A Word Or Two About Mountain Lions:

Other than in zoos the largest cat we will see in Colorado is a mountain lion. Naturally living in the mountains we are subject to see from time to time a mountain lion. Mountains are their natural habitat and they range from 25 to 125 square miles. In our 25+ years of living here we have had several encounters with lions. Some as close as 8-10 feet from them. That is not the time to run for safety as they are much faster than humans. You have to stand your ground and look as big as you can and if they charge be ready to fight. 

Our experience is that they do not want an encounter with humans. They seem to go out of their way to avoid us unless, like some in our community, they like to jog on our roads. That will and does trigger their prey drive and they will stalk and attack at times. They attack from the rear and go for the neck and head so that makes fighting them off hard. A male cat can weigh up to 160 lbs. and that is a formattable cat. We had a 35 lb. bobcat kill a deer (ID'd by tracks) just down from our house so that gives an example of how strong a mountain lion can be. 

We came home one time and a mountain lion coiled on the ground not 10 feet from us and was snarling and hissing with its lips curled back and its ears flat on its head. We stood our ground facing it and after a couple minutes it ran off. Another time I took our dog Ben out back on a leash (before we got the fence up) and one was at the corner of the house not 8' away. Ben smelled it and gave a growl that would scare anything and it scared this lion and it left. Ben had a growl that sounded like it came from the pits of hell, plus he was 105 lbs. which would make any predator stop and take notice. 

Lions are elusive and solitary animals and we have seen them several times and they tend to avoid contact with people. Pets and small children would be the exception and much vigilance would be required while in the mountains. They are often around but you are unaware of it because they are elusive. We see their tracks in the snow in the winter and they are not reluctant to go on porches or around structures. It is wise to be extra cautious when there are two or three lions together. One is bad enough but several is serious business. 

Our blog is not long enough to describe all the encounters with lions but staying calm, making yourself look large and being prepared to fight will help make encounters safer.