paulm

You guys make good jokes. About the brown bear, I might use the name wrong. In Yosemite, they were "brown" colored but I think black bears in species; not grizzlies. I guess if looking for a hunting buddy one could post, "Cougar Bait Wanted."

El Dorado, you don't mention big cats but you're definitely in their territory. Only problem I had with California brown bears was getting into my food, hung 10'...that's a big bear!

Dogs are great companions and good domestic protection but I've read that dogs can actually attract mountain lions and other natural predators. Seems most folks carry a sidearm. In one incident I read about, a Montana hunter dropped his rifle and ran, and while being attacked, resorted to his sidearm at close range, which dispatched the lion. Bear spray might be a good solution as well. With grizzlies, I've read that bear spray is more effective for survival than shooting a charging bear. In the Gold Rush, how many of those panners were attacked by mountain lions? I'd think a lot of them would have been, but I don't read much about that. I spent a summer backpacking in Colorado, in really remote locations, sleeping on the ground under a tarp, and never saw sign of a mountain lion. Given where I was, I know they had to have seen me.

I'm in the northeast where natural predators are not so much a factor (I've spent a lot of time in the woods and never had a problem), but been thinking about SD, WY, etc. and wondering how solo prospectors manage with mountain lions all around. I've read recent reports of hunters being stalked and attacked, and not always from behind. Considering the crouching position a prospector makes, this looks like lunch to a cougar. How do you all manage?