Kauffman, the Colorado resident who, on Valentine’s Day 2019, killed a lion with his bare hands while out running in the mountains. The sound of a human voice on the radio is a sure way to scare a mountain lion away from your camp or whatever path you are treading. Some people say not to look it in the eye, but there’s nothing empirical about that advice. Make noise when you’re hiking, this will help ensure that you don’t walk up on an unsuspecting lion. By using LiveAbout, you accept our, How to Prevent an Attack By a Cow When Hiking, How to Survive an Encounter With a Baboon, How to Stay Safe From Lightning on the Golf Course, Climbing Harney Peak: South Dakota's High Point, Where Are You Hiking? Most people hiking or camping in a mountain lion territory usually go with a radio. Be careful when hiking, climbing or camping in areas that are prime habitats for mountain lions. They are known to be able to sprint run up to 50 miles per hour. Yell, clap your hands, or bang on objects to scare off the mountain lion. However, mountain lions use natural areas, such as washes, to move through populated areas to more remote areas, and such movements are necessary to prevent problems with inbreeding and local extinction associated with habitat fragmentation. Don’t run – keep any children close to you, and if you spot a cat, pick them up to prevent them from trying to run away. The longer you can punch, hit, and fight it off, the more you will convince the mountain lion that you’re not worth the effort. Seeing fresh mountain lion tracks puts me on alert too. Unlike bears, however, mountain lions have to take a human seriously, because a human may outweigh the 100 to 120 pound cat. Make Yourself Look Bigger: Wave your arms slowly over your head and open your jacket or shirt to appear as large as possible. Here’s what you should do: Put your hands in the air, make noise, and act bigger than you are. Wave your trekking poles and shout. Since 1980, there have been only 13 attacks in all of California (where David and Charley live) and three people have died as a result. There are exceptions but that’s a good general rule. Try to remain standing to protect your head and neck. Keep your eyes peeled for cougar tracks (four toes, and usu­al­ly no claw prints since their claws are retractable) and drop­pings, and scan trees for fresh claw marks. Be aware of what you can throw at the lion if it begins to act aggressively. Hold your arms up or hold a stick above you to appear larger. If you’re hiking alone, extend your arms or pack up as high as you can so you look bigger. To recap, here are the steps to preventing or surviving an encounter with a mountain lion: Avoid escalation – know what to look for in order to spot a mountain lion early, and steer clear of areas that may pose a risk. Don’t hike alone. Mountain lions have no problem feeding from a carcass, whether they killed it or not. Try to grab something to fight back with. Bear spray may help to deter an attacking lion. If you come upon a lion, give it plenty of space so it can escape. Mountain Lions prefer to hunt in the evening and nighttime hours. So it’s a good idea to familiarize yourself with mountain lion safety. Where You’ll Find Bears. Seeing a dead animal carcass, especially a fresh one. Carefully (and while minimizing any crouching) pick up children and put them on your shoulders. Mountain lions return to feed and will defend their kill. to the bathroom). Report any mountain lion encounters or incident to the local Ranger District, or Fish and Wildlife Office. Not that you would ever be likely to meet a mountain lion at your home, but you get the idea. If you run into a mountain lion, stay calm. You also have a better chance of unintentionally poisoning yourself, with 42,000 Americans dying from that. A women in Northern California fended off an attack with a ballpoint pen. If you have an air horn, give that some blasts. Mountain Lions are quite elusive animals and trail encounters with them are rare. Hiking or trail running in groups puts the numbers to your advantage, decreasing the likelihood of being attacked. Bear Encounters. Keep facing the mountain lion and stand tall. Mountain lions may return repeatedly if food, water, or shelter is available. Try to have a gun with you as your first line of defense. Watch Your Back: Bending and crouching can make you appear more like prey to a mountain lion and leaves your head and neck vulnerable to attack. All Rights Reserved, 14 verified mountain lion attacks on humans in CA, hiking tricks and tips that I’ve learned over the years, what hiking gear works and what gear doesn’t, please erase and block them using your web browser. If you have trekking poles, raise them up too and get ready to use them if it approaches you. Fight Back: In the unlikely event of an actual attack, use whatever you can—fists, rocks, sticks, backpack—to fend off the mountain lion. If you find yourself behind the lion when grappling around, you can also. Cluster together with your hiking companions, representing yourself as a big, noisy group. Start hitting the animal in the head, specifically the eyes. If a Mountain Lion hears you approaching, more often than not it will slip away into the brush to avoid a confrontation. You may have heard about Travis Kauffman surviving a mountain lion attack in the Rockies. I’m sure I’ve come close when drinking gas station coffee on those early morning hikes. Bear spray is great if you see them coming, but keep in mind, if you are in the middle of a wilderness area, that may not be the best option that could be available. Despite these statistics, mountain lions are present in many state and national parks in western states. Matt Jaffe is a journalist specializing in outdoor recreation, travel, and the environment. Never run or bend down as this will make you look like prey. You have a much better chance of dying while driving to the trail, with 36,000 Americans dying in motor vehicle accidents every year. Grizzly bears are generally found in Alaska, Western … For one woman in Colorado the meeting happened while hiking and you won't believe what she did to keep the big cat from attacking her. From entering your campsite area toes are level, it ’ s chase instinct animal carcass, they! A rock, a stick, anything hard that you don ’ t have to... Of what you can do to look how to deter mountain lions while hiking in the evening and hours! Lion at your home, but you might be able to spot signs... The area deter a mountain lion ’ s hind foot steps in his front track creating. Looking at the lion when grappling around, you can also the.... 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