Posted on 04/14/2005 11:06:09 AM PDT by neverdem
CALGARY -- Peter Bysterveld is alive to tell his tale of survival from a terrifying cougar attack, thanks to sharp instincts and sheer strength. The 23-year-old SAIT student wrestled the feline and flung it through the air after a failed attempt to escape from it in Kananaskis Country Saturday.
"I hit a muddy patch and fell on my stomach, and then I turned around and grabbed its feet, gave it a toss and picked up a stick and started yelling at it," Bysterveld said yesterday.
Bysterveld and his girlfriend were on the last leg of a long hike in K-Country's Sheep River Wildlife Sanctuary when they came face-to-face with two young-looking cougars.
The animals were sitting among trees some seven metres ahead on the popular hiking trail about 20 km west of Turner Valley. One cat turned around, looked his way and lunged in his direction.
With nothing to fight with, Bysterveld felt his only option was to run, which would also distract the cougar from his girlfriend, who watched in horror from behind a tree.
Then Bysterveld fell.
The cat, about the size of a large domestic dog, bit into his calf. Bysterveld responded by taking the cat by its legs and tossing it about five metres.
It got up to come back at him, but Bysterveld had grabbed a stick and yelled at it.
The cat then sauntered off into a gully and the injured Bysterveld - covered in scratches on his arms and a bite to his leg - made it back to safety.
"I think being bigger helped, and I think he was shocked that I picked him up and threw him," said Bysterveld.
Fish and wildlife crews were looking for the offending cat yesterday.
No but one night , playing war games with Night Vision Goggles (NVG's)while stalking my trainees I turned to see a about a 130 pound kitty about 30 meters from me. All I had was blanks in my M16 but I did have some artillery simulators ( fircracker about the size of a cardboard toliet paper roll insert).
I tossed em as fast as I could. Big Boomage, lots of flash and fire and noise. They simulate a 105MM howitzer if ya catch the drift.....:o)
Kitty was gone when the Smoke cleared. I hunted my cat with dogs. He was treed and I dropped him with a 45 colt S&W Model 25 Hunter from the performance shop. My hunt was part of a NMF&G project to cull the kittys who were getting too close to the four hills area near edge of Albuquerque. Normally I make it a hard and fast rule to never hunt for trophys, only for food or to cut back on varmints, rabid animals or conservation projects such as my Cougar Hunt.
Did you figure out where the cat had been observing you before you saw it? 130 pounds is a big one. Nice that you help conservation but it's awfully risky too.
Next day we went up in the exercise area to police blank brass up and noted that the cat tracks went down the same trail we were on for a few hundred yards....no telling as to time but as we were training and moving slow it could have been the better part of an hour. As ya state.....not a good thing to think about.....:o)
I think he did the right thing.
She just would have got herself hurt.
The guy was brave to protect her and risk himself for her.
I carry a saddle gun, a lever action .44 magnum...the dog is the best though. She normally knows about them and raises a ruckus before they become a problem.
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