Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

[wildmaninal]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

You're right, I stand corrected...
So in 118 years there has been all of THREE instances that refute my earlier statement, and TWO of those had special circumstances.... so only one really refuted it.

So... overall I still say I'm right, and I'd be willing to back it up with my own life on the line standing next to a full grown mtn lion... oh, and the second site only makes theorizations about the data on the first site, which, quite frankly, just about anyone here is capable of doing after reading the data.

In any case, it goes to show that the whole "I had better make a rug out of it before it eats me" excuse is hogwash.

Why argue the point on this? YES A MOUNTAIN LION WILL ATTACK AND CAN ATTACK AN ADULT HUMAN. Hikers of all ages, shape, form, and fashion have been attacked, mountain bike riders riding though trails have been attacked..SO YES THEY WILL ATTACK A FULL GROWN ADULT HUMAN . Not only have I read articles on it, I have also seen cases on TV and I'm 100% sure that the pictures or stories were not altered. One woman literally had to have her face put back on after the mountain lion attacked her.

Would I want to encounter a mountain lion in the wood when I stand 6'2" 210lbs H*** NO!!!!!!!!!. I have seen one in person that the owner would let you go up and pet it, the mountain lion was laying down, the first reaction of the mountain lion was to grab a hold of a person's leg near by and snack on, luckily the owner caught him in time. The owner had a tight leash on that lion to even though it was inside a building, and I'm sure the owner had it tight for a reason. My brother is fascinated with mountain lions and tiger and other wild cats, I'm sure he has allot more stories he could tell about attacks on human beings. If you happen to be getting your info from a scientist, zoologists, or some other source that says they will not attack 6'2" humans that is bull, trust me there wrong, and if you do happen to know an expert ask them if they would sleep in the woods or in the pin with the mountain lion.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

Generally speaking, I agree with SgtMgr that these cats won't typically attack a human. Like most other animals, they are normally afraid of humans and would prefer to seek smaller and "safer" prey. That said, there certainly have been cases of attacks on humans. If you look at this problem for what it is, however, debates about what size the human has to be, before an attack will or will not take place, aren't of much value.. What is more important is why the cats attack, when they do.

Most often it has something to do with human encroachment of the cougar's habitat. Whether that encroachment has reduced natural prey, causing hunger on the part of the cat, or is simply a case of a cat that was startled or felt cornered, the scenario isn't one that would have been likely a few hundred years ago. As for the sick cats, that is a situation that could happen with just about any animal, especially if rabies is involved. Finally, and I don't remember reading about such a case, but human encroachment at times when a mother cat is tending to cubs could be a danger point. Once again, this could happen with many animals and, at least in my experience, is more common with bears.

I have been in a cage with an adult, male cougar. While these cats vary in bahvior for a lot of reasons, some can be quite tame. The one that I was exposed to was many generations away from any ancestor who had lived in a wild state. He had been in the hands of a private owner and was confiscated by authorities simply because the person didn't have the proper permits to possess a large cat. "KC" (the cougar) is very docile and behaves much like an overgrown house cat. He likes to be petted and he likes to have his head and ears scratched, even going so far as to push his head into your hand when you do those things. And, since he is now in the hands of trained experts who treat him properly, feed him properly and tend to his medical needs, he doesn't have a need to be aggressive.

At any rate, they are cool cats and I hope that they are around for a long time.

 

[mudmagnet63]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

CLICK CLICK

BOOM

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

Why argue the point on this? YES A MOUNTAIN LION WILL ATTACK AND CAN ATTACK AN ADULT HUMAN. Hikers of all ages, shape, form, and fashion have been attacked, mountain bike riders riding though trails have been attacked..SO YES THEY WILL ATTACK A FULL GROWN ADULT HUMAN . Not only have I read articles on it, I have also seen cases on TV and I'm 100% sure that the pictures or stories were not altered. One woman literally had to have her face put back on after the mountain lion attacked her.

Would I want to encounter a mountain lion in the wood when I stand 6'2" 210lbs H*** NO!!!!!!!!!. I have seen one in person that the owner would let you go up and pet it, the mountain lion was laying down, the first reaction of the mountain lion was to grab a hold of a person's leg near by and snack on, luckily the owner caught him in time. The owner had a tight leash on that lion to even though it was inside a building, and I'm sure the owner had it tight for a reason. My brother is fascinated with mountain lions and tiger and other wild cats, I'm sure he has allot more stories he could tell about attacks on human beings. If you happen to be getting your info from a scientist, zoologists, or some other source that says they will not attack 6'2" humans that is bull, trust me there wrong, and if you do happen to know an expert ask them if they would sleep in the woods or in the pin with the mountain lion.

I didn't say they wouldn't attack. Heck, you can push a mouse into attacking you. I said that they don't hunt adult humans for food. You're not on their diet plan unless you're already dieing. Sure if you taunt it it'll attack you. But like all other wildlife, if you leave it alone, it will most likely leave you alone, especially if you're up in a tree stand and you just happen to see it pass beneith you, which is where this whole debate stemmed from. If that story is true, then the guy should be in jail for poaching, because that's ALL he did.

PS - I have seen a wild mtn lion, too. Over near my Gparents place in Stockton, MO.... while hiking alone, as a teenager. It wasn't interrested in me at all until I got within about 200-250ft of it, then it just left.

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

Yes well the creepy rukus I heard in the woods where I was hunting was very close to Stockton Mo. so hmmmmmmm.......Never mind the DNR would never lie about there being no Cougers here in Mo. Must of been a very mad squirle.

 

[puddle jumper]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

I wonder what the kitty is thinking when he is gnawing on you "tastes like chicken" Or "this a too fatty of a cut for me".
In my area we have one of the highest populations of cats to land mass out there. Even then you are lucky to see any mountain lions. As a rule you will never see one unless it wants you to and by that time if its going to attach it already has. You would never hear it coming. We had one incident last summer where this man was walking his dog in town and a cougar came up and grabbed the toy dog right off the leash. He said he never knew it was happening on till it was over. Another time a guy was riding home on his pedal bike and a cat jumped on him and took him down. The only thing that stopped the cat from killing him was another guy came along from work and beat the crap out of the cat with his lunch box.
Would i kill a mountain lion becouse i could "no". Would i try to kill a mountain lion if it attacked/threaten me or someone "yes i would"
Just my two cents

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

Yes well the creepy rukus I heard in the woods where I was hunting was very close to Stockton Mo. so hmmmmmmm.......Never mind the DNR would never lie about there being no Cougers here in Mo. Must of been a very mad squirle.

There definately are, or were anyway. Who knows, they might be extinct from the area today. That was some 15 years ago.

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

Well it could have been a bobcat but whatever it was made my hair stand up and the rest of the day I was little on edge........

 

[wildmaninal]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

Mike that reminds me of a story my father told me about when he and his brothers were walking to school back in the early 50's. He said they use to walk through a trail way that they beat out in the woods to cross over the mountain to make it to school. Anyhow they got so far in the woods when all of a sudden a horrifying scream from a wild cat (which they think was a mountain lion) came about, they all ran the wrest of the way to school. They were all pretty shakened up about that experience, they said it sounded like a woman screaming in a sense.

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

Yes it didnt sound like a cat.....almost humanlike in a wierd way.......

 

[mscher]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

According to Wiki, the big cats used to roam most of North America.

I guess the "Shoot first, then ask- well, just shoot first", mentality, is what has probably thinned them out to nearly nothing. ;(

If the cat was circling the hunter in the tree stand, what would it be hunting? It probably just smelled something and was checking it out. If it saw the hunter, it probably would have left.

Should the "get them before they get us" mantra apply to all potentially dangerous animals in the wild? We would be stumbing over carcasses of bears, wolves (oops, we already got them), snakes, rutting bucks, wolverines, even racoons.

We are supposed to be the smart ones.

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

No we are supposed to be the top of the food chain. I would like to stay at the top......To me that is being smart. Racoons and rutting bucks can hurt you but they are not trying to EAT you. Though any critter thats wants a piece of me when Im packing will end up getting the short end of the deal period.

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

So Mike, what you're saying is that it's ok for me to shoot you just because I felt threatened by you? Imagine this scenario, you come home and find me in your house UNINVITED, walking all over your furnitures. You proceeds to get rid of me because you don't want me to be in your house. I feel threaten by your getting rid of me so I shoot you first in fear of you will shoot me. Perfectly OK by your shoot first, reason later mentallity. The scenario above is no different then a hunter in the wood, a person hiking through the wood or all those housing developments, recreational areas in CA that encroached or took over wild life habitats. Killing a big cat just because you're in its presence is really irresponsible.

 

[BoatBuoy]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

Racoons and rutting bucks can hurt you but they are not trying to EAT you.

Coon will eat anything. So will a possum and a bear. Rocky and Smokey better stay clear.

 

[valkyr]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

Well Bobcats definitely scream...and they're pretty common.

I wonder if attacks would coincide with mating season? I know deer act crazier when they're rutting. It would make sense that large cats might be more aggressive if they're hormone levels are up.

P.S. I think most everything can be related to hormones when females are involved

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

Actully I will feel threatened if your in my house and it would end with the opposite results if I can help it. Im not saying I would enjoy killing anything or anybody BUT If an animal is threatening my well being and I can do something about it I will.......I mean come on, people here advocate killing stray house cats because the are a nucence........We exterminate rats and mice.......We kill Deer for food and yet the stores are full......But hey if Im in the woods and something is gonna eat me I shouldnt use my superoir smarts and whatever I have as a weapon to survive.....Sorry any Person or animal wants to threaten me or my family, I will end it as quickly and decisivly as possable. Im not advocating killing big cats, bears or kitty cats just because they are preditors Im only saying if I was in a tree stand and a Cat,Bear or person was stalking me with the intent to eat or hurt me I will use brutal force to protect myself......And GF I would hope you would do the same.......Would hate to hear that you ended up as cat poop

 

[gonefishie]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

Actully I will feel threatened if your in my house and it would end with the opposite results if I can help it. Im not saying I would enjoy killing anything or anybody BUT If an animal is threatening my well being and I can do something about it I will.......I mean come on, people here advocate killing stray house cats because the are a nucence........We exterminate rats and mice.......We kill Deer for food and yet the stores are full......But hey if Im in the woods and something is gonna eat me I shouldnt use my superoir smarts and whatever I have as a weapon to survive.....Sorry any Person or animal wants to threaten me or my family, I will end it as quickly and decisivly as possable. Im not advocating killing big cats, bears or kitty cats just because they are preditors Im only saying if I was in a tree stand and a Cat,Bear or person was stalking me with the intent to eat or hurt me I will use brutal force to protect myself......And GF I would hope you would do the same.......Would hate to hear that you ended up as cat poop

OK! Yes, if the animal is going to attack you then shoot the mofo, doesn't matter what it is. I don't have a problem with that. The problem here is that this guy was in a tree stand and the cat was was walking around on the ground. IT DIDN'T CLIMBED UP ON THE TREE TO WENT AFTER HIM. IT'S NOT A THREAT UNLESS IT'S ON THE TREE AND HEADED TOWARD HIM.

 

[mikeandronda]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

I dont know how I would react in that situation to be honest. But better alive but wrong and in trouble then cat poop and and not in trouble. Im sure it would be investigated and if found that the cat wasnt a threat he would have been fined.

 

[SgtMaj]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

No cat, anywhere, big or small, hunts by circling it's prey.

That's something that fish do when they are hunting by scent... not something that any land carnivore does. So maybe he thought it was a landshark handing out candygrams... or maybe he just went poaching.

 

[External Combustion]

Re: Here KITTY KITTY KITTY

Before judging another mans actions place yourself in his shoes and state your experience for making such a decision.

From one on one experience with pumas, I would believe that the third time around for a big cat to cross the tree, it was stalking the human. It would have most likely smelled the hunter and if it wanted to get away, then it could.

Even thirty feet up a tree is less than two seconds for a bobcat and puma and three for a house cat. Place yourself in that situation mentally. Take the safety off, aim carefully as you only have one shot, pull the trigger and save your hide.

As I have posted before, we have a local kitty that I have a live and let live attitude about. It is even useful as it takes out the unwanted dogs that are dropped off by the local college kids. The dogs don't starve to death and it is a mercy. If the cat starts a stalk on me or mine it is toast though.

As far as thinning them out to nothing, hunters fee is what has brought many spiecies back from extinction. Here in the Nations, bear, cougar, buffaloe, river otters, bobcats, quail, ducks, geese and even deer are more populous than they have ever been because of hunters.

I don't kill for fun. I have been licensed, armed and able to pop a cap on several dangerous animals that were actively threatening my life or those that were in my care, yet because of my ability I could and did choose not to take a life. I have even done so for the least desirable specie, human predators, but I try not to judge others actions unless I have experience in being in their shoes.

Armchair quarterbacking is easy.