Mountain lion???

L

LikeHike

Joined
Feb 23, 2006
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I took a long hike alone in the ridges behind my home today. A few hours from civilization and over 5700' up I heard what sounded like a cat meeowling loud but it was not the kind of place to find a house cat.

I have heard mountain lions yowl before which sounded much louder and different.

Anybody have experience with this? Do mountain lions ever sound like loud cats? I do not know when they have cubs but I doubt this time of year.

It could also have been a bobcat, I guess. We do have both around here.

I did keep my eyes very open on the way down and was glad to have my Fallkniven S1 on my belt - if nothing else but to make me feel better.

Any thoughts on the mountain lion possibilty???
 
My first thought is to wear a .357 revolver, double or single action (Ruger, S&W, or Colt), with a 4 inch or longer barrel, and loaded with .357 Magnum ammo with 125 to 140 grain jacketed hollow point (JHP) bullets. My friends in the Arkansas Ozarks found "panther poop" in their driveway one morning. What you described hearing, though, sounds more like a horny tom bobcat to me.:D
 
I've seen two mountain lions in the wild, both when I was working cattle. I spent my summers as a kid on a somewhat remote, back in the 60's anyway, cattle ranch. I never heard a lion make a sound but then I only saw one on that ranch.

I have also been up close and personal with two others, 1 was in rehab for killing pets, the other was from a zoo. My GF at the time lived at a veteranary clinic where the doc had a contract to take care of the animals from a local zoo. A mountain lion was being treated for an abcessed tooth, which was convenient since a dentist office was next door. The lion came in a big squeeze cage because he needed antibiotics for a few days before his surgery. I got help squeeze him and administer the shot. I can tell you from personal experience that a lion does make noise when he is pissed off. BTW you have never seen such a scared dentist in your life. He was shaking the entire time he was working on the tranq'ed lion.
 
2dogs said:
I can tell you from personal experience that a lion does make noise when he is pissed off. BTW you have never seen such a scared dentist in your life. He was shaking the entire time he was working on the tranq'ed lion.
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Can you describe the sounds the lion made? Anything that sounded cat like?

What kind of sounds did the dentist make?
 
The lion started out with a low Arrrgh when we approached the cage. As the cage was tightend he go a little louder but higher in pitch. As he was stuck it sounded like a woman screaming. That's the best I can remember.
 
LikeHike said:
Can you describe the sounds the lion made? Anything that sounded cat like?

What kind of sounds did the dentist make?
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Likely the sound of knocking knees and involuntaring sphincter contractions, resulting in a low to high whistle from the lower regions.
 
one night i was out with the dogs and it was cave like dark. about 200 feet from my house i heard a very deep growl, it made hair on the back of my neck stand up. not being sure what it was i didn't say much to anyone. a few months later one of my children was driving down our road and hit the brakes for a mountain lion. it ran in front of the car with in 10 feet, they said it was the size of my 80 pound dog. my kids have been told to floor it the next time for a trophy for the family room.
 
In all the years I've been hunting and hiking the back country, I've yet to here a lion or Bobcat, meow or mew. I think that's pretty much a tabby noise, which is why I think it's a domesticated cat gone wild and even then, the ones I've met in the bush, always growl if I'm too close.

I've seen a few lions in their homelands when hunting and hiking. Saw one not 200' from a rangers station in one of our local parks and you havn't lived until you've turned to check your back trail, only to find a Cougar/Mtn. Lion following along behind you. That'll get yer heart pumping, no doubt about it.
 
longbow50 said:
you havn't lived until you've turned to check your back trail, only to find a Cougar/Mtn. Lion following along behind you. That'll get yer heart pumping, no doubt about it.
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If you had started to run full speed directly AT him, I wonder if he'd have bolted.
 
Rich_S said:
If you had started to run full speed directly AT him, I wonder if he'd have bolted.
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Actually all I had to do was turn around and face it. The big cats are usually very reclusive and rarely show themselves. It wasn't near as big as the Tom that I encountered in the Sierra Mtns. while scouting for the upcoming deer season, so I figured it was a female and maybe even a young cat. When I reported the sighting to the ranger, he told me that there had been several sightings on the trails up near the ridgeline, but this was the first one so close to the dog walking (lower) trails.

I am totally jazzed when I have encounters like this. Makes me feel completely alive, instead of just going through the motions.:D
 
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