Posted on 04/25/2005 4:43:06 AM PDT by rellimpank
Funny, our RC Journal was not in the box this morning. We live right in the middle of "lion country".
Perhaps our paper boy did not sing loudly enough.
Personally, I prefer a .1911 fully loaded. Stick? Looks like natural selection is working for the latest mountain lion lunch. Yeah, stick-what a maroon.
And you can tell when wild animals like that are around....their spore has a peppery aroma and has little bells in it.
But being as how this is a .44 Magnum, the world's most powerful handgun, and would take your head clean off, you have to ask yourself one question: Do I feel lucky? Well do you, mountain lion?
--I thought we needed a funny thread---
Mountain lions, cougars, panthers - whatever you call 'em - ain't a wilderness problem these days. If you want protection, a stick isn't going to do too much good if the cat hits you first. If you survive the spine crushing bite, a better choice would be a concealed back-up piece in a heavy caliber. Besides, it'll help deal with two-legged predators you run into in all night parking lots, too.
In the heart of the Twin Cities metropolitan area a couple years back, an adult cougar was shot in a city park. Cougars, like most cats, stalk their prey and when the cougar strikes, it does so from behind if it can. If you're hiking in these areas, keep the kids in sight and close to the group and bring a dog, if you can.
Can I get that stick in a 9mm caliber? Oh, and that loud noise is just my percussion section!!
Singing "Born Free" like Ethel Merman is guaranteed to repulse bear and mountain lion attacks.
I have no idea where the link is. But a coworker showed me a web site posting pics of a *LARGE* grizzly bear that had been shot by a hunter. The bear was found near the the remains of a hiker who had emptied a .357 into the bear before becoming the bear's last meal. None of the bear's wounds were fatal.
Just about every thread I've ever read about this says that a .357 is too small.
But the dead bear was still *very* large.
All right then that settles it.
From now on I'm hiking with Browning .50 or an RPG-7.
Stupid bears and stuff.
;-)
"The bear was found near the the remains of a hiker who had emptied a .357 into the bear before becoming the bear's last meal."
This clearly confirms the opinion of rangers that shooting a bear will only make it angry. Or the opinion of Elmer Keith (and many others) that a .357 will not stop a grizzly. Heck it is only marginal on Black bears. In Griz country it is prudent to carry a .308 rifle or better. I personally prefer a short barrel 12 guage loaded with hard cast slugs.
Cougars are very easy to kill with a gun an many hunters use a .22 pistol to kill them when they are treed by the dogs. If I were walking in cougar country a .38 or larger w jhps would be ok.
Yeah, the odds of actually running into a hostile predator in Virginia and North Carolina are "relatively" small, but it all depends on where you are at. The big predators tend to stay away from the heavily used hiking trails, but if you go back into the deep brush and "hollers," then you might just see something snarling with big teeth. Likewise, the idea that a mountain lion or bear will run away if you make enough noise or whack it on the nose doesn't hold up if cubs are present, in which case momma will attack on sight.
Also love to hike but somehow never feel like singing it while hiking.
Nevertheless, my .475 Linebaugh goes with me on hikes. It is big enough to handle just about ANY game in the western hemisphere, including Alaskan Brown bears.
"Also love to hike but somehow never feel like singing it while hiking."
Me neither, especially doing PUDS...sometimes its all you can do just to breathe let alone sing....
:]
I used to love to hike with my Daddy. He called it "exploring" like it was an adventure. Now that I think about it, it was.
It is not uncommon at all to be attacked by mountain lions in CA, even though most of the attacks now a days are not reported in the media since they don't want hunting of them to be reopened.
The best defense is to be armed although several campers have beaten them off with frying pans.
My advice to you is to keep walking in lion free zones with your little stick because if you came here you would stand a good chance of being eaten.
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