Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Dec 15, 2012 14:13:28 GMT -5
Just got a call from my brother Kay.........He was hunting deer on private land(with permission for a three day hunt)and seen some Ravens flying circles over an area on a hilled slope,so he thought he would check it out. As he got close enough to see that it was a dead deer,he noticed most of the Ravens flew away,but one stayed in a tree and was looking in one direction. Its than when Kay had an erie feeling he was being watched!He turned around and a mountain lion was up on a boulder staring him down! Kay said the lion just stared at him,not even moving a muscle.Kay than bolted a round and brought his rifle up(slowly) for a head shot,if needed! The lion never flinched,just stared,so Kay lowered his rifle and started backing out of the area! He got to his truck and headed home,picked up the phone and called the land owner,told him that he had a mountain lion on his land and that they could give the three day hunt to somene else,he was done!!
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Post by Toad on Dec 15, 2012 14:45:35 GMT -5
Only one? Wuss!!
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rockingthenorth
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since January 2012
Posts: 1,637
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Post by rockingthenorth on Dec 15, 2012 15:32:29 GMT -5
Wow very scary, bet he is glad he had a gun
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Post by gr on Dec 15, 2012 15:32:57 GMT -5
Toad, lol Glad he didn't have to shoot!
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Dec 15, 2012 15:51:06 GMT -5
LOL-Cougars around the Minto-Brown Island park too,in the Salem area,but I think those cats are more interested in the dog park there,instead of a Ol' man hunting rocks down by the river, that might be some tough meat to chew............
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Post by jakesrocks on Dec 15, 2012 16:12:19 GMT -5
Got em out in Fairburn country too. Sure makes a certain part of your anatomy pucker when you see fresh tracks in the mud.
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Post by Rockoonz on Dec 15, 2012 17:53:13 GMT -5
Property owner would have probably paid him well for that head shot. Since Oregon outlawed hunting with dogs the cougar population has gone crazy, attacks on pets and humans are at an all time high.
Lee
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Sabre52
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Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 15, 2012 20:59:29 GMT -5
Mountain Lion population in California has gone nuts too. Used to have a lot of them up at our Hornitos ranch. Used to be kind of disturbing to find lion tracks on top of my tracks when coming back from a poppy jasper hunt and lion poop was everywhere. At the Stinky Horse Hole pit, which of course had a dead horse in it for awhile, there was a lot of lion sign around. Used to get kind of twitchy with the sidearm when I'd hear a sound while I was out diggin the pit *L*....Mel
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Post by rockpickerforever on Dec 15, 2012 22:14:12 GMT -5
What Mel said (mountain lion population in California)... Earlier this year, my husband was walking 8 miles, three times a week at a local Regional Park, namely, Mission Trails. The paved road is about two miles long, so he was going east to west and back, then repeating it. By about six pm in the spring, it was already dark. He saw a mountain lion cross the road about 50 feet in front of him! The next time he was there, he checked the area before it was dark, and found the tracks. We'd always known that there had been sightings there over the years, but it still comes as a shock. He started carrying a heavy walking stick, and also got a REALLY bright flashlight to carry! Jean
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adrian65
Cave Dweller
Arch to golden memories and to great friends.
Member since February 2007
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Post by adrian65 on Dec 16, 2012 0:25:58 GMT -5
WOW! Nasty thing, to find out abruptly you're not at the end of the food chain.
But, once he had a weapon and was hunting, why didn't he take the chance on that mountain lion? Not the propper weapon or what?
Adrian
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Dec 16, 2012 0:37:00 GMT -5
WOW! Nasty thing, to find out abruptly you're not at the end of the food chain. But, once he had a weapon and was hunting, why didn't he take the chance on that mountain lion? Not the propper weapon or what? Adrian The cat didn't want my brother,it seems he wanted the deer it killed.....If the cat would have made a move,yes he would have killed it! I'm sure his 7mm Mag would have done the trick....
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grayfingers
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Member since November 2007
Posts: 4,575
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Post by grayfingers on Dec 16, 2012 9:46:14 GMT -5
Of course, a license is required to hunt or kill a Cougar/Mountain lion, so if he had shot it (without having a license), he would have had to be able to convince the authorities that he was in mortal danger or face large fines, and the possible confiscation of his rifle and even the vehicle. Generally, if one has to shoot a bear or cat in self defense and one does not have a license, one has to leave the scene untouched, and notify the Fish and Game officials. Then, wildlife officials are called in and they treat it like a forensic crime scene. If they determine (from tracks/sign) that the animal attacked, one is off the hook. If not, big trouble. So, if he had shot the cat for just moving, he may have been in trouble. One has to prove a charge was made at you.
We have a lot of lions around here, where I hunt deer and elk (which is what they call a moose in Europe) there are lots of cats. There is a lot of 3rd generation timber (very big trees) and one must look up frequently while passing underneath, as the cougar usually attacks by jumping on the back of their prey to deliver a killing bite to the neck. Last year, a hunter took a big Tom from there, he measured nine feet from tip to tip. I don't hunt them myself, as I only hunt for meat. The man who owns the land had to run off two cougars that were stalking some young boys who had hiked up from a sub-division below his land. I like living where the wild things are. People are so scared about dangerous critters in the woods, it is the ones in the festering cities that scare me.
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bhiatt
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2012
Posts: 1,532
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Post by bhiatt on Dec 16, 2012 14:16:55 GMT -5
Im glad he didnt have to shoot the thing. I cant stand seeing them dead with a guy thats got a big ol smile on his face while holding a rifle with a scope. Matter of fact I dont like seeing any animal that has been killed with a rifle. A 400 yard shot in my opinion isnt considered hunting but killing. No real skill involved.
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Fossilman
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Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Dec 16, 2012 15:30:35 GMT -5
90% of the people couldn't make a 400 yard shot-LOL!
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bhiatt
fully equipped rock polisher
Member since July 2012
Posts: 1,532
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Post by bhiatt on Dec 16, 2012 18:25:28 GMT -5
as long as you have the scope and gun to cover that range, 400 aint nothing. The guns nowdays practically shoot themselves.
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Sabre52
Cave Dweller
Me and my gal, Rosie
Member since August 2005
Posts: 20,487
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Post by Sabre52 on Dec 16, 2012 19:26:06 GMT -5
*L* 400 yards sounds to be a pretty fair shot to me but of course, the size of the target has a little to do with it too. Of course, I've yet to discover a rifle that shoots itself. *L*
Was out horseback with some friends this afternoon and we found yet another mountain lion kill. This beastie seems to have graduated from Mouflon to blackbuck as it killed another doe blackbuck and cost us another few hundred bucks. Certainly has it's killing technique down now. Punctures on both sides of the skull and no other injuries. Ate one haunch and scratched grass over the rest. Sure wish the dang thing would learn how to kill whitetail so it would do us good instead of harm. This is getting to be one expensive big cat....Mel
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Post by Condor on Dec 16, 2012 22:47:50 GMT -5
Interesting how that sense of being watched works. That alone may have saved his life. I'm a big fan of bear spray too. Any time I go out hiking I carry it with me. Haven't had to use it yet.
Condor
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Post by Hard Rock Cafe on Dec 17, 2012 9:07:04 GMT -5
Reminds me of a trip to Big Bend a couple of years ago. We were hiking back up a canyon when a deer flew by us like it was running for its life. Turned out it was: other hikers saw a mountain lion chasing it earlier up the trail. We never saw the lion, thank goodness.
The bear spray works well on people, too! We had some at Glacier and my son was following the directions to learn how to use it. He fired a brief test shot into the wind and gassed the campers in the neighboring site (and me, too). Potent stuff!
Chuck
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Fossilman
Cave Dweller
Member since January 2009
Posts: 20,711
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Post by Fossilman on Dec 17, 2012 12:00:55 GMT -5
I carry "bear spray" while rockhounding around here too,not just for animals,but the wacko methheads and trouble makers.....Bumped into one so far,they pretty much change their mind,seeing the spray on your beltline and a buck knife... All in all I hardly see any people or animals!
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bushmanbilly
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Member since October 2008
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Post by bushmanbilly on Dec 17, 2012 12:15:36 GMT -5
Of course, a license is required to hunt or kill a Cougar/Mountain lion, so if he had shot it (without having a license), he would have had to be able to convince the authorities that he was in mortal danger or face large fines, and the possible confiscation of his rifle and even the vehicle. Generally, if one has to shoot a bear or cat in self defense and one does not have a license, one has to leave the scene untouched, and notify the Fish and Game officials. Then, wildlife officials are called in and they treat it like a forensic crime scene. If they determine (from tracks/sign) that the animal attacked, one is off the hook. If not, big trouble. So, if he had shot the cat for just moving, he may have been in trouble. One has to prove a charge was made at you.
You can thank the tree hugers and the greens for the over population problem. The bear populations in BC have exploded due to them. In the last ten years attacks and close encounters have tripled. The bigger problem is that they are not killing all the problem bears. They are just transferring them out farther in the bush. Now loggers and miners have to deal with them. I was told by a fellow miner that if you have to shoot one. Don't report it if you don't have to. His quote "shoot, shovel and shut up". Will save you alot of money and headacks. Dew to most of the newer conservation officers are treehugin city folks that have no clue about bushlife. I think these green freaks should have to spend a few nights in bear country. They may start to change there minds. Cougar encounters are on the rise to
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