Cougar! (long)

[Popoki_Nui]

Oh MAN. I am totally FREAKED. I had my instruments set up in the back 40 hoping to make some observations of Neptune and Uranus. About an hour or so ago a deer blew thru the bush at warp 9, breathing HARD and whistling loudly, crashing up a 20 meter rock hill like it was flat prairie. We have dozens of deer who visit us, but I've never in my life seen a deer this spooked. As I was pondering the significance of this (alarm bells beginninng to sound in my thick head....), a very loud SNARL/bark/ sound, like demented house cat on steroids, just a few meters behind me. There is nothing else that sounds like that around here except a cougar.
Then a frantic barking dog on the neighbouring property that ended suddenly in a yelping wail, then silence. Then another snarling barking noise, and more crashing around in the bush. Everything went silent; no owls, no nightbirds, no frogs, no crickets...every night sound has ceased. I was in the house in one second flat.
I know we have cougars on the island, and we often get warning that one is preying locally on sheep/llamas/chickens whatever, and I have seen their spoor in the area...but I have never been this close to an attack.
Catching my breath I went out the back door (very...slowly), all outdoor lights on, to check the situation, when Montana (my avatar cat) shot past me headed up the same hill the deer and -presumably the cougar- just went. I d**m near died right there and then. I did manage to grab him and stuff him back into the house. i am freaked out, and I'm shaking like a leaf. I hope my neighbour's dog is ok. I hope that deer made it ok. I don't know, but I know I'm not going back out there tonight.

[Bicyclette]

Yowsa!!! That would have scared the bejeebers out of me!! Glad you are ok... and hope the neighbor's dog is ok too...

Take deep, calming breaths - and yes...STAY IN THE HOUSE!!!!!

[Trek420]

They are such majestic beautiful animals, but from a distance.

I'm glad that you're ok. Things do not sound good for the doggie.

I grew up in Santa Rosa and we saw evidence of cougars, such as a huge pawprint on the driveway once. I never saw one in person. I recall hearing them.

In the year before my Mom moved out to a smaller place in town one day while out gardening she noticed one of the redwood trees with gashes in the bark.

Up 10-12 feet the tree had chunks and strips of bark just ripped off. Bear? Nah, haven't been bears in Sonoma County since who knows when. Mountain lion in my Moms garden

The thought that my Mom could be out kneeling in the garden weeding while the mountain lion that big observed her was scarey. At the time she was doing a near heroic job of caretakeing my terminaly ill Dad. So the time she got to spend in their garden was precious.

She took precautions but also the viewpoint that "it's their mountain first". She always wonders what pressures on their territory push them to get close to people.

They are shy and avoid people so would not come this close unless they needed to due to sprawl and pressure on the enviornment.

Good safety tips here:

www.mountainlion.org/facts_safety.asp

[Bluetree]

OMG... your post sent chills up my spine.
Southern Cal has seen more mountain lion attacks lately, most notably a small boy who was taken just a few yards from his parents and the cyclist Anne Hjelle. The courage shown by her cycling partner, Debbi Nicholls, who stepped in to save her friend was well documented by the local media. As Hjelle as being dragged away by her head, Nicholls grabbed her friend's leg and got into a tug-o-war with the cat. Her screams attracted other cyclists in the area, who pumelled the cat with rocks until it let go. The two women survived, however a third cylist was not so lucky.
http://archive.mtbr.com/03/0EFE586C.php
What's especially scary is that the attack occurred just 1/2 mile from a residential area. With urban sprawl forcing these animals into a smaller and smaller area, it might not be the last time we'll see this happening. BE CAREFUL!!!

[eclectic]

Wow! what a story

Glad you and your kitty are safe - too scarey

I used to say North Dakota was the safest place to live because we have very few natural things that will harm you (rattlesnakes are easily avoided, I have never seen one in the wild)
But in the last 3 years Mountain lions are being spotted around here on a regular basis and very close to town which suprises me because the city is situated in the middle of nowhere so it isn't like they have to look hard for empty space ( a lot of our towns are over 20 miles apart!). But as they say they go where the food is and we have been known to have deer in the coulees in the middle of town. Also there have been wandering Moose hit on main streets in town as well as in peoples back yards in the middle of town.

Yes central North Dakota, pure prairie, few trees - not Alaska!

I haven't been worrying too much while out riding but get spooked anytime I think about them. A couple of mtn bikers were being stalked while riding the Matah Heh (sp.) trail in the badlands, luckily the mtn lion left them alone.

this is long but I am SPOOKED again

[Bikingmomof3]

I am glad you are safe.