Since this is about dogs and not cougars, perhaps it was your wife's reaction that caused the dogs to do nothing.Originally Posted by Clay1
Since this is about dogs and not cougars, perhaps it was your wife's reaction that caused the dogs to do nothing.
I've lost count of the number of pictures or videos I've seen in the last few years of multiple cougars hanging out, accompanied by a quote from a wildlife biologist about how unusual it is.Video captures five mountain lions hanging out together in California
https://www.latimes.com/california/s...g-out-together
One of things I'm learning as I go deeper into animal tracking and trailing is how little we actually know about common megafauna in North America. As more trail cameras and etc are being placed in the woods every year, I wonder if all this anecdotal data kind of contradicts what we "know" about cats and similar creatures.
I was into 10mm Auto before it sold out and went mainstream, but these days I'm here for the revolver and epidemiology information.
@Clay1, that sounds like an exciting incident you had. Glad the dogs weren’t savage. I have drawn on dogs before and was glad the owner called them off.
My wife didn’t panic shriek when we saw the cougars, which was surprising. She will typically make a lot of noise and do a freak out dance when surprised. This time, she was solid. No shrieking. Dry panties.
“There is no growth in the comfort zone.”--Jocko Willink
"You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
Never put a hand on my gun as far as a human threat, but that is the second time with Dogs. I'm, what I consider a dog person, the last thing I would want is to do is to shoot someone's dog, but I refuse to be mauled.
The other time I was fishing and walking across a public access and a dog owner sicked their beast on me. Luckily he wasn't too aggressive just barky. That time, I had hand on gun and stomped the ground and the dog stopped the charge and stood a couple of feet away and barked. After a brief standoff, I looked right at the owner and asked "are you going to call your dog off or are you going to make me kick him? I was prepared to launch into that one like an NFL field goal kicker. Glad she decided that I really meant it and called the dog off.
Maybe it was HER reaction that saved us, engaged two dogs at once under 10' could have become ugly in a hurry.
I used to hunt grouse in the Cascades on old overgrown logging roads. I did that with a Wirehaired Griffon. I think my dog may have chased a cougar a few times but I never saw one. I'm just going by the baying the dog made during a chase, might have been a deer. I do know for a fact that she really hated cats.I couldn't get to the dog so just had to wait for her to come in to a whistle. Not my best days afield.
I knew there were cougars where I hunted because I talked to a property owner who had seen them. I always thought it wasn't worth worrying about because I would probably never see the cougar that took me out until it was too late. I would much prefer to deal with a bear. Did that a few times hiking in the Olympics.
The numbers of cougars have increased in this state since 1996 when it became illegal to hunt them with dogs. It's also illegal to trap them now but not sure when that started.
In the P-F basket of deplorables.
I’ve had numerous life safety situations—fire, automotive events, dogs, and wild animal encounters, etc. where someone went into full panic mode. I’m pretty good at ignoring panic shrieking. Sometimes scared people need to be manhandled for their own safety. (That’s been included in armed and unarmed training I’ve had, and it’s a good idea to have that discussion with our partners just to prepare them.)
I’m not sure what effect the freakouts have on animals, but I’d guess most of the time it’s more helpful to be quiet.
Last edited by Clusterfrack; 01-19-2020 at 06:08 PM.
“There is no growth in the comfort zone.”--Jocko Willink
"You can never have too many knives." --Joe Ambercrombie
Running away is definitely out.
In the P-F basket of deplorables.
Just read a good book on this subject, called The Beast in the Garden. It discusses the increase in cougars around Boulder, CO, in the 1990s, largely due to an increased urban deer population and people spreading into previously wild lands and wanting to keep them “natural.” Lots of good info on cougar biology and habits in the book.
Living in central NM now, and we hike as a family: 2yo on my back, wife and 6yo on foot. G19 or G19X stays on my chest in an HPG Runner’s Kit Bag, and 6yo stays in front of me where I can keep eyes on her.
I’ve thought about switching ammo from my 147 HST for those hikes: would hard cast or NATO 124s be better or worse?
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Praise be to the LORD my Rock,
who trains my hands for war,
my fingers for battle.
-Psalm 144:1
If I remember correctly, I wrote about this incident a while back, but maybe I can offer a few more details this time.
My brother and I hiked the Guadalupe Mountains in December 2019. We have hiked the park many times, but we chose a new trail to try during this visit. Of course we got a late start to the day, and we chose what I believe to be my hardest hike yet. The trail is Bear Canyon and it is one of the ways to reach hunter peak. It is very steep and is a real ass kicker, but still enjoyable and offers nice views.
After reaching the top we spent some time relaxing and tooling around.
During the hike we saw ZERO other people. A few birds and an elk, but not much.
As we made our descent darkness began to set in. I put a chem light on my pack so my brother could see me, and both busted out our flashlights. We were both exhausted, and I was day dreaming as we shuffled along. Around this time we came to a bend in the trail, an area that would be a waterfall when rain occurs. I had my head in the clouds when my brother shouted at me, and I noticed something leap from the trail to the top of the ridge above the "dry waterfall". Out of pure instinct I drew my P-07 and watched the area for what I now knew was a mountain lion. My brother got his P250 out.
I watched the ridge line and shined my light towards it and saw the lion again. It was standing parallel to the trail, but was looking at us. It just stood there for a moment as I shined my light at it, and then trotted off into the darkness. To say the least my brother and I were keyed up for a bit, and took it slow for a while. Shinning our lights around us as we walked, and checking behind us on a regular basis too.
We made it back safe, tired, cold and hungry. Well I was hungry!
Lessons?
Fatigue has a bigger effect on you than you realize sometimes. I was just putting one foot in front of another trying to get back to the car, not thinking about the possible dangers. 100% on me.
My imagination is very active. It's a blessing and curse. It allows me to be totally comfortable alone, but is no friend to my focus. It's something I have to constantly remind myself of.
I always thought a SP101 3 inch 5 shot would be a dandy trail gun. Maybe it is, and I am not advocating launching 16 rounds of 9mm widely into the night. I am just simply saying that having the P-07 under the conditions made me feel more comfortable than a 5 shot revolver would have.
If you have two people carrying guns, have a plan in place to minimize the risk of flagging the other, and when to shoot if you have to.
Thankfully everything worked out fine, and we didn't have to defend ourselves. I have no desire to kill anything that is not actively trying to seriously injure or kill me or another person. However, we all need to be prepared in case life gets real unfair.
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