Mountain Lion Hunter
We must be doing well on our wildlife habitat work. We are always working on improving rangeland health for the critters who make this ranch home. One good indicator of wildlife health is the presence of predators. If deer, antelope, rabbit, birds etc are abundant, predators thrive.
We are blessed with our share of carnivores – wolves, black bear, coyotes, and LIONS. I have never been anywhere that had so many mountain lions. Lion tags are sold here for $20.00 and you can take 5 lions on one tag. Even with the lion hunters and the government depredation hunters, there are still lots of lion here. Most people never get a chance to see a free roaming lion in their lifetimes. Doug and I have seen at least 20 in the past 5 years. One jumped off a bank and almost landed on our truck hood – talk about waking you up! There was an older man on a 4-wheeler behind us. Good for him that the lion jumped on us and not him. A big tom lion in your lap from out of nowhere would be enough to make you get out the nitro tablets.
Another time I was riding and noticed a cow acting strangely. I rode over to see what was bothering her and rode right up on a lion with a fresh-killed calf. We had a Mexican standoff. I didn’t want to act like I was going to take the kill – but I also didn’t want to run and get chased. The lion didn’t want to leave the calf. Fortunately for me I was on an old ranch mare who didn’t even pay any attention to the whole situation. I was on a steep slope and a runaway horse could have started a major wreck. After what seemed like a long time, the lion slowly got up and loped off a short distance. I got out while the getting was good. Lions are beautiful, but I would rather see them from a little more than 50 feet away!
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