off just by cussing it out like a sailor. This happened in the Olympics at a place I call the High Lake, but is actually known on Google Maps as Goober Pond. Cougars can be dangerous, but what's a lot more dangerous is a dead tree suddenly falling on your tent during the night if the wind kicks up. Now that's REALLY scary. MIssed me by inches and wrecked the tent. BEARS are DEFINITELY dangerous.

Cougars scare me little, if any. If I saw one I wouldn't shoot AT it. Just shooting into the air will scare it off easily.

 

[orygun]

Wind in the trees is one of the few things that really bother me in the woods. It doesn't take a whole tree to ruin your day.

 

[DeanMk]

Cat nip and an open can of tuna placed around your buddies sleeping bag will do wonders for keeping the mountain lion away from you....

Oh...still looking for a hunting partner this season....
Andy

...I'll bring the tuna....

 

[DeanMk]

He definitely mentioned in the video that there were some cubs nearby.

Thank you for that confirmation.
I can only go off of what I saw on the news and I don't recall him saying that, but when the cougar was stamping the ground with its front legs splayed, I was reminded of a piece of advice that someone once mentioned to me about being "pursued" by an animal.
Make yourself appear as large as possible and if the animal thinks you're bigger than it is, it will back off.
It just looked to me that's what the cougar was doing.
I bet that hiker is also askin' his buddies what a good gun is to carry around in his pack or his pocket, about now, too.

Dean

 

[XoXSciFiGuy]

When I go out into the high country, my weapon of choice is either the S/W Lady Smith in 357, or my S/W 4506. Old-school guy here for sure. Also a big fan of Smith and Wesson anyway. Hell, I'm so ancient I wouldn't even know what to do with a modern Glock pistol.

EDIT: Sometimes I get questions about the picture above. The two pieces of wood near my feet are PHOTO MARKERS. I set the camera to timer and RAN to that spot, started shooting. I knew if I stood next to the one piece of wood, the picture would be centered. Camera went off after about the third or fourth shot. The white spot in the corner is part of the roof of a Subaru wagon, where I had set the camera. I was alone that trip, so I had to do it that way. Picture was taken in 2012.

 

[RVTECH]

... earth muffin ...
I learned a new word today!

Kind of an 'old school' term and still 'resonates' today!

 

[Oregonhunter5]

When I go out into the high country, my weapon of choice is either the S/W Lady Smith in 357, or my S/W 4506. Old-school guy here for sure. Also a big fan of Smith and Wesson anyway. Hell, I'm so ancient I wouldn't even know what to do with a modern Glock pistol.
View attachment 762485
EDIT: Sometimes I get questions about the picture above. The two pieces of wood near my feet are PHOTO MARKERS. I set the camera to timer and RAN to that spot, started shooting. I knew if I stood next to the one piece of wood, the picture would be centered. Camera went off after about the third or fourth shot. The white spot in the corner is part of the roof of a Subaru wagon, where I had set the camera. I was alone that trip, so I had to do it that way. Picture was taken in 2012.

Lean forward more. It helped me

 

[DirectDrive]

Lean forward more. It helped me

Old school stance from the flintlock days.
Keeps you from getting soot and flash in your face.

 

[bbbass]

Or known someone who has been attacked?

Yes. The 12yr old son of a friend. They were out hunting when the cougar tried to pounce on the kid from behind. My friend shot it in mid-jump. Pic in the paper and everything.

We have lots of cougar here. Mostly they steal kitties at night. Must find them yummy. But there are many daytime sightings of cougars in the hills around town. And of course, the guys with cougar tags get their share. Lot more since the advent of hunting license packages by ODFW.

Or seen the stats about attacks on humans BY cougars?

Do I care? I'm more worried about 2 legged critters in the woods, but even if I trusted my fellow man unreasonably, I still wouldn't go out in the woods unarmed.

Of course, the stats didn't protect the recent victims of fatal cougar attacks in the PNW.
Reports document Northwest cougar attacks dating back to 1920s

What Really Caused Washington's Cougar Attack

Or this recent non-fatal attack:
Oregon cougar encounter renews debate about threats from animal

 

[Grizzly_A]

I cannot confirm, but I'm pretty sure a cougar got my cat while we were away for the weekend. The state police also handed a bag of ground up "bobcat" to a local rancher to use as Cougar bait while I was out elk hunting. Big cats eat little cats.

There have been several sightings of Cougar where I live, one was even in my driveway! The most recent was 2 weeks ago, the neighbor found tracks while working on their property.

In the woods I'm more concerned with cougar than black bear. In camp, I'm concerned with black bear and 2-legged critters. (bear less so) While, hiking I carry a .40, but hunting I just stick with my rifle. Usually just bringing the family disrupts all the critters in the area since they are SOOOO noisy. It's a freaking herd of noise...ain't nothing in the hills after we walk through it...great for a deer drive, bad for stalking.

 

[Provincial]

Wind in the trees is one of the few things that really bother me in the woods. It doesn't take a whole tree to ruin your day.

One winter when I was a teenager, my brother, a friend, and I were in the woods behind our house after a heavy snowfall. A large limb broke out of a Maple tree about 50 feet away and dropped about 30 feet to the ground with a HUGE sound. It certainly got our attention!

 

[XoXSciFiGuy]

I agree that your biggest danger in the woods (at least THESE days) are the two-legged variety. Let me drop an incident on you. I was driving in an open truck, alone, headed up beyond Jefferson Lake in the Olympics. (Access from Hamma Hamma road, or Eagle Creek road) I'm pretty far out there and heading up a steep part of the FS road. Coming DOWN...I see four or five (yes) gang-banger types in a van. This was back in 2008 or so.

In the back of my truck I have a generator and all kinds of expensive photo gear, camping gear, supplies. You can see everything plainly through the ropes holding it all in place. These guys in the van were drinking. I could see a couple of them with the beer cans going. We made eye contact and it was like a bunch of vultures looking at their next victim. We are twenty miles off road with no one around. And sure enough....(I KNEW it!!) they made a quick U turn at the bottom of the hill and started coming back up the hill fast.

I pulled off at the top of the hill and took out this ancient bolt action Enfield. I couldn't tell you exactly what it was about. Had a 20-round box mag installed and I think it shot Win 308? Anyway...I fired off four or five rounds into the air.

They turned the van around and went back down the hill. They weren't coming back to ask for directions, I can tell you that. Some of them looked drunk. They wanted to steal everything I had and just leave me there. No...I never go out camping without some firepower ready to go. And if you go the Cascades rather than the Olympics, this is even MORE necessary because you will find more negative people in the Cascades. 99.9% of the folks I've seen or met in the Olympics are decent folk. Your meth makers and stolen car guys prefer the Cascades.