Even though Mountain Lions can be dangerous, I have to say it sure is beautiful ! Its good to know how a person should act, if ever confronted by one. I recently got to see a Bob Cat face to face a few weeks ago, and I was surprised at how small it was. We know they are around and yet we had never seen one until now. I had been letting my goats run loose, but I am not going to ever do that again !
Stay safe when you walk !

The directions are very interesting. I'm sure it takes a bit of disipline to squelch the urge to run.
Sorry that your hikes are curtailed for the time being.

Good info. My neighbor had one drinking from his little koi pond early this year. Never saw it myself....

Wonder if this would work on those Mtn Lions.

TV host and zookeeper Jack Hanna says he took his own advice and used pepper spray on grizzlies headed toward him.

The Columbus Zoo keeper and frequent David Letterman guest says he was with his wife and other hikers in Montana's Glacier National Park on Saturday when they saw the mother bear and two large cubs coming toward them. Hanna and the others moved slowly back up the trail to a clearing and stood still while the mother and one cub passed by.

Hanna says the other cub, weighing about 125 pounds, charged toward the hikers. Hanna sprayed the bear in the face, and it fled.

Hanna had recently filmed a message for the National Park Service encouraging hikers to carry pepper spray.

I always carry Pepper Spray when I hike. More for the random crazy guy than wild animal, but it's always hanging off the front of my backpack in a quick access shell, and within easy reach.

The problem with Mountain Lions is generally the first time you know one is around is when his mouth is clamped around your head. They're stealthy, tend to attack from behind and go straight for the throat and head area. We've had a number of attacks inland where I hike since over the years I've lived in So. Calif.. One of the attacks has been featured on the TV show "I Shouldn't Be Alive."

Jodi-

Jodi, wouldn't a nice walk on the beach be better? LOL!

Sharks and Sand...forget it! LOL

Hope it's gone before I get there!!! LOL

I am not surprised as we had them in the Antelope Valley up in the mountains. Also in Palmdale in the hills. Yes they are being forced out of their areas due to many reasons. Two were just killed up in one of the state parks where my SIL works. They were young and upon autopsy found they were "starving" even though there was plenty of elk etc. It was assumed that the mother had been killed and these two had not been trained much to hunt for themselves. The person attacked did live, but was hurt very bad. My SIL was on the search and rescue and he could hear them "breathing" and snarling, but could not shoot them until the Fish and Game People came, which in my thinking was stupid, because he is a park ranger well trained. They almost attacked others because of this.

I am sure I would forget all the things they told me to do and just go with my instincts which would be crap in my bloomers and faint. Vique.

LOL Vique!!!! Me too.

Yikes Jodi, stay inside where you're safe!!!
That's almost unreal to me. I'd be watching over my shoulders every where I went.

There was a bad attack on a young girl who ran ahead of her hiking family years ago in one of the Orange County parks here. It was really severe, and the family struggled, as I recall, to get the mountain lion to release the girl. She was lucky to survive.

Sheila, that was 5 year old Laura Small. She survived but is blind in one eye, the other eye was damaged and she is partially paralyzed from the 1986 attack. I remember it like it was yesterday.

We have them here, too and it's always in the back of my mind. Yeah, they're beautiful, but deadly as all get out. I learned when I worked at the vet's office that an angry, determined HOUSECAT is a force to be reckoned with. I can't imagine dealing with a 100-150 pound cat in a killing mood.

All the shows I've seen corroborate what you posted, Jodi, be loud and fight back, don't let them get your neck, especially from behind, etc. Your response should be pretty much the opposite of what you'd do with a bear.

There's an island in B.C. that has a real problem with them- a little girl was saved only because she was wearing a life preserver and it protected her neck.

Be safe out there! I believe that mountain lions are protected in CA and that means that they are losing their fear of humans.

Woody has seen 2 of them by our pond and found a dead deer carcass up in a tree. Perfect evidence of hunting mountain lions.

Mt.lion meat tastes like pork.

We have seen the tracks here in the driveway and out on the road, but have only heard them once and saw them twice in three years. They are probably coming to the river when the streams dry up as we always hear about them in the late summer.

Tastes like pork? Really? Now how do you know that Flamey? LOL

Not sure how protected the Mountain Lion is here, if there is an attack any Mt. Lion found in the vicinity is usually "dispatched" and I don't mean moved.

Now however, when our company campus was built four years ago there was a Mt. Lion sighting in the area behind our building. That particular cat was caught and moved (or so we were told).

By the way, keep meaning to say, the words Mountain Lion, Cougar and Puma are often used for the same animal.

Here are some Mt. Lion tracks I found this last spring on one of my hikes.

Jodi-

They have a hunting season in CO for mountain lions, Jodi. Our friend Mike came to visit and brought a roast with him (and his dog, which tried to kill our little black cat, eeeek!) I didn't really want to eat it, but I had to be polite and didn't want him to think that I was squeamish, so I had some and it tasted surprisingly good. A whitish meat, firm, just like a pork chop.

Nice track. What the heck were you thinking, bending over to get that shot?! lol And your crack about the giant litterbox made me laugh.

gads, as busy as that area is, i can't imagine a mt lion...

but then we live in detroit burb (farmington hills) and had a deer walking, trying to cross 8 mile (5 lane wide) and one early morning heard wild momma duck screaching...here was a coyote trying to catch the babies for breakfast...

Beautiful animals, but you be careful out there Ms. Jodi! I have always wanted to see one "in the wild," but I hope it's just passing through and well fed before the encounter.

My great-great-grandmother, Molly Crosby, survived a "panther" mountain lion attack in the Indian Territory of Oklahoma. She had claw mark scars down her back for the rest of her life.

Someone shot a Mountain Lion about 17 miles from our home...Don't know why they shot it...I think it is against the law.

But I also don't understand the goverment tagged big cats being turned out in areas where people live.

There are beginning to be more and more sightings of them in this area of Iowa.

patti

Flamey, that isn't my hand. A gal that was on the hike with me did the bending. We were in a fairly large group so no one felt too threatened.

I hear stories from docents and rangers saying they have been working in mountain lion territory 25+ years and have never seen one. They said you have a better chance getting hit by lightening. If that's true, it means I've been hit twice.

I grew up in Northern California in an area near woodsy foothills. When I was a teen I worked as a horse wrangler and trail guide. One evening just before dusk I took a ride up the trail when all of a sudden my horse's ears went flat. I saw nothing at all threatening until I heard a low rumble and looked up and there above me on a large branch was a mountain lion. I assure you, I did not stare him down. I gave my horse a swift kick and hightailed it out of there.

My second encounter with a mountain lion was during driver's ed, my sophomore year of high school. The driver ed teacher piled three students into a car and off we went. In order to pass the final exam we had to drive up into the foothills and back down successfully navigation a winding road. I was doing great as I came down and then as I rounded a corner there, in the middle of the road, was a mountain lion! I slammed on the brakes without losing control, let the lion cross and continued on without killing any one or any thing. I passed the final with flying colors and had a cool story to tell. :-)

Jodi-

Wow, I'm used to seeing warnings in the foothills, but not that close to the coast. I was planning on going hiking in Crystal Cove this weekend -- it's not near that, is it?

Rivkadr, Crystal Cove is down the coast a few miles but really not that far away. My co-workers and I recently took an afternoon off and went there for a nice picnic and walk on the beach.

Hey, make a stop at Subway before your next hike
and buy a triple meat sandwich! LOL

stay safe! Your camera oughta help when you
attempt to fight back! Better than a cap I would think!
LOL

A couple years ago i walked out into our backyard and there standing in the middle of the canyon was a mountain lion.At the time,they were building condos across the canyon,so i guess it got chased out of it's habitat.Have never seen it again,thank goodness.
Kathi

As to the picture? Not sure if it a lion print. If so, it is a small one, could be Bob Cat or Lynx. Usually a paw print is about the size of a person/s palm and not pointed? Just a thought