Where leopards have a reputation of preying on dogs, even coming into villages at night to snatch them.
My question is now that several States in the US have banned hunting Mountain Lions and they are becoming far less wary of man, do (or will) they take dogs in the same manner?

Regards,

Pete

Yes, they have been known to take individual dogs. One familiar incident to me was of the man in California that horrifyingly witnessed his Alaskan husky being killed right at the back glass door to his house with the dog frantically trying to get into the house. New Mexico black bear research shows that subadult black bears just free from their mother's care are in a bit of danger(preyed on) from mature male lions. Yeah, they have definitely gotten brazen in California; daylight sightings in outskirts neigborhoods.

YES!!! I live in a high Cougar population area. Dogs, house cats, chickens, ducks, goats,horses, have all recently been killed by the big cats in my area. Last summer a friend's horse was killed by a female cougar, their home is about one mile from where I sit at this computer. Just up the street another horse was chased by a big cougar and two yearlings, likely a mom and kittens. The horse was slashed prety bad on the hind quarters and flank.

The cats prowl outside our property boundary, but we have 5 large Anatolian Shepherd Live Stock Guardian Dogs and the cats stay away.

Nine out of ten mountain lions say Rover taste's just like chicken.

We had quite a rush of lion incidents this past year. Hikers being jumped and mauled, and older gent got pounced on from his garage roof, disappearing pets, even had a couple of lions in the middle of the city (they wandered up from the river valley). My daughter had one walk right through her campsite where she was taking care of a dozen or so young girls. Early evening, that was. The lions seem to be getting a lot more common and a lot less afraid of people. We can still hunt them here, but very few people do. As for the taste thing, I thought Rover tasted like chicken too, but lion tastes like veal. - Dan

A friend of mine was hunting sharptails in Wyoming last week with his three Brittanies and turned around just in time to see a lion sneak off. It was trailing them about 30 feet behind. Quite scary. This was out in the plains, too, not the mountains.

Would you believe mountain lions in Iowa ? Sightings have become quite common in western Iowa and some cats have been hit by cars .

Supposedly these cats are migrating in from the direction of the Rockies .

[ 09-27-2002, 22:28: Message edited by: sdgunslinger ]

I lived in El Paso for over seven years. Its a somewhat unique city b/c a mountain range divides the city and people have built right up to the edge of the mountains which support a fairly healthy population of both Mule deer and cougars. About once a year you'd get a news report of a cougar who decided that Labrador Retrievers were easier pickin's than deer and about once a year the Sheriff's office was called to kill that cat in someone's back yard. Almost always it was an older cat without the ability to hunt/kill deer and eat. Unlike other big cats that can develop a taste for people and domestic livestock just because, well, just because they like the taste of people. Cougars will generally do everything they can to avoid contact with man. There are isolated examples but simply witness the fact that there has NEVER been a report of a cougar with a homicidal streak involving tens of people let alone hundreds of people as you can find examples of in South America with Jaguars, India with tigers and leopards or Africa with Lions and leopards...

I've had at least one cat eaten by a cougar.

They like dogs, cats, everything.

They kill alot of deer, too. Some estimates are one a week.

Evidently the lions are doing quite well in the northern Clearwater region of Idaho, as I was able to buy a non-resident lion tag (bear, too) for $31.50 this year. The state is trying to reduce the population of both predators, I'm told to help the elk calf survival rate.

I'll be sleeping on the ground, no tent, and alone for 7 nights starting the 9th of October - in this high lion/bear population area. Anybody want to come watch over me with a loaded rifle while I sleep???

Tim

The Idaho non-resident bear license is only $31 ? That's pretty reasonable . I think Montana is around $300 .........

Tarbe, worry about grizzly bears more than anything else as there may be some there.

This $31.50 tag is called a "Reduced" tag. That is not the normal price. This low price is to attract additional hunters to the area to reduce the population. The normal Idaho tag is $235. There are 9 Units (and part of a 10th) that have reduced tags available.

Leo

I'm hoping the griz makes more noise than the lion! Actually, according to the IDFG, the area I'll be in (along with parts of Unit 1) are the two places in the Panhandle that you might encounter a grizzly. I'll be happy if I can keep the animals out of my food for 7 days...and off my back, so to speak!

Tim

I should mention cougars taste good, too. So if you shoot one, trim it well and tuck in...

A couple years ago California DFG wardens set up some NV cameras to catch some cougars preying in a neighborhood near Los Angeles. The video showed 2 cats prowling down the streets and then picking out a dog. One cat walked out in front as a distraction and the 2nd cat pounced on the dog from behind. It was also pretty impressive to see the cat leap the chain link fence with a 100 lb. dog in it's mouth.

I always wondered about the "Have you seen Muffy" posters at the local 7/11.

We recently had a cat here in town that was sitting on a wooden fence watching a boy in his bedroom. The fence gave way under the cats weight and the cat crashed through the boy's window into the bedroom. The kid had just gone into his mom's bedroom probably saving his life. His mom and him locked the door until the cat bailed.

The cat ran by an older gentleman on the sidewalk on his way back into the hillside. Everyone thought the old guy was a bit adled until they heard the story. Imagine you're out for a short shuffle and you look up and here comes a cougar.

I got this big male on one of my home made game cameras right behind a place I work sometimes. The cat had been spooking horseback riders in the area and I knew I had a good chance to pick him up on a nearby deer trail. Here he is sneaking down just after dark in the pouring rain. I tried to warn the pilgrims that hiked and biked there by themselves they were cougar bait but they said I was crazy. That's one bad moter scooter I don't want to meet in the dark. Oooga booooga.



[ 10-01-2002, 02:00: Message edited by: spectr17 ]

Tarbe,
Your chances of seeing a lion without dogs is very unlikly...I know people who have lived in Lion country all their life ranching and have never seen a lion outside of in a trap or with dogs.....not trying to toss a wet blanket on your trip but just telling you like it is, in case you might want to reconsider, or hire someone with hounds.....Let us know how it went if you go.

Ray

No problem, no wet blanket at all. I am not lion hunting. I am elk hunting.

Only got the lion tag because is was so cheap, I couldn't pass it up on the slim chance...

Tim

I was walking a Southern New Mexico canyon in search of mule deer several years ago, and I heard rocks clanking together and all sorts of noise coming from behind a pinon about 20 feet away. I ran around the edge of the tree thinking I was about to get a shot at a deer. Instead I was greeted by the south end of a mountain lion headed for the thick brush in the bottom of the canyon. I thought to myself, "Wow! I'm such a great hunter. I walked to within 20 feet of a mountain lion." I thought that until this year when a seasoned hunter told me, "You weren't hunting that lion. He was hunting you. He thought you were a deer or maybe a lamb." The thought made my blood run cold. Especially about being a lamb. There were quite a few of those helpless creatures (sheep) in that canyon, and the idea of being that defenseless made me think I wasn't quite the hunter I thought I was.

Coincidentally Ray, I feel pretty priviledged. I grew up in Southeastern New Mexico, and I have seen four live, wild mountain lions there. I have also seen two dead ones out in the sand hills. I have never seen a bear or bobcat, though.

Thanks for the posts guys...

The reason i asked is there is an ongoing debate about "big" cats being in the wild in the UK. I know of at least two European Lynx (quite a bit larger than the Canadian sub species I think) which have been shot/captured over here. Below is one shot in Essex
although I don't know the story behind it



There have also been a number of attacks on stock which have been attributed to puma/leopard sized cats:



This is a horse which was attacked in West Wales a couple of years back....There was a history of stock being attacked and killed on the farm and sights of a "big cat" in the area...

[ 10-04-2002, 14:46: Message edited by: Pete E ]

Pete, how big do these Lynx get? I used to trap when I was a lad (actually , a friend of mine and I), and we caught a couple of pretty fair sized (we thought) Lynx. Not looking to start a "mine's bigger" contest here, just curious. - Dan

Dan, the SCI record book shows the European lynx to be bigger according to skull measurements. Is it possible that some people in the British Isles have turned loose their pet big cats? Are people allowed to own such animals there?

Dan,

I am not expert here, but I believe I saw a weight of about 45lb quoted for a European Lynx...the comparison with the Canadian Lynx was made on another site and did not give any weights as i remember. When i get a chance I will do some research.

Leo,

In the mid '70's the law change over here effectivily banning the owership of "dangerous animals" without the proper paperwork. When this came into force, it is thought a number of people released various types of big cat into the countryside rather than try to comply with the new regulations or risk having the animals put down.

Pete

I was in the Rockies a few years back and saw a lot of them! Beautiful animal, but they would never come close. I was taking some big game pictures with a friend during a camping trip, we did have a pair of handguns (no hunting, just for protection) but I think they ran away when they saw our dogs. Nothin' stays screw off like the growl of purebred, heavily trained Timberwolves.

In the morning paper we have a green "expert" telling us that the mountain lion is on it's way to extinction if it's not protected. Where do these people get their info? Disney? For a species dieing out they sure seem to be busy. Oh wait, I know. It's just one lion in all these sightings. He's a publicity hound, and travels the country looking for photo ops. Sheesh! - Dan