Closest Call With Cougars?

[woolybuggerboy]

I'll start it off with my cougar story. I was hunting in the ochoco's, and i had shot a buck at about seven oclock. it was now about 11 and the deer was skinned and hanging. we loaded the deer into the jeep and were driving back to camp. a cougar cub crossed the road in front of us. this was about a half mile from were i was hunting, and about 100 yards from where i had set up a stand the night before. It was an eye opener. Where was the mom? we didn't see any again but it's chilling to think that a cat is very close to where we were hunting. Another time i was in the mill creek wilderness and i had hiked in over some soft- powdery dirt. on the way out there were fresh kitty tracks over mine. I have seen more and more cougar sign every year i hunt. Is it the same with you guys? what close calls have you had?

[Dirtytough]

I shot a cougar in some reprod at about 15 feet. We sarted tracking it and I moved some limbs out of the way and there was another one laying there about 4 feet away. Shot that one also. That is the closest I have been to a live cat that I know of.

[nitrobass]

About 10 years ago I was bugling back and forth with a Rosey bull that had a pile of cows with him. He'd answer but wouldnt leave the herd. I kept him talking and kept following them hoping for something to change. My last calling stand was on a cat road on the edge of the reprod the elk were in. Just as I put down my call I looked up and a cougar was about 40 yards up the trail, staring right at me. It watched me for a few seconds then went into the reprod the elk were in. I figured I saw them first so I joined the party. The elk eventually spooked and I got in front of them and killed one so the story worked out well. I did see another cougar later that day too.
I didnt see any last year but each year I hear of more and more guys seeing them. Good reason to carry a belt knife.

[Trick]

I had that cat track in the boot track happen about 5 years ago. I was tailing a herd of Mule deer that had gotten wind of me and I ended up circling back around on a cat road that I had been on nomore then 10 minutes earlier. It was raining and there were tracks in my tracks....never saw it. Gives me the shivers thinking about it.
A couple years after that dragging a deer out of a canyon through the timber we spotted something stalking us about 15 yards to the side of us. We caught it's eyes with flashlights through the trees and I'll I can say for sure is it had forward facing eyes and was sorta' slinking behind the trees. We had a 300 RUM with us and my buddy warned that he was going to fire into the air but I didn't hear him give the warning. Nothing like a muzzlebrake 10 feet from the side of your ear going off in the dead of darkness. Lost some hearing on that one.

One thing sticks out and I know I don't enjoy being stalked.

[BassBuster]

A few years ago I was working through some ten foot reprod while bow deer hunting. I knew there was a road ahead of me about fifty yards or so but I had to crawl through a tunnel of grass and blackberries. When I made it through the thicket I saw a cougar sitting on a log at the end of the tunnel about ten yards away waiting for...probably what he thought was dinner coming through. That about scared the crap out of me literally. Luckily he ran off when I stood up.

[oregonoutdoors]

This happened 4 years ago, I have had one other run in but this was definetly the close call.

I had a little ground blind set up on a trail through some reprod about a mile from the truck. I am walking in the dark without a light about 45min before light on a closed logging road. There was a really bright full moon and you could see fairly well. The road I was on went near the ridge through a new cut. I happened to glance to my right and saw a flash of something bright. I stopped and made out two big eyes shining, at about 10 feet. They were about 8-10" apart, and less than a foot off the ground. I immediatly put an arrow on the string. I was thinking coyote, but as I studied it I made out the round head and long back. It was laying down facing me with its head down and its back feet under it. Immediatly a wave of fear went over me and I pulled the arrow off my sting, and got ready to stab if it pounced. I started backing down the road so the moon would illuminate it better( and put some distance between us), put the arrow on my string and started to draw. Before I could draw it turned and went just below the skyline. Then I heard a very small twig break. It was moving closer to me! I caught a glimse of it once more as it peeked up over the ditch and was skylined again. It never made another sound even though this was a very dry newly demolished cut, tons of slash on the ground. I made it back to the truck walking backards mostly with my knife out in my hand. At light I went back to the spot and was able to find a few of its tracks. Not sure how long it followed me. Now I carry a titanium .357 with laser grips.

[Slayer12]

two years ago, during archery season I was calling down in the bottom of a canyon till dark when I decided to head back to the truck. as I hiked up the ridge I heard something "sneaking" behind me. as soon as I would stop walking it would also stop. this continued for about 20 minutes as I hiked up hill, with the critter closing distance. it slowly started to circle in front of me then seemed to stop and wait for me to pass by. I cleared my throat loudly and let out a little hollar. never heard the noise again. just as I topped the hill and about to get into the truck I flushed a covey of quail that scared the daylights out of me. I don't know if what was stalking me was a cougar, but have to assume that it was. I am considering carrying a side arm this next year.

[kill2hunt]

two years ago i was bowhunt in the ukiah unit. got into a herd of elk behind camp about a mile and chased them around until it was nearly dark. being new to the area i was already a little sketchy, not knowing if where i was going was the right way. soon i started recognizing the trees and trail so a sigh of relief come over. just then two nice bucks jump across the road, just light enough to get my pins on. but not wanting to risk it i just sat there drawn back on the biggest one. they were about 15 yards, with a little brush between us. with out a sound, well kinda like a swooshing sound from not more than 10yards down the trail a cougar bailed after the deer all i saw was a tail chasing the deer across the opening. its big tail going up like a flag. pretty spooky, good thing he didnt know i was there because in the state of mind he was in im sure he would of taken me over those deer.

[birdhunter]

Here's a true (if somewhat long) story about an Oregon cougar attack that happened to me when I was 15.

On a warm September evening I sat on a rocky out cropping overlooking eight-mile canyon with a feeling of quiet depression. The opening weekend of the high Cascade deer season had been a tremendous disappointment and I couldn’t help but blame myself. Four days of solid hunting had produced no deer. “Oh well, I still have the general Western season,” I thought as I stood up to leave. Suddenly I heard a noise behind me and turned around to see a tawny shape explode from the brush. I knew immediately what I was looking at: a mountain lion, coming right for me.

My weekend began simply enough. My father and I met up with one of our old friends for a deer hunting trip near Crescent Lake. Four days later we had seen four does, no bucks and I had only narrowly avoided being trampled by an overly protective cow elk. The plentiful lack of sign was due mainly to overly dry weather, which drove the deer onto irrigated, private land. It was no surprise that we decided to pack it up and leave early Monday morning.

We had driven about halfway home when the hunting bug hit. I don’t give up easily and disdain the taste of failure. I casually mentioned to my Dad that we would be driving through the White River area anyway on the way home, and it was still in our hunt area so…. A few hours later we pulled off on a gravel road, a mile or so above eight-mile creek. The White River area consists of a series of creeks draining from the east side of Mt. Hood to the White River or the famed Deschutes. It is mostly National forest land except for the White River Game Area, from which we derive its namesake. I have been hiking, hunting and fishing the hills and valleys of the area for as long as I can remember. From the dense spruce forest to the ponderosa-covered hills to the oak savanna, this place holds many memories.

We began by scouring some water holes I knew of. The elk were rutting and had turned them into wallows. We found almost no deer sign. In fact, the only fresh sign we did find in any great number belonged to the human species. The woods were devoid of wildlife, save for the occasional grouse, which flushed at your feet in an explosion of feathers. This often left the owner of said feet clutching his chest and breathing rather heavily.

After a few hours at this, we decided it would be best to check out one last spot and then go home. The area we intended to explore was just north of a Boy Scout summer camp and down an old gravel logging road. By now the scouts had left for the summer so no longer did horses and campers cross the road followed by telltale dusty plumes. I can still remember spending many happy days at that camp when I was younger.

The road came to an end at the base of a clear-cut. From this point we hiked a game trail through one of the few remaining stands of timber until we reached another clear-cut and a closed road. After conferring some with my dad, we decided to split up. He would take the high ground and walk along the edge of a meadow on top of the ridge. I would follow the road and the rimrock, periodically looking into the clear-cut below for browsing deer. By now it was 6:00 pm and we didn’t have much daylight left.

I didn’t have high expectations for this trip. The road already had a number of fresh human footprints in it and I didn’t see much deer sign. As I walked along I would periodically hear crunching or cracking in the brush alongside the road, but I attributed it to birds and squirrels going about their daily activities.

By the time I got to our prearranged meeting spot, it was 6:20. I sat down on top of a rimrock cliff and looked down on upon eight-mile canyon. To my left, Mt. Hood loomed high and large. To my right I could see the Deschutes canyon and in the distance the mighty Columbia. I loved this country and was happy just to be out in it, but I couldn’t help feeling disappointed in my own hunting skills.

It was then, as I was standing up, that the cat appeared. I had turned my back to the canyon when I heard some rocks slide below me. Turning quickly I saw the graceful and agile form of a mountain lion at a scant fifty yards. The cat appeared very healthy. It had a loose belly that swayed some as it ran. It was a tawny gray in complexion and looked about how I had always expected a lion to look. Moving in silence, but with such obvious speed and power, it approached. I was completely entranced and did not move.

My first reaction was one of awe and surprise. I had seen lion tracks before and caught fleeting glimpses of possible “lions”, but this was the first one I had been able to observe at such a close range. I felt lucky to have such a privilege most people never experience. Then I saw its eyes.

The cat gave me a fixed look that I have never been able to forget. It is indelibly burned into my memory like a deep brand. There was a cold, calculating look in its eyes. It was as if it was in a trance of its own. The whole of the cat, all of its energy, was focused on me. If you have ever seen a house-cat stalking a bird you know what I am talking about. It was then that I realized the hunter had become the hunted. I might have stayed mesmerized if a bright pink tongue hadn’t shot out and licked the cat’s lips.

My first impulse was to run. Luckily I knew better. That was exactly what the cat wanted and expected. It was used to having deer and other prey run from it. Once facing away, it was easier to catch the prey and break their necks in its strong jaws. I knew exactly what would happen if I tried to run. Five, maybe six steps later the lion would be all over me. Instead I tried to make myself look bigger and began yelling for Dad. He was only a scant 200 yards away, but he didn’t hear me.

The trick worked, sort of. The cat slowed down to a deliberate pacing at about 30 yards but continued on its forward progression. Now it was growling and hissing very loudly in an effort to get me to bolt. I decided then and there that I didn’t want the animal approaching any closer.

I took my trusty .308 rifle off of my shoulder and deliberately took aim. The cat was now only about 20 yards below me, but it had to pass under some down timber and in doing so turned broadside to me. I put the crosshairs behind its shoulder and squeezed the trigger. Click! The gun had misfired and the cougar continued to approach.

A wave of fear and nausea swept over me. Up until this point I had been aware of the dangerous situation I was in, but hadn’t really been scared. Now I began to shake uncontrollably and turn pale. It was at this time I realized I was probably going to die.

Soon enough my adrenaline kicked in and, I regained enough composure to lower my gun and check the cartridge. Unloading the rifle, I discovered to my relief and embarrassment that I had simply forgotten to load the gun at the beginning of the hunt. Because of my disappointing weekend and pessimistic outlook I had forgotten this crucial ritual. Quickly I jacked a shell into the chamber and looked up. The lion was nowhere to be seen.

It was then that I began to hear a low guttural growl rising from below me. The cat was directly below the small cliff I was standing on. I quickly backed up to assess the situation. The cougar had only three options if it still wanted to get me. It could come up on either side of the rock outcropping or go straight over the top. I didn’t know which it would choose and awaited its move.

The cougar decided to go over the top and in one fluid, seemingly effortless leap was standing a scant seven feet away. I raised my rifle but couldn’t make out anything in the scope, as it was now too close. I lowered the gun to my hip as the lion crouched, snarling and hissing. From my hip I fired and this time the sound of a gunshot reverberated through the canyon walls.

The mountain lion tumbled over the cliff and I immediately ran in the opposite direction, calling for my father. He had heard the shot and was on his way over to help with my “deer.” Even though he was in the middle of an open field, I almost sprinted past him in my rush. Fortunately he caught me and calmed me down enough to listen to my breathless account of what had just transpired. I took him over to the site and we peered over the edge of the cliff for the cougar.

It was nowhere to be found. The lion was somewhere in the thick re-prod patch below. We followed the tracks with our guns drawn into the thicker brush. Here and there were rich red droplets of blood and broken branches. After moving about 30 yards from where I had last seen the animal, my father suggested we rethink the logic of tracking a wounded cougar in thick brush as it was getting dark. I hastily agreed and was just about to turn back when something caught my eye.

There, coming out of a patch of tall, yellow grass was a motionless tail. We quietly snuck up and found a very dead cougar. A bullet to the head had ended its prowling. A sigh of relief went through both of us. The ordeal was over.

The cat was a 7-year-old female weighing close to 130 lbs. She didn’t have any kittens and was very healthy with plenty of adipose fat on her body. The reason for her attack still remains a confusing mystery. I now can look back and feel lucky that she decided to go after me rather than some helpless camper earlier in the summer. The site of the attack was only ¼ of a mile north of the Scout camp’s border.

It seems that with increasing numbers of lions since the ban on hound hunting, encounters like this are becoming more and more common. More hunters are purchasing tags in the event they come across a lion. We were fortunate enough to have purchased a lion tag before we went hunting and as a result there is a cougar rug gracing my room. I personally cleaned and polished the skull of the animal that had wanted to eat me. Both serve as indelible reminders of a day I will never forget.

[stlhdr1]

Originally Posted by birdhunter

Here's a true (if somewhat long) story about an Oregon cougar attack that happened to me when I was 15.

On a warm September evening I sat on a rocky out cropping overlooking eight-mile canyon with a feeling of quiet depression. The opening weekend of the high Cascade deer season had been a tremendous disappointment and I couldn’t help but blame myself. Four days of solid hunting had produced no deer. “Oh well, I still have the general Western season,” I thought as I stood up to leave. Suddenly I heard a noise behind me and turned around to see a tawny shape explode from the brush. I knew immediately what I was looking at: a mountain lion, coming right for me.

My weekend began simply enough. My father and I met up with one of our old friends for a deer hunting trip near Crescent Lake. Four days later we had seen four does, no bucks and I had only narrowly avoided being trampled by an overly protective cow elk. The plentiful lack of sign was due mainly to overly dry weather, which drove the deer onto irrigated, private land. It was no surprise that we decided to pack it up and leave early Monday morning.

We had driven about halfway home when the hunting bug hit. I don’t give up easily and disdain the taste of failure. I casually mentioned to my Dad that we would be driving through the White River area anyway on the way home, and it was still in our hunt area so…. A few hours later we pulled off on a gravel road, a mile or so above eight-mile creek. The White River area consists of a series of creeks draining from the east side of Mt. Hood to the White River or the famed Deschutes. It is mostly National forest land except for the White River Game Area, from which we derive its namesake. I have been hiking, hunting and fishing the hills and valleys of the area for as long as I can remember. From the dense spruce forest to the ponderosa-covered hills to the oak savanna, this place holds many memories.

We began by scouring some water holes I knew of. The elk were rutting and had turned them into wallows. We found almost no deer sign. In fact, the only fresh sign we did find in any great number belonged to the human species. The woods were devoid of wildlife, save for the occasional grouse, which flushed at your feet in an explosion of feathers. This often left the owner of said feet clutching his chest and breathing rather heavily.

After a few hours at this, we decided it would be best to check out one last spot and then go home. The area we intended to explore was just north of a Boy Scout summer camp and down an old gravel logging road. By now the scouts had left for the summer so no longer did horses and campers cross the road followed by telltale dusty plumes. I can still remember spending many happy days at that camp when I was younger.

The road came to an end at the base of a clear-cut. From this point we hiked a game trail through one of the few remaining stands of timber until we reached another clear-cut and a closed road. After conferring some with my dad, we decided to split up. He would take the high ground and walk along the edge of a meadow on top of the ridge. I would follow the road and the rimrock, periodically looking into the clear-cut below for browsing deer. By now it was 6:00 pm and we didn’t have much daylight left.

I didn’t have high expectations for this trip. The road already had a number of fresh human footprints in it and I didn’t see much deer sign. As I walked along I would periodically hear crunching or cracking in the brush alongside the road, but I attributed it to birds and squirrels going about their daily activities.

By the time I got to our prearranged meeting spot, it was 6:20. I sat down on top of a rimrock cliff and looked down on upon eight-mile canyon. To my left, Mt. Hood loomed high and large. To my right I could see the Deschutes canyon and in the distance the mighty Columbia. I loved this country and was happy just to be out in it, but I couldn’t help feeling disappointed in my own hunting skills.

It was then, as I was standing up, that the cat appeared. I had turned my back to the canyon when I heard some rocks slide below me. Turning quickly I saw the graceful and agile form of a mountain lion at a scant fifty yards. The cat appeared very healthy. It had a loose belly that swayed some as it ran. It was a tawny gray in complexion and looked about how I had always expected a lion to look. Moving in silence, but with such obvious speed and power, it approached. I was completely entranced and did not move.

My first reaction was one of awe and surprise. I had seen lion tracks before and caught fleeting glimpses of possible “lions”, but this was the first one I had been able to observe at such a close range. I felt lucky to have such a privilege most people never experience. Then I saw its eyes.

The cat gave me a fixed look that I have never been able to forget. It is indelibly burned into my memory like a deep brand. There was a cold, calculating look in its eyes. It was as if it was in a trance of its own. The whole of the cat, all of its energy, was focused on me. If you have ever seen a house-cat stalking a bird you know what I am talking about. It was then that I realized the hunter had become the hunted. I might have stayed mesmerized if a bright pink tongue hadn’t shot out and licked the cat’s lips.

My first impulse was to run. Luckily I knew better. That was exactly what the cat wanted and expected. It was used to having deer and other prey run from it. Once facing away, it was easier to catch the prey and break their necks in its strong jaws. I knew exactly what would happen if I tried to run. Five, maybe six steps later the lion would be all over me. Instead I tried to make myself look bigger and began yelling for Dad. He was only a scant 200 yards away, but he didn’t hear me.

The trick worked, sort of. The cat slowed down to a deliberate pacing at about 30 yards but continued on its forward progression. Now it was growling and hissing very loudly in an effort to get me to bolt. I decided then and there that I didn’t want the animal approaching any closer.

I took my trusty .308 rifle off of my shoulder and deliberately took aim. The cat was now only about 20 yards below me, but it had to pass under some down timber and in doing so turned broadside to me. I put the crosshairs behind its shoulder and squeezed the trigger. Click! The gun had misfired and the cougar continued to approach.

A wave of fear and nausea swept over me. Up until this point I had been aware of the dangerous situation I was in, but hadn’t really been scared. Now I began to shake uncontrollably and turn pale. It was at this time I realized I was probably going to die.

Soon enough my adrenaline kicked in and, I regained enough composure to lower my gun and check the cartridge. Unloading the rifle, I discovered to my relief and embarrassment that I had simply forgotten to load the gun at the beginning of the hunt. Because of my disappointing weekend and pessimistic outlook I had forgotten this crucial ritual. Quickly I jacked a shell into the chamber and looked up. The lion was nowhere to be seen.

It was then that I began to hear a low guttural growl rising from below me. The cat was directly below the small cliff I was standing on. I quickly backed up to assess the situation. The cougar had only three options if it still wanted to get me. It could come up on either side of the rock outcropping or go straight over the top. I didn’t know which it would choose and awaited its move.

The cougar decided to go over the top and in one fluid, seemingly effortless leap was standing a scant seven feet away. I raised my rifle but couldn’t make out anything in the scope, as it was now too close. I lowered the gun to my hip as the lion crouched, snarling and hissing. From my hip I fired and this time the sound of a gunshot reverberated through the canyon walls.

The mountain lion tumbled over the cliff and I immediately ran in the opposite direction, calling for my father. He had heard the shot and was on his way over to help with my “deer.” Even though he was in the middle of an open field, I almost sprinted past him in my rush. Fortunately he caught me and calmed me down enough to listen to my breathless account of what had just transpired. I took him over to the site and we peered over the edge of the cliff for the cougar.

It was nowhere to be found. The lion was somewhere in the thick re-prod patch below. We followed the tracks with our guns drawn into the thicker brush. Here and there were rich red droplets of blood and broken branches. After moving about 30 yards from where I had last seen the animal, my father suggested we rethink the logic of tracking a wounded cougar in thick brush as it was getting dark. I hastily agreed and was just about to turn back when something caught my eye.

There, coming out of a patch of tall, yellow grass was a motionless tail. We quietly snuck up and found a very dead cougar. A bullet to the head had ended its prowling. A sigh of relief went through both of us. The ordeal was over.

The cat was a 7-year-old female weighing close to 130 lbs. She didn’t have any kittens and was very healthy with plenty of adipose fat on her body. The reason for her attack still remains a confusing mystery. I now can look back and feel lucky that she decided to go after me rather than some helpless camper earlier in the summer. The site of the attack was only ¼ of a mile north of the Scout camp’s border.

It seems that with increasing numbers of lions since the ban on hound hunting, encounters like this are becoming more and more common. More hunters are purchasing tags in the event they come across a lion. We were fortunate enough to have purchased a lion tag before we went hunting and as a result there is a cougar rug gracing my room. I personally cleaned and polished the skull of the animal that had wanted to eat me. Both serve as indelible reminders of a day I will never forget.

Wow!!!!!! That's one heck of a story!

Personally, I've only had 3 encounters with Cougars...

The first was while watching a herd of elk during elk season in this meadow about 80 yards from me. It was a herd of cows that were feeding/playing and I figured with a little time perhaps a bull would show. I sat patiently watching through my scope while hiding behind a stump... After what must have been 30 minutes or so all of a sudden I noticed the herd came to a stand still and was staring at the thicker brush on the opposite side of the meadow as to where I sat. Thinking a bull was going to make an appearance I drew closer to my scope and started scanning the area they were looking. That's when one of the cow's let out a extremely loud bark and the herd started heading straight at me and right behind them was a Cougar that came flying out of the brush. Although I could see every muscle move in that cat as it pounced on one of the calfs (about 40 yards from me) through my scope it never dawned on me that I could have shot the cat until it was all over... Some of the sounds that the calf and that cat made at that moment were enough to make a man never want to enter the woods again... My mind was thinking bull elk and to see that Cougar come out and attack that calf was mezmorizing....

Second was a night about 10 years ago up with a buddy Racoon hunting with our dogs. While driving through a creek area that we typically "struck" and killed coon sure enough the dogs struck. After turning them loose they ran a little farther than a typical coon would but still within hearing distance and we could hear them tree... It was late that night, somewhere around midnight so I grabbed my mag lite and .22 mag and we headed in. As we approached the tree it was in a real thick spot. I started to shine the tree and spotted (about 40 yards away) what I thought was a record sized coon (by the eye span) and then noticed it was not the right color. As we walked closer I about freaked, there sitting about 20 yards up the tree was an adult Cougar that was probably about 120 pounds just staring down at us. Although I had a tag I was not about to shoot this Cougar with our 2 dogs at the base of the tree with a single mag lite in hand. So we tried to call the dogs off but as typical hunting dogs they weren't going to leave the tree until they got to chew on what was up it.... At this time Andre was going to go over and leash the dogs so we could get out of there while I was holding the flashlight along with the gun and had a tough time keeping the light on the cat as well as showing Andre a path to the dogs. Long story short we finally got the dogs and started our way out. What was even spookier was leaving the tree knowing there was a live cat that could exit at any time and follow us. Never again did we go to a tree with a single flashlight.....

Third Cougar we seen crossed the road in front of us while walking into an area to elk hunt. I swear I spent that entire day watching behind me more than in front... I'd love to kill one but don't need any more close-ups unless it's dead....

Keith

[BrianMaguire]

My closest was this last year. While hunting elk in the cascades I had one stalk to within 15 yards. It came into my elk calls. The skull is on my desk.

[Mike P.]

My encounters are not anywhere close to as exciting as the others here, but I used to live near Tyee and while out scouting one evening had a cougar cross the paved road in front of me about 3/4 of a mile from where I lived...made me think twice about leaving my golden outside while I was at work.

The other sighting was in early august about 6-8 years ago while bear hunting and going off roading near Steamboat. We caught a big dark cougar in the road...it was amazing how it ran up a cutbank and then jumped down 15-20 feet back onto the road. I attempted to get it in my scope but I stupidly had it on 9 power so the only shot I got at it was a crack shot which missed by a mile. Now I am very careful about turning my scope back down every time after scoping something with high power.

I also had the cougar track in the dust over my bootprints happen last year up past Oakridge while bowhunting for elk. I was glad that I had my sidearm handy.

Two guys I know both shot cougars that were stocking them while rifle hunting for elk over in Eastern Oregon one was at 12 feet and the other closer to 20. I think that one was hunting the desolation unit and the other was hunting ukiah.

[hillsboro]

My second season deer hunting I was by myself up above Hagg Lake hiking the logging roads. I came up to a bend in the road and looked down as the road dropped down and to the right 50 yards after the bend. As I looked down the road I noticed somthing casually walking away from me down the road maybe 30 yards, my first reaction was Bobcat as I had seen a couple others in the area, then I noticed the tail and the color and thought maybe one of the the locals dogs had wandered up from the lake as this happens somtimes.
I was quick to confirm with one quick look through the bino's though, it was a cougar. I didn't have a cougar tag and was honestly stuneed to see one in the woods, it took maybe 5 more steps on the road and turned off into the woods and headed downhill. I turned and headed down the other side of the road, what a feeling..

[Zodiac-Fisherman]

Back in the early 90's my dad was mtn biking at Wilder Ranch State Park in Cali and had a cougar run in front of his bike during a fast downhill descent.

[FeatherBusterOSU]

Cool Stories guys! Keep em coming!:lurk:

-Jimmy

[Lucky one]

Well I have never seen a live cougar. Lots of flashes and what I thought might have been a cougar but never one standing in its tracks. I do think I had a close encounter though.

It was high cascade season and I was walking out in the dark down a snow mobile trail down to my truck. I stopped to call my girlfriend and let her know how things were going while still in the woods. I talked to her for about ten minutes letting her know all was well but mr buck hadn't made the crucial mistake yet. The whole time I was focusing on her conversation but kept hearing small cracks and rustles. I thought nothing of it and kept on talking. After hanging up I was getting a drink of water when I heard something large come down a nearby tree and make a soft but heavy poof on the ground. That alarmed me so I turned the flashlight towards the sound and backed the rest of the way to my truck. The whole time I could hear things soflty creeping in the dark, but I never could see it. I got out fine and never saw anything. When I came back the next morning to investigate there were large cougars tracks in my boot tracks from the previous night.

It could just be coincidence but I know I didn't imagine the sounds I heard.

[BigSkyHunter]

I have had three encounters in the last five years not to mention I have seen additional cougars other than the ones that got close.

1) In August of 2003 my dad and I were doing a over night summer steelhead fishing trip on a small Oregon coastal stream before I headed off to college. The day was coming to an end and we had caught and released some nice fish. We got back to the truck at dark and were eating some chicken on the tailgate when I kept telling my dad I could here something moving in the very thick brush. My dads hearing is not a keen as it use to be so he just thought I was hearing things. It went on as the thing kept getting closer. Finally I grabbed the mag light and shined it into the direction of the sound to see two gold eyes stearing back at me as the cougar was perched on a log about 15 yards away. At this time my dad dug out his side arm but was too late before the cougar left.

2) In May of 2004 I was spring bear hunting in NE Oregon. I was sitting on some rim rock glassing a canyon were I have scene several bears including the night before. I went to uncrosss my legs because they had fallen asleep when I caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of my eye. There was a cougar crouched no more than 10 yards away to my left. Before I tell you what happened next this cougar had gone about 200 yards in wide open grass without me detecting it as it was just out of the corner of my eye. Panic set in and I pulled my rifle up without really doing much thought as most teenagers by themselves would. The night before I had the scope on 15 power as I set up on a bear. I had not put it back down to 4.5x. I unloaded four 300 RUM rounds at this cougar so fast it sounded like a semi auto. I missed all four times as the cougar did not make a move. As I began to reload the cougar made two steps forward and jumped off the rim rock outcropping and ran down the canyon. Now, everytime I begin a hunt I make sure the scope is on low power and always move it back down after being on high power. To this day I still can picture the cougar staring at me with a really dark patch of fur on its chin.

3) During the summer of 2004 I was crusing timber in the Van Duezer corridor for a private timber company with a OSU forestry student. We were spinning a plot and I was on the outside of the plot marking some trees. The girl I was working with was writing down the data I had just told her. I began walking back to were she was when I noticed a juvenile cougar sitting behind her l about 10 feet looking at her. As I got closer it took off. She never new it was there and never even heard it move through the slough until it took off.

It is my goal to harvest a cougar someday, I have had my chances but things never seem to pan out. It is only a matter of time... Just got to get this whole college thing out of the way. Thanks for letting me share my encounters, now I better get back to studying for my midterms.

[stickflicker]

Originally Posted by hillsboro

My second season deer hunting I was by myself up above Hagg Lake hiking the logging roads. I came up to a bend in the road and looked down as the road dropped down and to the right 50 yards after the bend. As I looked down the road I noticed somthing casually walking away from me down the road maybe 30 yards, my first reaction was Bobcat as I had seen a couple others in the area, then I noticed the tail and the color and thought maybe one of the the locals dogs had wandered up from the lake as this happens somtimes.
I was quick to confirm with one quick look through the bino's though, it was a cougar. I didn't have a cougar tag and was honestly stuneed to see one in the woods, it took maybe 5 more steps on the road and turned off into the woods and headed downhill. I turned and headed down the other side of the road, what a feeling..

Hey hillsboro where at up at hagg were you when you saw the cat .My hunting partner and i saw lots of tracks up off of sain creek.Just curious

[Cougar_B8]

Back in the 70's I saw my first cougar while traveling in a car. Up until 1995 that sighting was my one and only and I spend a lot of time in the woods. I had always wanted to see a cougar in the wild. Careful what you wish for. Then in 1995 I had my second sighting and it was intense.

It was during elk bow season, mid day and it was cool out so I was dressed warmly as I headed out early for the evening hunt. My plans were to drop into the bottom of a canyon so that I would have the wind in my favor. There was a small but well used trail in the bottom of the canyon that I was on. The problem with this was that there were cattle on the trail so I had to keep working up the side to get around the cows without spooking them or anything else in the area. Doing this I worked up quite a sweat and had to stop and take off the top layer of clothing and put it into my pack. I had my shirt half way off when a rabbit came running up the trail at me and he almost hid behind me. Having had this happen before I suspected a coyote was hot on the rabbits trail.

I got out the arrow I carry specifically for coyote and grouse. I was in a low spot in the trail and could only see about 20 yards ahead of me. Up ahead I caught movement and saw a flash of blonde. At that time I thought that it was a blonde brown bear that my friend had seen in the area.

WRONG assumption. What stepped out totally took me by surprise. It wasn't that I was surprised that it was a cougar. What shocked me was how big it was. It's belly was loose and hung on the ground and it's head was HUGE. I still had my shirt half on and half off and he didn't even see me as he was intent on the rabbit. I had to hollar at him to get his attention. He crouched down and looked at me like I was the bird and he was the house cat. I said to him I don't think you want to do that and we starred at each other for a while and then he started creeping towards me.

I thought about shooting but really didn't have a shot and once I shot then I was empty only had the arrows in the quiver. So I kept talking to him and after what seemed like 10 min but was probably no more than a minute he took one last long look at me, turned and headed back up the trail. I sure was a lot more observent the rest of my hunt.

Elk Bow season 2006 I was hunting in a different unit and had been into elk earlier in the morning but nothing came of it so I was working my way back to a road that would take me back to camp. I was on a good game trail and would stop and listen then move on. It was quite brushy I came to a small clearing 25 yards square, trees but no under brush. I decided to leave the trail I walked accross the clearing and glanced back at the trail I just left. I saw what I first thought was deer coming up the trail I had just left.

Wrong, again I soon realized it was a cougar. It got to the point where I had left the trail and layed down. It just looked me. Nothing like the other kitty this one just layed there and looked at me. Nothing near the size of the other cat, still a good sized cougar. What struck me on this one was how much black is on there faces.

I taked to him, tried to wait him out and he just sat there head up just looking at me. Finally I could take it anymore, no way was I going to leave the clearing with that cat there. I decided to try and work my way through the clearing and get a better angle for a shot, I work my way accross the clearing staying about 20 yard from him. As I was starting to see his side he move and positioned himself so that he was again straight at me. Seems like we've been at it for an hour, probably only 5 or 10 min my nerves are getting to me. So I position myself were I would have some trees to work with if thing got crazy and Made the decision to shoot.

I knew this was not a good shot and in hind sight I wish I had not shot. I put my 20 yard pin just under his chin and let fly. The cat just exploded when the arrow hit, I figure I hit a couple of inches left of center and a little high of where I aimed. The cat seemed to turn inside out and staggered or limped about 20 yards into the brush and turned and looked back. It layed down I saw its tail come up one time then nothing.

Thank god for Rhino GPS's I was able to get hold of a buddy in camp and had him bring my shotgun. I got all of my arrow back but the broadhead just a little blood and hair on the arrow were the only proof that a cat was ever there no blood trail no tracks. Spent most of the next couple of day search with no sign. I figure I hit a big bone as there was nothing on the trail that looked like an arrow had hit.

My hunting buddy's now call me Cougar Bait, hence the moniker.

[stlhdr1]

While out at dinner the other night with a buddy I had brought up this discussion about closest calls with Cougars. Although he had never really had any sort of encounter he told me of one his uncle had...

While Coyote calling in the Blue Mountains his uncle had decided to try this spot that was off the side of a large meadow covered with snow. At the time there was about 3-4 feet of snow and they had snowmobiled in. He decided to take 5 minutes before calling and dug a verticle hole to sit down in the snow. Anyhow, he turned on his Johnny Stewart Game Caller and sat and waited while scanning the meadow. After about 15 minutes he thought he heard something behind him but turned to look and see nothing. Another 5 minutes goes by and with no Coyote arrival he was figuring on getting up and going to another spot and that was when it happened. He started to notice the sound of breathing behind him. As he made a slow turn to look back was when his heart about went out his forehead. The Cougar had snuck up and was laying belly down facing him at 2-3 feet with its front paws nearly hanging over the edge of the hole he had dug. As he panicked he reached down and pulled the trigger on his .243 and shot straight up as the gun was leaning against the wall of the hole muzzle blasting his own ear. He said the cat jumped 5-8 feet in the air and was out of sight before he could draw up on it to shoot it...

Also, I know of 3 cats that have been shot and 2 harvested up around the Trout Lake, WA area over the last 3 years of deer/elk muzzleloader hunting.

One was while a couple of buddies of mine were headed to an area to hunt and noticed what they thought was a bull elk bedded down about 20 yards off the road. After backing up there lay a cougar on a slight enbankment. It being on the passenger side my brother in law stepped out the drivers side and walked around, put his cap on and shot it. They never ended up finding the Cougar but did bring Cougar hair back to camp from where he hit it.

Second was one evening 2 years ago 3 of my buddies decided to go for a short road hunt with the last hour of daylight. After arriving back at camp bummed about shooting and knocking down a 2pt buck that they couldn't find we all decided to gear up and go look for it. We spent until 11pm looking for the buck without any success and decided to come back the next morning at daylight to hunt the area with our full 6 person party. After about an hour in the area I heard a gun shot down the ridge about 5-600 yards. In hopes it was a buddy that shot a buck no one got on the Rino radios to claim the shot so a couple of us went in the direction of the shot to investigate. As we approached the area of the shot I noticed a guy walking and made him aware I was there. He flagged me over and went on to tell me the short version of the Cougar he had just shot. He was obviously very excited so me and the buddy calmed him down and asked where he had first seen it and shot. So we went back to that spot and scanned the area for blood or hair and guess what we found.... There was the 2pt buck 1/2 buried in the ground with the hind quarter all torn up and eaten on. The guy that had shot the cougar didn't even notice it. Well with the blood and hair of the deer all over the ground we decided to spread out and follow the direction of where the cat went. We didn't go 80 yards and their it lay dead. It was a Tom that was about 90 pounds. We helped the guy drag it out and took some pictures of it on the back of his tailgate.

Third was 2 years ago while up hunting one of our favorite ridges for elk 3 buddies and myself spread out to make a push through the area. After about 1/2 mile of pushing we heard a gunshot from behind us about 400 yards and confirmed it was no one in our group. So the 4 of us decided to hunt back towards the gun shot in hopes of seeing a fleeing herd of elk along the way. Apparently some single guy was going cross country and had cut the cats tracks and followed them for about 300 yards and shot him in his tracks. It was about a 100 pound female.

It's pretty wild when you think about how many cats are really out there. There's a lot of them.

Keith

[Antlershed]

Probably about 8-9 years ago (I would have been about 12), my dad took my and a friend Steelhead fishing, and we were walking through the fields going to a gravel bar my dad's buddy told us to go to and fish. Just as we are stepping out of the brush to the river, my buddy says, "what's that?" (he had never been outdoors much. My dad and I both looked up, and the Cougar was just laying out on the gravel bar we were headed to staring at us. We walked backwards for about a mile. It was a little scary being that close, and only having a light fishing rod in your hand.

[FishinTechnician]

My then 13 yr old son and I were hunting NE Oregon for elk. As we approached a large open area we noted a bunch of magpies at the far end of the clearing. We split up and I headed down into the adjacent draw while my son skirted the edge of the clearing. As he walked along the timberline at the edge of the draw he spotted a dead elk out in front with its back to him. Shortly after spotting it he saw a cougar's tail come up behind the carcass. As the wind was blowing hard toward him he quietly approached to within about 50yds and watched a huge Tom licking his paws after apparently just finishing with his breakfast. He watched him for a couple minutes when suddenly the cougar spotted him, jumped up and ran down into the draw I was in. I heard the approaching animal and was expecting an elk when the cougar, running at full tilt, suddenly passed in front of me at less than 20yds. It was a very large Tom and he was probably covering 10-12' or more with every stride.

The cougar had dragged the elk a 100yds or more and had gutted it and eaten the major organs. The elk appeared to smaller than an adult cow but larger than a calf and was noticeably underweight. Given its size and condition we surmised there was probably something wrong with it.

[Leatherneck]

I have seen 2 cougars in my years of hunting Oregon. Had one run across the road right in front of me on hwy 26 just before the turnoff to clear lake on Mt. Hood. 2 leaps and it was up a 40 foot bank.
Few years ago my 14 year old had a buck tag for the Chesnimus unit. Opening morning we were walking up a trail and no further than 25 yards a cougar crossed the trail in front of us. The pucker factor was real high for several minutes. Knowing that this animal wasn't behind bars in a zoo changed the way I looked at cougars that morning. My boy did not have a cougar tag at the time.
That was a great day. Saw a cougar and then we saw one of the biggest mule deer I have ever see in my life down in one of those nasty canyons. About a 350 yard shot. That buck stood broad side, watching us. The only shot my boy had was in the off hand and I did not let him take it because he was shaking to hard. I still day dream about that buck.

[Straydog]

Much of the hysteria surrounding Cougars, in my opinion, is based on the fact that many people equate sightings with "close calls".

I saw a guy with a gun in the gun shop yesterday.......... boy, that was a close call!!!

My dad taught me about 45 years ago to understand that every time I go hunting, or into the woods, I would likely be seen and maybe even followed by a cat. They are very curious, like many wild critters. However, he also told me there was no reason to freak out or be afraid. I am thankful for having such a wise, knowledgeable and level headed mentor as my dad was.

[pnw_fisher]

This is a close encounter. but not really a close call for me. I was riding a friends '05 450R...fast!!...and I saw something about 100 yards down the gravel road that I thought was a coyote, gunned it, and within a matter of seconds I was a bikes length from a medium sized cougar. He ran down the road for about 40 yards with me in hot pursuit (the bike was nearly touching his tail) before he found a place to duck off into the woods. It was one of the coolest things I have ever seen.

[nwsoftball]

I shot this cat while elk hunting in Oregon. I had just bumped an elk out of a bed and thought I was circling to get the wind right for what I thought was more elk down to my right. I stopped and looked around and to my right at 15 yards I could see ears, eyes and the face of a cougar staring at me. I had already nocked an arrow when I thought that I was moving on some elk. I was really freaking out, it was facing directly at me and there didn't appear to be a shot. After about 5 minutes of a staredown, I could see it's rear legs moving and I thought that it was gathering itself to pounce. I drew my bow and put my 20 yard pin below it's chin and let go. The cat jumped about 6 feet straight up and then started moving away from me. I nocked another arrow in world record time and watched and listened. I could see it trashing about 25 yards away and then it stopped. I didn't move for about 15 minutes. My brother in-law (and his Glock) caught up with me then and we moved up a little to see if we could see it. It wasn't breathing, but it was still pretty nerve wracking going up to it. Turns out that I peeked on the shot and missed a little left. The arrow hit the middle of the ribs on the right side and exited through the left hip severing the femoral artery.

[lentz]

I have logged many miles in the field while elk and deer hunting and have never seen one. I have seen tracks though!! Today while i was out on the route i did see one. Its was in the back of a guys truck. He had shot it earlier in the morning.

[Northwest Pest]

4 or 5 years ago in the late season muzzleloader deer hunt I came face to face with a monster cat. This hunt was in the Applegate unit and I was still hunting down a grown over skid road. The road was a S curve and I caught movement out of the corner of my eye. At first I thought it was another hunter due to the rounded head and the straight tail but a few miliseconds changed my opinion. The tail looked like a gun at first glance. I had the wind in my face and I was in full camo and de-scented. I stood still as the large cat approached my position. I thought it was strange to see a cat at 10-10:30 am just sauntering down a skid road and I was in awe. When the cat got to ten yards, awe turned to fear. He finally saw me standing there and stopped. He originally looked at me with curiosity but soon put both of his large paws together tipped his ears back and started to crouch. I cocked the hammer on my smoke pole and he jumped going left to right perpindicular to me. At approximately 8-10 yards he was a massive target and I squeezed off as I swung my muzzle loader. The cap didn't fire and in a flash he was gone. I was in disbelief for a second and then fear of what could of happened played out in my head. My only other weapon was a knife deep in my backpack. There was scattered snow left over from a storm earlier that week and he had run through one patch. Placing my whole hand in a clean track, there was an inch to spare outside my fingers to where his track ended. I will always be amazed by the size of this cats feet that looked like volleyballs when he began to crouch. Think about it..... I'm 6' even and 240 lbs and my whole hand fit in his paw print with about an inch to spare......Scary!!!!!