TallPine
Member
Okay, this is for all those folks who say "it never happens", and if it does happen you will never have time to respond with a firearm.
This guy is lucky. He made a serious mistake by dropping his rifle and turning his back on the cougar. But he apparently had a handgun on him as well as his rifle.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/11/13/news/state/44-mountainlion.txt
This guy is lucky. He made a serious mistake by dropping his rifle and turning his back on the cougar. But he apparently had a handgun on him as well as his rifle.
Hunter near Kalispell scares off attacking mountain lion
By The Associated Press
KALISPELL - A hunter suffered cuts and scratches after being attacked by a mountain lion southeast of here over the weekend, state wildlife officials said Monday.
The attack happened early Sunday in the Squeezer Creek area, said Warden Chuck Bartos of the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks.
Bartos said the hunter, whose name was not released, left his car, headed down a trail and later heard what sounded like the scream of a mountain lion.
A short time later, the hunter heard a growl and turned to see the lion 10 to 15 feet away. He dropped his rifle and hurried to get behind a tree, but the lion pounced on his back, knocking him into the tree, Bartos said in a news release. The lion then lost its grip, and the hunter was able to reach another gun and fire a shot. The spooked lion ran away.
The man fired several more shots and then headed back down the trail. He encountered several other hunters who helped him to his vehicle.
The hunter then drove himself to Kalispell and went to the hospital, where he received five stitches for cuts the lion clawed on his leg, Bartos said. The hunter also was treated for scratches on his back and shoulder, and for a few puncture wounds to the back of his head.
Bartos said the hunter's backpack was shredded and probably saved him from more serious injuries.
Wildlife conflict specialist Erik Wenum said the incident marks the first time in years that a lion attack resulting in injury has been documented in northwestern Montana.
http://www.billingsgazette.net/articles/2007/11/13/news/state/44-mountainlion.txt