HikeArizona.COM

Seems like these occasional stories can all be compiled in a single thread.

https://wildlife.ca.gov/News/mountain-l ... -calabasas

Aug 26, 2021, approximately 10:45 a.m., a 65-lb. mountain lion attacked the boy in his front yard, inflicting wounds to his head, neck and upper torso. The boy’s mother fended off the lion by striking it multiple times. The boy’s parents transported him to a hospital where he was treated for his injuries. He remains in the hospital in stable condition.

Research seems to indicate that the attack was from a year-old cub birthed by a collared lion in an NPS study. The attacking cub was eliminated, while the mother (and presumably the other cub) were returned to the wild.

If you are unfamiliar with Calabasas, it is similar to parts of the Carefree/Cave Creek area with affluent residents and larger properties tucked up against mountains that are preserved from development.

@chumley

chumley wrote:Carefree/Cave Creek area with affluent residents

You committed a common inaccuracy by lumping the two communities together. While those living on the Carefree side of the mountain are indeed affluent, we here on the Creeker side are more likely to be effluent. :-)

@LosDosSloFolks Sorry for the mischaracterization. I always suspected that you were slumming it down by the river.

Drama!
Everybody avoid the Rincons!

People are so stupid. Why we need an asteroid

@RedRoxx44 Fingers crossed we can finish out 2021 that way and start fresh in 2022.

The best mountain lion encounter I can recall is when Dallin shared part of his dinner with one because he mistakenly thought it was a dog. I wish I had seen his reaction when he saw it stand up on its hind legs and realized what it was.

Hmmm that's funny, last time we came across a young terrified mountain lion in a tree, we snapped a pic and walked away. I guess we should have made a ten minute video of us screeching like hyenas and throwing rocks at it along with some dramatic Blair Witch style tent shots and personal commentary.

We quickly leashed the dogs and left pretty quickly after wondering aloud if it had a mom near by and obviously not wanting to stress it out too much. Just a kitten, but still a memorable experience.

[ photo ]

@friendofThundergod Obviously you don’t measure your self-worth by how many youtube views you get.

I think somebody is trying to get on Good Morning America! Complete with licensing requirements and contact info.
Plus some amusing hashtags for more attention #attack #lionattack
How long does 15 minutes last?

@chumley You’re the one who brought the attention to this forum, and now you’re making fun of how much attention s/he gets???

But, my goodness, #attack is quite descriptive for a kitty in a tree. #encounter is all it was.

@RedRoxx44
Well, since she is a HAZ member maybe she'll hop on this forum thread and explain her actions without all the added pressure of the camera running.

This reminds me of the time Mrs. big_load and I encountered @AZHikr4444 coming the other way on 109N where it starts getting into the Sugar Sumacs. He was discombobulated after something made him look back over his shoulder just a moment earlier, and it turned out to be a cougar. Oddly, she was more struck that I would be recognized by a total stranger than by the fact that we were walking directly toward a mountain lion.

She would have been happy to see it, but it must have decided to change venue after its near-hiker experience.

There is (was?) an outhouse there, could have gone in there to wait it out.

Sredfield wrote:There is (was?) an outhouse there, could have gone in there to wait it out

There is. I also remember the steel door, and bolt.

Sredfield wrote: ↑Dec 13 2021 5:17 pm There is (was?) an outhouse there, could have gone in there to wait it out.

but that would not have generated very many "likes" on social media

Sredfield wrote: ↑Dec 13 2021 5:17 pm There is (was?) an outhouse there, could have gone in there to wait it out.

Don't forget your spider stick! It would be a shame to trade one form of certain death for another.

@Sredfield
With her luck, there would have been a bear waiting for her.

I have never seen a mountain lion while hiking, but I have had a couple of interesting experiences:
1) About 4 years ago a small group of us were walking on Rim Road 300 heading toward Promontory Butte, after going up to the Rim on the Horton Springs Trail. As we were walking an ATV came up from behind us and stopped when it got along side us. The guy driving the ATV said that as he approached us, a mountain lion crossed the Rim Road behind us and in front of him. We never even saw the mountain lion.
2) In January of this year I was hiking on the Campaign Trail in the Supes, and stopped alongside Campaign Creek to have a bite to eat. I was sitting on a rock and heard a loud ruckus behind me. I stood up and turned around and a deer was running full speed right toward me. I thought that the deer was going to run into me, so I yelled at it and waved my arrns. The deer stopped and looked at me for a second or two, and then made a 90 degree turn and continued running. I never saw what might have been pursuing the deer, but I would wager that it was a mountain lion. This was a week or 2 before FOTG saw a mountain lion in this area.