Lonny, Pack999, Elks & all,
The cougar within 21 feet of me deliberately stalked me. It was not called. I was hunting mule deer in fairly open forest. All the cat knew was that a human was walking through the woods. Tracks in snow afterward showed that the cat had seen me and then maneuvered to get ahead of me and hid in a spot where I passed below it. I. e. deliberate stalking of a human.
My hunting partner 70 yards away saw the cat crouching above me, shot at it and clipped hair from its back with no blood. I have no idea if the cat would have jumped on me. I think that probably it would have let me walk past without me ever knowing it was there. It was above and in another couple of steps it would have been 18 feet away, slightly behind me as I sidehilled. Had it jumped me, I would have had zero chance to use the rifle in my hands, and would not have known it was there until impact.
I've called several other cougars, one last year within 25 yards, another within 40 feet that I could hear move on cornflake crusted snow. I'm sure we've called others close that we never knew were there. The unseen ones I know about left tracks in snow, and I assume that happens when we don't have snow to check.
I've had several cougars follow me, and never known it until I retraced my steps in snow, one time in mud. Of those, I heard one slight sound once, of dry grass brushed.
This thread has digressed in an interesting direction, but FWIW, I think that cougars often come very close to humans in the wild, (30 feet or closer) and in nearly every case two things happen.
1. The human never knows the cat was near him.
2. The cat leaves the human alone.
The exceptions make the news, and sometimes a coroner's report.
Even though most cougars don't attack people, if armed I wouldn't take a chance on what the cat would do if it was close and facing me. I'd shoot it. If his body was relaxed and facing away, I'd give him benefit unless hunting cougars.
The cougar within 21 feet of me deliberately stalked me. It was not called. I was hunting mule deer in fairly open forest. All the cat knew was that a human was walking through the woods. Tracks in snow afterward showed that the cat had seen me and then maneuvered to get ahead of me and hid in a spot where I passed below it. I. e. deliberate stalking of a human.
My hunting partner 70 yards away saw the cat crouching above me, shot at it and clipped hair from its back with no blood. I have no idea if the cat would have jumped on me. I think that probably it would have let me walk past without me ever knowing it was there. It was above and in another couple of steps it would have been 18 feet away, slightly behind me as I sidehilled. Had it jumped me, I would have had zero chance to use the rifle in my hands, and would not have known it was there until impact.
I've called several other cougars, one last year within 25 yards, another within 40 feet that I could hear move on cornflake crusted snow. I'm sure we've called others close that we never knew were there. The unseen ones I know about left tracks in snow, and I assume that happens when we don't have snow to check.
I've had several cougars follow me, and never known it until I retraced my steps in snow, one time in mud. Of those, I heard one slight sound once, of dry grass brushed.
This thread has digressed in an interesting direction, but FWIW, I think that cougars often come very close to humans in the wild, (30 feet or closer) and in nearly every case two things happen.
1. The human never knows the cat was near him.
2. The cat leaves the human alone.
The exceptions make the news, and sometimes a coroner's report.
Even though most cougars don't attack people, if armed I wouldn't take a chance on what the cat would do if it was close and facing me. I'd shoot it. If his body was relaxed and facing away, I'd give him benefit unless hunting cougars.
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