Mt. Whitney Portal Store & Hostel Forums General Mt. Whitney Portal Store Message Board mountain lions

Article about that mountain lion shot in downtown San Luis Obispo:
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/16044991.htm

The debate that ensued:
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/editorial/letters/16101166.htm
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/editorial/letters/16112828.htm
http://www.jesseshunting.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=127605

Other sightings:
http://blogs.contracostatimes.com/gary_bogue/2006/06/young_mountain_.html
http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_km4475/is_200607/ai_n16590712
http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/713...ource=r_science
http://www.keyt.com/home/ticker/3278086.html
http://conservation.mongabay.com/news/Mountain_Lion.htm

Dayhiker, did you randomly come across the SLO article or are you from around there (here)?

Mt. Lions are a common sight in this area (Coastal Range/ Central California) There's a large deer (and ticks!) population in the area.

Even bear are seen in the area, or hit on HWY 101 between SLO and Atascadero.

The only time I've come across either animal is nearer the populated areas, otherwise I've only seen tracks and signs.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20061221/ap_on_sc/woodpecker_sighting

Here are excerpts from a discussion of a puma safety tip by some contributors to the Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Puma#Puma_fight

-"I know for a fact that the best way to fight off a Puma is with another Puma. I think that this should be added to the Puma safety tips."

-"Very few people travel with a puma, so that addition would not be helpful. You'd be better off carrying a big squeaky toy to distract him."

-SILLY! Who would take a puma along to hike? Where would you obtain one? Why wouldn't your puma attack you? Etc. There's a whole bunch of problems to this theory. Absurd!

-"OK, whoever gave that advice to bring a puma on the hiking trail for safety surely deserves some kind of acknowledgement for most surreal traveling tip (possibly ever!!). Would you also advice taking a shark to go swimming with? Or perhaps I should walk around with a rattlesnake in my pocket just in case... Man, what were you on when you decided to shield yourself against puma attacks on the trail like that??"

More on the mountain lion numbers and safety debate:
Seattle Times: Call of the wild: cats, bears and us
Humane Society: Oregon’s Cougar Management Plan: A Scientific and Political Nightmare
Humane Society: Groups Oppose Ongoing Attempt to Kill Sabino Canyon Cougars

Other stalking and attack stories:
Seattle Times: Mountain lion killed after attack on boy
Arizona Outdoorsman: Wildlife feeding near Sabino Canyon attracts lions
Arizona Daily Star: \'Stalking\' mountain lion slain
Mail tribune: Cougar Kill
Seattle Times: Idaho man says he was stalked by black wolves

<font size=1>Dayhiker, please learn how to post SHORT URLs: &#91;URL=http://...]Title here&#91;/URL]</font>

Bob:

Those quotes, of course, brings this topic full circle with the earlier discussion of googlie eyes.

But I actually just like to say "Googlie eyes".

Makes me sound wicked smaht.

-L

For the record, there never has been a mountain lion attack in the San Francisco bay area. The closest was in Grass Valley in 1992, when a woman runner jogging alone was killed.

I hike on Mt. Tamalpais (north of San Francisco)at least weekly and a number of my friends had sightings in that area, specially around the headlands to the south. Last year I had my first sighting of a lion that was half grown and which was sitting on the trail about 50 feet away. After looking at my group for ten seconds, it meandered up the trail a bit before disappearing into the brush. I have acquaintances that have hiked on Mt. Tam for decades and never had a sighting.

I do have an animal question. During the late 50s, my scout troop was camped at Golden Trout Lake, and one morning as I walked around the north end of the lake, I spooked a wolverine, which just walked away and instead dismembering me. No, it wasn't badger; much larger. When I was a kid I was an aspiring naturalist, and I could identify and name most of North American fauna.

Has anyone else spotted a wolverine in the Sierras?

Although I've been hiking in the Sierras for 50 years, I've never seen a martin, mink or flying squirrel. I was fortunate to see big horn sheep.

The only things that make the news are the successful attacks. How many near misses never get reported?

I know a woman who was stalked and charged by a mountain lion near Dorst in Sequoia last summer. She heard it moving around in the brush, and then heard something running up from behind. She turned around, yelling and shining her light (it was at dusk), and the lion veered off into some bushes. It continued to circle her as she made her way down the slope to meet up with her companions. She says that she was shaking pretty hard.

Lambertiana, Re: "The only things that make the news are the successful attacks."
__________________________________________________________
Recall the message that started this thread http://www.whitneyportalstore.com/cgi-bin/ubb/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005140;p=1&r=npwm :

From this Friday's Yosemite Daily Report:
"Trail Closure: Due to recent Mountain Lion sightings and activity, the following trails are closed - East trail along Ahwahnee Meadow towards Ahwahnee dorm and continuing to the tennis courts and the trail from Church Bowl past the stables to Lower Yosemite Falls until further notice. (L. Fazio - 9/12/06)"
_____________________________________________
Also,
http://users.frii.com/mytymyk/lions/onguard.htm
"1995 - January. A mountain lion charged Michelle Rossmiller, a 17-year-old girl, as she was unloading school books from her car at her home on Volcan Mountain, San Diego County. Lisa Rossmiller, her mother, said, She saw it coming at her, thought fast and closed the door before it reached her. It was running straight at her. (SDUT 1/28/95, B3)." (I think that SDUT stands for San Diego Union Tribune.)
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Anyhow, I think I understand your point, but near misses don't count. One could make the same argument with close calls that could have been auto accidents, etc.

It seems like even these stalking incidents are very rare. However, I'll have to admit that if I go out in the woods at dusk/night, I'll probably be more cautious than in the daytime. Especially near a campground because there may be bears on their way to their nightly campground pillaging.

I remember once when my wife and I were backpacking in bear country in Yosemite. We had camped a couple hundred yards from the stream and we went to get some water at night through the dark woods. We heard something big and hidden in the night, paralleling our path, "stalking" us. I yelled at it and it scampered. We continued heading towards the stream and there it was again. I yelled and it scampered again. We continued and again the same thing, except this time I think I lost interest in yelling at it (IIRC). It was probably a bear and I have no idea what it was up to. (This is different than your story about the woman since she might have been dinner if she hadn't noticed the mountain lion but I just told it because sometimes I just like to tell stories. )

A successful attack:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/01/25/state/n132905S51.DTL
http://www.mercurynews.com/mld/mercurynews/16547785.htm

Technically I don’t think the Lion considers the attack successful unless he gets to eat the prey.

Or did you mean successful attack of the wife on the Lion?

An incredible news story,thanks for posting.
What courage she showed.

http://video.msn.com/v/us/msnbc.htm?g=A3E47A6C-5273-4216-99D9-FB55925284CA&f=00&fg=copy

Prints of a small cat near Whitney portal.

Here is a website of historical mountain lion attacks in the U.S. and Canada.

http://www.cougarinfo.com/attacks2.htm

This is recent:
<a href="http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/25/mountain.lion.ap/index.html">http://www.cnn.com/2007/US/01/25/mountain.lion.ap/index.html</a>

On the Hunter&Hunted(2007) program tonight on the National Geographic channel, a repeat broadcast of "Cougar Island", first-hand accounts of cougar encounters on Vancouver Island.

Regarding Wolverines: I read that none have been seen in many years in the Sierra. Apparently when they were around, they each occupy (roam) large area of land and there were very few of them, and were therefore sensitive to any loss in deer and other prey. Interesting animal - lived at very high altitude, very shy/elusive, don't hibernate, jaws strong enough to bite through frozen meat. Someone made some effort to find signs of them I think in the 80's in part by using those wildlife cameras that are triggered by an animal walking in front of it. Didn't find anything.

Disclaimer - this was from memory of a fairly detailed article I read years ago. I think I got off the internet - you may be able to find it.

For what it's worth...In my 32 years of trail running in Southern California's Santa Monica mountains and Northern California's East Bay trails, I saw a total of 5 mountain lions. On two separate occasions, I surprised lions from about 50m during very windy days (normal in the East Bay hills) coming around a bend or corner. Observed the third and fourth (at one time) down from 200m as they "argued" over a small hill near MT Diablo--until one noticed me and started up toward me then stopped (whew!). The fifth I saw two months ago in the East Bay 50m up from me on a hillside outlook--the lion was sunning itself on a cold, windy day and only briefly glanced at me. In all my cases, either the lions were very frightened or only mildly curious. BTW, and coincidentally, I and another ultramarathoner were unknowingly running on the WS trail where Barbara Schoener was killed by a lion--just after the local authorities found the body. We had also ran nearby the day before. That was a little unnerving.--Adam

Hello All
I also have encountered mountain lions, some way closer than I ever want again without a gun in my hand.
I believe in 32 years of observing their habits that they tend to be more curious less
cautious and now lazy, the numbers are 6 + K in Ca.
"that they know of".
I saw a large one about a month ago in my yard at 8 am. after "wild turkeys" I heard one with him scream also... they don't like me much for ruining
breakfast plans!
AND no I have not ..HAD to shoot one yet.
I am gonna get some paper sunglasses and put them on my backpack cover.

hahahaha. Hilarious.

My favorite hikes is the Whiting Ranch trail that ultimately peaks out at the top of Dreaded Hill. On top of that hill is this memorial to Mark J. Reynolds...the mountain biker killed in 2004.

http://www.mbaction.com/detail.asp?id=1117

I have seen bobcats, rattlesnakes and tarantulas, but never a mountain lion. I have never seen a mountain lion. I ran into a guy who accidentally ran into a mountain lion feeding on a deer that was partially buried in the bushes. He said the smell of dead flesh was unmistakable. Whenever I'm on this trail I make sure my shoe laces are double knotted. No way I'm bending down to tie them in the woods.

I live around the corner from the main entrance to Whiting Ranch and I mountain bike and hike that same trail and often wonder if there have ever been any mountain lions looking down at me from the cliffs when I am heading up that steep hill at a snails pace. My wife refuses to go with me unless the trail is full of bikers and hikers. Also, we often wake up in the middle of the night to the sound of coyotes howling on the slope behind our house.