Cougar on Trail Cam verynear me last night - should I be worried?

[Sogseal]

Hello all, last night i was out for the evening sit. With about 15 minutes of legal light left I heard a deer going psycho blowing like 15 times maybe 200 yards behind me. I wasn't sure if she winded me but from what i've seen if you are far off they will just take off quietly (i am used to me being the one they are blowing at lol). I kind of fot creeped out that there was something else out there she was blowing at. I just grabbed my stuff (wasn't seeing anything anyway) and headed out quietly. Today i got a picture of a cougar headed that general direction where the doe was about 20 minutes prior to all of this.

I know they are in the area. This is the first time getting a picture of one. If the cat would've turned left instead of right it would've came right to me. It was about 130 meters as the crow flies from me, so a very short walk along a man made trail.

What are people's experiences related to this? Should i not be going in and out in the dark? Etc Not sure how concerned I should be. Thanks everyone.

[crazy_davey]

Be afraid, ver very afraid!

[North40Rules]

If the cougar was a fit 45 year old blonde, I would go back and introduce myself!

[stob]

There is an epic pic out there of some Alberta Boy posing with his elk and when he gets home his wife points out the cougar behind him ... I think 3 guys there at the time ... also had a neighbor pounced on by a cat walking out in the dark after gutting a moose he dropped with his bow ... had two buddies stalked by a cat on their way out of the bush which they could see most of the time and I have had them follow my tracks for awhile after I back tracked out of some areas but I never saw those cats ... friends on the island have had them follow them numerous times with no issues to date ... idk what is everyone else's comfort level, to me it is a cool experience ... I bet your spidy senses were tingling

[stob]

Originally Posted by North40Rules

If the cougar was a fit 45 year old blonde, I would go back and introduce myself!

that is Def Leppard

[Ackleyman]

take you defender with tube full

[marky_mark]

Buy a cougar tag

[Bushmaster]

Picture??

[CNP]

There has been one fatal cougar attack in AB. Lots of cougars here, they are in town as well as all the hiking trails around town. I have come across two while hunting. One had just taken down a wt doe and was covering it up when I kicked it up. I am less concerned with cougars than I am with bears. A degree of caution is warranted but human and cougar interaction is very rare. https://www.stalberttoday.ca/amp/bey...-banff-3301718

[buckman]

Cougars are not interested in you or any other human as prey.See tracks and sign often in the areas I hunt.Have had them walk by me and look,just kept on moving. I had one lay down under a spruce 25 yds from me while I was bow hunting once,just looked at me and wandered away.

Perhaps if they were on a kill it would be different, or if they were starving.

Its like everything else if your scared of going in the woods you will never hunt effectively.

[270person]

Without the deer making a racket you'd never have known. Lots out there in almost every wmu but tales of encounters are pretty rare. I've seen at least one every year of the past 4 and they don't bother me much. Maybe make me check behind a little more than normal I guess.

Had a big Tom giving me the hairy eyeball at 30 yds last year while solo hunting. Posed for 45 seconds just staring...with my 7rm crosshairs on his forehead. Gave me the finger and a tail wag and off he went. Slowly. They're pretty cocky. Shorts stayed clean. Probably couldn't have made the same claim if it had been a grizz. I don't care for those guys a bunch.

[hayseed]

Look behind you, and look up.

I'd be more worried about runnin into an upset momma coug with her kittens..

[Smoky buck]

Don’t worry about it odds are you have had other cougars just as close or closer without knowing in the past

Or you could stay home and take up knitting

[Smokinyotes]

I had a cougar in some buck brush about 10’ from me one time. When it took off I could not believe how quick it could move through that tangled buck brush.

[Sogseal]

I will be continuing to hunt as normal. Thanks folks.

[Dean2]

Good to hear. To add one more voice, It didn't eat you last night, wont likely bother u any other night either. The odds of being attacked by anything in the bush is so remote I never give it a thought. Hell of a lot more dangerous walking through downtown Edmonton in broad daylight. There is where u really need a defender with a full tube. 😁

[brewster29]

In his book "Cat Attacks" author Gary Shelton states that if an adult male cougar decides he is going to eat you he will probably succeed ( unless you do something to prevent that). Biggest problem is that you most likely will never know they are stalking you. He believes they are far more scary than bears, and he wrote the book(s) on them too.

[huntinstuff]

I wouldnt be worried

If it comes toward you or acts up, send it back to its maker

[Twobucks]

Worried? Nope.

[reddeerhunter]

No


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[fishnguy]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

I wouldnt be worried

If it comes toward you or acts up, send it back to its maker

Haha. That’s what I think too. Still though, I was once exploring a new area, doing some still hunting, etc. On the way back out of the bush, when I hit my own tracks after completing a circle and seeing cougar tracks following them nicely… was probably the longest shortest hike ever back to the vehicle after that, lol. Just gives you that weird and creepy feeling seeing those tracks on top or next to your own. Something about it. I couldn’t stop looking up around and behind, lol.

[bcpappy]

Buy a tag and make double sure it has no kittens before you shoot. You never got any kittens on the cam? Was there any small tracks of kittens in the area? Put up a pic of the cat and maybe someone here can teach us a thing or two about telling the difference between male and female. There's plenty of info online about sizing cats. If it's still around then you should be good to take a shot if you're lucky enough to run into it.

[DirtShooter]

Originally Posted by huntinstuff

I wouldnt be worried

If it comes toward you or acts up, send it back to its maker

Best advice for cougars and bears....

[Passthru]

Came face to face with three mountain lions recently. Like most wild things they are more scared of you than you are of them. Give them something to be worried about and they should leave. Warning shot

[Demonical]

Buddy if you've been in the bush pretty much anywhere in the west part of AB, you were near a cougar.

It's amazing how many there are in Swan Hills, Whitecourt area.