Blade versus Mountain Lion

M

molinee

Joined
Nov 9, 2002
Messages
84
Newbie Here!

Seeing that I will now be doing a lot of hiking in the Colorado Rockies I am curious as to any opinions as to whether a hunting knife with a 6 inch blade would be of any help against a mountain lion or black bear. I'm not even sure that it is legal to carry this length blade (but that's another story). I figure any blade is better than none, but is it realistic that you could hold your own. Any opinions or related stories would be appreciated.

Thanks
-mo
 
Man, if I was going to go "against" a bear or even a mountain lion with a KNIFE, I wouldn't want anything less than my SOG Tigershark with it's 9 inch long, 1/4 inch thick blade.:eek:.
 
Only blade I'd take against a bear or mountain lion is the bayonet on end of my Mosin Nagant.
 
For that length; for that purpose; get something very pointy. Like a stilletto, bayonet, etc.
 
Molinee, if you are going to be hiking or backpacking, any size knife should be okay once you're out in the mountains. You may want to watch what you carry around town though. If you do a search, you will see that there have been cases of successful defenses against bears and mountain lions with fairly small lockback folding hunters. The problem is that although those people survived their attacks, they pretty badly injured. The best defense against a large predator is a large caliber handgun. If you can't carry a gun, I would recommend a large can of bear spray, a substantial walking stick that can used against a large animal, and if you go for a knife, get one with a blade at least 12". IMO, if you are serious about fighting a large carnivore, you need a machete of short sword.
 
You could kill just about anything w/ a small sharp object but the question is how much of a risk are you willing to take in the process? If you had superhuman aim, you could carry around some throwing knives; however, the prerequisite for that is being non-human. :)

Any knife will sure as hell come in handy and I'd never leave home w/o one (and now carry more than one, as my collection grows ;)). This becomes absolutely essential while doing things away from "civilization."

What kind of blade would I feel "comfortable" going up against a large bear w/? One on the end of a long-rifle or shotgun (bayonet). Read: the bullets will be doing all the work.

Are you allowed to carry shotguns while going through terrain like that? Perhaps under the guise of hunting?
 
Well I see the majority of the answers are recommending a gun. I certainly can't disagree with that. A gun is not an option- which is too bad. And let me clarify that I am not looking forward to such an encounter and the odds are probably in my favor that such a meeting won't occur. It just seemed resonable to me that with 6 inches of blade I could probably get in enough licks to the eyes and nose to save my life. Unfortunately I could also be wrong.
Thanks to all.
-mo
 
Lions and tigers and bears OH MY! (sorry I just had to)
By the a gun that shots BIG rounds or maybe even a shotgun!

The fact is a knife just isn't going to CUT it. (pardon the pun)
 
Anthony- Thanks. I checked out the web and I see that indeed it can be done but I think even if you win you will lose!
-mo
 
A few years ago, I met a guy who did this stretch of 10 miles for a backpack in a place called the Stein Valley. Place was known to be chock full of Black bears. He hiked that sucker twice a year from one end to the other in and out.

Never had any problems in all the years he hiked the valley until one day when he woke up one morning to a Black bear trotting about twenty feet near him. They guy wasn't even in a tent and the only armour between him and the bear was his mummy bag he was snuggled up in.

What did he have for defense that he always kept in the ready for such a predicament? A bottle of white fuel, lighter, and a big honkin' 16 inch bowie hunting knife.

He never did have to use his arsenal. Bear stared at him momentarily before ignoring him to move on.

One thing he did tell me as a lesson. Animals in the wild are frightened off by human noises than anything else.

So go buy yourself a bell and wear it around your neck... probably more economical and just as effective.

Just my two cents.

P.S. seriously, they do sell those portable ultrasonic insect repellers by Coleman now. I am sure the frequencies from those buggers
will drive off most forest animals as well when activated.:D
 
The problem with a knife is that it's a close contact weapon. You really don't want to plan to be that close to their teeth and claws. Bear spray is cool. A hiking staff is a good idea anyway, and a Cold Steel Bushman or a boar spear head can be slipped onto it as an improvised spear, once you're out of "civilization".
 
Hmm beat me to the bushman reccomendation. I'd say the best defense agaisnt a bear is to back a way slowly. Don't stand and fight, run, just back away slowly.


The best way to defend agaisnt a cougar would be to have another person with you to watch your back. Trying to stab a cougar while it is draped all over you is not the smartest or easiest thing to do.


If you were really needed to fight a bear or cougar, a walking stick or a big flashlight should do it.


PS: sorry for the lack of coherence in my original post. I momentarily forgot how to use english properly. As Raplh Wiggum on the Simpsons would say: " Me fail english? Thats unpossible"
 
and edit your goddam posts. If he's especially viscious, he will delete them altogether...

What the hell are you doing in Bear infested woods anyway?
 
The chance of this happenning in the wilderness is very real. I know because it happened to me!

I was backpacking in Sequoia National Park when we heard something outside the tent. Being a moronic male, I felt it was my duty to get up and shoo it away. So I get out of the tent, slip my boots on, look up, and what do I see?

A big mommy bear and two cubs!

Great! Well, the big momma charges me. I was scared as hell, but I didn't freeze. O.K., I know I am supposed to roll over and play dead. But, when you see a bear charging straight at you, I said "F#@k It! Run!!!"

So, I ran like hell. Probably a stupid thing to do, but I did it. I ran a zig zag course, hoping my smaller size would help me out maneuver the bear, and not allow it to get up to full speed. I screamed "Bear! Bear!" I ran so fast both my boots flew off! I could hear the bear behind me and I swear for a couple of seconds I felt its breath behind me!

So, I said, maybe I can sucker this bear into eating someone else! So, I ran over to the next campsite and leapt over their tent! This was Memorial Day weekend, so even though this wasn't a car camping spot, the place was still crowded. I leapt over a few more camp sites, then I ran across the nearby stream, hoping bears arent that fast in water. When I reached the opposite side, I ran to a large tree, thinking if the bear was still on my a#s, I could use the tree to keep as a barrier between me and the bear.

Luckily, the bear was just staring at me from across the stream. Looking back, I'm sure now that it just wanted to scare me away from her cubs, not eat me. I remember seeing the 2 cubs run away from me as mom started her charge.

Here are some funny things:

1) I reported the incident to the Park Rangers. They FINED ME for improper food storage!!! Lemme tell you, one metal box the size of a large Coleman cooler cannot hold all the food of packed campsite on Memorial Day! Ever try hanging your pack from a Jeffery Pine? Good luck!

2) Of the whole campsight, even though there was me screaming my head off, running around with a bear after me, jumping over tents, only 3 other people actually woke up and saw what happened!

3) One guy that saw what happened actually thought the bear WAS A SKUNK at first. "It was behind a large fallen tree. All I could see was the top of it's back. With the moonlight reflecting off its black back, I thought it was a skunk." God.

4) I still carry my ripped up North Face backpack. I can't even remember what the bear was going for in it, but I do remember it was full of bear slobber and snot. Ya, I know, I'm a moron for keeping food in my pack in bear country. At least its good for conversation.

Having said that, ya a nice Benelli 12 gauge or a G3 with 20 rounds of .308 woulda been nice. However, I would have settled for a good rock at that point!

Too bad we can't do searches anymore. Just recently, an old man in his 60's or 70's was attacked by a mountain lion. He killed the damm thing with I think an old Case or Scrade lockback with a 3" blade! It's in the achives somewhere. So, it is possible! But yes, he got mauled pretty bad!

I remember like 25 years ago in Field and Stream there was an article where a bow hunter killed a GRIZZLY BEAR with his broadhead arrows. And, I mean he wasn't shooting the arrows! He was stabbing the bear with them!

Those guys were some bad mofos!

Bruise
 
That incident with the cougar that was in the news not too long ago happened in Canada. The guy said that it was a mistake for him to have gone for his knife. While he tried to open his knife, the cat was able to rip his face and scalp him pretty good. If he had a knife that could have been opened with one hand, he may not have been so badly injured.

I was actually thinking about this incident when I was writing my previous post. Even though the cat was right in front of him, he managed to stab himself a few times in the arm while trying to fight the cat. Now try to fight a cat while it is on your back with a knife. You are just as likely to poke your eye out as you are to hitting the cat in a spot that would make it stop its attack.
 
Knives being (for the most part) contact weapons, I think that blade length is not your first priority. A good grip and easy accessibility are. Also, unless you area really good with a spear, you are probably better off with a staff and and blade. I can think of safer ways of hiking rough terrain than with a spear in my hand.

Most of the mountain lion attacks I've heard of were ambushes. I take that back. ALL of the mountain lion attacks I've read about (10 or so) were ambushes with food presumably being the objective. Typically, hunting cats going for a kill will go for your head/neck with the neck being the primary target. Cat's may also attempt a mount and slash option with their lower claws if it encounters resistance, the jaws and front paws being used for gripping you. Typically, cats use their front paws to knock their prey down and then grapple with their front paws while their jaws and back paws do damage and kill their prey. If a mountain lion has started to attack you, you're going to have the scars to prove it.

In this kind of grappling attack, I think that a long blade would be a serious liability as the chances of accidently cutting or stabbing yourself increase greatly and it's also much harder to use than a shorter blade.

If I were seriously worried about mountain lion attack, I wouldn't go. If I were only somewhat worried, I'd carry a gun, a 3-4" .357 or .44 special revolver, Ruger, Smith or tuned CharterArms (shotguns are nice, but too heavy to hike with IMO). If I weren't allowed to carry a gun I'd carry a strong walking stick and a knife on my belt, in a 10 or 2 o'clock position for easy access by either hand, with a 4-5" blade and extremely grippy handles. The Spyderco Perrin and Moran are good economical choices due to their reasonable price, lightness, blade shape and grippy handles. Oh and a Emerson La Griffe in a neck sheath for a last ditch defense.

[Edited for grammar and I added the shotgun comment]
 
A blade ver a Mountain Lion....:eek:


I believe you would have the same results by:

Finding the highest cliff and standing very close to the edge, then close your eyes, now jump and scream all the way to the bottom..;)

In the woods any knife will do.

But, if there is a real threat of being attacked take a .357 magnum and carry it in a belt holster on your side so you can get to it if you are attacked...


Remember the Mountain Lion is North America's # 1 bad@ss predator, at the top of the food chain, and they are there for a good reason.

1) Don't go alone.

2) Always be aware of what's around you at all times...(Don't be talking when you should be listening)

3) Don't keep food out and bury your trash.

4) Remember if a Mountain lion is hungry he will be hunting you so you won't see him till it's too late...

5) Bears...Black Bears won't attack humans unless it's a female with cubs...just back away slowly if you can, if not play dead...Black Bears are not meat eaters...other than fish...they don't hunt to eat meat.
 
Originally posted by jjcoolay
That incident with the cougar that was in the news not too long ago happened in Canada. The guy said that it was a mistake for him to have gone for his knife. While he tried to open his knife, the cat was able to rip his face and scalp him pretty good. If he had a knife that could have been opened with one hand, he may not have been so badly injured.
Click to expand...

just to add. believe it or not, the local news papers said the dood stopped the cougar dead with the ol' Buck 110. They showed a picture of him mangled in a hospital bed.
 
Originally posted by Bolo
just to add. believe it or not, the local news papers said the dood stopped the cougar dead with the ol' Buck 110. They showed a picture of him mangled in a hospital bed.
Click to expand...


I would say he was very lucky.....if he was a cat he would have used all but one of his 9 lives....:D
 
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