"[T]he lions are actually more scared of us than we are of them."
PP may not believe it, but that's the advice from our trusty GF&P. KELO's Karla Ramaekers talks to GF&P's John Kanta for some advice on what to do if you meet a mountain lion in the woods. Basically, get big like bear. Stand tall, face the critter, shout at it, do all you can to look and sound like the toughest hombre in the forest (or slough, or Badlands, or—heavens forfend!—backyard). And if it comes at you, fight like heck!
GF&P has more mountain lion advice here. You can even learn mountain lion language—go figure!
Get big—that was the strategy my hiking buddies and I always followed. Unfortunately, we always ran into buffalo, not mountain lions. And trying to act big around buffalo is just silly. If you meet buffalo in the wild, act like deer, not bear: don't act threatening, just move along, and be small. More easily said than done when you're wearing a giant frame pack and hiking with guys who are 6'4"....
If I ever where to have an encounter with a Mountain Lion, and it was to the point my safety was in danger it would end with it expiring from lead poisoning.
ReplyDeleteI would suggest that if anyone is in an area where there are potentially vicious critters to pack some heat.
Although the GF&P makes some sense with it's tips. Nothing can beat the baddest dude in the woods with his trusty Smith & Wesson.
"An armed person is a citizen, an unarmed person is a subject."
I want to meet the person that wrote up that language translation because it is ridiculously awesome!
ReplyDeleteGreat info! As a resident of the Black Hills, I'm aware of these cats. They've been seen in my neighborhood.
ReplyDeleteHowever, from a statistical standpoint, I'm more afraid of being hit by lightning or getting into a road wreck.
From a statistical standpoint, teenagers drinking beer maim and kill more people than mountain lions do. Time for a new hunting season? ;-)
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