Have you killed an animal in self defence?

[Leveraction]

Wondering if you have killed an animal in self defence.
I killed a cougar this past Saturday in self defence.
Went out Saturday looking for black bear, morning hours all was able to see was groups of people camping, so I thought if I get away from the rivers and up into the alpine a little, The attraction of water may keep the campers away.Found some fresh bear scat, got warm mid day so chilled out and had a mid day snooze, was on my feet hiking by 3:30 (http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/x-apple-data-detectors://2), covered some of the same ground what I had seen fresh scat.
Was walking up a deactivated logging road up towards a series of clear cuts with a patch of bush between each clear cut., was more interested in glassing the distance vs the immediate 50 yards in front of me.
As I walked up this old road towards the crest of a hill, a full grown cougar came over the crest of the hill and we made eye contact at the same time.
We were 27 yards apart.
This was the 1st cougar I have ever seen live in the wild.
I have never had an animal so intently look at me in 42 years of hunting.
These are full on predators.
Of course my rifle is over my shoulder.......duh !!!!!
Slowly it come off and Down to my side then up slowly to my shoulder.
As my eye fell in behind the scope , the cougar hissed and took 2 definite steps straight at me and I settled the cross hair 6 inches under his chin centre between the shoulders and pulled the trigger.
He dropped in his tracks and did not move.
After calming down, I called Squamish conservation and got patched into a 3 way call with a conservation officer.
Explained I killed a cougar in self defence at 20-25 yards, which I later paced out to 27 yards.
I made a video of the scene, paced out the yardage.
Got the cougar in the back of my truck and headed out.
After meeting up with the officer, surrendering the animal, gave a statement showed the officer the video. We lifted the animal into the back of his truck and he said he is likely around 130 pounds and in his prime was 150-175 pounds.
We examined the animal which the officer said he is quite old, one side of his mouth was completely void of teeth, on old blunt fang from the top, and swollen bottom gums, so he was struggling to eat. Hip bones and portion of spine was quite prevalent, officer said is is a bit emaciated, the back end was slowly losing it muscle, front shoulders and neck where still very muscular.
Front paws were massive, the size of my hand, but also missing claws, there were a couple razors in each pad though.
In speaking with the officer, after the phone conversation, He said he figured this would be an old or young cougar, young and dumb does not know better or old and not as capable. Don’t deal to often with healthy cougars.


The officer said they will have their biologist look at the animal.
They would be in touch if they needed anything further from me.
I did not have a cougar tag, and openly stated that on the phone and when we met in person stated it again.
The officer indicated I did the right thing by calling in immediately.

[835]

that's my greatest fear.

[Bustercluck]

Definitely not typical behaviour for any cougar Ive run into. I’ve run into quite a few and never had one look right at me and advance. Sounds like old and desperate.

[Blacktail1]

Deer mostly they are very dangerous. I’m glad you didn’t get chomped on by a big cat. Sounds like officer is reasonable. I always buy a cat tag for this reason .

[Linksman313]

Growing up in Ksan (Hazelton and area) a reserve dog wouldn't let go of my best friend at the time. I was 9 years old, he was left with 60% usage in his left arm from elbow down.
So not really self but best buddies defense.

[caddisguy]

Wow that's quite an experience.

Never had anything like that happen and hopefully never will.

Glad you spotted it before it made a move.

[adriaticum]

Yah, old toothless cougar you did the right thing to put him out of his misery.

[LBM]

No have not, have had cougar within inches many times and no need to shoot. As you mentioned this was the first one you have seen and i dont see any need to shoot it either
wasnt doing any thing weird by the sounds of it.

[ACE]

If you're in cat country for any reason . . . watch your back trail.

[MRP]

Does a big tomcat under a mobile home count. He was pissing and hissing and coming for me, first shot with a 4-10 with #4 shot just rolled him back a little. Came for me again second shot did him in. LOL...

Had some grumpy bears that thought I was to close but nothing that made me overly excited.

[Drillbit]

Just aggressive dogs

[fuzzybiscuit]

If you're in cat country for any reason . . . watch your back trail.

I used to buy a cat tag every year when I was on the island. I’ve shot 2 that were less than 30 feet behind me when I spotted them. I can’t say either would have attacked me and they were probably just curious what I was. But I didn’t give them a chance to make a decision.

[Harvest the Land]

No have not, have had cougar within inches many times and no need to shoot. As you mentioned this was the first one you have seen and i dont see any need to shoot it either
wasnt doing any thing weird by the sounds of it.

Could not disagree more. Do you consider the cougar hissing and taking two definite steps towards this guy normal behavior or non-threatening? Most healthy cougars would have seen this guy coming and gotten off the road. An elderly, starving and desperate cougar that exhibits this type of predatory behaviour toward any human is a very dangerous animal. Even anti-predator hunting folks should be able to acknowledge that obvious fact.

I think you did the right thing here Leveraction. Not only that, you saved that cougar from a slow agonizing miserable death in the wild.

Make sure to buy a cougar tag every year and it will be a less stressful situation for you while dealing with CO's. Many MU's (including the one's around Squamish) have open cougar seasons at the same time as spring bear. Just an FYI. Thanks for sharing your story and glad to hear you're still in one piece

[MB_Boy]

My Dad had to shoot a wolf after he was surrounded by a pack.....dropped it at 5' as it was closing in on him in a 'threatening manner'. Fortunately the rest of the pack scattered.

[LBM]

Could not disagree more. Do you consider the cougar hissing and taking two definite steps towards this guy normal behavior or non-threatening? Most healthy cougars would have seen this guy coming and gotten off the road. An elderly, starving and desperate cougar that exhibits this type of predatory behaviour toward any human is a very dangerous animal. Even anti-predator hunting folks should be able to acknowledge that obvious fact.

I think you did the right thing here Leveraction. Not only that, you saved that cougar from a slow agonizing miserable death in the wild.

Make sure to buy a cougar tag every year and it will be a less stressful situation for you while dealing with CO's. Many MU's (including the one's around Squamish) have open cougar seasons at the same time as spring bear. Just an FYI. Thanks for sharing your story and glad to hear you're still in one piece

All ready answered that no didnt sound like the cat was doing any thing weird. People that actually spend time in the bush and no or learn a bit about wildlife may be able to acknowledge that.

[Gateholio]

Sounds like the cougar was in pretty rough shape and you did the cougar a favour!

[ACE]

No have not, have had cougar within inches many times and no need to shoot. As you mentioned this was the first one you have seen and I don't see any need to shoot it either.
Wasn't doing any thing weird by the sounds of it.

"within inches many times" . . . . . care to elaborate?

[MichelD]

I've seen plenty of cougars before and never felt threatened yet.

This curious bobcat walked up to two paces away from me last September.

https://i.imgur.com/1na1i0v.jpg

[Beachcomber]

I've always thought this video is the gold standard in terms of needing a full trouser change post encounter: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Pg2CDCm34w.

[decker9]

That’s intense! Glad you came out on top!

My story is quite similar, first time encounter, but with wolves. I tend not to tell the tale, as most wouldn’t believe it anyway, as it was out of nature for wolves to do what they did, with a human. Iv never seen a cougar in person, but if I do, I’d treat it like a grizzly encounter, unpredictable!

[moosinaround]

I killed a black bear while doing forestry work, we met at less than 20 paces, I backed out while preparing my 12ga, and he made the entirely wrong move. 3" OO buck works well at less than 20 feet! Bears can move pretty quick! Moosin

[whitlers]

I think the OP did the correct thing. I would have done the same if that cat took aggressive steps towards me. I have seen a few cougars in the bush and they just ran away. Sounds like the CO agreed with you aswell.

[walks with deer]

I see alot of cougars more than most..
Most animals that threaten me,my family or livestock get shot.
Original poster acted appropriate..period.

[LBM]

"within inches many times" . . . . . care to elaborate?

Sure will tell a few followed tracks to a slash pile circled pile none leaving went to were they went under got on hands and knees and stuck head in cats sitting looking at me pulled head out sat back cats came out past me and left.
Followed tracks in to a area where tracks were every where was standing by a big root wad heard a noise so again got down to look and again cat looking at me stood up as it came out brushing past me.
Again similar as before followed tracks to patch of blow down same thing. Also many encounters at distances as in the OPs case some in truck others walking lots of times they stand and look at you, these were health cats they are like any animal and can be curious they dont all turn and run like HTL thinks. Was walking in to look for a mother and 3 sub adults and was heading down a trail and heard them communicating so looked over bank 3 subs were sitting there then
started up trail towards me then mother came behind them they finally spotted me at about 20yds subs bailed down hill mother kept watching me then came closer then bailed opposite way.
Now a cat that is sick starving etc can be different or not predictable and may do things out of the norm, have had a few dealings with them in this shape as well, but the OP did not no this when he shot it. He asked a question i answered it. HTL doesnt like that its fine he should maybe follow some of the rules he lists.

[LBM]

I've seen plenty of cougars before and never felt threatened yet.

This curious bobcat walked up to two paces away from me last September.

https://i.imgur.com/1na1i0v.jpg

Cool experience and picture.

[Keta1969]

There's lot's of cougars so dumping an old one is no big deal and if you haven't seen many no harm in been cautious. I've seen quite a few on the Island a couple at about 15 yards. There are lots here and if you do much hiking or hunting you'll see them. They are very curious animals at times but any time except once they have buggered off with a bit of noise. Haven't had to shoot one yet. They are a spectacular animal to see in the wild. I would like to know how many times I've been followed or watched and never known it, lots I'm sure.

[Mulehahn]

Though I am sure others have seen more, I have seen a few cougars in my travels. Some closer than 20 yards. None ever acted aggressive towards me. One came closer but had a distinctly curious expression rather than any sort of malice. Never shot a single one.

I am of the belief that you can usually tell an animal's intention. A friend of mine was deep in the bush hunting when he and his son came across a large bear a ways off (100 yards or so). This was pretty open ground and both could clearly see the other. His son started to record. The bear immediately charged about half the distance then went back. He grabbed his rifle, but wasn't too worried so they started backing up slowly. The bear charged a second time but again my friend said wasn't too worried and, yup, bear stopped at about 50 yards and went back. Then the bear charged a third time and my friend instantly new this was different. The bear was coming for them, and yup, once that bear crossed the line he had turned around at twice with out slowing down he cut his tag. I have seen the video and agree. You could tell that the third time it was coming, it was a different charge. You just knew.

I have no doubt the op could tell that this cougars intentions were bad and he did the right thing.

[moosecaller]

Had an old black bear (big skinny sow) come after my horses raked one across the chest. Two days later I could hear the pigs squealing and grabbed the garande and went out in my gum boots and house coat I walked the fence line and could hear it just the other side of the trail paralleling me. I was just about to cross through the fence and it came at me head swinging across the 10 foot wide quad trail 4 shots with the garande and it fell nose first on my gum boot. Skinny worn teeth and scarred up took 3 of us to load it into the pick up, still had lots of weight don't think I would have liked to meet her when she was healthy.

[Redthies]

I had a widgeon come straight for me once! He came right out of the sun like any good aerial combatant would. I took him down with #4 steel shot. He was deeeeelicious!

I’ve seen a few bobcats in the wild, wolves,bears and a wolverine, but never a cougar. Although after 25 years of playing in the woods of the coast range, I’m sure a great many have seen ME.

[Jagermeister]

Sure will tell a few followed tracks to a slash pile circled pile none leaving went to were they went under got on hands and knees and stuck head in cats sitting looking at me pulled head out sat back cats came out past me and left.
Followed tracks in to a area where tracks were every where was standing by a big root wad heard a noise so again got down to look and again cat looking at me stood up as it came out brushing past me.
Again similar as before followed tracks to patch of blow down same thing. Also many encounters at distances as in the OPs case some in truck others walking lots of times they stand and look at you, these were health cats they are like any animal and can be curious they dont all turn and run like HTL thinks. Was walking in to look for a mother and 3 sub adults and was heading down a trail and heard them communicating so looked over bank 3 subs were sitting there then
started up trail towards me then mother came behind them they finally spotted me at about 20yds subs bailed down hill mother kept watching me then came closer then bailed opposite way.
Now a cat that is sick starving etc can be different or not predictable and may do things out of the norm, have had a few dealings with them in this shape as well, but the OP did not no this when he shot it. He asked a question i answered it. HTL doesnt like that its fine he should maybe follow some of the rules he lists.

Sometimes I think that predator animals have pity for stupid human behaviour.

[Leveraction]

at the moment I had no idea it was an Old cougar, after the shot and later with the officer, we had a good look at his teeth,
quite surprising he made it thru the winter, from what I could see , he had no biting ability.
he was definitely wasting away, and was dying a slow death.
definitely a gladiator in his day.



Yah, old toothless cougar you did the right thing to put him out of his misery.

[LBM]

at the moment I had no idea it was an Old cougar, after the shot and later with the officer, we had a good look at his teeth,
quite surprising he made it thru the winter, from what I could see , he had no biting ability.
he was definitely wasting away, and was dying a slow death.
definitely a gladiator in his day.

Its not nice to see then in that condition, or any thing for that matter.

[Leveraction]

Thanks Harvest,
I will be buying a cougar tag going forward.
I’ve never been one to kill for an animals skin and don’t think I will purposely go cougar hunting.
im glad he wont suffer a slow starvation.
his teeth were in rough shape, of course I didn’t know that when we made eye contact.
surprised he made it thru winter.
one tough old warrior.



Could not disagree more. Do you consider the cougar hissing and taking two definite steps towards this guy normal behavior or non-threatening? Most healthy cougars would have seen this guy coming and gotten off the road. An elderly, starving and desperate cougar that exhibits this type of predatory behaviour toward any human is a very dangerous animal. Even anti-predator hunting folks should be able to acknowledge that obvious fact.

I think you did the right thing here Leveraction. Not only that, you saved that cougar from a slow agonizing miserable death in the wild.

Make sure to buy a cougar tag every year and it will be a less stressful situation for you while dealing with CO's. Many MU's (including the one's around Squamish) have open cougar seasons at the same time as spring bear. Just an FYI. Thanks for sharing your story and glad to hear you're still in one piece

[Gateholio]

Probably did the CO a favour too, as in a month the area will be full of mountain bikers for the cougar to chase. :)

[Harvest the Land]

Thanks Harvest,
I will be buying a cougar tag going forward.
I’ve never been one to kill for an animals skin and don’t think I will purposely go cougar hunting.
im glad he wont suffer a slow starvation.
his teeth were in rough shape, of course I didn’t know that when we made eye contact.
surprised he made it thru winter.
one tough old warrior.

I haven't personally eaten cougar but can't wait to give it a try someday. I've been told they're delicious.

Here's a good video of Rinella harvesting a cougar and later cooking it up and eating it like any other game animal he hunts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mqv1arVKWR0

[Leveraction]

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/attachment.php?attachmentid=8393&stc=1
take a look at the swollen gums, he was not well.

[northof49]

Sometimes I think that predator animals have pity for stupid human behaviour.

bahahahaha.....saved me adding my 2 bits!!

[Rotorwash]

I had a younger Tom incident. Took him at 30 yards on a dead run at me and my partner while out calling for coyotes. He slowed for a second on seeing it was people, then back to full speed. I had a tag luckily and that made life simple. Everytime I look at that rug it reminds me why I buy a tag and keep my rifle ready. 100+ lbs hungry cat could have changed my life in a really bad way

[Golddust]

Got about 20 yards away from a grizz last october in Squamish. Just stumbled on him with my bow as I was creeping around looking for blacktail. I got super lucky - he was content eating salmon and there were lots spawning in the river. Could have turned ugly quick but he wanted nothing to do with me. I waited him out till he had to go get another fish and then got out of there fast. Closest situation I've had to defending myself.

[Hugh Mann]

Thanks Harvest,
I will be buying a cougar tag going forward.
I’ve never been one to kill for an animals skin and don’t think I will purposely go cougar hunting.

I have been told cougars are really quite tasty. The four legged ones are great too!

Jokes aside, you did the right thing here. Folks can argue one way or another, but they weren't there. Cats are curious creatures, yes, so two steps forward isn't overly unusual from what I've read. But a hiss? That typically only means one thing coming from a feline. I for one, think you made the right choice, and I would have done the same thing.

[scoutlt1]

I think you did the right thing Lever.

I'll take you on your word that you've hunted for 42 years, so for you to decide to shoot that cat in the situation you were in.....it's a no brainer.

There will always be people who disagree, regardless of how "experienced" they are, but they weren't in the position you were in that day and in that moment.

Good advice on getting a tag. Over 25 years ago a long time hunter told me she always got a bear tag. Her group had to shoot two that came into camp. One encounter was really nasty apparently. Cancelled tag and it's all good. I've done so ever since.

On a side note (and gawd don't ask me how long ago this was :-) ).....one of my memories from taking my CORE course was when the discussion of hunting cougar came up...the instructor said "if you shoot one and don't want the meat, bring it to the club and offer it up to the members. It will be gone in less than an hour".

Good on you for calling in right away, and documenting with video etc. too... that's the right way to do it.


As ACE stated....If you're in cat country for any reason . . . watch your back trail.

[HarryToolips]

You did the right thing, glad your ok...I had to shoot a black bear once in self defence that was coming into our camp several times at that point to steal our food....it was bluff charging andhuffing, fortunately I had atag...

[Bigdoggdon]

Squirrel at 5 feet. HE WAS COMIN RIGHT AT ME. He had that crazed look in his eye too.

[caddisguy]

You did the right thing, glad your ok...I had to shoot a black bear once in self defence that was coming into our camp several times at that point to steal our food....it was bluff charging andhuffing, fortunately I had atag...

That bear needed to go. I've never shot at a bear while it was charging / huffing or creeping up to me at night, but I hold a grudge and eventually cut at tag on him.

[scoutlt1]

Squirrel at 5 feet. HE WAS COMIN RIGHT AT ME. He had that crazed look in his eye too.

Yes they can be scary.

Best defense I've found, a handful of lightly salted unshelled peanuts laid down on the right, and a speedy exit stage left.

Peanut butter and/or cheese works too, but that stuff is way too deep down in my day pack.

[caddisguy]

Couple cat stories, somewhat relevant

Was sitting with my wife back to back on a log watching a deer trail up a little mossy mtn. caddisgirl says "cat coming" and I think cougar, because we had a limping cougar on the same cam. I stood up while turning around and yelled "OK" (dunno why "ok") anyway this large bobcat was belly crawling like a house cat after a fly right at us. Took off 50 yards and up a tree when I stook up and yelled, but I'm convinced 100% that bobcat (again quite large, like 20-25lbs) would have had a go if not detected. I know bobcats can be "curious", but there's "curious" and "that head poking and neck out behind that log looks takeable"

Cougar story, walking back from the blind one night had the creeps. We heard something circling camp that night breathing. Next week checked the trailcam by the blind and had a big old cougar on my trail 30 mins behind me that week prior I had the "creeps" and we heard the critter around camp. Looked like it had some kind of pass through wound just inside the rear legs, absess on both sides same place.

Anyway, never killed an animal in self defense but figured a couple creepycat stories were within the theme :)

As others said, watch your backtrail and adding to that, front trail and side trail. I rarely worry about bears, always seems time to react. Many cougar attacks, person had no idea until it was on the base of their skull. Creepy critters.

[Jagermeister]

Believe it or not! I shot a porcupine in self-defense. Very close in counter. Probably not a lethal attack but sure could have bee a painful one.

What we know is that humans are the slowest land based predators on the planet. With that in mind, if a bear or cougar ani't hi-assing away from you, you're being sized up for dinner.

Good shot lever, you saved someone's butt besides your own.

[hawk-i]

A black bear at less than 12 inches off the end of my rifle muzzle.

[LBM]

Couple cat stories, somewhat relevant

Was sitting with my wife back to back on a log watching a deer trail up a little mossy mtn. caddisgirl says "cat coming" and I think cougar, because we had a limping cougar on the same cam. I stood up while turning around and yelled "OK" (dunno why "ok") anyway this large bobcat was belly crawling like a house cat after a fly right at us. Took off 50 yards and up a tree when I stook up and yelled, but I'm convinced 100% that bobcat (again quite large, like 20-25lbs) would have had a go if not detected. I know bobcats can be "curious", but there's "curious" and "that head poking and neck out behind that log looks takeable"

Cougar story, walking back from the blind one night had the creeps. We heard something circling camp that night breathing. Next week checked the trailcam by the blind and had a big old cougar on my trail 30 mins behind me that week prior I had the "creeps" and we heard the critter around camp. Looked like it had some kind of pass through wound just inside the rear legs, absess on both sides same place.

Anyway, never killed an animal in self defense but figured a couple creepycat stories were within the theme :)

As others said, watch your backtrail and adding to that, front trail and side trail. I rarely worry about bears, always seems time to react. Many cougar attacks, person had no idea until it was on the base of their skull. Creepy critters.

A pass through wound sounds like another hunter wounded animal.

[caddisguy]

A pass through wound sounds like another hunter wounded animal.

Looks that way. I suppose pass through is a leap of speculation on my part. You can see some kind of abscess up just forward of the hind leg here. It had the same thing in the exact same place on the other side, so I speculated pass through, but I imagine cougars get pretty rough too... maybe another cat was giving it a hug?

https://i.imgur.com/BXga8vP.png

[Walking Buffalo]

A pass through wound sounds like another hunter wounded animal.

Just like the sunrise, so predictable from you.
Always trolling cougar threads, always desiring to take a shot at hunters.

If it was shot, odds are it was NOT from a hunter.
If shot, it was probably by some idiot that sticks his head into stumps.

Some skin diseases result in asymmetrical lesions.

This wound pattern is also typical for antler punctures.

I suspect there is a good chance this cat got his ass beat by a buck or a bull.

[caddisguy]

Just like the sunrise, so predictable from you.
Always trolling cougar threads, always desiring to take a shot at hunters.

If it was shot, odds are it was NOT from a hunter.

Some skin diseases result in asymmetrical lesions.

This wound pattern is also typical for antler punctures.

I suspect there is a good chance this cat got his ass beat by a buck or a bull.

That was another thought that I had, that perhaps it got stuck good with an antler.

[dracb]

Could not disagree more. Do you consider the cougar hissing and taking two definite steps towards this guy normal behavior or non-threatening? Most healthy cougars would have seen this guy coming and gotten off the road. An elderly, starving and desperate cougar that exhibits this type of predatory behaviour toward any human is a very dangerous animal. Even anti-predator hunting folks should be able to acknowledge that obvious fact.

I think you did the right thing here Leveraction. Not only that, you saved that cougar from a slow agonizing miserable death in the wild.

Make sure to buy a cougar tag every year and it will be a less stressful situation for you while dealing with CO's. Many MU's (including the one's around Squamish) have open cougar seasons at the same time as spring bear. Just an FYI. Thanks for sharing your story and glad to hear you're still in one piece

I am not entirely convinced that the elderly cougars are the most dangerous. It seems that the 12 to 17 month age class is by far disproportionately represented in the cougars removed for animal control purposes due to human/wildlife conflict or that are killed while approaching or stalking people. Most of those in this age class are in good health. Also if one studies the C.I. records covering (as I recall ) a couple tens of thousands of cougars there are very very few cougars that reach the age where they are naturally loosing their teeth ie there are very few elderly decrepit cougars.

[westkootenaykiller]

A pass through wound sounds like another hunter wounded animal.



Somebody ban this Columbia valley hillbilly, he contributes nothing but negativity. It is almost Wednesday so he should be able to fill up his truck and leave his computer screen for a while.

[MichelD]

I'm not going to judge the OP. He did what he did because he felt like he had to.

All I can add is that in 60 years of walking around in the bush frequently alone even as a child on northern Vancouver Island and in 53 years despite having seen numerous cougars have never felt threatened.

[Harvest the Land]

I am not entirely convinced that the elderly cougars are the most dangerous. It seems that the 12 to 17 month age class is by far disproportionately represented in the cougars removed for animal control purposes due to human/wildlife conflict or that are killed while approaching or stalking people. Most of those in this age class are in good health. Also if one studies the C.I. records covering (as I recall ) a couple tens of thousands of cougars there are very very few cougars that reach the age where they are naturally loosing their teeth ie there are very few elderly decrepit cougars.

The cougar wasn't dangerous because he was old - he was dangerous because he was starving and desperate to survive and displaying predatory behaviour towards a human. If Leveraction didn't put him out of his misery, this cat could have easily pounced on a defenseless hiker or any unsuspecting human who might be in his vicinity; and he also most likely would have died a slow excruciating and brutal death

[Gateholio]

Somebody ban this Columbia valley hillbilly, he contributes nothing but negativity. It is almost Wednesday so he should be able to fill up his truck and leave his computer screen for a while.

They just come back under different names. :)

I sometimes do wonder though- If someone hates hunters so much, why come to website populated by hunters?

[westkootenaykiller]

They just come back under different names. :)

I sometimes do wonder though- If someone hates hunters so much, why come to website populated by hunters?



Haha I hear ya! but should be able to see if the IP Address comes back to the same trailer park no?

[Leveraction]

http://www.canadiangeographic.com/wildlife-nature/articles/pdfs/cougar-cougar-attack.pdf

[Tred]

Sometimes I think that predator animals have pity for stupid human behaviour.

I found this really funny really funny as a general statement in seeing photos and videos of wild animal and people doing things I go "nope"

[Tred]

.

Make sure to buy a cougar tag every year and it will be a less stressful situation for you while dealing with CO's. Many MU's (including the one's around Squamish) have open cougar seasons at the same time as spring bear. Just an FYI. Thanks for sharing your story and glad to hear you're still in one piece
Best cat replanted, is to have a tag ;)

[MOOSE MILK]

Black bear many years ago in Ontario when I used to put out bait for a hunting lodge. While setting the bait out I walked up on a sow that was already on the bait site, I walked in between her and two cubs, I had a shorty double and that was the end of her. Always felt sorry for the cubs.
Second was a griz came while calling moose Chetwynd area less than 15' .338 straight on just under the chin ran right past me and piled up against a tree.

[LBM]

Just like the sunrise, so predictable from you.
Always trolling cougar threads, always desiring to take a shot at hunters.

If it was shot, odds are it was NOT from a hunter.
If shot, it was probably by some idiot that sticks his head into stumps.

Some skin diseases result in asymmetrical lesions.

This wound pattern is also typical for antler punctures.

I suspect there is a good chance this cat got his ass beat by a buck or a bull.

HAHa your stalking/trolling is quit predictable as well allways with nothing good to say.

Well yes could be done by a antler but according to many on here there is no ungulates left.

[LBM]

Looks that way. I suppose pass through is a leap of speculation on my part. You can see some kind of abscess up just forward of the hind leg here. It had the same thing in the exact same place on the other side, so I speculated pass through, but I imagine cougars get pretty rough too... maybe another cat was giving it a hug?

https://i.imgur.com/BXga8vP.png

Yes they can get pretty rough on each other, its a pretty tough life out there for them.

[LBM]

I am not entirely convinced that the elderly cougars are the most dangerous. It seems that the 12 to 17 month age class is by far disproportionately represented in the cougars removed for animal control purposes due to human/wildlife conflict or that are killed while approaching or stalking people. Most of those in this age class are in good health. Also if one studies the C.I. records covering (as I recall ) a couple tens of thousands of cougars there are very very few cougars that reach the age where they are naturally loosing their teeth ie there are very few elderly decrepit cougars.

Yes in many areas cougars dont get a chance to get old.

[dracb]

The cougar wasn't dangerous because he was old - he was dangerous because he was starving and desperate to survive and displaying predatory behaviour towards a human. If Leveraction didn't put him out of his misery, this cat could have easily pounced on a defenseless hiker or any unsuspecting human who might be in his vicinity; and he also most likely would have died a slow excruciating and brutal death
Excuse me there. I was not implying that any cougar was not dangerous. I was commenting that most of those that get in trouble belong to the teenage, elderly/impaired age/health categories. The young ones seem to have enough hunger that they fairly often windup in barnyards with lamb on their breath or trying to feed on the neighbor who was outside working on their car. My point was the young ones are much more abundant and likely to get in human/wildlife conflict more than the older/decrepit ones. It was not that elderly or impaired are not also dangerous.

[pconpcs]

What a beauty, and a great photo too!!


I've seen plenty of cougars before and never felt threatened yet.

This curious bobcat walked up to two paces away from me last September.

https://i.imgur.com/1na1i0v.jpg

[browningboy]

Black bear many years ago in Ontario when I used to put out bait for a hunting lodge. While setting the bait out I walked up on a sow that was already on the bait site, I walked in between her and two cubs, I had a shorty double and that was the end of her. Always felt sorry for the cubs.
Second was a griz came while calling moose Chetwynd area less than 15' .338 straight on just under the chin ran right past me and piled up against a tree.


The grizz moment would have been a puckering moment!

[MichelD]

What a beauty, and a great photo too!!

Yes, it was a nice moment in the bush for sure, sitting still for hours against the trees watching an overgrown old cut for deer and then this guy came up behind me after watching me for a half hour from about 30 feet away.

[IronNoggin]

To date:

Four black bears - all predatory, all point blank. Various rifles.
One black bear - panicked and far too close to clients (also panicked). 30-30.
One grizzly attempting to eat my Inuit Buddy. 300 Weatherby. Inside 30 yards.

One wolverine - inside six feet. 22 caliber pistol (and yes I had the appropriate carry permit).

Have not shot a cougar in self defense. Only due to the fact that twice I was not packing.
Sphincter tightening when a large male approaches FAR to close three times, then studies you from inside 10 feet trying to determine if he should go around, or through you to get at your aging dog behind you. Saved by Buddies who heard me yelling that came running. Searched for that bassturd for over a week with my rifle. Never seen again.
The other was a medium sized cat that followed me for a considerable distance, closing twice to within 10 yards, completely unfazed by my efforts to "look big" and roaring to get the hell out of there. Left when I encountered two other hikers and we collectively drove it off.

Two buddies here on the Island (both large men over 6 feet) have killed cats in self defense.
One caught the cat in mid-stalk as he was cleaning a deer. Looked away to grab his rifle, and looked up to see it rapidly approaching. Powder burns confirmed the distance. Large healthy male.
The other was picking mushrooms when a medium sized male dropped onto his back. His backpack saved his life.
The cat's ended with a load of double odd and the muzzle touching it's chest.

In the OP's situation, you did exactly what was right.
There is no shortage of these cats in BC.
They are effective killing machines against which Two-Legs have a but slim chance of winning.
The one you encountered acted irregularly.
Although you did not know it then, it's body condition clearly shows what it was up to.
Starving, and willing to roll the dice he could take you down.

Armchair cat-lovers aside, I would do exactly as you did under those circumstances.
Happy you are still around to post about the experience!

Cheers,
Nog

[wlbc]

First off, OP, did what he felt he had to do. Not appropriate to judge from an armchair. I've seen cougars move when they are in a hurry, only thing faster in my experience is a grizzly in a hurry, so not a lot of time to second guess.

The one cougar I squared off with was with a jack knife on the west coast of Nootka Island a long, long, time ago although when I walk my doggo in the forest I've been followed by the gold kitties a few times.

To the poster who commented on how cougar tastes - delicious.

[Ron.C]

I killed a cougar years ago in defense. Had been trout fishing all morning and switched it up and hunted deer in the afternoon. Was still hunting my way through some older growth timber. I kept hearing slight noises behind me and each time I dismissed it as birds or something. This happened 2 or 3 times over the course of 30 minutes or so.

I crested a small ridge I knew where I could sit and view the timbered hill sloping below that always held great deer sign. I stopped, dropped my pack and sat down. As soon as my ass hit the ground I saw movement to my left and there was a cat about 10-12 feet from me. Grabbed my rifle, clicked off the safety and fired a round from my 30-06 into the tree beside it's head. The cat's ears laid back and it began to crouch, I chambered a second round and shot him in the face at point blank range. I was scared shitless it happened so fast and he was so close.

This was way before cell phones or internet were even a thing and I reported the incident to the local regional CO office as soon as I got home.

I've since had 4 other incidents with cats, one (very near home) requiring me to use my bear spray.

http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?45048-Cougar-Encounter-This-Morning&highlight=cougar


http://www.huntingbc.ca/forum/showthread.php?109204-Possible-Cougar-Encounter&highlight=cougar

[sakohunter]

You did the right thing. If you have a real sense that you where going to be attacked by a wild animal. You dragged it our of the bush, called the CO'S and made an honest statement about the incident. Enough said about that.

[mpotzold]

Spring '66 while surveying in the remote Yukon wilderness a FN guy shot a good size wolverine that was aggressively approaching our tents.

Had a large cougar approach our camper while Eve was cooking smoked pork chops. He let his presence be known by very loud cries & growls. Aimed the double barrel 12 g. using buckshot above its head from 20 to 25 ft. away & shot only once.
He quickly ran away never to be seen again.
This was SW of Ward Creek near Gang.

Not that far away a deer hunter shot a cougar just in time as it charged from behind killing it with a 30/06. The hunting group from VI camped only a short distance from us.

Over the years occasionally had to shoot in the air or yell loudly to prevent a bear charge. It worked.

One evening near Germansen Landing was approached by a pack of wolves while staying in an open old shack. They were more interested in my VW that was parked about 50' away. Was ready to shoot but they left me alone. Next morning found out from fresh snow tracks in the surrounding area that the pack was after 2 moose.

[Leveraction]

thanks Bud,

appreciate the comment.





To date:

Four black bears - all predatory, all point blank. Various rifles.
One black bear - panicked and far too close to clients (also panicked). 30-30.
One grizzly attempting to eat my Inuit Buddy. 300 Weatherby. Inside 30 yards.

One wolverine - inside six feet. 22 caliber pistol (and yes I had the appropriate carry permit).

Have not shot a cougar in self defense. Only due to the fact that twice I was not packing.
Sphincter tightening when a large male approaches FAR to close three times, then studies you from inside 10 feet trying to determine if he should go around, or through you to get at your aging dog behind you. Saved by Buddies who heard me yelling that came running. Searched for that bassturd for over a week with my rifle. Never seen again.
The other was a medium sized cat that followed me for a considerable distance, closing twice to within 10 yards, completely unfazed by my efforts to "look big" and roaring to get the hell out of there. Left when I encountered two other hikers and we collectively drove it off.

Two buddies here on the Island (both large men over 6 feet) have killed cats in self defense.
One caught the cat in mid-stalk as he was cleaning a deer. Looked away to grab his rifle, and looked up to see it rapidly approaching. Powder burns confirmed the distance. Large healthy male.
The other was picking mushrooms when a medium sized male dropped onto his back. His backpack saved his life.
The cat's ended with a load of double odd and the muzzle touching it's chest.

In the OP's situation, you did exactly what was right.
There is no shortage of these cats in BC.
They are effective killing machines against which Two-Legs have a but slim chance of winning.
The one you encountered acted irregularly.
Although you did not know it then, it's body condition clearly shows what it was up to.
Starving, and willing to roll the dice he could take you down.

Armchair cat-lovers aside, I would do exactly as you did under those circumstances.
Happy you are still around to post about the experience!

Cheers,
Nog