Beware of cougars in 324

[kokanee83]

I was out this afternoon for a hunt and was sitting in a clearcut bout 200 yards off the road when at about 80 yards a cougar made an apperance at the brush line he disappeared for a moment then reappeared closer to me i said the hell with the deer that were comming in and high tailed it out of there back to my truck with the cougar following me in the bush behind me scared the crap out of me. If this happens again can i legally shoot him if he comes too close to me and i fear my life is at risk. I didnt take a shot at him mostly cause i only saw glimpses of him but what should a person do. Just want everyone to keep one eye out for them there there has been alot of people in that area and they dont seem to be too scared of us probibly all the food weve been leaving for them in nice little piles

[craggerss]

where abouts in 324,I hunt that zone all the time

[Bushmaster]

If I thought my life was at risk I'd shoot him without a consideration of the legalities.

[kokanee83]

As soon as you turn off the main highway onto the gravel the first right follow the road up till it comes to another fork stay to the left the first well head you see after that with the clearcut behind it thats where i was and thats where he found me if you know where it is thats a busy hunting area with alot of people driving the road all day and like i said he wasnt more than 200 yards from the road

[TheClash]

Originally Posted by kokanee83

As soon as you turn off the main highway onto the gravel the first right follow the road up till it comes to another fork stay to the left the first well head you see after that with the clearcut behind it thats where i was and thats where he found me if you know where it is thats a busy hunting area with alot of people driving the road all day and like i said he wasnt more than 200 yards from the road

hmmm he sounds like a road hunter.....

[harryones]

Originally Posted by TheClash

hmmm he sounds like a road hunter.....

Why don't you read his first post before making stupid comments.

[craggerss]

I was driving on swan lake road just before daylight and a cougar crossed the road just by the LH5 road

[mulecrazy]

Originally Posted by TheClash

hmmm he sounds like a road hunter.....

you make yourself sound foolish with this statement. very out of line. Read his first post before making such stupid comments.

[Tuc]

I would report the incident to F&W. For some reason cougars seem to be more agressive lately. Perhaps cougars showing this behaviour are old, sick or losing their fear of man for some reason.
The deer population seems to be healthy so you got to wonder what's up.

[bagwan]

I would say the Clash meant the couger was road hunting. Sitting in a clear cut and reading comprehension leads to my scientific conclusion. A joke can be misread as well.

[Stinky Buffalo]

Originally Posted by bagwan

I would say the Clash meant the couger was road hunting.

That's the way I read it too...


Stinky

[sheepguide]

hate to tell everyone but if you hunt 324 or any of these zones your probably within a very short distance of cougars. These zones are full of cats. We had a collared female and two kittens living within 6 or 700 yards all one winter. ( I live in 324) If you walk a couple miles in this zone chances are you were close to a cat. Lots are spotted every year, even out in the farm land. Not really that unusual anymore!

Originally Posted by kokanee83

I was out this afternoon for a hunt and was sitting in a clearcut bout 200 yards off the road when at about 80 yards a cougar made an apperance at the brush line he disappeared for a moment then reappeared closer to me i said the hell with the deer that were comming in and high tailed it out of there back to my truck with the cougar following me in the bush behind me scared the crap out of me. If this happens again can i legally shoot him if he comes too close to me and i fear my life is at risk. I didnt take a shot at him mostly cause i only saw glimpses of him but what should a person do. Just want everyone to keep one eye out for them there there has been alot of people in that area and they dont seem to be too scared of us probibly all the food weve been leaving for them in nice little piles

If a cat was to come closer and closer as you've described, I'd assess the situation and if in my mind that cat was getting within uncomfortable range, and they can close the gap real quick, it's game over. IMHO, I'd give a bear a lot more room allowance than a cat.