Mountain lions and bobcats

[Sunshine Flock]

As much as I respect all wildlife, cougars terrify me beyond reason. I've had nightmares throughout my life of being attacked by them.

But the reality is that we need to learn about these creatures. It calms me when I feel I have a decent understanding of how an animal behaves and why. Do you have any experience with cougars? Have you seen one? Do you know of any cougar sightings or attacks in your area?

About two years ago, a neighbor shot and killed a cougar that took his goat. It was barely dawn when it happened, from what I recall being told. What's upsetting is that some of our other neighbors saw a fresh cougar kill on BLM land near our home and only shared this with a few people. We had just gone hiking there, and they saw us when they were there but couldn't be bothered to warn anyone?

Last month I found what is either bobcat or cougar scat on our property. I should have taken a photo. It was packed full of whitish fur and bones. I've since learned in the forums that cats only eat meat, and they eat a lot. You won't find berries in cat scat.

I'm also studying up on animal tracks. Cats tracks don't have claws. They look like dog or coyote tracks, but there are a few things that differentiate them.

Tonight I read this blog post and watched the short videos. It was very educational. We then went outside to bring in the laundry, heard an animal being attacked down the hill behind our house, and decided the laundry can wait.

https://hikingguy.com/how-to-hike/understanding-mountain-lions-when-hiking/

But seriously, watching those videos and confronting some of my fear has actually helped. I did see a mountain lion once a long time ago. It was a juvenile, no bigger than half the size of a fully grown cougar. I haven't seen one since. When a fresh cougar kill is found in a park, the rangers will close down the trail in that area or post a warning. It also sometimes makes the news. I hope to never come across a fresh kill, but if I do I'll be sure to immediately notify all of my neighbors and report it to BLM.

So, any cougar stories you care to share? Or bobcat stories?

I've seen a bobcat twice in four years. I know someone who lost a chicken to a bobcat, and I've read they have no problem scaling fences during the daytime (not just during prime hunting hours and night) and attacking chickens.

Cougars freak me out, though.

 

[PirateGirl]

Stories, I don't know where to begin. I have seen much scat. I have seen fresh tracks in the snow, so one was still around when I was around. I have seen many carcasses. I have encountered a mountain lion twice and a bobcat twice. My husband has also seen a mountain lion and my friends saw one right out their living room window as well.I guess here are just a few things to keep in mind. as well.

Dawn and dusk are the most likely time to see them both.

They are both solitary animals (unless they have one or two young with them).

Scat, especially older, will just look like a coil of hair and will be the same size as a dog or human.

Mountain lions (I'm not sure about bobcats) will have a home range. If there are signs of it in the area, as long as there is a food source that lives there, they will remain in the area, until there is reason to move on (such as mating season, or seasonal migration of deer/elk herds)

Carcasses tend to be hidden and guarded. They return to their kill and may feed on it for days. If you find a carcass, it's time to get out of there. If you find a carcass high on a rock, bush, or tree, it's likely a cat. Predators like coyotes as well as smaller scavengers will rip apart a carcass and carry pieces away so parts of the kill may be scattered over miles. If you find a whole carcass, it could very well be from a large cat.

Bobcats prey on smaller animals, primarily rabbits. A human is not a meal to a bobcat. A bobcat will not hunt a human and thus is a bit more timid and more likely to flee.

A mountain lion can and will kill and eat a deer or an elk. A human is the same size or smaller than some of the animals they prey on. A mountain lion is a threat to a person. A mountain lion may not be afraid of you. A mountain lion is an ambush predator, so it will sneak up on you, hide in the bushes, etc., but if spotted, the hunt is off because it no longer has the element of surprise.

If you have dogs, trust that their senses are better than yours. They smell things you don't smell, they hear things you don't here. If your dog refuses to walk down a trail or past a bush, or into a canyon, or has all their fur up for no apparent reason, trust me, there is a reason, and take it as a warning.

Easiest way to tell a mountain lion and bobcat apart if you only get a quick glance, a mountain lion will have a large and remarkable tail, almost the length of it's entire body.

My first, and scariest, mountain lion experience is this.
I took my dog, 80lb golden retriever, for a walk on a well used hiking trail in the Rocky Mountains after work, which makes it dusk, 5-6pm. As we are walking up the trail my dog is maybe 10-20 yards ahead and stops, she clearly sees something in the bushes. I start yelling at her, fearing a skunk or porcupine (neither of which we ever want to encounter on the trail). The dog ignores me (of course) and runs towards whatever it sees, when a mountain lion, surprised to be spotted, jumps up, turns, and runs off, in and out of sight again in an instant. This animal was easily as large as my golden retriever with a tail as long as its body. It had been crouched in a bush, uphill from me, not 3 feet off the hiking trail. There is no doubt in my mind that if my dog hadn't been with me and smelled it, I would have walked right up to it without seeing it and this would have been a completely different story.

 

[lazy gardener]

Whether in an urban or a remote setting, it's imperative to be aware of your surroundings, especially when traveling alone. It's also a good idea to be armed in both types of settings. Unfortunately, most attacks occur before the victim would have the opportunity to respond.

 

[azygous]

Cougars are mystifying because of their furtive behavior. In the 24 years I've lived here in the mountains of Colorado, I've seen cougars only half a dozen times and only once was in front of my house, and I'm as in-the-middle-of-nowhere as one can be.

I've seen bobcats more often, and once a bobcat broke into my run and killed one of my chickens. It was far more in-your-face than a cougar. It returned and prowled around the perimeter of the run searching for a vulnerability to exploit to get more chickens.

I was able to get a couple of direct hits with rubber game bullets and that discouraged it from returning any more.

 

[lazy gardener]

Our state wild life "experts" will state for public record that there are no cougar in Maine. That being said, I have a very reliable neighbor who had a face to face encounter with one about 10 years ago. An other neighbor recorded a short video of a cougar hanging out around his pond. That video was clear enough that it was absolutely not possible to mistake the cat for a bobcat or a domestic cat. The "experts" won't acknowledge their presence most likely b/c of the public panic it would create, as well as the added expense of requiring a "management" plan.

 

[NikAndHerChicks]

My 12 year old son swears he saw a cougar in our backyard a couple of months ago. At the time we were being extra vigilant because we had lost 3 hens in 4 weeks to unknown predators. Our hens no longer free range (given the excessive cold this winter- even if were to let them out, I don't think they'd go right now!), but we have still been closely monitoring tracks in our yard. I immediately dismissed him because- according to the Michigan DNR- there haven't been any cougars (AKA Mountain Lions) in the Lower Peninsula since 1906. (It doesn't help that my 12 year old also thinks that Jack-elopes exist, and that there is a Swampsquatch that lives in the swamp next door ... or is it .) *sigh* Either way, I had to reassess my snap judgement (of dismissal) when I found tracks & definitely feline scat. I'm not saying it was definitely a cougar, but there have been a rash of recently reported cougar sightings in the area, also an increase in reported bobcat sightings. DNR still denies they are in this part of the state, though!

I really need to get a trail cam.

 

[Sunshine Flock]

How do you dispose of a turkey carcass after Thanksgiving dinner?

Because I'm (sheepishly) here to tell you, don't bury it at the far back of your property thinking no one will dig it up and eat the entire gross thing.

 

[JedJackson]

As much as I respect all wildlife, cougars terrify me beyond reason. I've had nightmares throughout my life of being attacked by them.

But the reality is that we need to learn about these creatures. It calms me when I feel I have a decent understanding of how an animal behaves and why. Do you have any experience with cougars? Have you seen one? Do you know of any cougar sightings or attacks in your area?

About two years ago, a neighbor shot and killed a cougar that took his goat. It was barely dawn when it happened, from what I recall being told. What's upsetting is that some of our other neighbors saw a fresh cougar kill on BLM land near our home and only shared this with a few people. We had just gone hiking there, and they saw us when they were there but couldn't be bothered to warn anyone?

Last month I found what is either bobcat or cougar scat on our property. I should have taken a photo. It was packed full of whitish fur and bones. I've since learned in the forums that cats only eat meat, and they eat a lot. You won't find berries in cat scat.

I'm also studying up on animal tracks. Cats tracks don't have claws. They look like dog or coyote tracks, but there are a few things that differentiate them.

Tonight I read this blog post and watched the short videos. It was very educational. We then went outside to bring in the laundry, heard an animal being attacked down the hill behind our house, and decided the laundry can wait.

https://hikingguy.com/how-to-hike/understanding-mountain-lions-when-hiking/

But seriously, watching those videos and confronting some of my fear has actually helped. I did see a mountain lion once a long time ago. It was a juvenile, no bigger than half the size of a fully grown cougar. I haven't seen one since. When a fresh cougar kill is found in a park, the rangers will close down the trail in that area or post a warning. It also sometimes makes the news. I hope to never come across a fresh kill, but if I do I'll be sure to immediately notify all of my neighbors and report it to BLM.

So, any cougar stories you care to share? Or bobcat stories?

I've seen a bobcat twice in four years. I know someone who lost a chicken to a bobcat, and I've read they have no problem scaling fences during the daytime (not just during prime hunting hours and night) and attacking chickens.

Cougars freak me out, though.

I'm in NW Washington state and we have lots of them even though sightings are fairly uncommon. A few months back someone filmed one swimming in a nearby lake, which seemed odd to me, but I guess they don't hate water like domestic cats do. There have also been sightings in town where the cats probably hunt pets and feral strays.

I remember seeing a documentary where they kept some rescued cougars in huge fenced area and seeing one hunt ducks, so they do eat small animals sometimes. But for the most part they avoid humans as much as possible and I doubt they'd bother a chicken coop the way bobcats will.

I also have to add that despite these animals being fairly common in this area I have never heard of a person here being attacked, and that includes adults and children. Even so, it pays to be cautious. I would never allow small children into any wild area unless a well prepared adult is with them. These animals are nocturnal, so extra precautions should be taken at night. I personally avoid going very far outside at night if I can help it.

 

[NikAndHerChicks]

@NikAndHerChicks where in Mi are you? I am in Boyne, and while there is no official proclamation of Cougars in the LP, we have multiple confirmed sightings in are area. One put a deer carcass about 12 foot up a tree last winter on the backside of the ski resort, near a cross country ski trail. I have scat and tracks at the back of my property a quarter mile into the swamp along a creek.

I am in Oakland Twp (just north of Rochester). My sister has friends in Clarkston, which is 20 minutes away from me & they had scat & tracks in their yard also. They called the police, who referred them to the DNR, who informed them that there are no cougars in MI and then hung up on them!

 

[WhatAboutBob?]

Strange I just did a search on cougars in Michigan and the first thing that popped up was a picture of a cougar taken by a young man in Lansing. DNR says it’s just traveling through. But to send them pictures of tracks and scat if you see any.

DNR means Do Not Recognize....