Oregon Hikers

maybe they'll have a little more information about this, like the condition of the cougar

there was a cougar killing East of Seattle. Large increase in number of cougar. If there are more cougar they tend to spread out more which might result in more contacts with humans. But this is the first death in Oregon and the first in 100 years in Washington.

Maybe some precautions are reasonable - don't hike alone especially if you're smaller, don't hike at dusk?, be aware of what you should do - act large, don't run away, maybe carry a trekking pole?

Maybe there should be some hunting allowed, not to reduce numbers but to make them fearful of humans, I have read bears are fearful of humans because of this

As cougar sightings rise near urban areas, does Oregon have a big cat problem?
https://www.statesmanjournal.com/story/ ... 451601002/

This article is from March. Although the focus was on cougars in urban areas, not hiking trails, there is some good background info on cougars in Oregon.

But just as the two were about to leave, the cougar jumped back and pounced on Sederbaum, holding his head with its jaw and shaking him from side to side. At one point, Brooks got off the bike and ran away, catching the attention of the big cat, whose instinct was to chase. Injured and bloodied, Sederbaum hopped on his bike and rode away. He looked back and saw the cougar dragging his friend into the woods, Abbott said.

In the extreme unlikelihood I will ever be in this situation my strategy will be to stand my ground and fight with whatever is available and hope the cougar gives up before I do. The guy killed in the Washington attack was the one who tried to run away triggering the instinctual chase response from the cougar.

I was once told by someone that works at one of those wildlife parks that pepper spray is more effective on cougars than bears and that really any aerosol they used, the cats really hated. YMMV of course.

I wonder if the ol' laser pointer trick or a stick with a feather on the end would work in distracting the cougar....


(joking!)

One of the news articles posted today mentioned that she had mace and a "sharp object", and neither of those were enough to combat the attack. It seems she was about as prepared as a hiker could be to encounter a cougar... and that makes you think...

https://www.kgw.com/article/news/local/ ... -592297477

I understand the plan now is to kill every cougar that can be found until they find a DNA match. Per a radio news story. I don't recall the source. Somebody was quoted with a statement along the lines of "we'll find that cougar for sure, guaranteed". Really? I'm skeptical.

I have to admit I wasn't sure how to respond to a cougar encounter until today. Good to know it's the same as a bear encounter. When in crisis mode, you really don't want to have to stop and think about what the strategy is for each particular animal.

I get really creeped out when I hear animals nearby in the pre-dawn hours. I sometimes wonder if a headlamp draws them or deters them. Maybe it depends.

I agree with the statements above about risk assessments, and that this is statistically insignificant. I recall a story years ago about a climber returning from Hood and falling asleep at the wheel. Ironic. Rumble strips are my friends.

For the super cautious (paranoid) I wonder if an air horn would be a worthy addition to one's defenses. Three blasts might possibly scare off an animal, while also alerting other hikers. I've never seen it recommended though, so probably not.

timbernet wrote: ↑

September 12th, 2018, 2:44 pm

I wonder if the ol' laser pointer trick or a stick with a feather on the end would work in distracting the cougar....


(joking!)

Okay, that was funny, but needs a little work. Try this on for size:

Authorities are now recommending that hikers in cougar country carry a laser pointer.

.