Man threatened by mountain lion, kills lion

According to Biff Burton, Saratoga Game Warden, on Oct. 4 a hunter from Texas was threatened by a mountain lion in the Holroyd Park area, and ended up killing the predator.

Burton said the man was hunting deer when he encountered a mountain lion. The cat approached the hunter with its ears back, bearing its teeth and growling. The hunter backed up and the mountain lion continued to approach him. The hunter shot the lion at a distance of about 30 feet and killed it instantly with a single shot.

The hunter called Burton and informed him of the incident on Saturday. Burton and the hunter returned to the scene on Sunday so that the game warden could investigate the incident. Upon surveying the scene Burton said he found a partially eaten and recently cached calf elk.

It appears that the lion was guarding its kill. Food guarding behavior is natural for predators such as a mountain lions according to Burton.

The lion was a female that appears to have lactated in the last year, but had already weaned her kittens according to Burton.

“It’s very unfortunate that the lion died, but in that circumstance and that frame of mind, that hunter did what he thought was best to save himself,” Burton said.

Burton reminds hunter’s they are in lion country and “lions are top predators. Mountain lions and other top predators naturally defend themselves, their young, and their food.”

Burton said, “We don’t want people to live in fear, but especially in the winter when prey species like deer and elk are concentrated along a trail or in a canyon where people do walk, either avoid those areas or go in groups.”

“Be prepared, be alert to your surroundings, avoid areas of cover,” Burton said, adding, “if you see [mountain lion] tracks it’s not a good place to go for a hike that day.”

To defend yourself against a mountain lion, retreat while facing the animal, make yourself appear larger by getting on top of a rock or a stump, open your jacket or shirt and hold it out with your arms, make a lot of noise.

Never turn and run from a mountain lion, or a bear, it can initiate an instinctual response to take down a prey animal.

If you do have to kill a predatory animal in self defense, leave the animal where it falls and try to preserve the scene for the Game and Fish Department. Like any potential crime scene, preservation is important for the investigator and their conclusions.