Cougar Kills Oregon Woman. Discuss Cougar Guns

[Texas Star]

Authorities: Dead Oregon hiker likely killed by cougar


The title is descriptive. The link has the details. Basically, a female hiker was killed by a cougar. Predation wasn't mentioned as the cause, but they didn't specify.

Authorities claim it's the first cougar death in that state. Another person was killed by a cougar in WA state this spring. British Columbia, just across the Canadian border, has had a number of cougar attacks, too. I interviewed a man there who had saved himself with a knife, but he was badly mauled, and lost an eye.

Anyone want to turn this into a thread about a gun for defense against attacking cougars?

I'll begin. I'd be pretty satisfied with my S&W M-66-3 and use 158-165 grain JHP or JSP .357 ammo. Minimum would be my Ruger SP-101 .357 with a barrel a bit over three inches, same ammo. Minimum is my M-60-4, a .38 with three-inch barrel and 158 grain and HP or SWC Plus P ammo. If bears are a threat, I'd step up to a S&W M-629 with six-inch barrel and 240-250 grain JSP or hard cast Keith bullets. A four inch barrel will work but the longer barrel gives higher velocity and less blast, an important consideration in a gun with that much recoil.

If one has a gun that'll take the old, hot .38-44 round, inc. the K-frame Magnums, Buffalo Bore's warm Outdoors load is probably a good option. I wouldn't use it in J or K-frame .38's, though. It should deliver almost low end .357 performance.

 

[Chino74]

Cougars are opportunistic ambush hunters & move FAST. If one was to place themselves in an acceptable position for an attack I am not sure any gun is going to make a difference. A big Bowie in hand might be a better option or bear spray in hand.

Now if distance is available then any caliber for man sized assailants will work.

 

[American1776]

12 gauge with 00 buckshot.

if no long gun, then a 686P loaded with 158 gr. JSP would suffice.

 

[eb07]

My guess is that cougar was on that woman before she even knew it was there. They are quiet, stealthy, and fast.

If one attacks you, you will have to fight it off AND reach a gun or knife. Because you won't see it until it's claws and teeth are in you. Tough chore all around.

FYI my grandfather hunted them with hounds for years on the border for ranchers. Used a 22mag to dispatch them once they were treed.

Hike with a dog. Good early warning. They can smell em.

 

[STCM(SW)]

We have cougars all over just a little north of where I live.
Any thing you can us as a weapon is OK but I always have a hand gun with me.

 

[handejector]

In a pinch, will a bear gun work?

 

[Erich]

Hunters around here use .22 Magnum rifles on cougars - thin-skinned cats don't take much killing. As everyone notes (my house is in cougar country), you're not likely to see them until the last split second (and, if you're an adult human, you're very unlikely to be attacked) so you want something you can maneuver quickly and shoot accurately.

 

[Texas Star]

Cougars are opportunistic ambush hunters & move FAST. If one was to place themselves in an acceptable position for an attack I am not sure any gun is going to make a difference. A big Bowie in hand might be a better option or bear spray in hand.

Now if distance is available then any caliber for man sized assailants will work.

How are you going to use a knife or bear spray if you can't employ a gun? Enough time to draw one is enough to to draw the other. And many cougars have been found to be tracking people and some confrontations occur on trails. You can find filmed events like that on YouTube. Some cats come right up on peoples' porches! And, yes, they kill pets and may try to get in.

BTW, I mentioned a man who killed a cougar with a knife. He used a Schrade LB-7, their version of the famous Buck Model 110 folder. He cut the cat's throat. Another man used a Spyderco Delica or very similar model to drive off a cougar attacking his young son at a motel in Big Bend Natl. Park in TX. The three-inch blade was too short to reach vital organs, but he drove the cat off. Of course, had he had a gun, he'd have fared better. (The boy needed stitches, but survived.)

I like the Buck Model 119, 120, 124, and the Fallkniven A-1 as knives for this need that remain good camp knives, but a smaller knife for some camp work is a good idea. I think the Buck Pathfinder Model 105 and the Puma Outdoor (five - inch blades) are the smallest I'd want in this role.

Those using .22 or .22 Magnums are sport hunters whose hounds have treed the cat and can take selective head shots. Muff a shot though, and the cat may well maul or kill your dogs.

Carl Akeley killed a leopard with his bare hands. Strangled it. Leopards are also very stealthy hunters. Doesn't mean they'l always kill you, if you can reach a weapon. Akeley was a large man and the leopard was a small female, about 80 lbs. if memory serves. A male leopard twice that weight would have probably killed the scientist.

 

[eb07]

How are you going to use a knife or bear spray if you can't employ a gun? Enough time to draw one is enough to to draw the other. And many cougars have been found to be tracking people and some confrontations occur on trails. You can find filmed events like that on YouTube. Some cats come right up on peoples' porches! And, yes, they kill pets and may try to get in.

BTW, I mentioned a man who killed a cougar with a knife. He used a Schrade LB-7, their version of the famous Buck Model 110 folder. He cut the cat's throat. Another man used a Spyderco Delica or very similar model to drive off a cougar attacking his young son at a motel in Big Bend Natl. Park in TX. The three-inch blade was too short to reach vital organs, but he drove the cat off. Of course, had he had a gun, he'd have fared better. (The boy needed stitches, but survived.)

I like the Buck Model 119, 120, 124, and the Fallkniven A-1 as knives for this need that remain good camp knives, but a smaller knife for some camp work is a good idea. I think the Buck Pathfinder Model 105 and the Puma Outdoor (five - inch blades) are the smallest I'd want in this role.

Bottom line is once you are attacked you use whatever the hell you can to defend yourself because it is going to be a surprise.

Pocket Knife:

https://www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Attacking-cougar-killed-with-pocket-knife-1092755.php


Skateboard:

https://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/man-f...eboard-parks-canada-tracking-animal-1.1297918

Chain Saw:

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhA-OP2YkVM[/ame]

 

[Jingles]

I'm with the crowd who thinks you'll never know when a cougar will attack until you're on the ground getting mauled. In that case any snub nose revolver would be good if you can get it deployed.

Better yet, always hike with a friend. If you do even a .22 derringer would be effective against cougars, bear, wolves, etc. When you see said predator pull out your derringer and shoot your hiking partner in the knee and then run like heck!

 

[mtgianni]

Many that chase cats shoot them with a 22 pistol. They are not hard to kill, but I imagine they are hard to stop. There is a very distinctive odor about them I think you would have to be clueless about your surroundings to ignore.

 

[Texas Star]

I'm with the crowd who thinks you'll never know when a cougar will attack until you're on the ground getting mauled. In that case any snub nose revolver would be good if you can get it deployed.

Better yet, always hike with a friend. If you do even a .22 derringer would be effective against cougars, bear, wolves, etc. When you see said predator pull out your derringer and shoot your hiking partner in the knee and then run like heck!

I hope we'll SOMEDAY have a thread about guns in wildlife attacks when no one trots out that cliche comment...I've seen it on other boards, too.

But a hiking companion is really a good idea. A cat may hesitate to tackle two men, and one can help if the other is jumped.

Cougars are probably easier to kill than a bear, but having shot a feral house cat with a .410 and seen how long it took to die makes me think a cougar on the ground needs a fairly powerful bullet, in the right place. I shot the cat with a dove load, with 7.5 shot. Had I used a slug or heavier shot, I'm sure it would have been more quickly lethal.

 

[Onomea]

For a knife, a well sharpened Randall Model 1, 6" or 7". Or, better yet, thinking exclusively of the cougar, a Model 2.

But I agree with T-Star that if the cougar is already gnawing and clawing you, you could pull a gun as quick as a knife. And a handgun would be better than a long gun if the cougar is already on you.

I also like the advice of having a dog with you for early warning. That makes a lot of sense.

 

[Texas Star]

For a knife, a well sharpened Randall Model 1, 6" or 7". Or, better yet, thinking exclusively of the cougar, a Model 2.

But I agree with T-Star that if the cougar is already gnawing and clawing you, you could pull a gun as quick as a knife. And a handgun would be better than a long gun if the cougar is already on you.

I also like the advice of having a dog with you for early warning. That makes a lot of sense.

Good choices, to which I'll add Randall Model 14. But a pistol is preferable.

A dog may attract a cougar as a meal. But it can alert you. Leopards take a lot of pet dogs in Africa. I think cougars do, too. You can run a pack of hounds after cougar or jaguar, and it works. But a single dog is probably cat food.

 

[kwselke]

I wonder if a chainsaw will work on a bear too?

 

[Golddollar]

I would prefer a S&W Governor with .45 Colt loads.

 

[kthom]

A good hit with a solid point .357 is plenty good to dispatch a cougar. They, (like bears, Lee ;<), are nearly always a moving target, so it's important to see them as far away as possible before the first shot! That is true of any predator. Head shots are generally good but the head is usually the smallest and most moving part of the target.

I have seen a trend that all predators are willing to have much more contact with humans as time moves along. Sadly, many folks only think of them as cute, so they are not properly informed and respectful of how and what they can and wii do! Predators of any king are not to be trifled with!

 

[Watchdog]

As other members have mentioned here and in an almost identical thread from May of this year, cougars are ambush hunters, usually pouncing on their prey from above and behind or from above and off to the side. The impact will knock a human to the ground. They'll sink their teeth into the back of your neck or into your skull, raking you with their claws. A person will be lucky to bring any weapon into play.

Quoting from the Statesman Journal (bold print is mine):

"The medical examiner's office said Bober's injuries were consistent with that of a cougar attack. U.S. Fish and Wildlife will try to identify the animal that attacked Bober, the sheriff's office said.

Wildlife managers will attempt to kill the cougar responsible for the attack, deputies said. There are about 6,600 cougars in Oregon."

No surprises in that quote, but makes me wonder how they'll identify the guilty cougar before they shoot it. Or maybe they'll just kill every one they see in order to convince the public that they're earning their pay and that it's safe to start hiking again. Also makes me wonder why the sheriff's office is speaking for the Fish and Wildlife Service.

I feel sorry for the lady and her family members. The thought of a friend and family member being killed by a wild animal is not a pleasant one.

12 gauge with 00 buckshot.

The deceased lady was out hiking. Most hikers don't tote a 12-gauge along with them. There's been no information released as to whether or not the lady was carrying any sort of a weapon or animal repellant spray, or if she had a chance to use it.

There's also been no mention of the cougar dragging her off the trail to hide the kill or not. That's a common practice with cougars, especially if they have cubs to feed.

Really the only thing that's been said is that "her injuries were consistent with that of a cougar attack."

 

[Watchdog]

You can run a pack of hounds after cougar...

Not in Oregon.

 

[Rule3]

I think we should talk about Cougar Control. If all the Cougars were eliminated this tragic death would not have happened.
Good Grief, If a Cougar is gonna get you from a tree or a rock, you are not gonna have a chance to shoot it anyway.


Down here we kill them on the Interstate, any small to midsize vehicle will flatten them, they are endangered but we still clear cut any green area there is left.



Yep right up there with "Bear" threads.