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Hunting with predators

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Flyingbullet

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Hi guys, I was wondering if you are out deer hunting and you see a Mountain Lion or Bear and it see's you, can you shoot it because it could put you in danger? Reason I'm asking this is because I am going hunting this year in a place known for having quite a bit of Mountain Lions and some Bears. I just want to know what to do in the situation if it happens. I know if it starts to come at me I'm going to shoot it no questions asked.
 
You CANNOT shoot a mountain lion or bear because it 'could' put you in danger. If it's 'heading right for you' (ala South Park) you're going to have a hard time explaining to the authorities WHY you felt so sure it was going to kill you that you had to shoot it from 80 yards... at 8 yards, your story becomes more credible. I'm not saying you should intentionally let it get close before you respond... just that if they AREN'T getting that close, shooting is unnecessary... and ABSOLUTE NECESSITY is your ONLY justification.

Having said that, black bear and mountain lions are dangerous if they feel threatened; leave them alone, and it's very, very, vanishingly rare that they bother people. Humans may be 'smarter', but the animals have more sense than some people. Given the OPTION, they'll likely look at you, see a mammal small enough to take but big enough to hurt them, and decide to leave. I've had this experience here in the Hill Country... a good bit less than 50 yards, just out of the treeline at dusk, a mountain lion... we saw each other at the same time, I think we might've BOTH peed just a little... then we both backed up a bit and went home.

ETA: Take mosquito repellent... they're far more likely to eat you.
 
Both bears and mountain lions are protected big game species in every state they occur in enough numbers to legally have hunting seasons on them.

In other states with not enough numbers they are protected year round.

Shooting one out of season, or without the proper permits is a definite no-no.

If you do shoot one, you better have scratches on your butt to prove it was attacking you when you shot it!

Otherwise, you can and probably will loose your hunting privileges, your rifle, and the vehicle you used to get there. In addition to paying a hefty fine.

rc
 
I would agree that the danger from mountain lions and bear are WAY overrated but you don't need to have scratches on your butt or elsewhere if you have the legitimate need to shoot one. You will no doubt have to explain why you believed you were in danger if you shot one out of season or with no tag and it would be hard to explain unless the animal was fairly close.
 
Here in Texas we can shoot Mountian Lions year around but you don't see them very often, but we can't shoot Black Bear.
 
Saw a black bear and he saw me at about 80 yards on Friday. He peacefully went his way and I peacefully went my way. Bears don't attack just because they see you. If they did I'd have been bear chow a long time ago. I've run into/seen lots of bears in the wild over the years both blackies and the other kinds including polar bears.

Zombies will attack on sight but not bears for the most part.

Mt Lions are about the most shy critter alive consider yourself fortunate to see one in the wild. Heck I've been within spitting range of African lions on several occasions they want nothing to do with you for the most part either.
 
Mt Lions are about the most shy critter alive consider yourself fortunate to see one in the wild
Click to expand...

This....

Many many years of practically living in the San Juans. Closest Ive came is sighting a tail after we spooked it off its lunch. (after tracking the drag) Seen tons (literally countless) Bears and only had an issue with one that we riled up after running up on it mountain biking.
 
I have played in mountain lion country most of my life, the only time I felt scared was when hiking back out seeing cub/mama tracks on top of mine. Don't worry about them too much, they don't normally find you tasty vittles. Plenty of little pets and livestock around to bother with you.
 
Almost every mountain lion attack I have read of involved a mountain biker, runner, or little kid.

My take on that is they mistake a fast moving bicycle or runner as escaping prey and instinct kicks in.

I think the chance of a dead tree falling over and injuring or killing you while hunting is way more likly then being attacked or killed by a mountain lion.

rc
 
That, or it could be the spandex shorts.

My limited exp w/ black bears is that they act about like a dog. I would probably be more fearfull of a couple of dogs than I would a large black bear.
 
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Hi guys, I was wondering if you are out deer hunting and you see a Mountain Lion or Bear and it see's you, can you shoot it because it could put you in danger? Reason I'm asking this is because I am going hunting this year in a place known for having quite a bit of Mountain Lions and some Bears. I just want to know what to do in the situation if it happens. I know if it starts to come at me I'm going to shoot it no questions asked.
Click to expand...

<...Unwarranted insult removed...>

99.9999% of all close encounters with bear(black/grizzly)end with the animal ambling off into the bush, often after innocently approaching some hunter out of nothing but pure curiosity, they have questionable eyesight, which is responsible for more close encounters then all others combined.

No insult was offered Mr Eatman, you, and your imagination created one out of nothing.
chee·cha·ko
   [chee-chah-koh] Show IPA

noun, plural chee·cha·kos. ( sometimes initial capital letter ) Informal . (in Alaska and Northern Canada)
a tenderfoot; greenhorn; newcomer
Click to expand...
 
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That's why the advice is to make yourself look big, and never run. The animal's logic is simple but reasonably sound... 'If it's running, it's probably scared of me. If it's not running, it's not scared of me for a reason...'
 
Aright thanks guys for the replies! This is what I needed to hear. I don't want to shoot one but I just wanted to know the rules! I would actually like to see one from a distance out of harms way.
 
the only time ive had problems with black bears is while hunting them. there was one time was walking the edge of a bean field and was charged by a sow i later saw there was a cub 30 ft into the field.


ive had more problems with snakes and one very nosey fox that wouldnt leave my blind alone finally threw a dang pine cone at it to make it leave
 
Hunting mule deer with my then 13 YO daughter, we were walking out on a ridge at the butt-crack of dawn. I got the distinct feeling we were being watched. after pausing for a look see and seeing nothing, I put it down to some other hunters in that neck o the woods.

A half hour later, after changing our minds about our setup and walking back along the ridge, I discovered a set of large cat tracks in the snow, right on top of ours, for about 30 yards. The hair was standing on my neck. It took me a moment to remember we had little to worry about. still, it was a creepy feeling, being stalked.

I never saw that cat and I would not have shot it if I had. I had no tag for it.
mebbe 1 shot over the bow....
 
I’d love to see a mountain lion in the wild. Hundreds of miles of hiking in Colorado and I’ve never seen hide nor hair. I’ve found evidence they’ve been around, and they surely were without my knowing it, but not even a glimpse.

Bears I’ve seen. Moose, elk, deer, fox, coyotes, naked hippies, marmots, martens, you name it, but not a mountain lion.

If I saw one I’d be reaching for a camera – not a gun.
 
There's been a few times where I've had a mountain lion follow me around while I was hunting. Like splattergun said you get the feeling your being watched. They stay pretty far away, and usually uphill from wherever you are. I doubt they are stalking you however. More likely they are waiting for you to kill something, hopping to pick up some scraps.
 
Absolutely... they're more than intelligent enough for that. A lot of hunters field dress and just leave a big pile of guts on the ground for the first big animal that wants it. They don't have to catch it, they don't have to fight for it... just wait for a free lunch.
 
The animal would have to be showing some kind of aggressive behavior toward me before I would think of shooting it.

If you feel your life is in danger, then do what you must until you have stopped that danger.
 
Someone else mentioned it earlier, and I do not think lions attack hunters. I am curious becasue most people I've read about--here in California were joggers/hikers, but not predator hunters like ourselves--I'm sure its happened.
 
I go along with RC model's comment in Post #10. There have been a very few attacks in Big Bend National Park, and they involved little kids. Children are about the right size for dinner.

I've had friends who were followed by mountain lions, but there never was any actual problem. I figure they're mostly just curious critters about strangers on their turf.

I've seen two; they do indeed move quick, quick, quick! They're fairly common around my area.

Bacon grease is a good attractant; so is catnip. :D
 
A friend and I were followed by a great big kitty a few years ago while deer/elk hunting by my ranch in Montana. Here's the kicker, both of our backpacks had hair and blood on them from a deer we'd packed out a few days earlier. We didn't really feel like we were in danger, just a little spooked.
Yes, if we had felt any danger the cougar was going bye bye.
 
Lived in CO all my life, there are cougars in every place I've lived. Only actually seen one, and boy, was it movin'! I've encountered plenty of sign when hiking/hunting, including stumbling upon a few dens and finding half-eaten carcases stuffed into rocks or the lower branches of trees. But I've never had a moment of fright from one of these creatures.

A friend of mine did get a startle when hunting coyotes with a wounded rabbit call. Instead of a pasture poodle, he called in a kitty, which looked down on him from a ledge above for a few seconds and then ran off.

Black bears we encounter relatively frequently in all parts of the state. On horseback, they don't really seem to notice you, and you can get quite close before they startle and scamper off. On foot, though, they'll usually book it once you get within 50 yards or so. They really don't want any part of us.

Just about all higher animals seem to instinctively know that man is THE apex predator, and act accordingly, whether they're carnivores or not.
 
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