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Beatrix Kiddo
Mountain climber
Littleton
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Feb 11, 2010 - 11:03am PT
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Thanks! It was interesting how the cat kept running towards us until both of us started yelling (in a low but loud voice). I think he thought I was injured since I was on the ground at first. He came up from behind us. The behavior he displayed lines up with the behavior listed in # 7 in this link:
http://www.sdgfp.info/wildlife/mountainlions/Language.htm
I feel so fortunate!
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Beatrix Kiddo
Mountain climber
Littleton
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Feb 11, 2010 - 11:07am PT
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Considering a 38 snubnose myself. I'm outdoors so much alone, at night or with my kids during the day. I would only shoot when necessary. Firing off a couple warning shots might have scared him away faster. He hung out around of for a long time. At least it felt like a long time.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Feb 11, 2010 - 11:18am PT
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Stay tuned for the release of my forthcoming
Hiker's Pocket Napalm Device. Seriously, no animal
will brave a 4' wall of flame. You don't have to
worry about your aim as with a pistol just as long as
you keep it away from the trees.
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Jaybro
Social climber
Wolf City, Wyoming
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Feb 11, 2010 - 11:34am PT
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Yow, Beatrix now that's a story!
In a few hrs I'm headed to the part of the Sierra said to have the highest concentratin of m lions in the state of Ca. Yahoo!
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Beatrix Kiddo
Mountain climber
Littleton
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Feb 11, 2010 - 11:40am PT
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Nice Jay! Good luck!!!!
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hossjulia
Social climber
Eastside
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Feb 11, 2010 - 11:43am PT
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Saw a large male on Tioga Pass December of 04. The pass had just closed, and I was working up at TPR. It was at night and right around the 8,000' sign, I saw these 2 bright green spotlights around the corner on the road ahead. Knowing it was something large, I speed up to get a look and got full view of positive male identification as it took about 6 huge bounds on the side of the road before it went over the side. This was a big cat. Really long tail. Next time I had to go through that gate at night, which involves bending way over to get to the lock, I had my dog Max guard my back.
They are rarely seen over here, so I felt pretty lucky.
I did see a Jaguar once in San Diego county, very near the Mexican border in east county. (Mother Grundy Truck Trail Road.)
My brain could not figure out why this huge mountain lion was so dark, almost black, with faint spots. Too big to be a juvenile, and it had a huge head that did not look right for a lion. I called the zoo to see if something had escaped, and they informed me I saw a black Jaguar. Cool.
I too jumped out of my truck to follow it and get a closer look, but at first light in thick brush, I quickly realized my foolishness and backed back to my truck.
At least the neighborhood finally knew what was nabbing their goats. Might explain my young mares nervousness in that area too! lol.
Saw a really small bobcat kitten on the side of 395 a few days ago near our house. Neighbors have seen a lion walk down our driveway.
Living on the Eastside, where they have the huge territories they like and are not crowded, I am not that worried about them, but I do keep an eye out. Not having my Shepard to hike with concerned me, but being able to hike in Tuolumne last summer got me over it.
I lived in Boulder Creek (summer of 1993?)and had my mare at a place on the border of Henry Coe State park. I don't think I knew there were lions there, that would explain why this horse never settled and hated that park. I always thought it was the redwoods, so different from Colorado where she was from. The river is the only place she would relax.
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Beatrix Kiddo
Mountain climber
Littleton
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Feb 11, 2010 - 12:00pm PT
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It was actually my ski that was in the position to chop! I've got good edges. :-)
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Feb 11, 2010 - 12:01pm PT
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aspendougy noted on post #70:
Some years ago, I visited a guy at a wildlife refuge. He had a semi-tame mountain lion in a cage, and he let us go in and pet it. He said that the mountain lion responds to visual cues. A good size man standing is too big to be natural prey. But a smaller child is about the same height as a deer, and so the mountain lion would get excited whenever people brought their kids
Werd! I was at the San Diego Zoo with the nephew last year. We're standing
in a crowd in front of the Mt Lion cage. It is quite large and the cats are loungeing
on ledges on a faux cliff at the back bored silly.
Someone walks up to my left from behind carrying a small child. The big
male suddenly sits up and stares right at the child and uncorks a chilling
full-tooth roar! That was freaky! He thought it was lunchtime!
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hossjulia
Social climber
Eastside
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Feb 11, 2010 - 12:06pm PT
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Why do some people think guns are the answer to anything fearful? How about your brains? They work pretty good if you let them.
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Reilly
Mountain climber
Monrovia, CA
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Feb 11, 2010 - 12:14pm PT
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Fatty,
I used to hang with the Seattle Zoo's Helen Freeman
who established the Snow Leopard Trust. After George
Schaller she was it for snow leopard beta. Snow leopards
are decidedly un-aggressive towards humans. To my knowledge
there is no authenticated report of an unprovoked attack and
even when some babushka caught one raiding her chicken coop
she drove it off with her broom. You just don't want to have
four legs.
Upthread (#86) I noted my 'snow leopard moment'. They coulda had me
and spared y'all a lot of grief.
RIP Helen:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Freeman
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Beatrix Kiddo
Mountain climber
Littleton
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Feb 11, 2010 - 01:16pm PT
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Our brains worked just fine in this situation.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 11, 2010 - 02:55pm PT
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I used to contribute regularly to the snow leopard trust, just amazing animals.
I recommend anybody read The Stones Of Silence by Schaller (it actually qualifies as a climbing book. The reader will be pleasantly surprised as to why.)
Anybody see the amazing hunting footage of the snow leopard and sheep in Planet Earth. I bought a fricking Blu-ray to watch it!
What a treat!
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 11, 2010 - 03:46pm PT
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Oh, and for those discussing packing a gun, if you didn't read me earlier I repeat; bad idea.
Yeah thats right, Piton Ron says bad idea.
Reason;
a gun does little good as BK's situation is quite rare.
The first thing most people are aware of in a cat attack happens the instant before the pain in the back of their neck.
Think about it.
Carry a long knife that is VERY easily deployed.
Better yet, be aware and avoid.
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TGT
Social climber
So Cal
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Feb 11, 2010 - 04:07pm PT
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Beatrix Kiddo
Mountain climber
Littleton
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Feb 11, 2010 - 04:26pm PT
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The mountain lion we encountered was quite aggressive towards us. Firing a shot into the air may or may not have ended the situation quicker. I suspect it would have. My partner was yelling at it and it still continued to charge. When we yelled together, it ran off but came back so we yelled some more and charged back together. Lee was waving his poles and I was waving my ski. If I was by myself, hell yeah I would have wanted a gun and hell yeah I would have used it. He was in attack mode. Or maybe he just wanted to snuggle. It was a cold night. Regardless, I'm pretty excited about the whole encounter.
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Toker Villain
Big Wall climber
Toquerville, Utah
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Feb 11, 2010 - 04:41pm PT
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If you get a gun then you may be carrying it around for a long time before that happens again.
So if you've got the bucks get a titanium S&W J-frame with lasergrips (about $750-$800).
It won't be so much to lug around.
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Carolyn C
Trad climber
the long, long trailer
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Feb 11, 2010 - 04:46pm PT
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We had at least one big cat living on the horse ranch in the Santa Cruz Mtns. In fact, it was seen by other folks a few times emerging, during the day, from underneath the trailer we lived in. I carried a gun when I went out early in the mornings (5:30 or so) to feed horses; glad I never had an encounter, because I didn't want to use it (edit: but I would have). Saw mostly-consumed deer several times on trail rides, pieces of leg, heads, etc. But, I never saw the big cat, myself.
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sidmo
Sport climber
general delivery
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Feb 11, 2010 - 05:00pm PT
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i can understand seeing cats at coe, but at the bottom of nutcracker? i lived in the valley for years and have seen pawprints only, up tenaya canyon past hidden falls
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zeta
Trad climber
Berkeley
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Feb 11, 2010 - 05:20pm PT
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wow beatrix, that's a pretty crazy story! It's funny how you can feel both scared and super fortunate to encounter wildlife so close...
I once saw a snow leopard in Ladakh, India--where I do my research--in January, coming across Khardoong la pass (18,000ft). We were in a car and something darted across the road, I first thought it was a fox until the ladakhis in the car said quietly "schen" (the word for snow leopard). The driver stopped the car and we saw the leopard's face peering behind a rock and his huge, super thick tail behind the other side of the rock. Then he was gone. I felt so incredibly lucky to have seen one, it blew my mind to see snow leopard in the wild, an animal that seems mythic.
Yes! the Planet Earth series is incredible, especially the footage of the snow leaopards in Pakistan, running down this super steep terrain. Quite incredible footage, you all should see it if you haven't yet!
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Beatrix Kiddo
Mountain climber
Littleton
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Feb 11, 2010 - 05:32pm PT
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Which Planet Earth series? I'm looking on Netflix and there are quite a few.
Wow! Seeing A snow leopard!!! That would be the cat's meow!
haha
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