The strength in those haunches. Just incredible animals.
NFR Cougars
- Thread starter Clean Willy
- Start date
Non-fishing related
My (former) wife and I had driven up a Forest Service road in Chinook Pass one afternoon for a picnic lunch, and were kicking around the idea of taking our young daughter camping in the area. On the way back out we were driving in a section of road channeled by steep banks and thick brush, when we came up behind a large... coyote? with a very long, black-tipped tail? Holy Shit - that's a cougar! It stayed in the roadway in front of us for a few seconds - just long enough for us to reconsider the camping-with-kid idea.
Since then I rarely use the term cougar, since that has too many cutesy mascot overtones in the PNW. Make no mistake - This was a Mountain Fucking Lion.
Since then I rarely use the term cougar, since that has too many cutesy mascot overtones in the PNW. Make no mistake - This was a Mountain Fucking Lion.
I live pretty close to where the boy from Placerville ca was killed. Live on the border of their territory and lately are having all kinds of trouble locally. Friends goat was killed and neighbors 5 sheep. They are being seen more and more in the daylight and not much fear of humans. Made it illegal to hunt or tree them with here with dogs. Pretty much no hunting. Multiple spotting of young cats.
A good podcast about the attack.
A good podcast about the attack.
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I have been fortunate enough to have seen 2 cougars in the wild, both in the north fork Snoqualmie basin.
Regularly see cougar tracks in the Sauk/Skagit river bars. Including several times when returning to my road/vehicle the cat's tracks were on top of those I made on the way to the river. They seem to have been clearly following my trail.
The scariest "encounter" was in the upper Suiattle River wilderness. Hiking cross country through wilderness after dropping into a shallow bowl I got the scare feeling the something was watching me. I stopped to look around, I had stopped on a slight hummock and when I looked down discovered that I was standing a deer carcass cover with brush. Made pretty good time over the next mile or so!
I appreciate such encounters regardless how scarier, part of what makes a wilderness a wilderness.
Curt
Regularly see cougar tracks in the Sauk/Skagit river bars. Including several times when returning to my road/vehicle the cat's tracks were on top of those I made on the way to the river. They seem to have been clearly following my trail.
The scariest "encounter" was in the upper Suiattle River wilderness. Hiking cross country through wilderness after dropping into a shallow bowl I got the scare feeling the something was watching me. I stopped to look around, I had stopped on a slight hummock and when I looked down discovered that I was standing a deer carcass cover with brush. Made pretty good time over the next mile or so!
I appreciate such encounters regardless how scarier, part of what makes a wilderness a wilderness.
Curt
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Staking claims years ago in eastern Nevada. Surveying and posting a line out from the truck several miles. Walking back to the truck down the line, I noted cougar tracks in my boot prints. It still makes the hair stand up on my neck.
I'm with Curt. I love wild stuff in wild places.
I'm with Curt. I love wild stuff in wild places.
Only seen one, while driving to a river access on the Wynoochee River about 15 years ago. Only saw the back half on its way back into the woods, but there was zero question about what I had just seen.
As has been mentioned, while I've only seen that one, I'm fairly certain far more than that have observed me walking through the woods. I recall one time moving upstream from the South Fork Skokomish trail and repeatedly seeing small rocks and dirt fall into the holes I stopped to fish along the way, as if someone or something were peering over the high bank edges to get a discreet look.
Thankfully, humans are generally squarely off the menu, but I still get creeped out when I'm walking through the woods in someplace like the Queets and suddenly notice an abnormal silence. They might not be looking to eat me, but I'm pretty sure they could if they wanted to.
Like others, I count myself fortunate to have seen at least the posterior half of one from a safe viewpoint. Amazing creatures.
As has been mentioned, while I've only seen that one, I'm fairly certain far more than that have observed me walking through the woods. I recall one time moving upstream from the South Fork Skokomish trail and repeatedly seeing small rocks and dirt fall into the holes I stopped to fish along the way, as if someone or something were peering over the high bank edges to get a discreet look.
Thankfully, humans are generally squarely off the menu, but I still get creeped out when I'm walking through the woods in someplace like the Queets and suddenly notice an abnormal silence. They might not be looking to eat me, but I'm pretty sure they could if they wanted to.
Like others, I count myself fortunate to have seen at least the posterior half of one from a safe viewpoint. Amazing creatures.
FinLuver
Native Oregonian…1846
I’m thinkin’ this first sentence could use another word or two…
Otherwise, it could be misconstrued without further context or knowledge of the current subject matter.
If you really wanna see one, I can help you find one. You'll need to buy some meat though.
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FinLuver
Native Oregonian…1846
Or sea otters, ticks, and buzz worms…
Had a cougar run across the road in front of my car on the middle fork snoqualmie road on a Saturday afternoon when lots of people were around.
Was driving the deschutes access rd yrs ago, with the shuttle driver, and my 2 young girls. we stopped to glass some big horns across the river, and i walked back to the driftboat to ... take a leak. heard a noise, and across the road was a cougar that probably got tired of us parked there, and stood up to walk away.... it was pretty good sized., and only a stones throw away.
JimTravers¤£a!!Travers
Steelhead
You're hearing more and more HUSHED WORD these days about the large beasts that live in wynoochee vicinities. At this point many suspect it's getting into abnormally large predators up to and including the Ape Bigfoot.
SilverFly
Legend
Yup. Have yet to see one but found out we had a similar close encounter after the fact.
Took my Dad on an overnight trip to the upper Klick in the late 90's. About an hour after dark we heard something just outside the tent. Didn't sound big, or threatening, so we wrote it off as a racoon.
Woke up to a frosty October morning and found coffee cup sized cat prints in a patch of sandy soil next to our our waders, and less than 20 feet from the tent.
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