Cat Encounter....

[Slide]

Last Friday I took the day off and my dad and I went fishing up at one of the local lakes. On the way into the lake we saw where a cat had drug a deer across the road, this was about 7:30 a.m. We fished most of the morning, then we loaded up the boat and headed for home around 2:30 p.m.. On our way out we crossed the drag marks and dad says pull over and let's see what exactly the cat killed. So we got out and I grabbed my .357 and started following the drag marks. Now the whole time were doing this I'm thinking the cat fed on the deer, buried it and has moved on. Or if he is still around he will hear or smell us and just get up and hide from us. Well, we tracked it for about 1/8 of a mile when we came to a ridge that dropped off steeply to the lake. I had just told dad " you look for the drag marks and I will watch for the kill or cat ". We stepped up on the ridge and I looked down the hill about 40-45yds and laying on his side under a Juniper tree is this cat, totaly oblivious to us being there until I said " holly blank, blank there he is ". When I said this he looks up at us, rolls over and gets on all fours and crouches down staring right through me ( or so it felt like at the time). I ear the hammer back on the pistol thinking here we go I'm about to be on that TV show " When Animals Attack or I Survived ". He was so close and it was so intense I was thinking I may get two shots off and I'm not 100% sure I'm going to get lead in him. Well we stood there for a few seconds thinking he's going to come at us, when I tell dad let's just back out of here real slow. We did and we got back to the truck safely, but WOW what an experience.

The scary part is the weekend before that my dad, mom, me and my two boys were up there (same spot) fishing from the bank. My youngest and my mom were walking back and forth to the truck getting water and snacks by themselves. I guarantee you if he would of been there then and someone would of walked by him he would of attacked them. There is no doubt in my mind.

I have encountered many cats in the woods over the last 10-15yrs and most of the time they see you and run away. One time I was turkey hunting and I was sitting up against a big root wad, I was calling when I see something out of the corner of my eye and it's a cat. He walked by me close enough for me, I clucked on the glass call I had, he lifted his head looked at me and kept walking. But this cat, he had no intention of running off. I understand he had a kill near, but like I said what if someone was bank fishing and walked by him. Not good, not good at all. Calif. is going to have to do something and soon before more people get hurt, I just pray it's not a child.

I know people are going to criticize us for following the drag marks and yes we were putting ourselves in a bad situation, I udnerstand that. But the problem is when a wild animal has no fear of humans, now we have a problem. I know that we went looking for it, but what if it would have been last weekend and it was my mom and youngest son?


Just thought I would share my experience.

Slide

 

[eelgrass]

Slide, I know the feeling. I inadvertently walked upon two lions feeding on a deer kill about 8 years ago while deer hunting. They give you that look like "Go ahead buddy, take one more step forward." When one of them crawled towards me from 35 yards away, it scared the heck out of me.

Eel

 

[Slide]

WOW, Eelgrass that was exactly what is was like. My dad and I have been talking about it a lot since then and we both felt like if we would have taken one more step even half a step he would of attacked. And I say he because of the size of the cat, I would say it was a big ol Tom.

That is just weird that you felt the same way we did, that look in his eye and on his face, you could just feel it.


Slide

 

[nickman]

I can't put myself in your position, since I have never been face to face with a lion inside 40 yards. Would not look forward to it either.

I can tell you for sure however, they ain't nearly so scary in the scope of my rifle at 100 yards.

Your type of encounter will become more and more commonplace as time goes on.

These animals have no fear of man, since we have so many years of not hunting them. They learn things, just like any other animal.

They have learned that where humans are, there is some type of food.

California lions have traded their nocturnal status with deer and elk, who over the years, have become far more nocturnal.

Another thing that has changed, over the last few years, is the fact that lions seem to have adapted to their own population density.

The DFG biologists used to insist that they would not tolerate another cat inside their 5 sq mile range.

Given recent sightings and solid trailcam photos, this no longer seems to be the case.

 

[Slide]

I have lived here all my life, I saw my first cat when I was 10yrs old and it ran across the road going about 100 mph. It was like seeing Bigfoot, seriously it was noone back then saw them except those who ran dogs. Now days it's no big deal, I have seen two in the last 2 months. My boy, dad and I were turkey hunting and we saw one. My youngest and I were turkey hunting and we saw where on had drug a deer across the road, now that was uncomfortable having my 7yr old with me and we were on foot. Yes I had my shotgun, but still not a good fealing, I stuck him in my hip pocket until we got out of there.

I just hope noone gets hurt up at that lake, it is a popular spot for water skiers, fisherman and campers in the summer.

The sad thing is this state will never legalize mountain lion hunting again.

Slide

 

[RACKMASTER]

careful I told a story like that from Mendocino to a warden he concidered it widlife herassment of a protucted species that was a long time age though!

remember the 3 "s" sit-still-sucker.....?

Rackmaster

 

[nocal]

Slide;

No SSSS! this turkey season was/is hell on us (archery ends this weekend). We get our hen decoys set, begin the calling and next thing we are staring into those deadly eyes! From looking for gobblers to "will he charge or not sucks". Last year also. And now the cats are squaring off with the boars. That is something to watch....a 300 lb boar and Cat going at it!

One buddy has pics from 50 yds of a female with a piglet in its mouth and she wouldn't leave.

Be careful guys!

 

[Slide]

If Calif. isn't going to let us pack a pistol whe we are archery hunting then they are foing to have to open the season on these cats. It's not safe.



Slide

 

[sisqhunter]

Slide is right. I too have lived in Siskiyou County all my life and 20 years ago it was very rare to see a cat. Hell i know old timers that worked in the woods all their lives and only saw a few. Last year i saw several cats and all of em were on the county roads right near town. 2 years ago a cat ran across the play ground at Fort Jones elementry school with a chicken in its mouth. I hate to say it but something bad is gonna happen here, it's just a matter of time. I love the little valley i live in (Slide knows where it is) i just wish i could pick it up and put it in another state.

 

[mesquitehunter]

I would have shot the cat and just kept my mouth shut.

 

[RELH]

Some advice for you turkey hunters that are sitting up and using turkey calls. Be sure you have a tree at your back. I had a good friend that had sit up in a small brush pile and was calling turkeys. while sitting down, he was attacked from behind by a lion that jumped him from the rear as he was calling.
Lucky for him, just as the lion jumped at him, he happen to bend down to pick up his shotgun laying on the ground and the lion ended up hitting his upper shoulders and going over the top of him and landing in front of him.
At that point in the face off, the young lion relized it was human it jumped, not a turkey, and turned tail and ran off.
He never saw or heard the lion that sneaked up on him until it hit his shoulders.

RELH

 

[Mallards_Only]

I'm not gonna criticize you for following the drag marks. I'm gonna criticize you for not taking the shot when you had the opportunity. I would have.

 

[RELH]

All of us have heard the old saying about the three "S's", shoot, shovel and shut up when it comes to mountain lions.
That is not the case in my area according to what I am hearing. it is only two "S's" shoot and shut up.
There has been numerous incounters with the lions in several of our smaller mountain communities. young lion in backyard tree due to dogs in yard. One brazen lion that came up on deck to snatch small dog, and paying no heed to dog owner even when he fired a warning shot to scare the lion away.
My neighbor walking from shop to house and sees lion stalking him as he got to the door.
Most people in my area will shoot a lion on the spot if found near their home or on their property. They do not care to dig a hole and bury the incriminating evidence on their property that could get them jail time if found by the animal lovers we have in this state.
What they do is gut shoot the lion so that it will leave their property and end up dying in the woods off of their property.
It is cruel, but the only option left to them to avoid criminal action or having the lion attack their children or pets as the animal lovers that passed the "protect the mountain lion law" could care less about these people's safety since they do not have to encounter lions in their city back yards.

RELH

 

[BomberBlackies]

Everyday is panther season in Kalifornicated. One a day (at least) either sex!

 

[mulebuck]

Slide, I've felt the kitty glare too.

About ten years ago my Pops and I were fortunate enough to tag along as DFG tranquilized a pretty good size female in Round Valley.
We were originally out there looking at deer. We spotted this cat strolling out of the flats and up into some boulders. She bedded in the shadows to where you could just see here face. We kept the spotting scope on her, (and if you're wondering, yes we thought about it) until a retired warden came driving up the road. Pops knew him so we told him what we had spotted. Once he saw she wasn't collared he called in the troops.
The dogs ended up chasing her back down into a deep wash with tall folded over sage, maybe a den of some sort. From there we got to move in with them as the used a very long pole to stick her with the tranquilizer.
As we stood there 20 yards away that cat growled and stared into my eyes. I was mesmerized, scared, and excited all at the same time. I did feel pretty helpless too. I never want to imagine being by myself and it being a big ol' Tom.

 

[cjboz]

LAST EDITED ON May-18-09 AT 02:36PM (MST)[p]I have had a few encounters that were incredible. Talk about Adrenalin!! Wow one of the greatest hunting memories ever!Lets just say close quarters in the brush with a shotgun!! I felt like I was on Safari. Two of them, one of me! I won! 9 lives my a$$. By the way was not in Cali

 

[BOHNTR]

Interesting to see the amount of lion depredation permits used for cats these days compared to the years before the moratorium was initiated.

www.dfg.ca.gov/news/issues/lion/dep-permits-issued.html

BOHNTR )))---------->

 

[Califelkslayer]

I've told this story before but while walking my dogs up the mountain behind the house with a weighted backpack on getting ready for elk season, one of my bird dogs treed a BIG lion. Initially I panicked and picked up a 8 foot log. Then i got a good 3 foot oak limb. Then I was worried about the other dogs. Then I looked at the lion. He was laying on a branch, 12 feet up in the tree, staring unblinkingly at me. When I realized he wasn't scared, I was. We backed off, went behind some willows and when I came out the other side, I couldn't see him. The last 1/2 mile to the house was tense.

Packed for the next two years religiously. Then my first hike up there with my girlfriend (wife now) I didn't pack cause I didn't want to freak her. Same dog jumped a lion about 60 yards in front of us. It screamed twice then took off. think I pack now???

 

[popeyoung2]

Once again,
the tree hugging , urban dwelling peta members of this state voted the cat hunt down 23 years ago and now we have cats that fear nothing. Wisconsin introduced wolves 12 years ago killing the deer and re-introduced elk at will and now the hunters have a shoot and no tell policy on them. The radio collars float nicely down river or attach just fine to semi truck bumpers with duct tape. Do what u gotta do.

 

[horseshoes000]

The three SSS Shoot Shoot And Shoot!!!