Every year, more and more people are reporting encounters with mountain lions. As we encroach more and more on their outdoors territories, they have less and less places to hunt and live. This inevitably will bring humans and mountain lions into contact with one another. The hiker is a different situation in that the human is voluntarily going into the mountain lion’s territory. As such, they should be armed with the knowledge of what to do in the event that they are attacked by a mountain lion. The odds are slim, but it happens every single year.
The mountain lion is a very sneaky cat. The vast majority of people who are attacked by mountain lions never saw it coming. This is true of the mountain lion’s natural prey as well. It is for this reason that you should always be looking around and watching when you are out hiking. The vast majority of mountain lion contact with humans is not because the mountain lion wants to eat you, but because you are in their territory. Occasionally a mountain lion will hunt and kill a human for food, however. In these situations the only chance you have is to fight.
Keep in mind that the mountain lion sees you as potential prey, or potential predator. That really is up to you. If you come into contact with a mountain lion, the last thing you should do is turn your back and start running. If you run, the mountain lion will chase you on instinct if nothing else…..and it will catch you. You have zero chance of evading a mountain lion in open country unless there is a car very close by you can climb into or other shelter.
What you actually should do is to make yourself as large and imposing as possible. Spread your arms wide and hold your coat open at the sides to make yourself look larger. If you see any weapons nearby of any kind, then grab them. A stick, a rock, or anything that can help you fend off an attack is good. Yell and scream at the mountain lion and make it clear you are not helpless.
While you are screaming, yelling, and making yourself as large as possible, you should be slowly backing away from the mountain lion. Throw rocks at the mountain lion if they seem as though they are about to attack. Try your best to scare the mountain lion away.
When the mountain lion is gone from view, understand that he is not really gone. A mountain lion has been known to stalk prey for miles. Do not assume they are gone. Assume they are watching from the woods, hills, or bushes and be ready. Get to shelter as soon as possible.
In the unlikely event that you find yourself in a throwdown with that mountain lion, fight like a wild animal. The mountain lion will try it’s best to get to your neck as this is how they naturally kill there prey. Protect this area at all costs. Do not ever allow the mountain lion to get you by the neck if you can possibly help it.
As a hiker, you should always remember to hike in groups and never hike alone. This invites attack, and can result in a much more deadly situation. The mountain lion is not a natural enemy of the human, but they will certainly take the opportunity to attack us if they are hungry and the situation looks promising for success to them. Make sure that you make that as hard as possible, and you will likely never find yourself in that position on your hike.
