Hunter Attacked by Cougar; Shoots Same

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Are Cougars Rabies Carriers. I’m suspicious like others here.

Almost all North American mammals are rabies carriers, including people. Opossums and some of the smaller rodents and lagomorphs are uncommon carriers and opossums virtually never. To be a 'carrier' pretty much just means that they can get it and survive for a period of time, usually a fairly short period of time, often less than a week. Mammals don't just carry it in their systems for their entire lives. If they have rabies, they are dying from it. It is almost 100% fatal.

Cougars can get rabies, but aberrant behaviors that people often attribute to animals having rabies can be caused by a whole host of other issues. Older animals (such as the bear that killed/ate Timothy Treadwell) may behave in manners not typical due to their advanced age and inability to procure food from other sources, for example. I know folks that kill raccoons they see in daylight because they believe coons never come out in daylight unless they have rabies, yet in summer time, raccoons will come down from their trees and hydrate in the middle of the day and then usually return back to their trees.

According to the Tueller drill, a human can cover 21' in 1.5 seconds. However no human can hit 40 to 50 MPH and a big cat can.

You are mixing information here. 21' in 1.5 seconds is from a standing start. While big cats like mountain lions can run 40-50 miles per hour, it is only for very short distances and only done when necessary. They will approach at a much slower speed if the animal is not already in motion. The reason for this is that the cat cannot change direction very quickly at high speed compared to lower speeds. If their prey bolts laterally and the cat is moving too fast, it will overshoot the prey, so they tend to ramp up speed at the last moment necessary. He supposedly shot the cat at 10 feet, not that he drew and fired when the cat was at 10 feet and the cat was running 40-50 mph. We don't know the distance of when the cat was first spotted, when the dog was on point.

Couple of examples

 
My first impression after reading the story was the same as the above two impressions. Cat holds like a pheasant when pointed by a bird dog? Then gives the shooter enough time to put his cell phone away, drop his shotgun and pull out his handgun and take the time to make a precise shot.......all with a cougar just ten feet away.

Who knows what really happened.

When I first read the blurb that the hunter dropped his shotgun to draw his pistol, I assumed the cougar was already on him inside the reach of the shotgun. The story said he shot the cougar ten feet away. Even with pheasant loads in the gun, what kind of idiot would drop a shotgun at ten feet to draw a pistol?

I'm learning a new expression. When someone says, "my training kicked in" it almost always seems to mean the training was none or foolishness that was worse than none.

Bird shot of the size used generally on pheasants may indeed not be my first choice for use on something the size of a cougar, but at ten feet a load of it in the face is going to do a number on a cougar.
 
I wonder what would have happened if he had just discharged his shotgun in the air?

Article said it was a 100 year old double barrel. I wouldn't want to waste a shot. Lol

That also brings up the fact he likely wasn't using a very powerful load in his shotgun. Certainly not a 3 or 3.5 inch or anything. But still I cant imagine anyone dropping a shotgun in hand to draw a handgun.
 
In Iowa it is legal to shoot a cougar anytime of the year. It is also unlikely but not unheard of to see one.
If I’m pheasant hunting with my dog and I see a cougar I’m shooting it. If it ever happens and it’s legal I will post pictures, otherwise you’ll never hear about it.
 
Who knows what really happened.

Yep, we can speculate all day. If it was in fact stalking him then I’m glad he made it out unharmed. Even if it was just sitting there in handgun range, fully aware of his presence, then thump that cat. No need to take risks. Those big cats are scared of people, if it isn’t running away then something is wrong.

But the story as it is stinks in my opinion, as do most stories of this nature, knowing what I know about people and what I know about these cats. According to the story the cat “charged” him, implying a moving target. Dropping a shotgun, an ideal weapon for a moving target, for a 9mm handgun, and then presumably not only stopping but also killing the cat, without a scratch to his own body, is implausible. Not impossible, but Implausible.

I don’t think we should discourage people from protecting themselves nor do I think we should discourage them from being able to come forward when they do. Assuming the cat was in handgun range on its own accord, I agree it was warranted to get shot. Now if his dogs surprised it and ran it up a tree, allowing him the time to gawk at it, make a phone call and and make a good shot with his handgun...sorta different story there.

I know for myself, I buy a lion tag every year because I know that if I see one I’m going to try and kill it. $15 is cheap insurance and it does happen. I’ve filled the tag unexpectedly before. And if I stumble upon one inside handgun range that isn’t in a tree or running away, I’m likely going to assume it’s a threat and act accordingly. If the animal is charging, I’m definitely not dropping the shotgun.
 
I know for myself, I buy a lion tag every year because I know that if I see one I’m going to try and kill it. $15 is cheap insurance and it does happen

I do the same with a 10 dollar bear tag. I see bear every other trip through the woods. I never plan to bother one. I have had exactly 2 that worried me. One I actually had a video on my phone of (so yeah that may have happened like in this story but I was out of immediate reach on a tall rock maybe 50 yards away) i watched it flip over rocks and find bugs for a while as it came toward me. When it didnt smell or acknowledge me I yelled and whistled at and eventually threw things at it to run him/her off. All of that I had on my phone camera. When it didn't leave near dark and was still in my path to walk out I shot at its ear with a 7mm ultra mag. It then ran so I walked out. Never saw that same large bear again afaik. It never showed aggression but also never showed fear or even curiosity. I was high up on a big rock and knew he/she would have to climb straight up to me plus I had a 460 or 44 handgun cant remember which plus my 700 in ultra mag....had I been on flat ground he/she likely wouldnt have gotten that warning shot. I was on my land, have no idea if the bear was in season or not nor would I have cared. At that time a bear tag was part of a standard hunting liscense though. It was dropped and an extra 10 bucks a few years later. Unlimited doe tags was added about the same time so I dont complain.
 
In Iowa it is legal to shoot a cougar anytime of the year. It is also unlikely but not unheard of to see one.
If I’m pheasant hunting with my dog and I see a cougar I’m shooting it. If it ever happens and it’s legal I will post pictures, otherwise you’ll never hear about it.

My thoughts exactly.
 
"A bird hunter was charged by a cougar; his military police training immediately took over. The hunter dropped his shotgun, drew his 9mm and dispatched the animal:"

^^^^^

When did the military start teaching anyone to drop a more powerful weapon in favor of a less powerful one?
 
I like how every one is a detective and comes out with their view of what happened with out knowing the facts which will be known after the conclusion of real investigation of the incedent.

Reminds me of the Zimmerman case, the Fergeson case, the Baltimore case and many others.
 
If I am attacked by a wolf, cougar, or bear I will shoot it. I will be honest about the account, but I will not be chewed on for the sake of some animal protection laws. I will face any legal consequences if needed, but I will not be chewed on. The last time I checked, human life was more important than animal life, I'm confident a jury of my peers would see it my way.
 
You are mixing information here. 21' in 1.5 seconds is from a standing start. While big cats like mountain lions can run 40-50 miles per hour, it is only for very short distances and only done when necessary. They will approach at a much slower speed if the animal is not already in motion. The reason for this is that the cat cannot change direction very quickly at high speed compared to lower speeds. If their prey bolts laterally and the cat is moving too fast, it will overshoot the prey, so they tend to ramp up speed at the last moment necessary. He supposedly shot the cat at 10 feet, not that he drew and fired when the cat was at 10 feet and the cat was running 40-50 mph. We don't know the distance of when the cat was first spotted, when the dog was on point.

When I was a kid, we bred and trained bird dogs (Weimaraner, Viszla German shorthair and German Drahthaar).
If the dog was doing what a good bird dog does; we can make a reasonable guess at how far the was from the hunter. Too close and one would be spitting pellets. That is subjective to the hunter's skills and the dog.

Drawing and firing takes time; as the shotgun must be moved to the weak hand and pull the pistol; then acquire and shoot.

After seeing one run, I was highly impressed. It takes serious power to move that fast on that steep of a hillside.
We didn't see it start; however, it couldn't have been far as there is water about 10' or less from the road. The road is about ~8' higher than the water. Necessity was being caught in my headlights. It accelerated quicker than I thought possible.

I knew about short distances. The inability to make sharp turns at full speed is common in most predators.

As someone mentioned rabid predators:
https://scallywagandvagabond.com/20...ips-hart-county-strangles-rabid-rabid-bobcat/
Before he transferred, Matt, the local game warden told me about this. He grew up near there and said no man messed with Dede.
According to the local newspaper, the total bill for the shots was close to $28,000.
If a predator kills and eats a rabid prey; it has rabies.
 
They make laws that sometimes make no sence what so ever. If it ever comes between me and thee, Thee might not be so lucky next time a confrontation comes around.

A jury of twelve is better then being carried by a group of six.
 
They make laws that sometimes make no sence what so ever. If it ever comes between me and thee, Thee might not be so lucky next time a confrontation comes around.

A jury of twelve is better then being carried by a group of six.

I don't think anyone here is saying one should not attempt to protect themselves or them around them from an attack from a cougar, no more than we would say that about defending yourself from a two legged predator. What folks are saying(me included) is that the story given to us in the link is sketchy at most and from the information given, it's hard to explain some of the circumstances. The dropping of the primary firearm is one. Heck, I still hunt pheasants with my Grandpa's almost 100year old Fox model B SxS 16 ga. Even with 2 3/4" shells, it has taken down turkeys at 30 yards. I don't doubt it would take down a cougar @ 10 with high brass #5s. Secondly is the pointing dog. I have had pointers for half a century. None of them would point an animal bigger than them. Most would be confused by the scent of an animal they had never been exposed to. Most knew by instinct what animal were a threat to them. My pointers would always come back scared when they came across a bear or wolf track. Any animal on point of a big cat would tend to be the biggest threat to the cat and because of proximity, probably the first to be attacked.

Thirdly, one of my good friends for years was the local Game Warden. He told me countless stories of folks claiming they shot a black bear because it was attacking them. None of them.....NONE ever turned out to be considered a legitimate attack. While many times the shooter was afraid of being attacked, they were not being attacked. More times than not, the shooting was a situation of opportunity. There was a bear and there was a gun. Most of the shooters threw a fit when they were told they could not keep an animal shot without a tag or permit, even if it was shot under the premise of an attack. There's a good reason for that regulation. So yes, maybe the guy was scared of the big cat, but it's hard to comprehend the amount of time he had if indeed the cat initiated an attack from in front of a pointer's nose. Could very well be more to the story, I sure hope so.
 
A couple of people here have said there were no cougars near them. There were no cougars in CT until one got run over in 2011 on a parkway near Milford. Examinations showed it was not a captive animal, but had traveled to CT from the Dakota's.

I've seen some in the zoo, that's close enough.
 
I don't think it is the mountain lion that you can see that you need worry about so much as the one on your back.
 
A couple of people here have said there were no cougars near them. There were no cougars in CT until one got run over in 2011 on a parkway near Milford. Examinations showed it was not a captive animal, but had traveled to CT from the Dakota's.

DNA evidence(stool) showed that same cat spent some time a few miles away from me here in Wisconsin before making his way East.
 
To the best of my knowledge there are no mountain lions in GA, although from time to time people claim to have seen them.

They are here in NE Georgia. The local newspaper, the Toccoa Record ran a picture of one and I've caught them on trail cameras.

According to the game warden, it is a 75# ±5# cat.


cat.JPG
This is about 50'-60' from our cabin.

Even though the local Game Wardens have seen them; officially, GA DNR is in denial.
 
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