The Backyard Biologist

Coyotes, Mountain Lions, and Bears, Oh My!

216 Comments
Close-up photo of a mountain lion. Backyard Wildlife
Watching…From the Edges of the Backyard

 

Lions and Bears in The Backyard, Oh My!

 

August, 2012

Many of our followers are aware that I have done a lot of security work over the years, and I still do. I’ve spent many sleepless nights on one type of patrol or another, and I’ve learned to notice many things that most people miss in the world all around them.

Last night I missed a chance to see a big mountain lion moving just a short distance from my solitary post. It was reported to me by an excited and breathless observer, who apparently had some trouble believing his own eyes. He just had to tell somebody, and I’m glad it was me.

The sighting took place on the black top and concrete of a two-track bridge over a cold, clear river in western Colorado, not far from the unfenced yards of several exclusive homes and the manicured grounds of a large country club and golf course. It seemed an unlikely spot to find such a magnificent predator, or so he thought. For his part, the tawny beast was no doubt chagrined to find himself caught in such an exposed and vulnerable position.

The lion enjoys good company as he hunts. Coyote, the all-seeing trickster grows more bold and opportunistic with each passing year, having learned long ago to take advantage of the nonchalance of the family pet. He may have learned it from the big cat. Likewise, encounters with black bears are increasing, as are people and bear conflicts. As a result we receive many complaints about coyotes and bears on the property that I roam, and it looks like it may become particularly bad in this time of terrible drought.

After all, we are surrounded by the rocky mountain west, with national forest and other undeveloped lands close at hand. Still, a mountain lion report is big and electrifying news which will surely surge throughout the small community by morning. This creature rules by stealth, and it is no surprise that most people have never seen one outside of a zoo or animal park.

I have been quite fortunate to study them several times in my adventures and wilderness travels. I’ve spied them without them seeing me, and I’ve noted their reaction when they realize they haven’t seen me first. I’ve hunted them several times, and have found myself standing with the bawling hounds under the killing tree, with an angry and snarling cougar above. I’ve followed their distinctive paw prints over hill and dale, and on more than one occasion found their tracks following me. I love to watch them under any circumstance, and to see them do their thing for any amount of time is an awe-inspiring experience that marks an indelible impression. I can see a stalking cat right now, in my mind.

What I don’t like is this long-tailed ghost watching me, particularly when I don’t know it. I have absolutely no doubt that it’s happened, countless times, at close range and but a primordial fang away. I’d take a bet that it’s happened to you too, if you have spent any significant amount of time in puma country. Fates can change quickly, as the tip of a cat’s tail twitches, measuring what to do. But of course, we will never really know, and it only adds to the mystery and magic of it all.

Sign Depicting What To Do When Encountering a Mountain Lion. Backyard Wildlife
Follow The Signs

 

I would have explained this to my wide-eyed mountain lion man, if I could have gotten a word in edgewise. There are some noteworthy visitors out there in the black night, just out of reach of headlight beams or human consciousness.

Think about that the next time you enjoy a hike on a shadowy mountain trail in a quaking aspen grove, and the hair on the back of your neck stands up for some unknown reason. You may wish to honor that sense. It’s there for a purpose.

Keep it in the back of your mind the next time you go out at night to check on your chickens or other animals in your backyard or back forty. Catch a breath, and take a second to wonder about what just made a nearly silent footfall, behind or above.

The possibility of a lion nearby reminds us of the wilds at the edges, and grounds us in the realities of the natural world. It’s an unsettling thought for some, and one that many of us have to live with when we spend time in the places that we love. Still, I would rather live where I live knowing that a mountain lion lives here too, rather than in a place known to have no mountain lions, and wishing that it did.

It’s a reality I am happy to accept, in the hope of but a quick glimpse, in the corner of an eye.

Michael Patrick McCarty

Game Camera Photograph of Mountain Lion at Night. Backyard Wildlife
Things That Go Bump In The Night

 

Update: October 17, 2012

Game trail cameras are an invaluable tool for those wishing to document the comings and goings of our wild neighbors, particularly in those magic hours between dusk and dawn. Strategically placed, they can capture a delightful display of animal movements not otherwise observed. It’s great entertainment, with the promise of true surprise within easy reach. My anticipation of the next photo or the next video can barely be contained. You never really know what you’re gonna get…

We use several cameras scattered about the property, which we move on a regular basis. Our main interest lies in the activities of the creatures with two legs. We watch for trespass, intrusion, and foul play. That, of course, is a story for another time. Animal sightings are the bonus feature to the main event.

Today’s review of the image collection was no exception. They held the usual cast of characters. Marmots, foxes, and inquisitive raccoons. Wandering pets, and the occasional biker. One frame held the faint outline of a bear in the shadows, and another the up close face of a young mule deer.

And as you may have guessed by now, one camera captured a video segment of a mature lion on the prowl. At first there was nothing but the wide emptiness of the night, then the world lit up as the beams of infrared caught the ghostly figure like the flashes from an electronic campfire.

He was big and long and solidly built, with well-defined muscles that rippled on his bones as he padded easily back to who knows where. No doubt he had used this route before.

A house loomed large here too, just out of camera range. I know, because I set the camera there myself.

My reaction was sharp, and visceral. It’s one thing to hear someone else talk excitedly about their sighting and personal experience. You want to believe, yet, there’s always a little room for doubt in undocumented reports. It’s quite another matter when you actually see a lion for yourself, or have indisputable evidence in hand.

Real is real, and but a moment away from memory. It is undefinable proof of the untamed mystery of our realm, accessible to all just inches from the comforts of our daily routines.

I shall do my best to stay out of the big cat’s path and unseen wanderings, yearning, for his eventual return.

Hunt well, my friend.

————————————————————————————

*Update August 27, 2013

There is not a week goes by that someone does not ask if we have had any puma reports, and I must say, I’m a bit anxious myself. The leaves in the high county are beginning to turn color already, far too early it would seem, and it won’t be long before the early snows are as high as an elk’s belly and the mule deer are headed for the lower valleys along the river. The big cats are sure to follow, and it is then that there is a fair chance to record them on a well placed trail camera. We hope that the hunting is good this season, for us, and for mountain lions everywhere.

————————————————————————————-

By Michael Patrick McCarty

Food Freedom, and Guns Too!

You Might Also Like Our Post About Skunks and Backyard Pigeons

Comments? Tell us about your Mountain Lion experience.

https://steemit.com/nature/@huntbook/coyotes-mountain-lions-and-bears-oh-my

216 thoughts on “Coyotes, Mountain Lions, and Bears, Oh My!”

  19. Svenska Pharma [url=https://svenskapharma.com/#]bästa graviditetstest[/url] sminka blå ögon

    Reply

  26. canadian online pharmacy reviews [url=https://canadapharmglobal.shop/#]online pharmacy canada[/url] canadian drug prices

    Reply

  29. India Pharm Global [url=https://indiapharmglobal.com/#]India Pharm Global[/url] indian pharmacy online

    Reply

  33. India Pharm Global [url=http://indiapharmglobal.com/#]india online pharmacy[/url] buy medicines online in india

    Reply

  40. Meds From Mexico [url=http://medsfrommexico.com/#]mexico drug stores pharmacies[/url] mexican rx online

    Reply

  43. cheapest online pharmacy india [url=https://indiapharmglobal.com/#]buy prescription drugs from india[/url] reputable indian online pharmacy

    Reply

  47. canada ed drugs [url=https://canadapharmglobal.com/#]is canadian pharmacy legit[/url] best canadian pharmacy online

    Reply

  51. canada pharmacy reviews [url=https://canadapharmglobal.com/#]Canada Pharm Global[/url] pharmacy canadian

    Reply

  55. best canadian online pharmacy [url=https://canadapharmglobal.com/#]Canada Pharm Global[/url] northwest pharmacy canada

    Reply

  65. CrestorPharm [url=https://crestorpharm.shop/#]rosuvastatin side effects in males[/url] CrestorPharm

    Reply

  72. Rosuvastatin tablets without doctor approval [url=http://crestorpharm.com/#]Crestor Pharm[/url] Rosuvastatin tablets without doctor approval

    Reply

  76. LipiPharm [url=http://lipipharm.com/#]is it better to take atorvastatin in the morning or at night[/url] lipitor 10 mg tablet

    Reply

  79. Affordable Lipitor alternatives USA [url=https://lipipharm.com/#]can lipitor cause dry mouth[/url] Lipi Pharm

    Reply

  86. Discreet shipping for Lipitor [url=https://lipipharm.com/#]Lipi Pharm[/url] 10 mg 10 mg lipitor

    Reply

  90. Semaglu Pharm [url=https://semaglupharm.com/#]semaglutide oral dose for weight loss[/url] semaglutide half life

    Reply

  93. Lipi Pharm [url=http://lipipharm.com/#]Lipi Pharm[/url] п»їBuy Lipitor without prescription USA

    Reply

  97. crestor 5 mg tablet [url=http://crestorpharm.com/#]Crestor Pharm[/url] Affordable cholesterol-lowering pills

    Reply

  100. crestor and vitamin d [url=https://crestorpharm.shop/#]п»їBuy Crestor without prescription[/url] Buy statins online discreet shipping

    Reply

  110. prednisone price south africa [url=https://prednipharm.com/#]prednisone price south africa[/url] how to purchase prednisone online

    Reply

  118. Crestor Pharm [url=http://crestorpharm.com/#]best time to take crestor medication[/url] CrestorPharm

    Reply

  131. buy prednisone without a prescription [url=https://prednipharm.com/#]purchase prednisone from india[/url] cost of prednisone tablets

    Reply

  136. can i take rybelsus after eating [url=https://semaglupharm.shop/#]Semaglu Pharm[/url] Rybelsus 3mg 7mg 14mg

    Reply

  141. п»їBuy Lipitor without prescription USA [url=https://lipipharm.shop/#]Lipi Pharm[/url] Lipi Pharm

    Reply

  145. brand viagra from canada [url=https://vgrsources.com/#]sildenafil 100mg for sale uk[/url] sildenafil online australia

    Reply

  151. buy generic viagra [url=https://vgrsources.com/#]VGR Sources[/url] sildenafil 50mg brand name

    Reply

  155. where can i get generic viagra [url=https://vgrsources.com/#]VGR Sources[/url] generic viagra sildenafil 100mg

    Reply

  160. buy viagra without prescription [url=https://vgrsources.com/#]VGR Sources[/url] canadian pharmacy for viagra

    Reply

  164. cheap viagra online australia [url=https://vgrsources.com/#]VGR Sources[/url] sildenafil online singapore

    Reply

  169. preço do viagra 50 mg [url=https://vgrsources.com/#]VGR Sources[/url] viagra online without a prescription

    Reply

  173. viagra online paypal canada [url=https://vgrsources.com/#]purchase viagra in australia[/url] sildenafil tablets online

    Reply

  178. viagra over the counter usa [url=https://vgrsources.com/#]canada viagra otc[/url] pfizer viagra for sale

    Reply

  182. where to viagra online [url=https://vgrsources.com/#]real viagra online canadian pharmacy[/url] can you buy viagra otc

    Reply

  188. generic viagra online 50mg [url=https://vgrsources.com/#]1 sildenafil[/url] viagra tablets in india

    Reply

  191. online viagra [url=https://vgrsources.com/#]VGR Sources[/url] sildenafil 50 mg tablet price

    Reply

  196. buying sildenafil citrate online [url=https://vgrsources.com/#]VGR Sources[/url] how to get viagra prescription in canada

    Reply

  200. where to buy viagra pills online [url=https://vgrsources.com/#]VGR Sources[/url] generic sildenafil cost

    Reply

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *