
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.

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.

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.
————————————————————————————-
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
AsthmaFree Pharmacy: ventolin uk – AsthmaFree Pharmacy
best compounded semaglutide: AsthmaFree Pharmacy – switching from mounjaro to semaglutide
furosemida [url=http://fluidcarepharmacy.com/#]lasix pills[/url] lasix pills
AsthmaFree Pharmacy: no prescription ventolin hfa – ventolin prescription online
AsthmaFree Pharmacy [url=https://asthmafreepharmacy.shop/#]ventolin inhaler without prescription[/url] AsthmaFree Pharmacy
rbl4ls
http://relaxmedsusa.com/# RelaxMedsUSA
ivermectin apple flavored horse paste: ivermectin horse paste humans – is ivermectin for animals the same as for humans
AsthmaFree Pharmacy: AsthmaFree Pharmacy – ventolin order
AsthmaFree Pharmacy [url=https://glucosmartrx.shop/#]rybelsus and gastroparesis[/url] semaglutide compounding pharmacy near me
AsthmaFree Pharmacy: rx coupon ventolin – AsthmaFree Pharmacy
ventolin otc australia: AsthmaFree Pharmacy – cheap ventolin online
relief from muscle spasms online [url=https://relaxmedsusa.shop/#]buy Zanaflex online USA[/url] cheap muscle relaxer online USA
https://relaxmedsusa.shop/# relief from muscle spasms online
ventolin evohaler: can i buy ventolin over the counter – buy ventolin on line
furosemide 100mg [url=http://fluidcarepharmacy.com/#]buy lasix online[/url] generic lasix
AsthmaFree Pharmacy: AsthmaFree Pharmacy – nausea semaglutide
ivermectin 1 cream: IverCare Pharmacy – ivermectin for sarcoptic mange
AsthmaFree Pharmacy [url=https://asthmafreepharmacy.com/#]buying ventolin in usa[/url] AsthmaFree Pharmacy
IverCare Pharmacy: IverCare Pharmacy – is ivermectin safe for pregnant dogs
rybelsus coupon no insurance [url=http://glucosmartrx.com/#]rybelsus 3mg[/url] AsthmaFree Pharmacy
https://ivercarepharmacy.shop/# IverCare Pharmacy
IverCare Pharmacy: IverCare Pharmacy – IverCare Pharmacy
order Tizanidine without prescription [url=http://relaxmedsusa.com/#]RelaxMeds USA[/url] affordable Zanaflex online pharmacy
safe online source for Tizanidine: cheap muscle relaxer online USA – affordable Zanaflex online pharmacy
saxenda vs rybelsus [url=http://glucosmartrx.com/#]can rybelsus cause headaches[/url] can you take rybelsus and mounjaro at the same time
http://fluidcarepharmacy.com/# lasix uses
stromectol ivermectin tablets: ivermectin 0.1 uk – ivermectin scabies dosage
CanadRx Nexus [url=https://canadrxnexus.shop/#]canadian pharmacy world[/url] CanadRx Nexus
online mexico pharmacy USA: MexiCare Rx Hub – MexiCare Rx Hub
MexiCare Rx Hub: accutane mexico buy online – MexiCare Rx Hub
best online pharmacy india [url=https://indigenixpharm.shop/#]best india pharmacy[/url] indianpharmacy com
MexiCare Rx Hub: buy kamagra oral jelly mexico – best mexican pharmacy online
http://indigenixpharm.com/# indian pharmacy paypal
CanadRx Nexus: online canadian pharmacy – safe reliable canadian pharmacy
IndiGenix Pharmacy [url=http://indigenixpharm.com/#]world pharmacy india[/url] IndiGenix Pharmacy
online pharmacy canada: canadian pharmacy victoza – CanadRx Nexus
canadian pharmacy online reviews: CanadRx Nexus – reliable canadian pharmacy reviews
canadian pharmacy india [url=https://canadrxnexus.shop/#]global pharmacy canada[/url] CanadRx Nexus
MexiCare Rx Hub: MexiCare Rx Hub – MexiCare Rx Hub
ah74qo
MexiCare Rx Hub: MexiCare Rx Hub – best mexican pharmacy online
http://mexicarerxhub.com/# mexican online pharmacies prescription drugs
northern pharmacy canada [url=https://canadrxnexus.com/#]canadian compounding pharmacy[/url] CanadRx Nexus
CanadRx Nexus: canadian pharmacy india – reliable canadian pharmacy
CanadRx Nexus: CanadRx Nexus – CanadRx Nexus
buy prescription drugs from india [url=http://indigenixpharm.com/#]IndiGenix Pharmacy[/url] top online pharmacy india
buy antibiotics over the counter in mexico: buy kamagra oral jelly mexico – MexiCare Rx Hub
top online pharmacy india [url=http://indigenixpharm.com/#]IndiGenix Pharmacy[/url] cheapest online pharmacy india
IndiGenix Pharmacy: cheapest online pharmacy india – IndiGenix Pharmacy
tadalafil mexico pharmacy: MexiCare Rx Hub – generic drugs mexican pharmacy
CanadRx Nexus [url=https://canadrxnexus.com/#]canadian pharmacy store[/url] pharmacies in canada that ship to the us
http://indigenixpharm.com/# IndiGenix Pharmacy
cheapest online pharmacy india: mail order pharmacy india – buy medicines online in india
CanadRx Nexus: canada pharmacy – CanadRx Nexus
safe place to buy semaglutide online mexico [url=https://mexicarerxhub.shop/#]legit mexican pharmacy without prescription[/url] MexiCare Rx Hub