Close call!

HappilyGrim

HappilyGrim

Joined
Mar 16, 2013
Messages
231
Went on the back patio of my apartment to smoke a cigarette. Was just looking out into the desert landscape and I saw a little jackrabbit lit up by a complex light hopping around. (My apartment faces open desert, this was about 30-40 feet away)

I thought to myself "Those little things are cute as hell". Then as soon as I was done thinking that a mountain lion bursts out of a bush like freaking lightning and grabs it. Scared the living crap out of me. Threw my smoke and booked it back inside.

I've only seen one mountain lion before (was at night also) but that one was openly wandering, so even though it freaked me out a little I didn't feel too worried because it was even further away.

Poor rabbit never stood a chance... and with how damn fast that cat was I don't expect much would.
 
Savor that memory.

Rare as hens teeth to see one in the wild catching dinner!

I have spent quite a bit of time in the wild, and never seen one.

Plenty of bears, up close and trying to get in my rig. One chased me off the end of a dock on the lake. I had to dive under the water, and come up under the next dock over. I've been nose tweeking close to wild bison with no fence (they snuck up on us!), elk, deer, bald eagles, etc. Shoot, I've even held a baby grizzly cub, but never had the opportunity to see a mountain lion in the wild.
 
I see you're from Washington, I'm in Arizona. The wildlife I've seen around my apartment is pretty crazy. Things I've never seen before, like Bobcats, Packs of Javeline with their little babies, deer, great horned owl, all sorts of critters, packs of coyotes, kit fox, rattlesnakes, roadrunners. The list goes on. It's an amazing place to live. This experience though was just crazy and really got the blood pumping.

As a side note, I visit Bainbridge Island once a year to see my fiance's sister. I got to see my first bald eagle (and its nest) while I was up there. I look forward to going up again this year during the summer.
 
There was a mountain lion photographed (nice, clear picture too) on a residential street up in Portland, Oregon just the other day.
 
HappilyGrim said:
I see you're from Washington, I'm in Arizona. The wildlife I've seen around my apartment is pretty crazy. Things I've never seen before, like Bobcats, Packs of Javeline with their little babies, deer, great horned owl, all sorts of critters, packs of coyotes, kit fox, rattlesnakes, roadrunners. The list goes on. It's an amazing place to live. This experience though was just crazy and really got the blood pumping.

As a side note, I visit Bainbridge Island once a year to see my fiance's sister. I got to see my first bald eagle (and its nest) while I was up there. I look forward to going up again this year during the summer.
Click to expand...

What part of AZ are you in? I've seen quite a lot of wild (mammals) running around at various hours. Last Tuesday night, as I was getting ready for bed I cracked the bedroom window. I heard the sounds of coyotes howling at the moon and barking at one another. It sounded very close by I'd estimate it at 15-20 yards away.
 
RevDevil said:
What part of AZ are you in? I've seen quite a lot of wild (mammals) running around at various hours. Last Tuesday night, as I was getting ready for bed I cracked the bedroom window. I heard the sounds of coyotes howling at the moon and barking at one another. It sounded very close by I'd estimate it at 15-20 yards away.
Click to expand...

In the valley up by McDowell Mountains. The sound of coyotes is awesome isn't it? Not quite as cool as I imagine wolves would be, but they're all over the place up here. I tend to see a couple a week at least. Only a few large packs though.
 
HappilyGrim said:
In the valley up by McDowell Mountains. The sound of coyotes is awesome isn't it? Not quite as cool as I imagine wolves would be, but they're all over the place up here. I tend to see a couple a week at least. Only a few large packs though.
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's a pretty interesting sound. It sounded like they had quite a conversation going. May have been chasing rabbits in a nearby wash. They haven't knocked over garbage cans so it seems they have a decent food supply.

Not long ago I was called in to go to work after hours. It was well after dark and the night was pretty calm and very clear. I was driving and I had to slam the brakes on because I saw a family of Javelina's booking it across the street. It was mom, dad, and about 6 babies. Kinda nuts as I hadn't seen any in the area until that night. The tusks on the adults were easily about 4+ inches.
 
RevDevil said:
Yeah, it's a pretty interesting sound. It sounded like they had quite a conversation going. May have been chasing rabbits in a nearby wash. They haven't knocked over garbage cans so it seems they have a decent food supply.

Not long ago I was called in to go to work after hours. It was well after dark and the night was pretty calm and very clear. I was driving and I had to slam the brakes on because I saw a family of Javelina's booking it across the street. It was mom, dad, and about 6 babies. Kinda nuts as I hadn't seen any in the area until that night. The tusks on the adults were easily about 4+ inches.
Click to expand...

They're also WAY bigger than I thought they'd be. I had no idea Javelina's were that big until I saw them. Sometimes they'll graze the brush about 15 feet from my porch, and if I'm quiet they don't seem to mind me at all. I'm always worried when driving home at night that somethings going to jump out.
 
My mother lives in Prescott Az on the property I was born and raised on. For four or five years she had trouble with her ducks and geese disapering. She had them in a six foot chain link fence. A few years ago someone hit and killed a mountain a few years ago a few blocks from her house. The old lion was very old and in bad shape.
Here in Alaska we regulaly see critters in town. We have a momma moose in the neighborhood that has been here for years.
 
I have many mountain lions and pigs here, and they really piss you off when you come home and all your trash is about your driveway...
 
I was sitting on a rock painting my face for a turkey hunt, I was bordering a tall brush area with an open grass area. I saw behind me in the mirror a tan tall tail flicking, it was a young mountain lion about 50 yds behind me. I could have been dinner, I would not have been able to turn around and shoot that cat before it took me out, I bet. The hunter was being hunted. My buddy saw it too, and he scared it off. I only saw the tail, he saw the whole cat. We were in Riverside County CA on BLM land.
 
I've seen two. Both were on the western side of the state. I didn't have a chance to shoot at either of them.
Given the chance, I would drop every one of them. They have devastated the deer and elk population in certain areas of the state
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top