do i have enough gun?

I thought I would ask this as I don't know if I do or don't. 2 days ago as I was pulling in my driveway I spotted a large animal in the field behind my house. First i thought big coyote, but when i got out and looked closer it had a cat like head. I thought mabe bobcat but it was pretty big for that, as it left some of the taller grass and headed to the woods it came into better view in shorter grass and I saw what it was. It was a cougar as its tail was nearly as long as its body and looked quite large from my distance of about 150-200yds. I know several wolves have been killed near me but I hadn't heard of a mountain lion. I called K.D.F.W. and they confirmed that red and gray wolves were here as were a few cougars. I own a stoeger cougar 40 s&w, it holds 12rds 11 in the mag and 1 in chamber. I use federal hydra shok hollow points, do ya'll think this is enough gun to handle a big cat or dog if I need it to? do i need to get stronger ammo?, my local shop has cor bon outdoorsman ammo which has nearly 600fpe, my federal is rated at 450fpe. I am not asking about hunting these animals, just in a defense need, if they keep their distance then i'll keep mine. thanks for any help

Carry a Smith model 329PD no more worries, ever.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

Couple of personal question that require only a yes or no on your part, no response is expected.

Do you have kids who will not be permitted to carry a pistol in the event a cougar appears and is a threat.

Do you have a different firearm that you could carry around the "house" that is not typically chambered for a SD situation for humans.

Keep a shotgun by the door(s) in the event the big cat comes too close to the house or any out buildings (if you have out buildings).

When on my farm I carry a Ruger P90 with ball ammo (for gators), A pocket Derringer in .22 magnum w/snake shot for snakes. And a 12G shotgun w/00 buck, in the truck for for just about everything else.

If don't have any, get the game warden to loan you some game cameras to see if the cat comes back or was just passing through. He won't buy some they are cheap these days.

Your family is the first priority and little one are easy prey. maybe your spouse, if you have one, needs to carry while out and about on your property.

Good luck and stay safe.

I think the OP is fine. I doubt he'll see any gators in KY lol.

Wolves and other predators generally stay away from people ... but if needed, the sidearm is a good choice.

I have them all around me ... they scoot when they see me with my firearm. I doubt the firearm had anything to do with their running away (maybe my ugliness but not the gun).

The OP may be fine, those in his charge may not be so fortunate if the cat comes back. Cougars may "scoot" or they may attack, even a full grown man. Though, women and children are far more likely to be attacked.

Anyway, OP, ask the game warden what the law is about shooting protected animals and when, then research the law yourself. Google mountain lion in KY and see if there is any news or information on the subject. For a little hint as to what to look for, Google mountain lion in Missouri, you may just be surprised how prevalent these big cats are.

One was shot a couple of years back by a grand father who shot the cat that was in a tree.....watching his grand kids it seems. We have a protocol to follow in the law so as to not get busted for shooting that big cat.

Good luck

Need and want are two different things your 40cal with a full mag or well take care of the problems you describe.

Now if were me I would want a nice 357,41 or 44 mag to at sometimes help with the problems mentioned in stainless steel even better so my 40 wouldn't be lonely.

Then I would start increasing my gun supply, guns need to be in pairs so they don't get lonely or jealous of each other it is much better to have 4 guns then 3 6 instead of five.

Can one have to many that is a question only you can answer.

If I didn't have the money I would not worry about it.

OC for ME said:

The OP may be fine, those in his charge may not be so fortunate if the cat comes back. Cougars may "scoot" or they may attack, even a full grown man. Though, women and children are far more likely to be attacked.

Anyway, OP, ask the game warden what the law is about shooting protected animals and when, then research the law yourself. Google mountain lion in KY and see if there is any news or information on the subject. For a little hint as to what to look for, Google mountain lion in Missouri, you may just be surprised how prevalent these big cats are.

One was shot a couple of years back by a grand father who shot the cat that was in a tree.....watching his grand kids it seems. We have a protocol to follow in the law so as to not get busted for shooting that big cat.

Good luck

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i called the dept. of wildlife, they don't believe very many cougars are here and what is may just be passing thru. but they said if i saw a wolf or cougar then i could shoot them as they aren't protected. they also said that even protected animals can be shot if it is self defense.

boomer92266 said:

i called the dept. of wildlife, they don't believe very many cougars are here and what is may just be passing thru. but they said if i saw a wolf or cougar then i could shoot them as they aren't protected. they also said that even protected animals can be shot if it is self defense.

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So have you decided if you need or want another gun.

Firearms Iinstuctor said:

So have you decided if you need or want another gun.

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i always want another gun but my budget won't let me right now. i know nothing of cougars or wolves, if my 40 isn't big enough i would have to trade it in on a bigger one. i think my 40 is big enough but like i said i know nothing of these new critters in my area. thanks

Jordan6679 said:

Carry a Smith model 329PD no more worries, ever.

Sent from my DROID RAZR using Tapatalk

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Yeah.

http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/05/44kaboom01.jpg

*See's a large cat/wolf walking through property, not hurting anyone/anything. Wonders if he/she has enough gun to kill it. Makes post asking if he has enough gun to kill said creature that was just going about it's daily routine not bothering anyone/anything. Calls FWR. Gets the 'okay' on killing it.* ... Sounds legit.

Wait a minute...

FEDERAL LEGAL STATUS :
Florida panthers and eastern pumas are listed as Endangered [61].

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http://www.fs.fed.us/database/feis/animals/mammal/puco/all.html

Eastern cougar - Historically eastern cougars ranged throughout the
eastern United States from Michigan and Indiana east to the Atlantic
coast, and from southern Canada south to Tennessee and South Carolina.
Today eastern cougars may be extinct. No breeding populations have been
positively identified within the historic range since the 1920's.
Unconfirmed sightings continue to be reported from the mountains of
North Carolina and the Virginias. Tracks and scat were observed in the
Jefferson-George Washington-Monongahela National Forest as recently as
1981, but no positive confirmation was made [53].

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STATES :
AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE FL GA
ID IL IA KS KY MD MA MI MN MS
MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NC ND OK
OR PA SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA
WV WI WY

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MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS :
Hunting - One of the largest causes of mountain lion mortality is
hunting [56]. Currently almost all states and provinces that support
viable mountain lion populations provide sport hunting opportunities.
Season lengths range from 1 month to year-round and often vary within a
jurisdiction [30]. Most states allow hunters to kill only one mountain
lion per season, with the exception of Texas, which places no limit on
the number of mountain lions a hunter can take [20]. In California
mountain lion hunting has been banned since 1990 [37].

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But, according to these two links; http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ecougar/qa.html and http://www.fws.gov/northeast/ecougar/newsreleasefinal.html - The Eastern Cougar is extinct and no longer under the protection of the Endangered Species Act.

If you ever do truly find an Eastern Cougar, or Puma Concolor, and you decide that you're gonna shoot it because the KDFWR says it's not protected, and it was just passing through not posing a real and immediate threat to you... Well, I hope you keep it a deep secret to your grave, cuz I wouldn't want to be you in that situation.

For reference sake, the "Mountain Lion" is just another name for the Puma, or Cougar, so no one get's to say "that only applies to cougars! I'm talking about mountain lions! they're different!".
*http://www.kentuckyawake.org/Mountain_Lion
*http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cougar

And btw, I've had my own fight and fair share of battling with KDFWR call centers and "managers" who swear up and down that Open Carry is illegal on State and Federal parks and forests. So, I'd seriously take anything and everything that the KDFWR person you spoke with, and throw it out the window, because if they happily mislead people about gun rights/laws, then they're going to mislead people about protection/endangered/extinct animals, because they can get away with it.

boomer92266 said:

i called the dept. of wildlife, they don't believe very many cougars are here and what is may just be passing thru. but they said if i saw a wolf or cougar then i could shoot them as they aren't protected. they also said that even protected animals can be shot if it is self defense.

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I'm not animal rights wacko but I would never take game that is out of season, without a permit unless in self-defense. I am not saying that you would but the consequences of doing so based only on the word of a person on the other end of a phone conversation is imprudent. Research the law in your state and make sure you understand when you may take the game. The property and liberty you save may be your own.

Mo DNR would not admit that cougars were in MO, other than passing through, when citizens kept posting game camera photos the MO DNR finally admitted that cougars were back in MO. In fact, cougars are in very close to well populated areas. The danger these animals pose is real, though the probability of being attacked is low, and vigilance is recommended. We OC to deter BGs. Mountain lions are animals and thus OCing has no affect on them.

Document, if you can, whether or not a mountain lion has decided to take up residence in your area. Hopefully it was just passing through.

12 gauge with buckshot. any feline is quick!

i did not post this thread about hunting a big cat or wolf. only if i'm out in the woods hiking either by myself or with family and any type of attack was about to happen if i had enough gun to stop the threat. as long as any animal keeps its distance unless i am hunting it and i'm not planning on hunting big cats or wolves, then it can go about its business and we can all be happy. i kill alot of coyote's during turkey season as they come up to my call, on several that i tried to just scare off so i can get a turkey they started to act aggressive so i had to shoot them. most farms i hunt on down here the owners have 1 rule to allow hunting, kill any and all coyote's. if wolves and big cats move in they will be on the list as these cattle farmers will have a hard time protecting the cattle. thanks

It's more important to carry the gun and ammo that you are used to and good with, than to start carrying a new gun or more powerful ammo that you are not as used to. The .40 is adequate for cougar defense, almost as much as a .357 Magnum would be, for the most part. Just stay good with it.