Mountain lion attacks hunter, mistaking him for a rabbit

February 28, 2017 By David Strege


A hunter in California perched on a small knoll near the north shore of Mono Lake was attempting to call in a coyote when he instead accidentally called in and was attacked by a mountain lion.

The unidentified man was hunting for coyotes on Friday around 3 p.m. when the incident occurred near the small town of Lee Vining, according to the Sierra Wave.

The hunter, wearing camouflage, was lying on his stomach and using a distressed rabbit call when a noise behind him caught his attention. He turned just in time to see a mountain lion leaping toward him.



The man attempted to shield his head with his arms. The mountain lion landed on the hunter’s head but suddenly ran off, no doubt realizing this wasn’t a rabbit.

Fearing for his life, the hunter fired two shots and killed the mountain lion before contacting the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.


The hunter sustained a minor injury to the back left side of his head that did not break skin. The hunter sought medical treatment from Mammoth Lakes Hospital and initiated the rabies shot series.

Evidence from the scene was collected and sent to DFW’s Wildlife Investigations Lab in Sacramento. The lion will be necropsied and tested for zoological diseases including rabies.

An analysis of the tracks found at the scene of the incident left a very clear picture of the event and how it unfolded. It appeared the lion was responding to the distressed rabbit call and the encounter resulted in the hunter possibly being mistaken for prey by the lion.

Considering the circumstances, the DWF doesn’t plan on filing charges against the hunter for killing the mountain lion.


Read more at http://www.grindtv.com/wildlif...#CUauOVflftDQkygs.99

I guess the Lion was guilty of taking a sound shot !

...and the anti's will scream until they charge him. Hope the fellow lawyers up.

Funny things happen when calling preditors, I had a hawk land on my head and fortunately I had a hat on but it got some little holes in my my head, grabbed the bird and slammed it on a rock and killed it, I was calling coyotes or Bogcats with my baby daughter at the ranch sitting in the jeep, and we got circled by rabbits!! She was old enough to know something was wrong and determined it by telling me "Papa you sound like a wounded carrot" made my day!