I live in foothills of the Sierra Nevadas in California. Gated community 1.5 acres typical parcel a 1/2 mile from a major highway. My neighbor has seen the lion twice in a week and warned us when it went into our yard. We found a deer carcass in our yard last week. My 10 year old daughter saw it in our driveway at 5:00 last night. She is scared to death now. Not sure if it is the same lion that has been seen over the years but now its hunting in the neighborhood.
I called CA fish and game and was told I cant harass the lion by hiring a guy with hounds without getting a permit first- that could take weeks and I may have to appear before them. They said that I was more likely to be killed by lightning to which I said not really as there is no lightning in my yard but there is a lion. I was also told that " if I feel threatened I can take appropriate action" .. which I think means I should get a rifle locked and loaded and if I do see him I should pop him. I will deal with it mafia style and dispose of the body. has anyone else dealt with this issue? I am not a hunter and don't like the idea of killing him but a bunch of cats and small dogs have disappeared over the year and while the odds are long I don't want to see a tragedy.
I love people who move to areas like that then complain about the wildlife.
It's part of living there
this coming from pretty much a city guy.
I've never had this particular issue. Best of luck, try not to piss it off.
We've lost some chickens to a fox this season and so we've had them on lockdown and let them out when we're around. My cat has been missing about 4 days now and I presume it dead but trying to figure out who the culprit might be--we have confirmation of at least 3 other cats missing in neighborhood.
Wildlife in area:
Fox
Coyote
Coywolf/Wolf
Black Bear
No sasquatches (YET)
Is a fox taking a cat likely?
It sounds like they were simply telling you to just make sure to make it clear you were in danger at the time of the shooting.
agreed (and sorry for the missing kitty, that sucks).
Quote:
the coyote is more likely than the fox.
agreed (and sorry for the missing kitty, that sucks).
The trick is what to do with this little guy. Getting a rifle(needs to be high powered)doesn't seem like a good idea. The round carries for a ways and you don't want any accidents.
The lion may just be passing through but they will stick around for food and water. Since you guys are dealing with a drought like we recently did this may be something to look at.
Make sure it has no access to anything! Nothing to eat or drink. Try bright lights(flashing lights work better). A very loud dog is great, but don't let the dog loose because the last thing you want is them fighting in your yard. If you see it make it uncomfortable(in a safe way). Try blowing an air horn slamming the door a few times, anything to make it think I shouldn't be here.
The chance of an attack is small but it is there. Especially if you surprise it. Don't run(it will chase). Face it, look right out it and be commanding. Chunk a large rock or anything. Honestly, it doesn't want trouble anymore than you do.
The real problem is they can come down and get trash and not have to hunt. Friends in New Mexico are always telling me how the big cats will wander down and the "hipsters"(is this politically incorrect?)will think they are awesome and start leaving out food. Well they will never leave if you do this!
Maybe have something with real bullets handy too. Just in case plan A doesn't work out so well.
Dogs, my friend, are your best bet. A nice loud dog will solve a lot of wildlife problems but please train it right. This protects the dog, the wildlife, and you.
Set it up, watch the wind direction, use some scent block and maybe wear some camo if you have some and maybe sit up against a tree to block your silhouette.
Super Critter Decoy - ( New Window )
It is a most un-hip thing to do, as it ultimately endangers the animals by removing their fear of human beings.
my barber has a chicken coop and foxes ate his chickens - he was curious what it was and sent up a motion sensor video camera. Very clear it was the foxes.
cool stuff to see (not the slaughter of the chickens by the fox, the camera/technology)
An Anatolian Shepherd dog can be very effective as well, but they need a firm and experienced hand as they can be a bit tougher to train than a Pyr. Pyrs make a nice transition from working dog to family companion, and they're good with visitors once you make it clear that this person is okay.
They do have a formidable WOOF!
Randy get yourself a couple of cam cams and place them to where you will see what is coming into your place and at what times (it will record date and time for you). You can then better plan how to get rid them.
Fortunately all we have around us are a couple of hawks nesting in a tree in our backyard and the occasional copperhead.
Wildlife in area:
Fox
Coyote
Coywolf/Wolf
Black Bear
No sasquatches (YET)
Is a fox taking a cat likely?
Coyote would be the likeliest then the fox IMO for the cat. I would never rule out birds either, not common but Owls and Eagles can and will easily take down a cat. A fox could easily kill a cat, it just would be much harder than what it usually kills - rabbits, mice, gophers, chickens, etc...
As for Capone and the mountain lion, I know that normally what would happen is exactly what he is saying he would do (shoot it and bury the evidence). It happens all the time with Bears, wolves, coyotes, and basically any predator that the average joe thinks gets too close for comfort. In a gated community a high power rifle would be an asinine thing to do, pretty much any gunfire would be. If it is scavenging garbage or being fed in any way by people the animal should be destroyed, if not leave it be.
Now I wouldn't personally kill it unless it started hanging around the yard constantly or getting aggressive but if I had kids I'm sure it would be a very different scenario.
I lean towards coyote as well for the cat but had to chase off the damned fox when he was raiding chickens.
His name is Henry, aka Hank the Hunk. I can have him flown to you via Pilots & Paws.
Randy if your cat did indeed meet it's demise my condolences there's just a good a chance that it died from human action intentional or unintentional(car accident) as by wildlife but coyotes do eat cat more often than you think since cats and coyotes tend to be active at the same time of day(night).
that lived there at one point....don't hurt yourself falling off your high horse.
But I digress, I grew up in a small mountain community in the mountains of Southern NM. Pretty rural spot, but had houses spread out throughout the mountain. I used to run the canyon everyday, until a Ranger stopped me one day and said a lion was reported to be stalking people in the area.
I can honestly say there a few things more creepy feeling than running with dense trees all around you and feeling "watched or hunted"
Nothing happened to me, but a young boy was taken clean off his bike 2 weeks later....by the cat. Luckily his Dad was close and scared the lion off, but the kid would've been killed 100%. Mountain lions DO NOT F around. They are known to attack the face first to disable, then straight to the throat to "choke you to death with their teeth"
Another time in Albuquerque NM, we took out kids up for the weekend, my son got really sick and we had to take him to ER. When we're waiting, in bursts a man with blood all over him, screaming "where's my son!!", turns out they were hiking in the Sandia Mountains earlier....his 9 year old son got a bit ahead of them on the trail. Man hears the child screams, and runs to him.....only to see a lion dragging him off the trail....by his head.
The kid lived, but was completely chewed up and disfigured...again, father scared lion off in time.
Sorry for the long post, but in times of drought or limited food supply these cats will come into the "human ring". Obviously moving into their ring increases your contact... Cue the shit talkers....and....go...
Now the good news is that it would take a super desperate lion to attack a full grown man, but it is a FACT that kids are a target they are more than willing to confront.
As a father of 3 kids 10 and under, I would take immediate action. I grew up with nature and love animals ( have never hunted or killed anything) but regardless of where you live, your #1 priority is to protect your family.
I would shoot the cat on sight, and call the ranger ASAP. Don't leave or look for it, but if you see it in your yard or close, shoot that animal.
In the meantime, be especially watchful and careful of your kids being outside at anytime alone.
Good luck man!
His name is Henry, aka Hank the Hunk. I can have him flown to you via Pilots & Paws.
capone, you have a fence? You might want to seriously consider.