Couple encounters mountain lion at Mad Creek ( Colorado )

Steamboat Pilot ^ | September 13, 2018 | Matt Stensland,

[george76]

A Steamboat Springs couple recently had a scary encounter with a mountain lion at Mad Creek.

Mark Stanford and his wife, Kristen Joaquim, were having a picnic Monday for Joaquim's birthday at the Mad Creek barn, and they started hiking back to the parking area at about 7:45 p.m.

"I looked up and saw a set of eyes staring back at me," Stanford said.

He said he saw a yellow-green reflection off the eyes, and he tried to size up the animal.

"I could see that it was a big cat," Stanford said. "I knew that they had sighting ups there."

He was carrying a firearm, and he shot off a round to try and scare the animal. It ran off and the couple started hiking again before discovering the animal again on the trail.

They felt like they were being hunted.

"It was just a pretty scary encounter," Stanford said.

Stanford was grateful his wife did something to alert him to the presence of the mountain lion.

"If she hadn't done that, and I didn't have my gun on me, there is a good chance one of us wouldn't be here," Stanford said.

[43north]

Standard 2.75” OO buckshot is eight or nine .33 caliber pellets and will thoroughly ventilate a mountain lion.

#1 buckshot is fifteen .30 caliber pellets and will thoroughly ventilate a mountain lion. Hmm, that’s over twice as many pellets.

#4 buckshot is twenty-four .24 caliber pellets and will thoroughly ventilate a mountain lion. Hmm, that’s three times as many pellets. Hornady makes a “Varmint Load” of #4 loaded to 1350 FPS with a special “Versatite” wad to keep the shot in a tighter pattern. I have killed a 70# feral dog on a full run at a distance of about 100 ft. with this load and it was decisive.

Hi cap 9mm is fine for lion defense. So is .357 if you’re good with it. FWIW there are lions, bobcats, and coyotes around my house. My 12 bores are loaded first with the Hornady #4 buckshot “Varmint” load and the last two rounds are Brenneke slugs. If you can’t kill something with a Brenneke slug your number is up.

And if everything goes bad fighting a mountain lion would be a dramatic way to go - BUT - I’d want to go out like a true mountain man and take it with my knife...(LOL). Not really. Let’s be practical. Blow it out of a tree with buckshot!