Hiking with Wildlife
Thoughts on coexistence from wildlife biologist and member Bill Weiler
Photo of deer in Upper Klickitat canyon by Debbie Asakawa
By Bill Weiler, wildlife biologist and Lyle, WA resident
I haven't seen a mountain lion since that evening, but the experience remains shining in my memory. I want my children to have the opportunity for that kind of experience. I want my friends to have it. I want even our enemies to have it — they need it the most.” - Edward Abbey
Some wild animals give us ample time to enjoy their presence: deer grazing in the meadow, a woodpecker patiently excavating its tree house, a robin hunting the lawn for worms. Others, like mountain lions, are elusive as darting shadows, yet if you are fortunate to meet North America’s largest feline, it’ll most likely be a fleeting as a shooting star bursting across the heavens.
If you have that rare chance to take a closer look at a large mammal staring at you in your car’s headlights, you may not be really sure what you’re seeing until your eyes connect with the cougar’s enormous tail. With the cat in your sights, other characteristics come into view, the black golf ball sized eyes, broom-bristle whiskers, paws in flight and a feline’s intense glare. Pure muscle, pure hunter, this is an animal having to live and adjust to traditional habitats now overflowing with humans.
Washington State is home to an estimated 2,500 cougars, while Oregon purports to have 3,000, but no one knows for sure. Increased mountain lion sightings do not necessarily mean increased numbers of wild cats. Seven feet from head to tail and weighing up to 200 pounds, this creature wins the gold medal for jumping ability, leaping 30 feet from a standstill or bounding 20 feet straight up a cliff. Mountain lions can take down deer as well as prey much larger than themselves such as elk and even moose. This all said, should be we afraid of these big cats?
Too many people fear having cougars in their mist, yet cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare. During the last 100 years, fewer than 20 fatalities are known in all of North America. Compare that figure to the thousands of people who are injured or killed each year as a result of automobile collisions with deer, the mountain lions main food.
And finally, from the Valvoline Oil web sites we learn that deer kill more people in the United States than do all commercial airlines, train and bus accidents combined in a typical year. Few people think about these deer safety issues when a mountain lion is sighted, but they had better, especially during hunting seasons. Even deer hunters are not immune, sometimes becoming the hunted. Last November, a 69-year-old bow hunter was treated for injuries he suffered during a wrestling match with an angry buck. The hunter said the deer attacked him while he was hunting alone in south-central Indiana, stating, “He came out of the tall grass and briars.”
Still, one should always be prepared and cautious when hiking in the wilds. While mountain lion encounters are way down the list when compared with wasps, poisonous snakes, poisonous plants, and unpredictable deer and elk, the first Oregon reported death from a mountain lion occurred September 2018.
If you have that rare chance to take a closer look at a large mammal staring at you in your car’s headlights, you may not be really sure what you’re seeing until your eyes connect with the cougar’s enormous tail. With the cat in your sights, other characteristics come into view, the black golf ball sized eyes, broom-bristle whiskers, paws in flight and a feline’s intense glare. Pure muscle, pure hunter, this is an animal having to live and adjust to traditional habitats now overflowing with humans.
Washington State is home to an estimated 2,500 cougars, while Oregon purports to have 3,000, but no one knows for sure. Increased mountain lion sightings do not necessarily mean increased numbers of wild cats. Seven feet from head to tail and weighing up to 200 pounds, this creature wins the gold medal for jumping ability, leaping 30 feet from a standstill or bounding 20 feet straight up a cliff. Mountain lions can take down deer as well as prey much larger than themselves such as elk and even moose. This all said, should be we afraid of these big cats?
Close Encounters
Too many people fear having cougars in their mist, yet cougar attacks on humans are extremely rare. During the last 100 years, fewer than 20 fatalities are known in all of North America. Compare that figure to the thousands of people who are injured or killed each year as a result of automobile collisions with deer, the mountain lions main food.
According to the National Highway Safety Administration, there are 1.5 million crashes involving deer and motor vehicles each year causing $1.1 billion dollars in vehicle damages. While 500,000 deer die from the accidents, 150 human lives are lost and 10,000 persons are injured. National Safety Council insurance claims statistics show an average of $2,000 for repairs and injuries, running as high as $8,000. In one community north of San Francisco, county deputies were called out nine times to dispatch a wounded deer or remove a deer from the road. Lori Gibson, a principle wildlife biologist with the Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management stated, “Efforts to reduce auto/deer collisions are a challenge because many occur in urban/suburban areas with limited deer management options. The deer populations in those settings could be increasing because such neighborhoods act as a refuge for deer.
And too often, people feed the deer."
And finally, from the Valvoline Oil web sites we learn that deer kill more people in the United States than do all commercial airlines, train and bus accidents combined in a typical year. Few people think about these deer safety issues when a mountain lion is sighted, but they had better, especially during hunting seasons. Even deer hunters are not immune, sometimes becoming the hunted. Last November, a 69-year-old bow hunter was treated for injuries he suffered during a wrestling match with an angry buck. The hunter said the deer attacked him while he was hunting alone in south-central Indiana, stating, “He came out of the tall grass and briars.”
Still, one should always be prepared and cautious when hiking in the wilds. While mountain lion encounters are way down the list when compared with wasps, poisonous snakes, poisonous plants, and unpredictable deer and elk, the first Oregon reported death from a mountain lion occurred September 2018.
Hiking with others, learning the signs of mountain lion presence such as tree scratch marks and tracks, are similar safety measures that are no different than buckling one’s seatbelt and driving slow, because one’s motoring to a natural area will invariably be the most dangerous part of any outdoor experience.
If our society is ever going to start caring for the natural world, then one of the first steps must be to stop being afraid of creatures who need not be feared. We must replace fabled myths with enthralling true stories such as Edward Abbey’s sunset meeting with a mountain lion in Arizona. We must replace temerity in walking through the woods with one of excited hope, an expectation that our lives will be enriched, that we too will have a wonderful story to tell about the time we saw a mountain lion in the wild.
Bill Weiler is a wildlife biologist who lives in Lyle, Washington.
If our society is ever going to start caring for the natural world, then one of the first steps must be to stop being afraid of creatures who need not be feared. We must replace fabled myths with enthralling true stories such as Edward Abbey’s sunset meeting with a mountain lion in Arizona. We must replace temerity in walking through the woods with one of excited hope, an expectation that our lives will be enriched, that we too will have a wonderful story to tell about the time we saw a mountain lion in the wild.
Bill Weiler is a wildlife biologist who lives in Lyle, Washington.
Resources: Do's and Don'ts in Cougar Country
While recreating in cougar habitat, you should:
- Hike in small groups and make enough noise to avoid surprising a cougar.
- Keep your camp clean and store food and garbage in double plastic bags.
- Keep small children close to the group, preferably in plain sight just ahead of you.
- Do not approach dead animals, especially deer or elk; they could have been cougar prey left for a later meal.
If you encounter a cougar:
- Stop, stand tall and don't run. Pick up small children. Don't run. A cougar's instinct is to chase.
- Do not approach the animal, especially if it is near a kill or with kittens.
- Try to appear larger than the cougar. Never take your eyes off the animal or turn your back. Do not crouch down or try to hide.
- If the animal displays aggressive behavior, shout, wave your arms and throw rocks. The idea is to convince the cougar that you are not prey, but a potential danger.
- If the cougar attacks, fight back aggressively and try to stay on your feet. Cougars have been driven away by people who have fought back.
(Photos: Cougar sculpture, Burt Edwards; Treed Cougar courtesy of Oregon Dept. of Fish & Wildlife)