We don't have many mountain lions in Iowa, but makes me want to run more with some sort of spray or poles. Saw it on URP daily news.
http://mexicotocanada2013.wordpress.com/2013/07/18/my-harrowing-night-with-a-mountain-lion/
Faster Than Your Couch!
Hard to tell from the video if it was a mountain lion, or a feral cat, but scary for sure.
I think the poles would look threatening to a mountain lion, but it might also decide to charge low and avoid the poles. Bear spray or mace would work well, but you'd have to wear it in your hands at all times - no time to get it out from your pack when you need it...
Run for fun.
I think I would have to use my ninja skills to ward it off
Hard to tell from the video if it was a mountain lion, or a feral cat, but scary for sure. I think the poles would look threatening to a mountain lion, but it might also decide to charge low and avoid the poles. Bear spray or mace would work well, but you'd have to wear it in your hands at all times - no time to get it out from your pack when you need it...
Thread killer ..
We have them out by our house , this time of year the game is in closer so they are too . We have a local Hunt Club ( horses , dogs ) that runs through the winter that keeps them further out . There are places I'm more careful and I don't run near dark alone . Recently on a regular run route I spotted one running away , my husband was on an ATV with me which probably spooked it . I do carry a large bear spray or if I'm alone I have .380 that fits in the front pocket of my pack. I have turned around and run home after spotting fresh tracks a couple times .
A few weeks ago they caught one in town and relocated it near Spooner Lake , a week later was the TRT Endurance run starting at Spooner Lake .
I was camped in the backcountry of Montana laying in a hammock reading when I just had that funny feeling so I lifted my head to look around as a mountain lion was walking into our camp. He was about 10' away when my sudden movement caused him/her to jump back, wheel around and boogy. My friend was leaning against a tree half reading, half sleeping and didn't believe me until he saw the tracks. I tried following the direction it went and tracking it for a bit to try to get another look but no luck. Pretty cool encounter in my opinion.
I just wish people who are that afraid of things would just get a grip and relax. I'd recommend she carry Valeries .380 but that's probably not a good idea to have someone who's that afraid to start throwing bullets out into the darkness especially if she is in no REAL danger. Only perceived.
I've had a bear stick it's face right into my tent once, no worries in my mind, strange feeling though. Of course I also had a handgun aimed right at it at about 3' away just in case. But again, no need to panic.
Once did work for a drug dealer years ago near here who had a cougar as his guard inside his fenced compound. That was a little unnerving walking by that at a couple feet away. The thing would snarl at you. Creepy. Btw--the drug dealer eventually ended up in the big house and all his property seized by drug enforcement, luckily I was paid in cash.
Ok I'll admit I didn't watch every second of all the videos, such as the ones in the tents so i may have missed something. But was there any evidence that there was really anything out there? I think I watched all of the day light videos and didn't see that she even looked for tracks. That's the first thing I would have done. Just wondering if she was the victim of a small animal and an over active imagination.
I do carry a large bear spray or if I'm alone I have .380 that fits in the front pocket of my pack.
Valerie, what pack do you use? I'm looking for a new one and one of the requirements is that it has to have a front or side pouch that I can fit my .380 in.
The camping advice I give newbies when they are heading out into the dangerous wilds--sleep with ear plugs so you don't hear all the little critters at night and let your fear and imagination get away from you.
Great advice, I'll second that. I once camped out "in the wild" (in Austria, mind you, no cougars or bears there), and the screeching of trees rubbing against each other, the wind, and some critters nearly freaked me out.
In the first few seconds of the top video you can see the cats eyes from her headlamp. You can't tell how big it is but there was something there.
In regards to this, one of my female friends was saying that she had heard Under Armour was coming out with some "tactical" running clothes that have pockets for firearms. Has anyone heard of this?
Refurbished Hip
LOL. WTF. Where?
Running is dumb.
I have the women's Nathan Intensity , this is my husbands the same model just the men's . The .380 is a Rugar LCP . It is in there pretty securely but still easy to pull out if you need it
Hee Hee, pretty funny huh? It was out in the country near Roxbury which is on your way to Sauk City. Swank log home on 40 acres of hilly woods with the entire property enclosed by a 10' fence. He had a walkin vault in the lower level that was the size of my office. Total wealth all over with the cars, the elephant skin couches etc. Just obscene wealth. The guy was doomed to be eventually busted the way he flaunted that money. Not to hard to track him either with his weekly flights to Miami and South America. Like a bad TV show.
Anyway that cougar was scary with the hissing, snarling, and growling. Smelled like cat pee on steroids too.
Forgot to add it was maybe 20years ago. If I remember the name I'll google it up.
Remembered one incident with the dealer's cat. It had the run of the compound both inside and out. I had to walk thru the mud room one time and there it was sitting on top of the washer just staring at me with this look of you're not really gonna walk by me. So I'm thinking crap, gotta try, so I start to go by and it lets out a snarl and lashes out with a paw. Holy shit! Jumped back against the wall, almost spilled my water, and backtracked out of there saying nice kitty, nice kitty. Thing just stared at me with those eyes. Not a sound I ever want to hear in the wilds.
I would have loved to make small talk with the people about that cat but they just weren't the type of folks you would do that with.