In some hunting jurisdictions, it is not permissible to carry a handgun when bowhunting. I can sort of (if you squint) see the reasoning, but I would want one.
Ordinarily the big cats, there isn’t much time to react. They attack from behind, in ambush. It kind of looks like juveniles, who are inexperienced can cause trouble. And elderly, who decide they need easier prey.
Maybe that is correct, for traditional prey they are used to hunting.
I have not seen any numbers which confirm it.
A few humans have been killed by mountain lions. Many more have stopped mountain lion attacks because they saw the cat stalking them, and killed or fought off the cat.
It appears to me, mountain lions are not used to attacking and killing people. Therefore, they approach people more cautiously, and are often discovered as they approach.
Oregon was once that way. It was tossed because it was the result of a decision by Oregon Dept. of Fish and Wildlife rule-making, rather than legislative action, violating a pre-emption clause.
I can sort of (if you squint) see the reasoning....
Me, too, and it smacks of prior restraint. Mountain lions are somewhat less of a threat to bowhunters, locally, than are bears. Hunters using cow and calf calls to attract bulls are fairly often stalked by bears, and having time to get a defendive shot with a bow can be problematic.