Cougar attack in Alberta, CA

[SpeedRacer 1]

This story is weird because I was in Banff, Alberta, CA just last spring.
This story is about the sharp increase in attacks on humans by large predators in North America during the last decade. (cougars, bears, wolves, alligators, etc.) Conservation efforts have allowed their numbers to increase, plus humans are hiking into their territory.
I love the quote in this story: "Griz don't care how much you gave to Greenpeace!"
Click here
Speed Racer
"My God! It's full of stars!"

[GrumpySmurf 0]

It is a common trend if hiking in the region between BC and Alberta to keep your pots and pans hitched up on the outside of your pack to create the most gawd awful racket you could - tends to scare most of the locals off. Alot of the BC Ministry of Forests personnel carry .357's if they are doing any real backcountry surveying, though our neighbour down the road (who worked for MoF in Price George) pointed out it generally will do little more than tick off an angry Brown or Grizzly.
We are part of the food chain, and not nessacarily always at the top.

[steve1 5]

A 357 is pretty small to use against a Grizzly. There was a game warden here in Montana who did kill a grizzly with one though. He was unloading a Grizzly out of a live trap after transporting it a long ways. The whole trap ended up falling out of the back of the truck. The game warden fell off the top into the lap of the angry bear. He whipped out his trusty 357 and emptied it into the bear at point blank range killing the bear. When I was in Alaska most people carried 44 magnums and shotguns with slugs for bear protection. A friend of mine says you really don't need to worry about outrunning a grizzly. All you need to do is outrun the guy you are with!

[Jimbo 0]

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you really don't need to worry about outrunning a grizzly. All you need to do is outrun the guy you are with!

That's beautiful.

[iamcolin 0]

Im from Alberta.
I thought you were talking about the older women that go after younger guys cougar.. I was all like. CRAZY
THIS IS CRAZY.
Then i got into the topic and it wasn't that crazy.
but i guess it is semi crazy.
i still wouldve rather read about the other type of cougar attack though.

[Iflyme 0]

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cougars

Quite likely the most powerful hunting cat out there... where I live is cougar capital of the planet... we have them even finding their way downtown (city of over 300,000) ... best thing to do if you are confronted by a cougar is make yourself big as possible, and yell like crazy at the big cat... we've found cougar tracks/sleeping spot on our property... time to call the kids in when that happens...

[SpeedRacer 1]

Just show the cougar this recipe:
Jack Wemple’s Mountain Lion Steak Surprise
Marinade 1-inch thick mountain lion steaks in a mixture of milk, half a can of beer, 2 tbsp. Worcestershire sauce, garlic powder and Johnny's Seasoning Salt to taste. Marinade for 2 hours, then roll in seasoned flour, and fry slowly in vegetable oil until just done in the center (don't over-cook!) Serve with green salad, garlic bread, and a baked potato or scalloped potatoes for one of the most incredible meals you’ve ever eaten!
Here's the link this came from!
Speed Racer
"Fill your hand, you son-of-a-bitch!"

[freeflir29 0]

I ran into a cat on the ridge behind my house in Montana a couple years ago. I was walking along the top of the ridge deer hunting. I start up this little knoll and out of nowhere this white tail doe comes running to beat hell over the top of the hill. She almost ran into me. Well she runs in a little circle and goes off the side of the ridge. I stopped wondering what the heck that was all about but after about 30 seconds or so I started to walk again. I originally thought a Buck might have been chasing her since the rut was on but I didn't hear anything so I went on. I didn't take more than 10 steps before I noticed a familiar color out of my peripheral vision. I stopped dead in my tracks and look up to see quite a large cat crouched down and staring at me no more than 25 ft away. It looked just like the ones on the movies with it's ears pinned back. I started to think what I should do.....I had a 300 mag rifle hanging on my shoulder and a .40 S&W pistol on my hip. Wasn't really sure the .40 would stop a 165 lb or better cat but I figured 15 rounds of auto beats one chance at close range with a scoped 300 mag. I reached very slowly for the pistol and slipped the thumb catch off...started to take it out and about the time I got it halfway up. Thank God he leaped about twice the distance from me to him in the opposite direction. I followed his tracks for the next couple of miles along the ridge top and luckily haven't seen him since. I'm sure he has seen me though. Even scarier I schwacked a nice white tail buck about 2 and 1/2 hours later. MY HEAD WAS ON A SWIVEL WHILE I WAS GUTTING IT!!!! I had to leave the dear on the ridge that night because it got dark before I could get it the 2 miles back down the ridge and 1000 ft down to the house. I left my jacket wrapped around it and no animals bothered it. In fact...that was some of the best tasting venison I have ever had. Luckily the Grizz are few and far between in my area. My neighbor runs cats with his dogs and told me that he had treed 13 differen't cats in the drainage where the house is......."It's the cans..they're defective. Stay away from the cans"-Steve Martin
Clay

[freefallfreak 0]

Speedracer,

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Jack Wemple’s Mountain Lion Steak Surprise

Not to digress --- BUT --- Whew, I've eaten (insert the female P word here)...but I've never had one eat me...lol. That has to be one incredibly large, uhh, err, ahh, "feline"...
TripleF
Geez, I didn't even say "BOOBIES"

[SpeedRacer 1]

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I started to think what I should do.....I had a 300 mag rifle hanging on my shoulder and a .40 S&W pistol on my hip.

How conVEEEEENient!
-The Churchlady
Speed Racer
"Fill your hand, you son-of-a-bitch!"

[freeflir29 0]

PS...Mountain Lion Steaks are very tasty! My neighbor bagged one a couple years ago and shared. Kinda like pork...but different....
"It's the cans..they're defective. Stay away from the cans"-Steve Martin
Clay

[bill2 0]

Good story. A reminder to all those urbanites who think that nature is just Bambi and all the cute animals won't hurt you. I live in the bay area in CA, and in San jose where I lived a few years ago, there were 2 sightings of mtn lions in one day at a park just a few miles from where I lived.

[JDBoston 0]

Lucky you. I ate some cougar one time that a couple of my friends bought for me as kind of a joke from one of those exotic meat places. I would've had an easier time biting through my shoe. Those are some tough animals. Bear, I like a little better. And I'm sure both of them would find me completely edible.
Joe

[SpeedRacer 1]

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And I'm sure both of them would find me completely edible.

Yep. Especially since some of us are already pre-marinated in beer!
Speed Racer
"Fill your hand, you son-of-a-bitch!"

[SpeedRacer 1]

I tried rattlesnake once. Really good, and very tender!
Speed Racer
"Fill your hand, you son-of-a-bitch!"

[Tee 0]

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Not to digress --- BUT --- Whew, I've eaten (insert the female P word here)...but I've never had one eat me...lol.

ROFLMAO!!! BAD VISUAL!!!
Sorry Speedy...did I forget to mention our big kitty's that we have here before your trip to Banff?
Tee

[JDBoston 0]

"Some"?? Well, I guess we do have some wine and liquor drinkers out there too. Some of us are also nicely smoked.
Joe

[freeflir29 0]

"I would've had an easier time biting through my shoe"
Probably wasn't taken care of or aged correctly. The steaks I had weren't tough at all.....Of course, I have met lots of people that think venison sucks too. 99% of them had stuff that wasn't aged properly so it's tough and gamey. If you don't let the meat hang for 4-5 days before you cut it up it's going to suck!!!
"It's the cans..they're defective. Stay away from the cans"-Steve Martin
Clay

[SpeedRacer 1]

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Sorry Speedy...did I forget to mention our big kitty's that we have here before your trip to Banff?

Yeah, but I noticed the signs on the telephone poles about there being cougar sightings in town. And I also noticed all the piles of elk shit all around the conference center where we were meeting.
Hey what kind of nasty predators do they have in the UK?
I guess they do have the Loch Ness Monster. But it probably just eats tourists mostly.
And I've heard that the wild haggis can get mean when cornered!
Speed Racer
"Fill your hand, you son-of-a-bitch!"

[freeflir29 0]

"Hey what kind of nasty predators do they have in the UK?"
I read a story once about some horrible monster called "The Twins" in the Hinton area. "It's the cans..they're defective. Stay away from the cans"-Steve Martin
Clay

[SpeedRacer 1]

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Probably wasn't taken care of or aged correctly. The steaks I had weren't tough at all.....Of course, I have met lots of people that think venison sucks too. 99% of them had stuff that wasn't aged properly so it's tough and gamey. If you don't let the meat hang for 4-5 days before you cut it up it's going to suck!!!

Hey, does marinating fresh meat (as in the recipe) accomplish the same thing?
Speed Racer
"Fill your hand, you son-of-a-bitch!"

[freeflir29 0]

"does marinating fresh meat (as in the recipe) accomplish the same thing?"
It can help if you use something like a tiny bit of vinegar in the marinaid. There really is no substitute for letting it hang though. You have to give the enzymes in the meat time to break down the tissue a little bit. About 45 degrees is the optimum temp and it needs to hang for 5-7 days. You can even hang up to 60 degrees for two days.
"It's the cans..they're defective. Stay away from the cans"-Steve Martin
Clay

[SpeedRacer 1]

I just noticed that there is milk in the marinade for the lion steak recipe. I know milk can tenderize frozen fish: If you thaw frozen fish in milk it gives it almost the texture of fresh fish.
Just some more uselss info.....
Speed Racer
"Fill your hand, you son-of-a-bitch!"

[nacmacfeegle 0]

"Hey what kind of nasty predators do they have in the UK?"
Oh the usual, lawyers, accountants, tax inspectors .
Not to mention the 10 to 2 girls , and the worst predators of all, Tandem Instructors.....Hehehe
Cya
D

[Schroeder 0]

All boobies aside for a moment: There is an increase in predator attacks on humans in North America, it might just be an unlucky co-incidence, or it might not be.
I happened to be in attendance one early Canada Day morning, on an island in Clayquot sound for one such attack.
I had kayaked all day from Tofino, north along the coast to Vargas island, where when the ocean picked up, we decided to spend the night. It was a beautiful island, with incredible whitesand beaches.
We spent the evening setting up camp and playing in the surf.
After dark, we made dinner over the fire, and proceeded to tell stories and drink. It was an awesome evening with friends in one of the most beautiful places I'd ever seen. I was tired and around 12, decided to pack it in. I was slated to be in a tent with my brother, and another friend, Scott, whom I'd met that morning.
In my sleep I could here some sorta repeating sound, like you hear an alarm clock while dreaming, then choose to wake up. I could here something that didn't belong in my dream, so I awoke, to hear the most chilling sreaming of the word 'Help' I'd ever heard. I looked to my right, and there was only one body next to me, I knew it was either my brother screaming, or Scott. I went straight out the tent door like a shot and ran to the fire, where someone was curled in the fetal position on the ground, screaming still, holding his head. When you wake up like that, it's pretty disorientating, and it takes you a second to fully absorb what's going on. Seconds later other people started flying out of their tents, until we were all out. It turned out that it was Scott by the fire, and once we calmed him down, that he was bitten quite badly and was losing alot of blood. We got out minds together, bundled him up, kept pressure on the wounds, and relayed our coordinates to the Coast Guard (fantastic guys) via marine radio. The nearest vessel responded but couldn't land on the beach, so I volunteered to carry him out to the boat, load him up and accompany him to Tofino Hospital.
Once we got him loaded into the boat, and myself aboard, the throttle cable snapped. No kidding. Again, we radioed coast guard who were still en-route. They arrived in no time flat, and we transferred Scott to the Coast Guard vessel. The radar man, went back to assist the medical personnel with Scott, and left me to run radar (which was surprisingly similar to alot of video games I had played as a kid, thankfully :)) We got in alright, and I stayed with him in the hospital until around 7am or so when they were going to seriously dope him up. The attack was around 1:30 in the morning, and the others wouldn't make it back for at least a day by kayak.
It turns out, that Scott had decided to spend the night under the stars, sleeping by the fire. He had been woken by a wolf tugging at his sleeping bag, he said he thought initially it was one of us trying to get him back inside a tent, when he swatted at it. It bit into his left hand and tore a 2-3 inch gash into both sides. He jumped up, rolled across the fire pit and it jumped onto his back, sinking it's upper teeth the top of his head, and it's lowers into the back-bottom area. When it closed it's jaws, it cut 4 strips about 6-7 inches long, straight down to the skull. He was airlifted to victoria later that day. Him and I are good friends now and still talk quite a bit, he's doing well, but had some bad nightmares for a while.
It made the front page of the Province, or Sun, I can't remember which.
Here's a link to a brief description:
http://www.natureswolves.com/human/vargas_island_attack.htm
Those wolves (turned out to be two of them) hung around the camp until dawn, when my friends vacated that beach in a serious hurry. And, my brother, was next to me, passed out from drinking so much. I had to laugh when I found that out, I was glad he was so out of it he missed almost the entire thing.