I have been told by neighbors that mountain lion or 2 have been seen about and to keep an eye out. The closest I have seen one is abut 8-10 miles away. I did not give it much thought until today. I go out in the middle of nowhere by myself and a puppy dog and after doing a little research on how to avoid encounters with the cats; I think I may be trolling for them. I wonder around the place with just me and my dog, sometimes paying attention and sometimes not. Has anyone ever had a close encounter with one? Like I said, I am out in the middle of nowhere with a puppy and it can be spooky without big cats running around. Am I bait or what.....

i dun had me sum clos up and persenl xperenses wid em. mosly the black cougars. Dun kiled me a fyeu. was atacted by a mama black cougar a cupl days ago. I dun stuc her wid mi nife. I don pla dat!

WE GOT US A COON ARS ON BOARD HERE!!! SOMEBODY GO GET A TRANSLATER!!!

I had one. Sitting in a brush blind on a bucket, bow only season. Saw a kitty cat coming down the trail at me. Thought, kinda rough country for a house cat. As it got closer, realized it was not a house cat. Must be a bobcat. As it got about 10 yards the other side of the feeder, about 40 from me, realized it was not a bobcat... the feeder sat at a crossroad of three trails, he veered to his right, taking an angle toward me right to left, I drew and released, and thought just as I let go....What if you piss him off??? CLimb a tree? What trees? Heart racing, arrow missed high at 15 yards, used bottom pin, thank you Lord. He split, after slapping at the arrow and hissing really loud.

A few months before had heard of one out there and thought the person speaking was smoking something.

Oh wow.... Sounds like you were in the dinner plans. The more I read the more I think I am trolling for them.

The way I've heard it described is they get a running start when they decide to attack. They hit you before you are aware and knock you to the ground possibly knocking the wind out of you.

Dazed and confused you try to get your bearings but by this time the cat has sunk his canines into your throat or the back of your neck and either you suffocate or your artery is punchtured and your neck is broken!

Just to give you something to think about, since it's pretty quick, but that's just what I've heard!

Ok here goes true story. I was hunting bow season in the Hill Country about three years ago, the stand was backed up to a cliff of rocks about 35ft high with brush in front. I was just about dawn you could start to see the shadows on the ground form the trees. I had been hearing something above me for about 30 minutes but I thought it was just a lizard or something. Just as I was about to get comfortable and sit back and wait for the big buck I had been hunting in this spot. I hear it again for up above, at this time I look up just in time to see a mountain lion with huge paws and teeth jumping towards me from the cliff. I jumped back just in time causing him to miss me, hit the rail of the stand flipped over and landing on his feet. I guess he was ashamed because he looked up at me shook his head and slowly went off into the woods. I will never forget how hard my heart was pumping, had to be scariest moment of my life. One second slower and I would have been breakfast.

Ok – now this is just not cool. I am not sure how I would react if that were to happen to me - Give up the property and enjoyment because of fright??? I was never concerned about them until now. I am no big wilderness person by any means but I really enjoy going to my place and hanging out. The last thing I want to do is be afraid. Aware is one thing but hearing and reading has me wondering how things will be this weekend when I am out there. Me and my pup – Lion bait…. Is there anything I can do to make sure they know I am not food ? Maybe I will change my handle to “Lion Bait”

I've been in the woods in Lamar county for 35 years and there is always someone saying there is a panther or mountain lion prowling. I've never seen one but others swear there is one there. I was bow hunting in Coryell county a couple of years ago and had a mountain lion come with in 15 yards of my stand (6' tripod) right at daylight. He went around me and I never saw him again but it does raise the hair a bit.

I only worry when my 9 and 6 year olds are out scouting with me. They are snack size for a big lion so I usually have my SKS close by. I wouldnt sweat it, they are so reclusive it is just a priviledge to see one in the wild. JMO

I saw one about 15 years ago hunting near Fairfield. It was right at dusk and I had a 1-1/2 mile walk back to camp through the woods in the dark. I decided to let him go along his his way and hope he kept going. You know how dark it gets in the woods and I didn't carry a flashlight so it was a spooky walk out. I saw tracks every year I hunted there but that was my only sighting.

One came up into camp one night and scared the crap out of me. He growled at me in the dark from less than 10' but I couldn't see him. Saw his tracks there the next morning though.

wil: I hope my post didn't scare you, but you have to remember to just be aware as others have said. I'm an outdoors person and I've been scared out there at times and had a weird feeling that I was being watched. By who? I don't know if human or animal, but you develope a sense in my opinion. Look for the birds and crickets to get silent then there is possibly someone or something around.

If you see a lot of activity in birds, squirrels and such it is safe to say nothing is around that may spook them other than yourself.

Just be aware and watch for sign such as tracks. It isn't anything to worry about. I'm more affraid of feral dogs than anything wild in the woods. Dogs don't have fear of man as wild animals do!

Carry a lockblade knife and a firearm if out and about. Even a 22 is handy to carry around!

I used to walk around in the off season with my 22 and 22mag. I walked up on a few hogs once, and felt undergunned so I and went out and got me a Chinese 7.62X39 SKS with a bayonett.
I never had to use the bayo, but I walked with swagger because I was the baddest dude in the woods.

Just get you one of songdog's calls he posted and go after the lion first. Get a spot light and someone with a tall stand in the back of the truck and go get him. I would leave the pup in the cab of the truck though.

I hunt near Glenrose and every once in a blue moon we have a mountain lion that'll take up residence there for a few months then move on. Never have seen it but saw sign and it never really bothered me. Would have loved to see it cross by me and probably would have let it walked, long as it walked AWAY. One night a couple of us are sitting around the campfire and all of a sudden the nights silence is shattered by a blood curdeling scream. I had always heard they sound like a womans scream, still not sure about that but I can tell you one thing. It is kind of like the old saying goes, you may not know what a rattle snake looks like, but when you see the first one, you'll know immediatly. That is what this was like, I had never heard a mountain lions scream but when this one belted one out, I knew, deep down there was no room for doubt. We had a lion. The next morning, head a little heavy from my favorite campfire beverage, I finished my coffee, grabbed my bow and headed out. Now then, the stand I was hunting was about 20 yards up out of a low water crossing by a creek, heavily wooded with the stand on the inside edge of the woods. You have to walk under over hanging trees through the low water crossing to get up and to the stand. The cat really wasn't on my mind at all until...I get down in the creek bottom, it crossed my mind and I shrugged it of best I could, up the west bank through the trees. I clipped my bow to my pull string and climbed up into my tree and was just starting to pull my bow up when.... that goshdang cat screams right behind me in the dang creek I just crossed , I mean right behind me, not a minute or 2 after I crossed. OK now I am wide awake, a warm feeling in the seat of my britches (J.K. just adds to the story ) but brother it did make every hair on the back of my neck stand attention. That was a long dark morning till sunrise. Haven't seen any sign this year, last year we saw sign of it and what appeared to be 2 different cub tracks traveling with her. I still think of that morning every bow season when I cross that creek, dang Cat.

I've seen two. Neither one would really qualify as an "encounter",

The first time, me & my bro-in-law were going to deer hunt a place on the Red River. Had some cows out. We opened the gate and he was going to push the cattle up a little lane between the fence and the salt cedars. I hunkered down in the grass in the lane past the gate to shoo the cattle in. Had leaned my gun up against the fence.

I noticed some movement off too my left. It was a pretty big cat just walking through the pasture. Once I figured out what it was, the hair on my neck stood up. He wasn't over 35-40 yards. I stood up to get my gun, he saw me and was gone in about 3 bounds. I thought BIL would never believe me, but we found his tracks on a sandy spot. Paw print big as your fist.

2nd time was fishing with a buddy in a large stock pond, again just south of the Red. Was out in the middle of the pond when a juvenile lion walked over the dam and went over to the little dock we launched from. He just stood there and looked at us for what seemed like a minute or so. Then just walked off. I think he was stalking some turkeys we had seen earlier. Glad it wasn't night and time to get off the water.

I feel really fortunate to have seen 2. Hope my boy gets to see one someday.

Well, I have seen one in the wild a few miles from my place so I should feel privileged I know. The more I thought about it last night, the more at ease I became. I do carry a small revolver and a knife when out tromping around. I do have an SKS in my future plans. I just like my time way out in the middle of know where, alone or with company and I want to have that “swagger”. I am finding that not may people go it alone.
I am way more apt to get into a confrontation with a feral hog than the lion. I have had them surround me while filling my feeder on several occasions. They also did it while I was building the fence to keep the sorry SOBs from eating the feed. I laughed at them the whole time knowing I would eventually get a fence that would keep them out. They would stay just in the thick stuff where I could not see them but could hear them grunting and such. A few times I took the shot gun down to the feeder with me and let a few rounds off. All hell would break loose as they ran every direction away from me.

good post wil, these stories are very entertaining. I would love to see one in the wild and hopefully will someday, as long as I see it first.

THERE IS A FINE LINE BETWEEN BRAVE AND STUPID... I'M NOT SURE WHICH SIDE OF THE LINE I'M ON!
NEVER SEEN ONE NEVER WORRIED ABOUT "IF" I SEE ONE... I DON'T THINK I'D WORRY ABOUT ANY ANIMAL UNTIL WE GET UP TO SOMETHING LARGER THAN A BLACK BEAR.
AFTER ALL I AM A HUMAN... TOP OF THE FOOD CHAIN, ONLY ENEMY TO ALL THE OTHER "TOP" PREADATORS.

4.

1st one- I was about 12. Hunting in Benevides, Texas with some family and friends. I was sitting in the blind with my dad, and we saw a momma and her cubs about 250yds away. They were playing in the middle of the sendero. No big deal.

2 years later- same lease. I was driving around out of sheer boredom and one popped out of the brush in front of me like I was even there. She just trotted in front of the truck for about 30 yards before disappearing in the brush.

Freer, Texas. Newton Ranch, south of Freer on 59. I was about 16 at the time, and one morning I returned to camp to get breakfast, parked the truck, looked up and she was standing broadside about 15 yds in front of me. She just looked at me, blinked a couple times, and walked off.

Same year, same ranch (but across the street). I was hunting an old blind that had been knocked over for years (nobody ever hunted the area). Three-way sendero, turned to check the lane in front of me, and saw her walk into the brush. she was about 40 yds away, and I was never really worried even though I was on the ground.

One night, however, I was returning to camp (same freer lease) and I had to walk it back as the truck died on me.

I had seen some javelina and ferral hogs on the road, so I took my gun just in case. I got to the area where they wre eating (you could still smell them) and all hell broke loose. Although sound travels well in cold weather, it sounded like it was about 20-30 ft in the brush.

Obviously a cat had attacked a hog, and boy howdy, talk about screams that TO THIS DAY make the hair on my neck stand straight up. Pure screaming hell for about 10 seconds, then silence. I froze with my gun at my side. When I thawed out, I just kept walking, reassuring myself that either the hog won the battle (we all know what they can do) or the cat was busy eating her prey and was not interested in little ol me.

From what I have gathered from people that have lost their dogs from their own yard, the cat will come after the dog, even if he has to go through you to get it. All stories that I have heard from victims have mentioned that the cat may have knocked them down, but they were literally unscathed. It wasn't them that they were after, it was the animal that was with them.

The only one's I have seen have been driving. Two on seperate trips between Lubbock and Dallas. One was coming up out of a canyon just east of Dickens, the other was up on the caprock probably 20 miles to the west, it crossed the road about 50 yards in front of me. Pretty cool stuff

Fannin County -
Had a neighbor loosing goats. BIG cat prints were found in the area. Something was jumping over cattle panels, grabbing a goat, and somehow clearing the cattle panel with the goat. We think that whatever was taking the goats was getting on top of the round bale close to the side in the pin to clear the cattle panels with the goat. A couple half eaten goats we found down in the creek.

After about three weeks, a neighbor shot a black cat with a long tail. After that, no more goats disappeared.

Did not see if for myself, but I am thinking Mountain Lion.

Saw one on my place several years ago. It was about 1:30 PM on a hot Summer afternoon. It ran across the ranch road in front of the truck about 20 yds. I grabbed my binoculars and verified it was a Cougar. That was about the same time I lost several newborn calves. I'd find them cut half into like someone just chopped them in half and took the hind quarters. Never found them just the heads and shoulders. I reported it to the TPW on their 800 number for Mountain lion sightings. I noticed that the number of other wildlife became pretty scarce during that time. Never saw the cat again. I don't know how long it was hanging around. TPW said they like high cliffs and thick brush areas near water. Also said their favorite prey is pigs then deer. Don't know where calves and other creatures come in but, like any cat they will kill for fun so be careful. There was a jogger killed in California not to long ago even though another person on the trail eventually got the cat off of them and got wounded pretty bad too.

They are dangerous so be careful. Keep an eye on stuff above you because they like to hang out up off the ground.

Many years ago my uncle had a place in the country north of Abilene. There was a mountain lion in the area and he and my dad used a wounded rabbit call. We were inside a car. We heard the lion cry a few times and as we were starting to leave we saw the tail of the lion as it walked thru the brush in front of the headlights.

It has been nearly fifty years ago but I remember the sight and the sound the lion made that night like it was yesterday.