Visited by a mountain lion....scary!

[jelmer]

Any it the smell of chickens that is attracting them, my coop doesn't really smell at all


Thay most definatley have a better sense of smell then humans do

 

[wilds of pa]

Try some moth balls for awhile, take them back as far on the property that you can and spread them all around your property, may help by some time until you figure out a full solution to the problem or maybe it will move on in a while..

small and large cats don't often hunt by smell but by sight and sound, however the moth balls will have enough oder to possibly deter them for a bit..also you could put a radio out there and play your favorite station that will keep him away for awhile as well.

when we trap for bobcats here in pa, flagging is often used near the set to pull them closer to a trap set to be able to smell the lure or bait, same will work for mt cats if this method would be needed to capture it and kill.

Here's some great info on preds and there habits and how they operate in the wild
http://www.unitedwildlife.com/AnimalsMountainLion.html

~Wilds~

 

[Faverolle]

Did you see any tracks or other evidence that is leading you to believe that it was a mountain lion? Fishers have quite a loud scream type call that they can do.

 

[Stamper]

Quote:
Ha ha... you beat me to it! That's what I was going to suggest.

"Mark your territory" so to speak.

If you don't want to use your own pee you can buy bottled mountain lion pee but it is expensive! Pee is great for your garden.

It'll keep the deer away too

We have lots of mountain lions around here. It would be crazy to try and eliminate all of them, this is really their territory, it's me that lives way out in the middle of nowhere. People see them all the time but they don't get killed until they actually go after someone's livestock. They're very beautiful and amazing to watch.

I personally don't worry too much about chickens, mountain lions are MUCH more attracted to the neighbors goats... always the first to go

 

[JenMT]

Quote:
What is a Fisher?......you mean the bird? Would a Fisher be out at 2 AM? No, I never did see one, I only heard it and I haven't looked much for tracks because the weather here has been really poor.

 

[Stamper]

Quote:
What is a Fisher?......you mean the bird? Would a Fisher be out at 2 AM? No, I never did see one, I only heard it and I haven't looked much for tracks because the weather here has been really poor.

I think this it what she meant:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fisher_(animal)

 

[crazyhen]

If you have a cougar or such do not get a dog. They can eat them as snacks . Ask the people of colorado. Dogs and tame cats are eaten all the time if they get out. My son lives there and he says they are not ever going to get an outside pet because of that. Gloria Jean

 

[breezy]

Quote:
Ok I have to disagree here. Yes they will take a single dog as large as a husky but a PAIR of airedales will take on a cat. They were used here as both cat dogs and bear dogs. Airedales are serious cat killers they will take on any cat no matter the size and will fight fiercely. These are a brave and loyal breed and if you have kids a pair of airedales outside with your kids will offer more protection than you yourself can offer.. We have had a couple of kids here in Colorado killed by cats. One was 18 and jogging the other was 3 and was snatched off a trail directly behind a group of adults. The adults never saw or heard the cat and the kid jogging had no idea he was being hunted till the cat snatched him. A dog will smell the cat long before a human sees it and will give warning.

Colorado has the most peculiar attitude towards predators here. We have multiple coyote attacks on both people and on pets yet fish and game are insistant that hunting down these boldest attackers will do no good. The coyotes here will attack adults walking with large dogs and they do it in pairs or groups. If you post a warning on craiglist in the pet section to keep your cats in and be cautious due to a sighting in a specific area then you will be maligned by the people who always say the same thing"They were here first" There is no explaining to people with that mindset that predators can be respected and lived with right up until they come for you or your pets/livestock
I am from Montana and I think like a lot of people there do. Predators have a place in life and as long as they go about their lives they can live peacefully but once they start after mine they are history.
You are right to be concerned...cats go for people especially children. I think being proactive about deterring them is a wise choice. Just my opinion and apologizing if this sounds like a rant it wasnt meant to be. I just know that cats are really worriesome when they move into the area

 

[Faverolle]

Quote:
What is a Fisher?......you mean the bird? Would a Fisher be out at 2 AM? No, I never did see one, I only heard it and I haven't looked much for tracks because the weather here has been really poor.

The fisher is a basicly a large weasel. If your familiar with pine marten or black footed ferrets they are in the same family except the fisher is larger, a large one would be around 10-12 lbs. They prefer coniferous forests like pine or hemlock forests. Here in the northeast they have been expanding their range and picking off their share of small pets in the process.

 

[DiVon80]

Quote:
They do daylight things also!!! I don't know if we have them here or not??? We do have the other things and bobcats. I just do not go in the woods anymore I am a chicken...