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Father,9mm,save son,10 from Mountain Lion attack

Ruby

Regular Member
Joined
May 5, 2010
Messages
1,201
Location
Renton, Washington, USA
We can expect to see more of this as the subdivisions keep expanding more and more into what used to be the animals' territory. If we are going to insist on living close to the wild or wilderness we can expect to encounter wild life, not all of which is friendly.

I am glad that the boy was not seriously hurt and had the presence of mind to stand up and draw his knife. It made him look bigger to the cougar. The father might want to consider carrying a bigger caliber or a long gun when walking around in the woods.
 

hermannr

Regular Member
Joined
Mar 24, 2011
Messages
2,327
Location
Okanogan Highland
9mm would have no problem taking out a cougar with proper shot placement. Cougars are no harder to kill that humans. Around here, most cougars taken when hunting with dogs are taking with a pistol, not a rifle anyway. There are usually 20-50 cougar/dog permits up here every year.

I suspect the cougar was too close to the boy, and not close enough to the dad. The dad was probably trying to scare it off, not kill it just so he would not possibly endanger his son.
 

Citizen

Founder's Club Member
Joined
Nov 15, 2006
Messages
18,269
Location
Fairfax Co., VA
Glad it turned out OK.

That kid is gonna have a great story to tell.

Wait til he's sixteen and some cute girl asks, "Where did you get that scar on your arm?"

Oh, my.
 
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ccwinstructor

Centurion
Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
919
Location
Yuma, Arizona, USA
It can't get better than a lion attack that I fought off with my knife!

Glad it turned out OK.

That kid is gonna have a great story to tell.

Wait til he's sixteen and some cute girl asks, "Where did you get that scar on your arm?"

Oh, my.

Not only that, but the lion had alread killed his dog and was eating it!
 

j4l

Regular Member
Joined
Jan 6, 2011
Messages
1,835
Location
fl
Indeed- scary situation for the Kid, Im sure.
Still wouldnt carry or count on a 9mm for anything more than making noises though..
Observed the after-math of an attempted car-jacking downtown this morning after dropping the wife off for work. Was passing the scene a few minutes after it took place.
The car-jacking attempt failed- the driver popped one of the 2 (.45/1911), the other (using a Glock 9mm) had fired at the back of his truck (large Dodge Ram) as the owner had driven clear of the scene. Saw the back/tailgate of the truck.

11 dents,not a single one went through (good for the victim, fail for the shooter)... sheet metal.. :banghead: That thin-ass crap they build cars and trucks with these days? And 9mm ( in whatever loading) couldnt even penetrate? You can poke holes through Automotive sheet-metal with a screw-driver by hand... :banghead: :banghead:
 
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Cavalryman

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jun 6, 2010
Messages
296
Location
Anchorage, Alaska
Glad it turned out OK.

That kid is gonna have a great story to tell.

Wait til he's sixteen and some cute girl asks, "Where did you get that scar on your arm?"

Oh, my.

I have a T-shirt that says "Scars are tattoos with better stories" Also have lots of scars to go with the shirt!
 

since9

Campaign Veteran
Joined
Jan 14, 2010
Messages
6,964
Location
Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
I'm glad he's all right!

I think it should be emphasized that if you encounter a mountain lion/cougar/puma, running is perhaps the worst thing you can do:

From the article:
The boy ran from the predator but stumbled and fell. It was then the mountain lion took a swipe, scratching the boy's arm and hand.

The swipe isn't typical predatory response behavior, which would have included a vicious bite, probably to the boy's neck. More like the cougar was doing an exploratory swipe to see if the boy was still a threat.

The child then yelled to his father and stood up, pulling out a hunting knife, which made the predator back down."

The knife did not make the predator back down. Standing up makes humans appear much larger than the cat, causing a normally cautious cat to back off. Yelling can frighten them, also causing them to back off. However, yelling can also accelerate their aggression, causing them to lash out, so yelling may or may not be a good idea. Neither, for that matter, is playing dead.

The best response is standing up, looking large, maintaining eye contact with the cat while slowly backing away. Throwing rocks and sticks helps, but I wouldn't bend over to pick them up, as it reduces your apparent size.

Of course, shooting it works exceptionally well....
 

MilProGuy

Regular Member
Joined
Jul 7, 2011
Messages
1,210
Location
Mississippi
What a terrible experience that must have been for the boy and his father.

Fortunately, they were both armed. Had they not been, this story may have ended tragically.
 
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