# Lion encounters



## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

Who has had encounters with a mountain lion/ cougar whileout hunting or scouting for Big Game?
My first encounter was when I was 16 and hunting deer on therifle hunt. 
It was on the Oquirrh's near cedar fort and I had a lionjump out of a juniper tree about 20 yards away. 
My second encounter was the next year on the rifle deer hunton the Wasatch near Soldier Summit. The lion was running though the pinesacross the canyon from me at about 300 yards.
My third time was a few years later on Pine Valley Mountainwhile I was filming rutting bucks in November. I witnessed a lion take down ayearling doe. I snuck over to thelocation to try and video the cat but it had already buried the deer and it wasknow where in sight. I'm sure it was watching me.
 And then about 4years ago, while I was hiking alone in the dark about an hour before sunrise, Ihad a lion kill a deer about 100 feet from me. I just sat there in the darklistening to the struggle and the deer taking its late breath. Then the lionlet out a real low muffled growl. That was a little freaky.
Before I go any further talking about a couple differentencounters my family and I had ondifferent days this past year, I want to hear a few of your encounters.
Let's hear a few.


----------



## shaner (Nov 30, 2007)

More importantly, did you get any of them?
Too many lions out there......
Only two encounters for me:
Pushed a lion out while pushing a canyon for deer.
Other time while calling elk over a waterhole a cat came in stalking a deer that was getting a drink.
I sure would love to see cougars be legally classified the same as coyotes.
The End.


----------



## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Here are a couple recent lions.


----------



## legacy (Sep 30, 2007)

I've only actually seen a lion twice in my life while out hunting. Neither was a close encounter or anything crazy.
I've had more serious encounters with bears than lions.


----------



## DallanC (Jan 13, 2009)

Jumped one just a couple weeks ago, it was very neat... the cat looked fairly pissed though.




-DallanC


----------



## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

shaner said:


> More importantly, did you get any of them?
> Too many lions out there......
> Only two encounters for me:
> Pushed a lion out while pushing a canyon for deer.
> ...


I do wished we could buy a pursuit tag for say $20.00 and then if you harvest, you have something like 72 hours to report it and pay the standard lion fee. Season could be from Sept. 1st to Oct. 31. 
I agree, far too many lions out there.


----------



## Hunttilidrop (Jun 12, 2018)

I’ve been hunting big game along time on foot and horse for around 27 years and never laid eyes on one. I’ve seen their tracks and their leftovers a few times, caught them on trailcam but that’s it. I need a tag!


----------



## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

You guys do know.
There are harvest objective hunts on 3/4 of Utah.
Over the counter, unlimited permits.
Several units are year round.
Cant get much more liberal than that!


----------



## toasty (May 15, 2008)

I was fishing a small stream in the Manti and walked around a boulder and my foot was 6" from stepping on a lions tail. It was a big tom and he jumped across the creek and sat there and looked at me from about 10 yards for about 60 seconds and then walked off. My dad heard my girl like screams and was now standing next to me. He popped off a 22 pistol and the cat stopped at 35 yards, took a couple steps towards us, and then turned around and continue walking up the opposite bank. I bought a .357 mag that weekend and still carry it today.

Second time was running along with my wheeler in Levan canyon just at dusk. The cat was about 50 yards from me running with me. It was weird, not sure what the cat was doing, but ran along with me for a couple hundred yards and was gone.

The most disturbing time I didn't see a lion, was sneaking to a spot prior to dawn on the opening day of the archery deer hunt in Levan canyon. It had rained the night before and the entire time hiking, I felt like something was following me as I walked up a ravine to a small peak. After a couple hours of hunting and headed back down, there were large cat tracks in my tracks for almost a mile of my hike. I had my pistol, but would have been dead if that cat wanted to attack before I even knew what had hit me.


----------



## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

In October, I was on the North side of Timp in a really rugged area. I was taking my 4.5 month pup out to look for grouse and expose her to new terrain. 

We made it to a nice clearing at the bottom of a steep, timbered draw. Suddenly my dog went on high alert--1/2 scared, 1/2 aggressive. She was woofing and snorting out her nose as she stared at a wall of pines. She would run back and forth to me, but not approach the trees. The wind was at our backs and eventually she began following her nose back to where we had just come down the draw. Buried in the grass, was a fresh lion kill. By fresh, I mean a less than a day old with liquid blood still pooled in the cavity. She continued to sniff around and looking into that big group of trees. I thought I had heard something in there as we first came into the draw, but I never saw anything. After reviewing the video several times, I'm convinced the lion was in those trees.


----------



## Critter (Mar 20, 2010)

First lion that I ever saw was tracking a hunter up West Canyon north of Tie Fork. The hunter came around the hill and 10 minutes later here came the lion following the same path. Brother in law took a shot at it but just managed to scare it off. 

Another time we were deer hunting down out of Oak City when we watched a number of deer get herded out onto a cliff by a cat. We got three bucks out of that small herd and the lion made his escape. I remember looking through my scope and all I saw was his tail as he swapped ends and headed out. 

Then there was a time that I was elk hunting in Colorado. We hiked into a canyon and were sitting there glassing when we started to hear a scream type of sound. This went on for a few minutes and I decided that I needed to find what was going on so I started glassing the far hill side. Then I looked about 100 yards down the hill directly below where I was sitting and I saw them. Two cats having a lot of fun making little ones. I handed my binoculars to my friend that was with me and as I put my scope on them they finished and were off. The next winter I would go into the area to hunt rabbits and frequently found the females tracks along with her young. 

Then there was the time that I was working in a subdivision up in the forest. I was down in a pit fixing a cut cable when I looked up and down the road and saw a couple of cars with what I thought at first looked like a golden retriever running in front of the first car. I then saw the unmistakable tail of a cat. The cars followed it down the road for a ways before the cat headed off into the timber. 

I have seen a number of others but those were the most memorable ones.

The funny thing is that when I started hunting back in the 60's you could purchase a lion and a bear tag for a buck that was good for the whole year. I always had one in my pocket but never took a shot at one.


----------



## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

In all the years I've spent hunting, I've only ever seen 2 we weren't chasing. 
The first one we were driving down a dirt road going back to camp and it jumped off a little knoll next to the road, and ran up the road in front of the truck for about 50 yards. We stopped the truck and he stepped off the road about 20 yards and looked at us for about 15 seconds. 

The other one I was driving down the road on the way to my cabin about 20 years ago and he crossed the road in front of me and jumped the quakie fence. I stopped the truck, grabbed my .243 and snuck over to the fence. He was standing about 50 yards away looking at me. I shucked a shell in, took aim...

And the gun went....... click. :shock: I was pissed. 
The cat turned and walked off. I ran back to the truck and got a bullet and jumped the fence looking for the cat again. Saw him twice more, but never did get a shot. 

I had let my now ex-son in law shoot at some rock chucks a couple of days before, and he didn't reload the gun. -O,- I was not happy. 

When I talked to the rancher/landowner/sheep owner a couple of days later in my store and told him about it, he was upset I didn't shoot it. He said I would have had lifetime hunting rights on his place. 
And his family has several thousand acres.


----------



## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

I've seen a few cats while hiking or going to school (young cat treed in front of the school one year), but only one while hunting--so I shot it as I was hunting cougars! 
I've had a few other times where I've had cats follow my tracks for a ways, always unnerving


----------



## AF CYN (Mar 19, 2009)

johnnycake said:


> I've seen a few cats while hiking or going to school (young cat treed in front of the school one year), but only one while hunting--so I shot it as I was hunting cougars!


I worked at a junior high that had a young lion treed in front of it back in 98 or 2000 or thereabouts. I wonder if it was the same situation? I shot you a PM.


----------



## 3arabians (Dec 9, 2014)

I finally had my first encounter last year. Mountain lion encounters are a blast with a tag in your pocket and some good dogs.























Sent from my SAMSUNG-SM-G891A using Tapatalk


----------



## johnnycake (Jul 19, 2011)

AF CYN said:


> I worked at a junior high that had a young lion treed in front of it back in 98 or 2000 or thereabouts. I wonder if it was the same situation? I shot you a PM.


Didn't get the pm, but I'm betting the odds are pretty good it is the same situation at mountain ridge Jr high


----------



## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

Great pictures but I don't want this thread getting sidetracked. 
Let's hear more great stories about those unexpected encounters. 
I don't want to hear about hunting cats with dogs. This isn't the place for those stories.
Thanks
Keep bringing the adventures.:shock:


----------



## CPAjeff (Dec 20, 2014)

My only lion encounter happened near Monte Cristo. I was driving down an old dirt road when a lion crossed the road at a walk about 100 yards down the road from me. As I approached the spot where the lion crossed, I rolled down my window and stopped, hoping for another look at the lion. I got the strangest feeling that I was being watched by something I couldn’t see and I feared the lion would come flying out of the brush, through my open window. Yeah, I know - a totally rational thought right?

Anyway, I never got another glimpse at the lion, but I’ll never forget that feeling of being watched by something I couldn’t see!


----------



## 7mm Reloaded (Aug 25, 2015)

On the Manti my daughter and I just got off the 4 wheeler and one dashed away not 10 feet away under my feet. My muzzy wasn't even primed yet. Then we climbed this big rock close by in the middle of the forest to sit and it was completely covered in cat @#$%.


----------



## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Ive seen alot of lions.
More than most guys.
25+ without dogs.
I could write a book! LOL.

Ridge
Buy an HO tag.
$58 and good on the Zion unit year round. What more do you want?


----------



## Lone_Hunter (Oct 25, 2017)

Haven't seen one directly, but always finding sign to let me know their around. Scat, tracks, old cache's etc.



The only time my hair really stood on my neck was this last muzzy deer season in the manti. It was not quite gray light yet, and though my headlamp i could see some fresh tracks. The edges were very distinct, and I swear I could make out the texture of his pads. I wouldn't doubt that cat was watching me from somewhere. Looking around, as dark as it was, being by myself, that definitely scared me some. My head was on a swivel for awhile and I felt a lot better once I got out of that area and it was light enough to see without a head lamp.


----------



## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Guys saying they are
"Finding scat"
Are full of scat.....
Lions bury their scat!
You'll never see it.............!


----------



## 7mm Reloaded (Aug 25, 2015)

Not this cat


----------



## Lone_Hunter (Oct 25, 2017)

goofy elk said:


> Guys saying they are
> "Finding scat"
> Are full of scat.....
> Lions bury their scat!
> You'll never see it.............!


Well, I find scat from all kinds of things all the time, so i typed in scat by force of habit, because it seems like I'm always seeing scat from _something_.

I have seen scat that I thought might be a lion, though I was never fully certain. Tell you what, the next time I see some scat that is way too large for a coyote, and not that big loosely shaped and gooey berry filled mess that is bear scat, and yet looks like it wouldn't be out of place in a very big litter box, I'll try and remember to take a picture of it and maybe you can tell me what it is. (Edit: and no it weren't human, I'll bet your thinking it, it wasn't)


----------



## ISHY (Dec 4, 2015)

On Manti once when I was 14 I had dropped into a big canyon, and as I got back to my dad at the rig he started yelling and screaming. It was right at dark and I got to him and was about to give him heck for all the racket, "you didn't see it did you?" was his response. I had one following me about 20 yards behind me.
Hunting elk in Idaho I had one show up 20 yards away. My brother was in front of me and he had no clue I had a tag. I circled in front of him and shot it. It never took it's eyes off my brother. I still haven't told him I had a tag, he thinks I was just saving his life. The best part was after the huge adrenaline spike and packing it for an hour we were catching our breath. I could tell my brother was half delirious after all the excitement. So I grabbed the cat that was on a nearby log by the back of the neck exposing it's teeth. I did my best lion scream while lunging the cats head with fangs bared at my brother's neck. He still says," I saw you shoot, clean, and pack that cat, but there was a split second I knew my life was over!"


----------



## sheepassassin (Mar 23, 2018)

I’ve run into a lot of lions over the years, mostly shed hunting in remote rugged areas people don’t get into very often. I did shoot one, one night during a muzzy deer hunt that was following me out in the dark. He was about 10’ away when I pulled the trigger. Any lion that close to a human is up to no good. The last one I saw personally I videoed as it came into an elk wallow for a drink. Pretty cool to be that close to a predator that had no clue I was there. Utah has far more cats than people think or houndsmen will admit. 10 years ago between 15 trail cams spread throughout central Utah, i might get 1 pic of a lion in a 6 month span. Now, on every cam I get atleast 1, monthly, sometimes weekly. Numbers are up for sure


----------



## Hunter Tom (Sep 23, 2007)

*CAT*

Twice I came across still warm cat kills. One was a fresh killed big elk calf in Nov. at 11,000 feet. My wife and I returned to this very thick site to place an old fashion flash game camera. The lion returned every day starting to feed on a hind quarter. He would feed then carefully pull the hide back in place.The camera flashes did not seem to bother the big tom. He did not enter the body cavity until the third day. My non pistol savvy wife insisted that she carry one of my pistols when we returned for the cam. I had my rifle but doubted I could swing it in that thick brush. Since he returned every night, I felt sure he was somewhere close but he never showed. Strange feeling each time we returned to that kill. Our son thought I was in more danger from mom than the cat.


----------



## hondodawg (Mar 13, 2013)

Deer hunting while on the Nevada/Utah border near Motoqua. Tracking a wounded deer we split up in a couple of groups. One group was at bottom of canyon starting up, other was glassing from previous ridge to see if deer would jump and put it down. Well what we saw was a lion working down the canyon stalking the group coming up. Uncle did a mag dump with his rifle and missed but scared it back the other way. The only time I’ve seen one. I’m sure plenty of lions have seen me. 


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## bowgy (Oct 10, 2007)

I have had a few but I guess the most impressive one to me was when I was archery hunting and came around a big bush and a big tom was coming around the same bush in the opposite direction and we came face to face at less than 10 yards, all I had was my bow and a buck knife and he watched me in a semi crouch with his tail twitching. So I just said out loud like I would be talking to someone, "I hope you are more afraid of me than I am of you", he just stared a couple more seconds then turned and walked off.


----------



## Bdaddy (Jan 26, 2017)

A friend and I were trapping bobcats one year. One day we had a lion in our traps. Since it is Illegal to kill the lion in a trap we had to let it go. In my Pack I had a 3/8" rope that was about 10' long and two cans of courage. 
We let it go.


----------



## Wasatch Wings (Sep 29, 2015)

Maybe I saw one, maybe I didn't. Four years ago was walking along a walking path my grandfather and I made in the woods behind his house with my little 4 year old daughter when I saw the tail end of one slip over the ridge in front of us. Gave me the chills. The next day my grandfather's sister (lives 2 houses down) told me she had seen one hanging around her backyard a few days earlier and everybody thought she was crazy for saying so. 

It wasn't many years before when the neighbor was building his house and a cat would come out and sun bathe on a big rock about 50 yards away from him and watch him work. 

I had a paper route as a kid and one morning before sun rise my sister and I could hear one screaming / crying somewhere down the dark dirt road that led to one lonely house we were supposed to deliver a paper to......my sister told me I still better get them their paper....never rode so fast before or since. 

My job after the paper route was to go to the barn and feed and water our couple of horses and cows. One winter day it was raining and I had my head down while walking through the pasture to the barn. The animals were fenced in near the barn and the horses were running around bucking and making all sorts of noise. I thought it was really weird. Then on my way back through the mud, about 20 yards from the barn, I stumbled across the bloody backside of a fresh deer kill surrounded by cat prints. Told my dad and he went and got the kill and hiked it up the mountain a ways to get it away from the animals hoping the cat wouldn't come back that way. 

Honestly hope I don't really ever see one.


----------



## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

One thing I forgot to share about the experience I had when the lion killed the deer next to me in the dark.
The very next weekend, I was hiking the same trail and in the dry powered dirt in the trail was fresh lion tracks. There was what looked like small wet water drops next to the tracks. I'm guessing it was saliva dripping from the cats mouth. I pinched one of the droplets and it was still muddy. That cat was very close by and I could smell the rotting carcass that was nearby too.
I quickly picked up my pace to get further up the trail.


----------



## hunting777 (May 3, 2009)

So I personally have had three surprise encounters.
First I was 15 yrs. old. I lucked out and drew a North Cache limited entry bull tag. I harvested mine the first weekend and was trying to help my dad fill his tag the next. We went to the same place I shot mine. We had a good system figured out. My dad sat at the top of the hill, while I pushed the pines below. The elk could go up to him, or out to a clearing. Nothing but cliffs below. As I was pushing, I found some large cat tracks in the snow. As a dumb 15 yr. old would do, followed them. As I followed, the tracks veered off to the left. As I continued to follow, the tracks backed tracked and started to follow my tracks. This really freaked me out. I started to look around me and saw something behind me in the bushes. As an idiot, I took off running. I know, not the right thing to do. I ran as fast as I could to my dad. With as much Adeline as I had in my system, I bet I was running 20 mph. ha-ha. I was not carrying any weapon at all. I busted through a group of small pine trees only to run into, I mean literally run into a 6 point bull elk. I can honestly say I broad sided a bull. I fell back on the ground and the whole herd took off. This scared me even more. Luckily the cat never followed, at least I didn’t think that it did. 

Second, years later. Me and a buddy was hunting elk near Old Ephraim’s Grave. We were walking along a 10-12 ft cliff bottom. When we heard some gravel move above us. We both looked up to see a cat crouched right above our heads. Guns whipped up really quick and the cat was gone. Needless to say. We have never focused so hard on what was around us on our way out of that area. 

Third, and hopefully the last. We were deer hunting up in the sinks. It had snow several inches that morning and we couldn’t get the trucks up to where we wanting to get to. So we hoofed it. As we crested over the summit, we were following several fresh deer tracks. We started putting the stock on them. This was going through Utah’s quiet fluffy snow. As we were getting closer to some sounds we heard below us. The closer we got the weirder the noise was. We came around a big pine to see a cat that had just took down a doe not more than 5 yds. in front of us. Blood everywhere. The cat looked up at us hissed and took off. Scared the poop right out of us. 

I am not a fan of mountain lions. They scare me for some reason.


----------



## StillAboveGround (Aug 20, 2011)

Have seen 3 in 25+ years... (about the same number of bobcats)..
Have see lion tracks on top of my tracks in snow...


Friend had close encounter in the Uintas. Lion chased him up a tree. He actually wrote goodby letter to family while in tree. The lion laid down under the tree. After a while, lion left and he made way back to truck.
That fall, in same area, female lion tried same thing with an elk hunter. Problem solved.


I like knowing they are out there and I like seeing them and their tracks. I also like the fact they (for the most part) respect people here.


I saw fresh tracks and sign while elk hunting this year. It made me choose a different place to wait until dark.


----------



## MadHunter (Nov 17, 2009)

CPAjeff said:


> ... I'll never forget that feeling of being watched by something I couldn't see!


I get that feeling all the time. Especially when I'm on a website I shouldn't be at work! _(O)_

All kidding aside... I get CPAjeff's feeling.

I have not had an encounter yet. I've seen a few through the spotter way past the 2 mile mark. I am very mindful of my surroundings no matter where I am but more so out on the mountain. More than once I have encountered lion tracks on my way out that were not there on my way in. Especially when it's only been 30 minutes or less before I started walking back.

Maybe it's fear, concern, precaution or some other primal response but, all of a sudden I get the feeling I am no longer the hunter. It's a very uneasy feeling indeed.


----------



## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

I've had numerous encounters with mountain lions, both with and without dogs. One of my most memorable was when I was running a lion just below Porcupine Dam in Cache County. I had climbed up on a ridge where I had a good view of the dogs cold trailing about a quarter mile below me. I happened to look to my right and not 20 feet away laying under a cedar, also watching the dogs, was the cougar. I think we spotted each other about the same time and gave each other a WTF look. After a couple seconds the lion bolted and I started screaming at the dogs to get their asses up here, *IT'S RIGHT F'N HERE!!*

Mountain lions really are timid creatures and will back down in the face of aggression. How else can one explain how a 45 lbs hound can push a 200 lbs tom up a tree? All my lion sightings fall into one of two categories, those that were running away when I seen them, and those that were running away when they seen me.

I generally roll my eyes at stories of lions stalking humans cuz in reality it just doesn't happen. Most if not all incidents where people thought they were being stalked they were mistaking the cougars true intentions. If one does come face to face with a lion just run toward it yelling and waving your arms and I'll guarantee the lion will run away, it's just how their brains are wired.


----------



## 2full (Apr 8, 2010)

This season and last season is the first time I have ever had lions on my trail cams around my cabin. 
In the 25 years we've had the place have never seen one there. So I keep an eye out the last 2 years, but still haven't seen any running around. 
As Kevin D said they are very timid and do not like contact with us.


----------



## JuddCT (Sep 7, 2007)

Came up on one finishing the burial of a deer this year in Colorado. It was not happy and let us know but still ran off.









The other I got to watch from a high perch as it crept across a terrace stalking a doe. Pretty cool to watch. I'll find the photo later. Here is the photos:































Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


----------



## GISkev (Oct 22, 2018)

*Motorcycle collision (almost)*

2 years ago in the fall I was coming out of Wasatch State Park into Midway around sunset. I thought it was time to be concerned about deer. Suddenly a deer was running right in front of my motorcycle. Turned out to be a full grown cougar 2 ft in front of my bike. I hit the brakes so hard i nearly went over the handle bars. This was just above the golf course, cabins all around!


----------



## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

Thanks for the stories guys.
Here's another one from this past summer.
My family was having a small campout reunion of sorts.
I wasn't there but this was what I was told third person.
Several of the kids were playing games out in a meadow in front and around a couple camp trailers. Suddenly they saw a nice buck deer running across the meadow and into the oak about 100 yards away. They then heard a loud crash, like the buck hit the field fence that was up in the oak. The next day my son and his cousin were playing in that same area and found the dead buck. It had been taken down by a lion right at the fence and it even bent the t post over on a 45 degree angle. After that, everyone was freaked out knowing that cat was probably up in the oak for who knows how long watching all the kids playing. Possibly waiting to make a move on one of them.


----------



## Hunttilidrop (Jun 12, 2018)

Do you think it killed it for meat or just for sport? I’ve heard that a big tom will go after a trophy buck just to get its left testy off.


----------



## MadHunter (Nov 17, 2009)

Hunttilidrop said:


> Do you think it killed it for meat or just for sport? I've heard that a big tom will go after a trophy buck just to get its left testy off.


Is there some rule or regulation that says you can't get your right one off? :mrgreen:


----------



## katorade (Sep 23, 2007)

I've seen 5 Incidental, never chased them with dogs. Love seeing them when it's not dark.


----------



## Hunttilidrop (Jun 12, 2018)

All sarcasm a side. Haha! I have found evidence of this. I was horse back riding with my x girl friend years ago when we came across a 170 buck carcass. I at the time being a young, ignorant not giving a **** about the rules youngster, ripped the head off and tied it to the back of my horse and took it home to euro mount. The flys followed us off the mountain by the way. It was probably only two to three weeks old. While I was boiling it’s skull the whole nose cavity, bone structure and all crumbled right off. I figured it had to be a lion kill. This was the end of August, so it could of been a lost archery kill but that wouldn’t explain the crushed skull. I’ve read stories about mtn lions killing big bucks for sport... Do you think they do Ridge??


----------



## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

Hunttilidrop said:


> All sarcasm a side. Haha! I have found evidence of this. I was horse back riding with my x girl friend years ago when we came across a 170 buck carcass. I at the time being a young, ignorant not giving a **** about the rules youngster, ripped the head off and tied it to the back of my horse and took it home to euro mount. The flys followed us off the mountain by the way. It was probably only two to three weeks old. While I was boiling it's skull the whole nose cavity, bone structure and all crumbled right off. I figured it had to be a lion kill. This was the end of August, so it could of been a lost archery kill but that wouldn't explain the crushed skull. I've read stories about mtn lions killing big bucks for sport... Do you think they do Ridge??


I'm sure some of them will try and kill anytime they get the chance. Uunger or not.


----------



## Kevin D (Sep 15, 2007)

Lions are opportunists, they'll try to kill whatever presents itself, whether it's a big buck, fawn, or even elk. Bucks are vulnerable, particularly post rut, because they are weakened and alone, or at least in a small, loosely configured bachelor herds. The idea that lions target big bucks for sport in ludicrous, it's just that bucks, big or small, at times make the easiest targets.

Female lions, particularly those with young, are the most prolific killers. They'll make a kill or two, then leave it to go fetch their kittens so they can feed on it too. If you run across a fresh lion kill that hasn't been touched that is the most likely scenario. Unless a lion is run off a kill by some other animal such as a bear or human, they'll be back to feed on the carcass. Unlike a bear, a lion will generally only kill what it can eat.

Lions also don't like rotten meat. If it stinks or is covered with maggots a lion wont touch it, they'll leave it to the birds, the bears, or the coyotes. In warmer weather a lion will make a kill then gorge on it until it starts to sour, lay up for three or four days to digest it, then start looking for their next meal.


----------



## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

Excellent post kev....
Spot on!


----------



## JC HUNTER (May 18, 2015)

I've only had one lion encounter back when I was 8 or 9. I was hunting with my dad and one of his friends in Beaver. We were walking down the middle of a long meadow when a lion walked out in front of us at about 50 yard and crossed the meadow. It didn't give a rats behind that we were there. It looked right at us as it kept on walking. That encounter was over 20 years ago and I remember it like it was yesterday.


----------



## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

Here's another experience I had during the elk hunt this year. 
It was around 1:00pm and I had been doing some bushwacking through some pretty thick oak. I came across a small clearing in the oak and because of the steepness of the hill I was on. I had a good lookout over looking a larger meadow/flat a couple hundred yards below me. I always carry a small hand saw in my pack. So I used it the cut some branches to open up my view a little more for the future.
I then sat in the shade and had a snack and water. 
I heard a distant thumping sound, which sounded like a deer stomping its hoof when it's threatened.
I decided to get on onX maps and mark my location for future reference.
The glare from the mid-day sun was making it really hard for me to see my phone screen and because my battery was getting low, my phone would shut down after a couple minutes. This happened a couple times while I was on my knees and crouched over to keep the glare off my phone.
Suddenly I heard branches snapping and a lot of leaves rustling, I jumped to my feet and tried to reach for my gun. At that moment the sound was gone, I thought maybe a deer or elk or whatever it was must be standing right there because it had gone quiet so fast. I started glassing but nothing could be seen in the oak around me. I then walked over to were the sound came from and again nothing was there. 


So here's my thought. 
I think it very well could have been a lion stalking in on me while I was crouched over, then it may have scented me or seen me moving my arms and phone around and it took off in a big hurry.
All I know, it sounded like it was only 20 feet away when I heard those branches snapping and I thought I was going to be run over by whatever it was.
Am I crazy to think it might have been a lion?
What else could it have been?
I never heard any bounding or other noise after I stood up, like I should have if it would have been a deer or elk.


----------



## Humpy (Apr 30, 2018)

Ridge, I am going to say it was that darn Sasquatch.


----------



## morvlorv (Mar 30, 2012)

Ive had only one lion encounter (that im aware of).
Im sure they have watched me many times.

My encounter was while rilfe deer hunting.
I was up above the bountiful temple a mile or two.
It was early morning and i was tucked up in some brush overlooking a couple clearings waiting for deer to come out.
While sitting there waiting i see movement out of the corner of my eye. No sound at all.
From behind the scrub oak walk out a very large mountain lion. 15 yards away from me. It hadnt seen me yet or caught wind of me.
The mind starts racing..... do i grab my rifle? Do i grab my handgun? Oh crap, i left my handgun in the tent in the rush to get set up early. Do i sit still and not move until hes gone? Do i grab my camera?
Is he going to smell the poop in my pants now?
Well, i decided, im grabbing the rifle.
That movement gave me up to him and he spun to face me.
He stood there staring at me as i raised my rifle.
He stood there staring for a good 15 to 20 seconds.
I was talking to him. I said if you take one step in this direction i will shoot.
When he got tired of looking at me he slowly walked off in the direction he came from.
I gathered my gear and high tailed it back to my tent. I dont need a lion pouncing on my back while i sit there.
On the way to the tent, i see a man hunting with two very young children.
I warned him, but he did not speak english.
I said very large lion up there. Large cat.
He smiled at me and continued on his way.

Im ok not having any more lion encounters personally.

Elk hunting last year, my buddy had one circling his tree stand while he was in it.
I was a half mile away in my stand seeing nothing, but he texted me about it.
I was going to sit until dark that night but decided i didnt want to walk around in the dark with a cat on the hill


----------



## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

goofy elk said:


> Ive seen alot of lions.
> More than most guys.
> 25+ without dogs.
> I could write a book! LOL.
> ...


I just picked up a cougar guidebook. So I'll finally respond to your statement.
$58 is far more than I'm willing to pay for that less than 1% chance of seeing a lion. Why not make it $15. I bet a lot more people would be willing to buy one for the price and knowing they could use it during the big game hunting seasons and the revenue would be close to the same. 
Also, the H.O. tags are only for a few select units. Most of the center Wasatch units where most people deer hunt, don't offer a H.O. tag. I wished that would change. I see they are only giving out 4 lion tags on the Stansburys when there are probably over 30+ lion on that range. They should be killing 7 or 8 lions per year off there.


----------



## 7mm Reloaded (Aug 25, 2015)

News today said young lion attacked a runner in Colorado. The cat jumped on biting and scratching and the runner killed it with his bare hands.


----------



## olibooger (Feb 13, 2019)

My son is 8 yrs old but looks like 10 and is about 4 feet tall, if I had to guess....I'm wondering how worried I should be about a mountain lion stalking him/us if we were to go on a multi day hunt together?
Would I be more stupid to NOT have him with me, or to HAVE him?


----------



## ridgetop (Sep 13, 2007)

olibooger said:


> My son is 8 yrs old but looks like 10 and is about 4 feet tall, if I had to guess....I'm wondering how worried I should be about a mountain lion stalking him/us if we were to go on a multi day hunt together?
> Would I be more stupid to NOT have him with me, or to HAVE him?


I wouldn't worry about them attacking at all. They're more curious than anything when getting close to you. I'd worry more about a car accident coming and going to my house to hunting grounds.


----------



## Decoycarver24 (Aug 17, 2018)

I see at least one a year, but I live in Commyfornia so we have a surplus


----------



## olibooger (Feb 13, 2019)

I moved home from California last year. Praise the Lord...

..and I didn't get in a car crash and still havent. Utahns driving etiquette worry me and I'm still crash free.

With that said Ridge, I'll put all my focus into hunting. Thanks


----------



## RoosterKiller (May 27, 2011)

Over the Memorial weekend a 4 year old was attacked by a mountain lion in San Diego. his father got the cat off and they flew him to the hospital. He's going to be alright,but just goes to show you. It happens.


----------



## goofy elk (Dec 16, 2007)

RoosterKiller said:


> Over the Memorial weekend a 4 year old was attacked by a mountain lion in San Diego. his father got the cat off and they flew him to the hospital. He's going to be alright,but just goes to show you. It happens.


Ya,
It happens,.
In California.....


----------



## olibooger (Feb 13, 2019)

I wonder the the kids dad is a liberal. Probably pissed off the lion.


Couldn't resist


----------



## 7mm Reloaded (Aug 25, 2015)

TOP


----------



## Decoycarver24 (Aug 17, 2018)

Lions have a taste for school teachers.


----------



## Lone_Hunter (Oct 25, 2017)

RoosterKiller said:


> Over the Memorial weekend a 4 year old was attacked by a mountain lion in San Diego. his father got the cat off and they flew him to the hospital. He's going to be alright,but just goes to show you. It happens.





goofy elk said:


> Ya,
> It happens,.
> In California.....


Words cannot adequately express the stupidity that is found within that state. It's no coincidence that the "the lions share" of cougar attack stories originate from there. (pun obviously intended).

On a side note, I saw on my wifes facebook feed awhile ago a picture from California, some guy had at least 6 big cats drinking water out of his backyard.


----------



## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Lone_Hunter said:


> Words cannot adequately express the stupidity that is found within that state. It's no coincidence that the "the lions share" of cougar attack stories originate from there. (pun obviously intended).
> 
> Does this mean that if you are stupid you have a better chase of a lion attacking you? Can lions tell the stupid amoung us? Surly there must be some other explanation than stupid people. If this was the case, Utah county might have the most attacks in Utah..oh wait...


----------



## MadHunter (Nov 17, 2009)

BPturkeys said:


> Does this mean that if you are stupid you have a better chase of a lion attacking you? Can lions tell the stupid amoung us? Surly there must be some other explanation than stupid people. If this was the case, Utah county might have the most attacks in Utah..oh wait...


Please do not confuse stupid (CA) with dumb (UT?).


----------



## hazmat (Apr 23, 2009)

While hinting south of Fruitland last year, I seen way too many cats.


----------



## WesB (Jul 2, 2017)

I've seen 3 lions that we weren't chasin. Plenty of em with dogs on em. The first encounter was up in Hickman canyon. I'd been glassin for deer and on the way out one crossed the road in front of my truck. He spun back around and headed toward the hill. I backed up and got in the bed of my truck to see over the brush hoping to see him run up the hill. I didn't see him but I spotted something behind a rock about 20 yards away. I put up my binoculars and could see a young lion peeking around the rock at me. I watched him for about 10 minutes then he put his head above the rock and stared at me. After bout another 10 minutes he climbed up on top of the rock and sat down. A few minutes later he just laid down and rested his chin on the rock. We sat there lookin at each other till it got too dark to see.
Another time a couple buddies and I were over in the Diamond Mountains in Nevada just running around cuttin tracks. We came across a set and decide to follow them on foot. After following them around the mountain they went into an old abandoned mine shaft. I went back to the truck and got my hand held spot light and mag light.. I gave the spot light to my buddy and we started down the shaft. The shaft was collapsed with broken timbers. We were peeking in all the crevices and behind everything. As we got deeper in the shaft my mag light went out so I got up close to my buddy. We were pretty deep when the shaft made a sharp right bend. I was right on Tom's shoulder when we looked around the corner. 20 feet away was the lion :shock: squinting from the light in his eyes. He didn't move and neither did we. About a minute later the spot light WENT OUT. Neither of us had a gun because we weren't gonna shoot anything. I didn't say a word to Tom. I shot of that mine like I was shot out of a cannon. When I got outside I climbed up above the shaft and waited. Finally Tom come walkin out callin for me. I said I'm up here. He says "what are you doin up there?" I said I was waitin to see who came out first, him or the lion.
Wes


----------



## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Many years ago my brother and I had set up a camp out in monument valley. Prospecting for gold as I recall. The make shift tent was rocked down and a nice little "Indian fire" was built at the base of a line of large sandstone boulders about 12-15 feet high. It wasn't long after we had finished our plates of beans and bacon, and we sat smoking our pipes, that a faint noise was heard above us on the boulder tops. We both looked up, but saw nothing. The next night, tired from a long day of prospecting, the scene was the same...B&B dinner, gentle smoke from our pipes, but up on the boulder tops a much more menacing play was about to begin. A few little rocks tumbling down from atop grabbed our attention and just as our eyes raised to meet the noise, a huge male lion leaned slightly over the edge, turned his head to one side and let loose a terrifying roar. Our reaction was swift, but the giant cat was quicker. He leaped from the rock, 4" claws flashing, the tawny body a blurr as it flew through the air. The monster lit as light as a feather and landed right on top the cast iron skillet. Every night for the next week the beast joined use for beans and bacon.


----------



## Lone_Hunter (Oct 25, 2017)

BPturkeys said:


> Lone_Hunter said:
> 
> 
> > Words cannot adequately express the stupidity that is found within that state. It's no coincidence that the "the lions share" of cougar attack stories originate from there. (pun obviously intended).
> ...


No, I unashamedly, and without reservation meant exactly what I said in my first sentence. Words cannot adequately express the stupidity that is found within that state. Or to put it another way, the amount of stupidity in California defies description; and it extends to more then just their laws and regulation regarding mountain lions. If you want a great example of what NOT to do in life in general? Then California is your poster child.


----------



## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

what some of the old timers are saying about mountain lions


----------

