knife ward off attack from mountainlion?

Personally, I would carry a a gun and a good sized fixed blade. I would also mount a hefty stick to my bike frame. Bear spray maybe?

As everyone has said, most of the attacks are probably going to be suprises. I'm not sure that you would really have time to access any of these tools if a mountain lion was really intent on having you for lunch.
 
Man survives cougar attack by killing it

Friday, August 02, 2002

A 61-year-old man won a life-and-death struggle with a cougar outside a small northern Vancouver Island village, killing the animal with his 7.5-centimetre pocket knife.

Dave Parker was jumped from behind while walking on an industrial road two kilometres south of Port Alice, a village of 1,300 about 370 kilometres north of Victoria.

The retired pulp-mill worker was attacked Thursday evening by a 45-kilogram adult male cat, conservation officer Ken Fujino said.

"It was thin but by no means starving," Fujino said from Port Hardy, the nearest sizable town.

"There was no indications as to any physical injuries that we could see that may have provoked the attack."

Parker was being mauled but managed to get to his folding pocket knife.

"A lot of people carry knives out here, or bear spray," said Port Alice Mayor Larry Pepper, a friend of Parker. "People are quite conscious of the fact there's cougars here."

Pepper said Parker managed to turn on the attacking cougar and slit its throat.

Despite extensive wounds, Parker managed to walk about a kilometre to a forest mill's log-sorting area. Late-shift workers rushed him to Port Alice's tiny hospital.

" Because of the seriousness of his injuries they took him by ambulance to Port Hardy and flew him down to the hospital (in Victoria)," said Fujino.

He underwent surgery Friday to repair his wounds and was recovering in the intensive-care unit.

"He's out of surgery and in stable condition," Lianne Peterson, a spokeswoman for Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria, said Friday afternoon. "I don't know much about the surgery other than plastic surgeons were involved."

Pepper said Parker liked to hike and was in good physical condition.

RCMP Const. Jeff Flindall said police found Parker's knife next to the carcass of the dead cougar.

"It is a pocket knife and it is approximately three inches long," Flindall said from Port Alice.

Fujino said there have been a spate of cougar sightings around Port Alice in recent weeks.

"Generally as a whole cougar attacks are fairly rare," he said.

However, the village was the scene of a serious cougar attack two years ago.

A Seattle tourist was cycling outside Port Alice when he was jumped by an injured cougar.

A passing motorist saw the man struggling with the cat and waded in to chase it away. The animal was later tracked and killed by conservation officers.

The knife Dave Parker used to kill the cougar.
knife.jpg


Link

I'm sure most of you remember this story, there were a bunch of threads about it.
 
The leopard story is a tall tale, I'm willing to bet.! The Vancouver man survived because he had a blood problem - his blood conjealed much faster than normal !! A helmet and neck brace is probably the best mountain lion protection, it gives you a chance to use your weapon.
 
There's no way a human could pull the tongue out of a leopard. I don't even think it would be possible to pull out a human tongue. Too slippery and too well attached. Plus, all the leopard would have to do is bite down and bye bye hand and forearm.

I read about a cougar attacking a mt. biker in So. Cal. 10 years ago. If I remember, the man kept the bike between himself and the cougar. I think he eventually found a stick to fend off the cat, but he didn't get away unscathed.
 
Boozoo, are those the guys who keep emailing me about that treasure trove of cash they discovered and need my account numbers so they have a safe place to store all of it?
 
A few years ago campers were attacked by a cougar around their campfire, and killed it with a kitchen knife. One man lost his thumb. It took several of them to grapple it after it attacked him, and one took the knife and killed it.
One on one? Good luck... that guy with the Buck 110 is one lucky SOB.
 
You can take on a mountain lion with a knife, you just need to know how to do it. The problem is if he gets you with your guard down, unless you're really skilled you'll get hurt pretty bad.

In my country (Argentina) some of us hunt mountain lions with knives.
 
You go right ahead Francisco. Myself, I hope I have a gun on me if one of the big cats starts to make a meal out of me. I'd like to be able to make my suffering end as quickly as possible.
 
Related threads about knives and big predators:

Predators on a daily basis:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=353279&highlight=mountain+lion

Alligator stabbed with pocket knife:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=311612&highlight=mountain+lion

Women attacked by mountain lion,dead man found:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=287246&highlight=mountain+lion

Mtn Lion Attack in Orange County (I offer some suggestions on what to do):
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=287216&highlight=mountain+lion
 
mete said:
The leopard story is a tall tale, I'm willing to bet.! The Vancouver man survived because he had a blood problem - his blood conjealed much faster than normal !! A helmet and neck brace is probably the best mountain lion protection, it gives you a chance to use your weapon.
Click to expand...


Well, it is on MSNBS, oops, I mean MSNBC
 
One of the factors that is increasing contact between mtn. lions and people is development -- humans are encroaching on wild places more and more. Most of these lion attacks on people and animals are happening in backyards and near houses. Many lions have been tracked moving from house to house looking for easy prey. Pets & children disappear, etc. Shooting them is the easy way, but it depends on the legalities of owning and/or discharging a gun in certain locales (like Kalifornia). National Parks prohibit firearms.

It's up to you to weigh the risks of carrying "illegally" vs. not protecting yourself. But many attacks are occuring in places where folks have been safe for decades.

And, as we know, most folks are totally unaware of dangers outside their household....they know that kids shouldn't drink windex and Formula 409, or that the dog will die from drinking antifreeze, but they let the kids play alone or tie the dog up in the backyard near lion habitats. Go figure....
 
You can thank mountain lion attacks in Cal. on the animal rights aholes who pushed for banning hunting and trapping of them. The more states allow banning of these activities the more there will be an increase in attacks.
Scott
 
A knife wouldn't be "useless" or a "toy" in this situation. Regardless of faster-congealing blood, whatever, the point is that a knife is better than nothing. I'd rather not have to battle against a cougar but at least a knife would have the potential to make it bleed. A good-sized blade can cut almost anything, you just have to hope for a chance to use it. Most predators don't know how to block. You get an opportunity to stick it and, chances are, its getting stuck.
As amazing as it seems, I believe the Kenyan could have pulled that leopard's tongue out. Cats' tongues aren't slippery on the top, they're rough and almost dry feeling. If he got a good grip on it and dug his fingers in...
who knows?
 
I told the tongue story to a coworker from Zimbabwe. He told me a similar story of a man killing a large cat by grabbing and holding on to the base of its tongue. In the sotry my coworker told me the man did not rip out the tongue but rather he choked the cat to death simply by holding on and refusing to let go. This made it impossible for the cat to bite also, ofcourse the man still got mauled pretty badly.
 
I LIKE big (and small) cats, so I wouldn't want to kill one with anything, but if I HAD TO take on a big cat with a knife, I'd choose my Cold Steel Trailmaster Bowie, lashed to a 4' pole.
 
glockman99 said:
I LIKE big (and small) cats, so I wouldn't want to kill one with anything, but if I HAD TO take on a big cat with a knife, I'd choose my Cold Steel Trailmaster Bowie, lashed to a 4' pole.
Click to expand...

I've never seen a Polish man that short. (Nyuck!).
Seriously though, when a Mtn. Lion attacks, it will always be from behind, preferably from up above as they like to jump down onto their prey. Your average Mt. Lion would be about 80-120 lbs, but could be as large as 250 lbs +. If you've ever tried to fight off an 80 lb dog that was bent on killing you(and some of us have), you have an idea how tough it is to fight off something that not only is trying to kill you, but has claws, is faster than a dog, and is already on top of you and has already likely torn you up pretty good just trying to stay on you.

Mtn. Lions that attack humans are usually the odd ones not afraid of loud noises or easily frightened off. They tend to be more desperate than the ones you find deeper in the wilderness. They are more used to seeing humans, and used to their smell. Sometimes noise, posturing, and acting aggressive will fend them off - but those aren't the ones we're talking about...

ANYTHING is better than your bare hands. Unless you have the reflexes of a champion boxer or martial artist, your chances aren't very good at surviving without any serious luck. A knife is good, and even if the cougar has your throat in it's mouth, you do have a chance to get to it if it's attached to you right. It would be difficult to miss a 100 lb animal that happens to be sitting right on top of you. But in combat, as with humans, animals don't necessarily feel pain. So don't rely on pain to stop them - rely on blood loss and massive damage. Keep attacking and attacking. A cougar is relatively thin skinned compared to a bear, but it's heart is still out of reach to even some of the larger knives. Since it's head is likely right next to yours, stabbing it the Cougar's throat is a good idea. Try not to stab yourself, of course. ;)

I've been attacked by a couple of dogs, and gotten too close for comfort to a few Coyotes. It's impressive how fast these animals are, how quickly they can close distance and attack. If you are used to fighting humans - there's no comparison. I would bet a Cougar is even faster still.

Good luck!

WYK

P.S. I've never been attacked by a cougar - so take this advice for what it's worth ;)
I HAVE been attacked by large dogs, tho(and some people)...

P.P.S. My 90lb Greyhound has attacked and killed more cats(mostly feral...) than I can keep count... Having a large dog with you is not only a deterrant, but also would give more warning if the cougar still wished to attack. Chances are it would attack your dog first - allowing you time to react, especially if you are armed. My greyhound will not back down when challenged(which is why I have him - the Greyhound rescue could not adopt him out due to his aggression). You need to have a fearless dog that is capable of moving quickly and attacking. You don't need a sighthound like a Grey or Siluki, but a large protective German Shepherd would be perfect. Nice thing about a Greyhound is it could outrun a cougar easily, and maneuvers nearly as well. Ya MIGHT lose your dog, but it's better than losing your (human)family.
medium.jpg
 
geekswithguns said:
kind of reminds me of when my mom was going berry picking and asked to borrow the .22 pistol in case she ran into a bear... (granted- the noise might do the trick- but the bullet itself certainly wouldn't)
Click to expand...

You know I thought the same thing until a Black Bear was trying to get into a local mans shed where he kept feed for his dog and chickens. He shot it 3 times with a Ruger 10-22 and it was found the next day by the man and the local Conservation agent. The bear was so big it broke the wheels off a game cart. They ended up using a front end loader to remove the bear. Sorry to jump into the mountian lion vs knife thread. Thought you might find it interesting.
Danny
 
As mentioned, a cat will usually be on your back when you know it's there.

My daughter had a friend killed by a cat while jogging around the scool track a few years ago. A cat killed a deer outside of our back door 2 years ago. It's always a concern in the country.

In Colorado, the teaching is; first roll, this will more than likely cause the catvn to jump off....for a second or two. Then fight back like hell. Cats like esy prey and any fighting will assist.

Cats are very strong and very fast. You'll not likely have much time to us a gun, or a spear, and most of us do not carry guns and spears.

A very sharp fixed blade with very easy and quick access might be the best help, assuming you can get it out and face the cat quickly enough.

When I'm out after dark at my house (I live in Cat/bear country) I carry a very sharp Fixed blade Temperance and "Pakal style would give the best advantage of delivering a strike that could deter, IMO.

The 6 P's - "Proper Preparation Prevents Piss Poor Performance".

sal
 
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