My comment was not in jest. I was stalked by two mountain lions a decade ago. They came within seven feet of pouncing on me. I never go unarmed in the out of doors.
I’m not too familiar with these hybrids but from what I’ve read they only seem to be in the East of the U.S. and Canada.
If they spread out west here they’ll be a problem for sure.
Yegads.
We’ve got those miserable things here too, now.
The DNR denied it for years, in spite of a hunter nearly getting jumped up on Sideling Hill about a decade ago.
After denying it to death, signs on store fronts started popping up telling us that we would be fined $10K for harming/molesting/killing/harassing the “non-existent” critters and a 24/7 hotline number was included in case somebody sighted the mountains lions we “do not have here”.
Either the DNR is unrepentantly schizoid or they think we’re total idiots.
Maybe both.
I used to ride the ATV up on the mountain unarmed.
Then, I took along a .22 varmint rifle on the ATV gun rack.
Later, I slung a 30.30 over my shoulder.
Now that we have the catamounts [as they’re called here], the black bears and the “coyotes”, I don’t leave the freaking yard without a .45 semi-auto pistol.
When I let the dogs out in the backyard at night, I’ve got a high-lumen flash light in one hand and pistol near the door.
God only knows what I might find out there, these days.
I do not go anywhere unarmed, so long as it is legal. Mountain Lions and I would suspect this new breed of Wolf/Coyotes are dangerous. However, the animals that populate the towns and cities are far more dangerous than the predators in the wild. I live in neither town or city by my choice.