Background If you Encounter a Mountain Lion General Safety Tips for living in mountain lion territory The good news is that the myths are far worse than the facts. The truth is that your likelihood of ever even seeing a mountain lion is extremely low and the odds almost nonexistent that you will be attacked. In the past 50 years, there have been fewer than 100 reported attacks on humans and only 17 fatalities on the entire North American continent.

Background on Mountain Lions
The mountain lion, also known as the cougar, panther or puma, is the most widely distributed cat in the Americas. It is usually light brown in color, no spots, and white belly fur. It has a small head and small, rounded, black-tipped ears. Its long tail is usually black-tipped.

Adult males may be more than 8 feet long and generally weigh between 130 and 150 pounds. Females are usually smaller and weigh between 65 and 90 pounds. Mountain lions have extraordinary vision and are remarkably fast. From a standing position, they can jump a vertical distance of up to 15 feet and a horizontal distance of 40 feet. They tend to be active at dawn, dusk, and at night, when they roam their home area in search of prey.

In a healthy ecosystem, mountain lions are a top predator, helping to balance wildlife populations. Deer are their primary food source, and the presence of deer indicates likely presence of mountain lions. However, as opportunistic feeders, they can survive on a variety of prey including rodents, birds, porcupines, fish and raccoons, as well as livestock and domestic animals.

Shy and elusive, they live mostly solitary lives. They breed when both males and females are about two years old. Giving birth throughout the year, females can have litters of up to four kittens, but only one or two usually survive. Born spotted, the kittens stay with their mothers for about 18 months, after which time they will leave in search of their own home range.

Most of us will never see a mountain lion. You are more likely however to see tracks where they have been. Obviously if the tracks look fresh you should be extra cautious.

The mountain lion is very territorial and its home areas can range from 25 square miles in the Pacific Northwest to 1000 square miles in western Texas. They mark boundaries of their home areas with scrapes of earth, leaves, and urine. They are remarkable in their adaptability to a wide range of habitats - from the dense forests of the Pacific Northwest, to the deserts of the Southwest, to Florida’s Everglades.

If You Encounter a Mountain Lion In all likelihood, if you see a mountain lion, it will avoid a confrontation and move away. An aggressive lion will attempt to conceal itself for a surprise attack while stalking its prey. Most likely it will take a crouched position with its tail twitching and ears upright and then snarl and lay its ears back just before attacking. Here are some tips for dealing with a mountain lion encounter: If you are stalked or confronted by a mountain lion, do not run. They can leap several yards and run more than 50 miles per hour. Running may trigger their predator response and actually cause them to attack. Make yourself appear larger and more aggressive. Maintain eye contact. Open your jacket, raise your arms, throw rocks, branches, etc., without turning away. Wave raised arms slowly, and speak slowly, firmly, and loudly to disrupt and discourage predatory behavior.

• If you have a child or dog with you try to pick them up. If provoked, the mountain lion may go after a smaller prey and you certainly dont want your dog to chase after and attempt to fight a lion.
• Never approach or run past or from a cougar. This may trigger their instinct to chase. Make eye contact. Stand your ground. Give them time and space to move away from you.
• Never bend over or crouch down. Doing so causes humans to resemble four-legged prey animals. Crouching down or bending over also makes your neck and back of your head vulnerable.
• If attacked try to remain standing, protect your head and neck, and fight back with whatever is at hand, your backpack, rocks, tree branches, walking stick, anything. Although mountain lions are extremely strong, they are not used to prey fighting back, and they can't afford to get hurt.
• Once you see a mountain lion and even if it moves away, it may still be stalking you or it may come back for another encounter. Stay in the open. Be more vigilant and alert. The safest course of action is to decide that there are other places for you to fish and return to your car/truck, or home.

General Safety Tips when Living in Mountain Lion Territory
When it comes to personal safety, always be aware of your surroundings, wherever you are; conduct yourself and attend to children and dependents accordingly.

• Supervise children, especially outdoors between dusk and dawn. Educate them about mountain lions and other wildlife they might encounter.
• Always hike, backpack, and camp in wild areas with a companion.
• Landscape for safety. Remove vegetation that provides cover for mountain lions. Remove plants that attract wildlife (deer, raccoons, etc.). By attracting them you naturally attract their predator—the lions.
• Don’t feed wildlife. Don’t leave pet food outside. Both may attract lions by attracting their natural prey.
• Keep pets and livestock secure. Roaming pets are easy prey for cougars. Confine and secure any livestock (especially at night) in pens, sheds, and barns.