Reason #197 to Live in the Country: Relatives with Firearms

The Mitchell Daily Republic offers gripping coverage of citizens protecting themselves, their livestock, and their dogs from a marauding mountain lion in the Howard area Monday:

As he lay on his stomach and aimed his gun at the mountain lion beneath the granary, Barry Callies considered what might happen if he missed.

Callies’ relative, David Callies, was nearby with another gun trained on the agitated 70-pound cat. Both men were aiming for the animal’s head.

“I was a little bit concerned about not hitting it,” Barry Callies, 26, said. “That’s why both of us shot at the same time. We were worried it might come after us if we just grazed it or something.”

The aim of both men was true, and the mountain lion was killed instantly. It happened about 3:30 p.m. Monday on a farm near Howard and was declared by a state Game, Fish and Parks Department investigator to be a justified shooting [Seth Tupper, "'I Was a Little Concerned About Not Hitting It': Howard Man Talks About Mountain Lion Encounter," Mitchell Daily Republic, 2007.12.05; photo by SD GF&P].

The story tells us that the first guy who found the big cat hiding under the granary didn't have a firearm handy, so he called relatives who did. Dave and Barry Callies came over with a rifle and a pistol and took care of the problem. Thank goodness for relatives who have guns and know how to use them!