1 dead 1 injured in Cougar attack near Seattle

netman

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I just watched “Blackway” you guys don’t mess around. You all play for keeps even the cougars.
 

colersu22

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Sound like it was on the Campbell global property(snoqualmie tree farm) up by snoqualmie since it’s talking about lake Hancock.
 

jmden

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Sad deal...even a $30 can of bear spray might have saved 'em. Uggh...too bad.

The collective wisdom of Washington voters:

In 1996, Washington voters passed an initiative, 655, to prohibit the use of hounds in hunting cougars https://mountainlion.org/us/wa/-wa-law.asp

The same initiative outlawed baiting of bears: Passage Of Initiative 655 Leaves Hunters Up A Tree | The Spokesman-Review

Most of this type of voting comes from western Washington--specifically the greater Seattle area. Many of the same folks just love the invasive subspecies of wolves that were introduced illegally into the lower 48...perhaps a pack or two should be introduced into Seattle so they can live with the consequences of their thinking? Hmm? As states seem to manage more for predators these days and voters that know nothing of wildlife management (or much else it seems sometimes) vote for fuzzy, lovable predators, it's no wonder there may be an increase in this kind of thing. There may be a reason the last fatal cougar attack in Washington (13 yo kid near Omak) was in 1924. 22 years of no bear baiting and hunting cougars with dogs might start to have an effect. Who knows?
 
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".........The first victim saw his friend being pulled by the cougar. He got on his bike and started to bike away.”

Abbott said the man rode for about 2 miles before being able to get cellphone coverage and call 911....."


Tough deal.

I don't think I could ride off like that. I'd have to grab a rock, stick, or something and go into fight mode.

Hard lesson learned there on not having a gun or at least spray.

I have a suspicion the speed of the trail bikes might excite the cougar's chase instinct too.
 
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I don't think I could ride off like that. I'd have to grab a rock, stick, or something and go into fight mode.

Hard lesson learned there on not having a gun or at least spray.

I have a suspicion the speed of the trail bikes might excite the cougar's chase instinct too.


I agree with everything you said there, but allow me to make a few of points.

First, you frequent Rokslide, so you're the outdoorsy, hunter type.
Second, you're from Montana, so you're probably the outdoorsy, hunter type.
Third, you have the word Marine in your username, 'nough said.

I'm going to assume that both of these guys were from the Seattle area, probably born and raised there, or perhaps they moved there to work in a computer tech job, either way, riding that mountain bike was probably the most outdoorsy thing they ever did and other than yelling and bluffing this cougar into running away, probably never dreamed that they'd ever see one, least of all ever have to fight one off. No disrespect meant to either of the guys involved in the attack, but I doubt that they had they mentality for fighting a cougar.
 

30338

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Amazing and hard for me to believe that after 20 years of no hunting the mountain lion population is at 2100 and not growing in Washington. Its just odd. Kind of like during my entire life of over 50 years, the illegal immigant population in the US is 10 million.

Regardless, of the attacks I have read about, a handgun of just about any sort would have been hugely helpful.
 

Mike7

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This is a sad story.
Almost every year around here, I hear of someone being stalked or attacked by a lion. Most lions are looking for an easy meal. Other humans acting aggressively toward the attacking lion sends the lion running in every case that I am aware of...even though not so for cuddly G. Bears and Moose. This is an unusual story all around.
Here are some stories of families chasing off lions looking to drag off their kids.

Idaho family saves child from mountain lion attack while camping | The Spokesman-Review
 
Joined
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I agree with everything you said there, but allow me to make a few of points.

First, you frequent Rokslide, so you're the outdoorsy, hunter type.
Second, you're from Montana, so you're probably the outdoorsy, hunter type.
Third, you have the word Marine in your username, 'nough said.

I'm going to assume that both of these guys were from the Seattle area, probably born and raised there, or perhaps they moved there to work in a computer tech job, either way, riding that mountain bike was probably the most outdoorsy thing they ever did and other than yelling and bluffing this cougar into running away, probably never dreamed that they'd ever see one, least of all ever have to fight one off. No disrespect meant to either of the guys involved in the attack, but I doubt that they had they mentality for fighting a cougar.


Those things occurred to me too, but I was doing my very best to remain civil.....grin.

I often read over on the Backpacking Light forum. It is surprising the kind of responses that come when someone asks a question about carrying a firearm on the trail. Many feel it is totally useless added weight.
 

jmden

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This is a sad story.
Almost every year around here, I hear of someone being stalked or attacked by a lion. Most lions are looking for an easy meal. Other humans acting aggressively toward the attacking lion sends the lion running in every case that I am aware of...even though not so for cuddly G. Bears and Moose. This is an unusual story all around.
Here are some stories of families chasing off lions looking to drag off their kids.

Idaho family saves child from mountain lion attack while camping | The Spokesman-Review

One interesting thing about the article you linked is how hounds were used to track and tree the suspected lion (...illegal to use for hunting in WA state since the voters passed that initiative in 1996. I've pretty much lost confidence in the average Washington voter at this point on almost an subject. Too many generations of indoctrination by liberal education system and liberal media...). I'm guessing the same was employed a couple of days ago near Seattle, but that wasn't mentioned in the article I read. It said that WDFW folks tracked it and shot it, as I recall. That seems highly unlikely to occur without hounds? Anybody here ever run across cougar tracks, then tracked and shot a mountain lion without hounds? That would be a feat. Not saying it can't happen...
 

AustinL911

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May or may not be appropriate for this thread, but I instantly thought of Ron White.

[video=youtube;6UMWndnqyFE]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6UMWndnqyFE[/video]
 
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