PRO LEISURE CIRCUIT: MOUNTAIN LION

Sunday, August 29, 2010

MOUNTAIN LION

Connie and I had quite an experience on our walk yesterday morning. We usually leave the barn and she heads east into the foothills and I head west to walk around our place before following her up into the foothills (I tend to walk faster than she does). We meet on the main trail/road just after she turns around to head back home. As I was going just past the power lines, I looked up and noticed something tan in color walking up the same two track road I was on. For an instant I thought it was one of the neighbors dogs that are that color - but I noticed it had a long tail that nearly dragged the ground even when it was curled on the end. I could not believe I was following a mountain lion up the road. I was only 30 or 40 yards behind it. I took my gun out of it's holster and put a shell in the chamber just in case and continued walking fast in the soft sandy dirt, closing in on it. I estimate that I was about 75 feet behind it when it finally heard me and turned it's head around to see what was behind it. We just stood there looking at each other for a number seconds, but it seemed longer. I don't know if it was just surprised and couldn't move or what but it did not act that scared. I knew Connie was ahead of me and walking towards me so I wanted to get it out of the area before they ran into each other. I shot the pistol in the air and it took off running up the road. I did not know Connie was just around the corner so she hears the gun shot then sees this mountain lion running towards her. She yelled my name and the lion veered of the road into the brush at a lope. What excitement! That was only the second mountain lion I have seen in the wild and Connie's first.

Later we took Mark (who missed going walking with us and the excitement) for a horseback ride. It was his first since the age of 7. We had a few laughs let me tell you. Jack did good for him though.