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EnsenadaDr
Banned
Posts: 5027
Registered: 9-12-2011
Location: Baja California
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Mood: Move on. It is just a chapter in the past, but don't close the book- just turn the page
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Mountain Lions on the road to Tecate, danger or not?
I was driving north on the road to Tecate one evening, and a huge wingspan swooped down and then obstructed my view. In my naivete, I mentioned to my
sister that it was maybe a bat but she said it was probably a hawk. The wings seemed translucent and black but for a moment and then flew away.
Driving south on the same road one day, I saw a lone large cow in the ravine by the road almost on the road, and then noticed on another trip a good
sized young mountain lion running through the brush around Zaragoza near Vallecitos. I am wondering if they are a danger while hiking. The area is
nice, but this was something I wouldn't want to meet while walking. Are there any precautions or protection you can take against them? Guns aren't
legal in Mexico.
[Edited on 1-21-2014 by EnsenadaDr]
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bajadogs
Super Nomad
Posts: 1064
Registered: 8-28-2006
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If you encounter a mountain lion -
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EnsenadaDr
Banned
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Location: Baja California
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Mood: Move on. It is just a chapter in the past, but don't close the book- just turn the page
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IF attacked fight back?? Do you think that will work?
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bajadogs
Super Nomad
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Or better yet -
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DENNIS
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Location: Punta Banda
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Funny thing about the great outdoors......,.this is where these critters live.
leave them alone.
"YOU CAN'T LITTER ALUMINUM"
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EnsenadaDr
Banned
Posts: 5027
Registered: 9-12-2011
Location: Baja California
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Mood: Move on. It is just a chapter in the past, but don't close the book- just turn the page
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I don't have any intention of bothering a mountain lion, but I know they do attack so what do you do then if you are minding your own business?
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motoged
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6481
Registered: 7-31-2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
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Doc,
If you are lucky enough to see a cougar/puma/mountain lion in Baja....count your blessings.
But if it is a close encounter, it will probably have you by the neck from behind....and then you should count ON your blessings 
They are more afraid of you generally....but will stalk you without you knowing it....often from behind.
Really not many reports of cougars killing people in Baja....so you can relax. 
Don't believe everything you think....
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3850
Registered: 10-19-2010
Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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cats
I spend a lot of time in a NAT. forest called LOS PADRES and its known to have the most cats anywhere in the USA...From my research on the
matter..never run away !! make yourself large as possible and make noise will hikeing..they would rather NOT deal with a human..running will make the
CHASE INSTINCT go up !!! most folks will be 100 feet from them and not know it.. stealth,,strength,, speed is there MO...awesome units in the
forests...and if caught in a fight with one...god forebid...protect your neck !!...here KITTY<KITTY
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fandango
Senior Nomad
Posts: 549
Registered: 1-30-2006
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| Quote: | Originally posted by bajadogs
Or better yet - |
sbwontoo
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Hook
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9009
Registered: 3-13-2004
Location: Sonora
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| Quote: | Originally posted by EnsenadaDr
IF attacked fight back?? Do you think that will work? |
Well, what are the other options? You're certainly not going to outrun it.
This is not like a bear, where you might have 15-30 seconds (or more) of advanced warning. By the time you see it, it may be too late to use some type
of legal deterrent like a knife or mace or something.
Hike with a stout walking stick of some kind. (This is a good idea, anyway, in Mexico because of the occasional encounter with dogs in the wild or
neighborhoods.) You can use it to make yourself look bigger and more threatening if you brandish it over your head, assuming you see it first. If
you're already in it's clutches, at least you have a decent weapon IN HAND, ALREADY DEPLOYED. Start whacking it or jabbing it with the end if it's
that close, preferable around it's head.
That's your best chance, in the absence of a firearm; whichI doubt many of us are carrying in Mexico.
[Edited on 1-21-2014 by Hook]
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captkw
Ultra Nomad
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Location: el charro b.c.s.
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Mood: new dog/missing the old 1
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cats & dogs
As I always have a dog(s) with me while hiking to the swimming holes and have been in Alaska a lot...I have learned to sing,,hum..make noise and keep
my dog close...almost all animal attacks happen when they get surprised..same with bears...and Rattle snacks cant see worth sh-t.. but sense ground
vibs of your presence...so in snake country walk (stomp) your way to the river !!
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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| Quote: | Originally posted by EnsenadaDr
IF attacked fight back?? Do you think that will work?
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That's to counter the idea that if you lay still it will leave you alone, a strategy sometimes given for brown bear encounters.
Which reminds of an old Russian tale:
Two friends were walking through the woods one day when they came upon a black bear. One boy ran off and the other, too afraid to move, just dropped
to the ground. The safe boy watched from a distance as the bear approached the boy, bent over him, growling around his head. Then amazingly left him.
Later the boys were reunited and the first asked the 2nd what happened. He told him that the bear had whispered advice into his ear: that he should be
careful because his pal is not a true friend.
I remember this story from grade school.
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bajaguy
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9247
Registered: 9-16-2003
Location: Carson City, NV/Ensenada - Baja Country Club
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Mood: must be 5 O'clock somewhere in Baja
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Please post photos
| Quote: | Originally posted by EnsenadaDr
IF attacked fight back?? Do you think that will work? |
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Barry A.
Select Nomad
Posts: 10007
Registered: 11-30-2003
Location: Redding, Northern CA
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Mood: optimistic
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Advice from Ranger Barry----------
Baja Dogs first post is the accepted method of countering a mountain lion, but those who say you won't see it until it's too late is also
true-----they stalk from behind, normally.
In all my years in the woods as a Ranger I NEVER saw a Mt. Lion except for a brief second I saw one crossing the highway in southern Oregon a few
years ago at twilight.
Attacks do occur, but extremely rare.
Barry
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Cypress
Elite Nomad
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Location: on the bayou
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Mood: undecided
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Lived and hunted in the mountains of the northwest for nearly 20 yrs. Saw only 4 mountain lions the whole time, two of 'em where more or less in my
front yard.
[Edited on 1/21/2014 by Cypress]
[Edited on 1/21/2014 by Cypress]
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LancairDriver
Super Nomad
Posts: 1592
Registered: 2-22-2008
Location: On the Road
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I see them quite frequently here on the Oregon coast. Never have felt threatened as in MOST cases they are very shy and quickly disappear. However,
once driving my pickup on a logging road, one fell in with me and trotted along with the truck for quite a distance. I was glad to be in the pickup.
This convinced me to carry a handgun for some protection when hiking in the wild, which is OK in Oregon but not in Baja. How about carrying Hornet
spray when in cougar habitat in Baja if you have any concerns? As good as bear spray in Alaska.
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motoged
Elite Nomad
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Registered: 7-31-2006
Location: Kamloops, BC
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Mood: Gettin' Better
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I believe that hornet/wasp spray is superior to bear spray (Capsicum) as it has a longer and steadier spray stream that is easier to control/direct.
Bear spray can blow back and incapacitate the human more than the wild critter/pendejo.
It is legal and less expensive.
My $2.00 MP
Don't believe everything you think....
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jimgrms
Senior Nomad
Posts: 664
Registered: 9-30-2005
Location: oceanside ca
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Mood: its always good
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Trip your hiking partner and run like hell' if you are hiking alone your are cat food
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DavidE
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3814
Registered: 12-1-2003
Location: Baja California México
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Mood: 'At home we demand facts and get them. In Mexico one subsists on rumor and never demands anything.' Charles Flandrau,
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A simple stout five foot walking stick surprised the hell out of me in the Reese River Valley area of Nevada. A full grown cat growled at me from
about thirty feet away. It was standing on a man-high boulder. It was bristling. Afterwards thinking about things, this happened in April. Maybe the
cat was a lioness and she had kittens. Anyway I yelled, and the cat only lowered its ears. I raised my left arm and shook my fist to no effect. But
when I raised my walking stick and waved it in the air the lion jumped off the rock and disappeared. I returned the way I came. Maybe it was a she and
she had kittens. Who knows.
A Lot To See And A Lot To Do
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dtbushpilot
Ultra Nomad
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Location: Buena Vista BCS
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You should always take your dog along on a hike in mountain lion territory. They will probably spot the cat long before you will and the cat would
much prefer eating the dog than you....
"Life is tough".....It's even tougher if you're stupid.....
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