Author Topic: Mountain Lion rumored to be....... (Read 70292 times)

Wrightwood · « **Reply #20 on:** Mar 16, 06, 07:04:25 PM »

Who was it that identified the tracks as being a lion?
What size were the prints?
How did they know it was a male? Or was it?

I asked these questions as a volunteer with the DFG involved in tracking mountain lion activity.

Quote from: Surfer_Dude on Mar 16, 06, 06:43:01 PM

Mountain lion tracks have been seen on the Eastside of town, going up through the houses. If he comes back I will try to get some good photos of the tracks. Keep an eye on your beloved children and poochies.

Suhijita · « **Reply #21 on:** Mar 16, 06, 07:11:50 PM »

Quote from: Surfer_Dude on Mar 16, 06, 06:50:59 PM

Mountain lions have a huge territory radius so any part of WW is its playground.

Yes! I believe they roam a 250 mile radius of their home AND they can pounce thirty feet!!!! Keep your eyes on your fries.

Wrightwood · « **Reply #22 on:** Mar 16, 06, 07:40:10 PM »

That figure is high for what is recognized by the DFG with our lion population.

The males do cover a large range and generally speaking in California, a home range for an adult male lion can be over 100 square miles. Females travel a smaller range of 20 to 60 square miles. http://www.dfg.ca.gov/whdab/html/M165.html

The young male that we captured above Lone Pine Canyon was fitted with a radio telemetry collar. During the first fews months of tracking the lions movement he made a complete circle around the San Gabriel Mountains. That included Lone Pine Canyon, Cabin Flats, Crystal Lake area and back again to the Lytle Creek area.

angiepoo · « **Reply #23 on:** Mar 16, 06, 07:44:25 PM »

A few weeks ago, my brother in law said there were tracks around his house up on Heath Creek by the wash.

Surfer_Dude · « **Reply #24 on:** Mar 16, 06, 07:48:31 PM »

Wrightwood · « **Reply #25 on:** Mar 16, 06, 08:05:17 PM »

Surfer_Dude thanks for the clarification.

Large dog tracks and mountain lion tracks are very similar and more often than not misidentified. Tracks in the snow are the worst as a dog track becomes very large when the snow begins to melt. That's not to say that we don't have a lion in the area but until more concrete evidence or sightings appear I'm not convinced.

Last time sightings were reported in town I followed them up and had more questions than answers about the sighting(s) and what people had actually seen.

Wrightwood · « **Reply #26 on:** Mar 16, 06, 08:07:54 PM »

http://www.bigcats.org/abc/identification/pumadogtracks.html

Suhijita · « **Reply #27 on:** Mar 16, 06, 08:18:50 PM »

ESPN did an article on Mountain Lion Hunting:

"Lions travel. An old tom may have a 200 to 300-mile radius that he travels."

"If we find his track three or four days old, then we're going to start looking in the direction that he is going and cutting way out front of that track."

"We try and find where he has come through someplace, warming that track up to a night or two nights old. Generally we catch up with him in the same day, but sometimes it takes a couple of days."

"Lions move at night," Zeldenthuis said. "During the day we're actually trailing that lion where he's been through the night. Out here you catch a lot of lions on the rims, in the rocks. A lot of trees are not big enough to really hold a lion."

Wrightwood · « **Reply #28 on:** Mar 16, 06, 08:54:15 PM »

I would lean towards the California DFG numbers on this one as we just don't have that type of open space in California. The ESPN story might be talking about the capabilities of the lion in general, when it doesn't have restrictions on territory. I'd be hard pressed to consider that a lions would be traveling from San Diego to Santa Barbara and Long Beach to Las Vegas.

http://www.dfg.ca.gov/watchable/mtlionbro.pdf

Suhijita · « **Reply #29 on:** Mar 16, 06, 09:51:23 PM »

good point... I used to live in OC and they would roam the neighborhoods and I have never seen one here...perhaps they don't want to cross the 15...lol.

Wrightwood · « **Reply #30 on:** Mar 17, 06, 09:31:27 PM »

MazzyStar · « **Reply #31 on:** Mar 17, 06, 09:43:09 PM »

If I'm attacked by a mountain lion... should I punch it in the nose or poke it in the eye?

phoenixgirl · « **Reply #32 on:** Mar 17, 06, 11:50:19 PM »

ummmmmmm, both

MontanaBear · « **Reply #33 on:** Mar 18, 06, 12:48:46 AM »

You have no chance.Because they stalk you and attack from behind grabbing you by the back of the neck.

gypsywolf · « **Reply #34 on:** Mar 18, 06, 01:46:37 AM »

I know this may sound silly, but I usually glance up at the roof line when I go out at night. They like to pounce on their prey.

How cool there is an acutal sighting. Hopefully he is just passing through and won't bother anyone.

Blackcomb · « **Reply #35 on:** Mar 18, 06, 02:29:16 AM »

Quote from: gypsywolf on Mar 18, 06, 01:46:37 AM

I know this may sound silly, but I usually glance up at the roof line when I go out at night. They like to pounce on their prey.

How cool there is an acutal sighting. Hopefully he is just passing through and won't bother anyone.

Since the last tracks appeared in the snow, maybe they will re-appear this weekend, and hopefully this means that it will refrain from trying to sled in anybody's yard

Surfer_Dude · « **Reply #36 on:** Mar 18, 06, 02:38:37 AM »

I'll make sure I am wearing a bicycle helmet.

Surfer_Dude · « **Reply #37 on:** Mar 18, 06, 04:03:32 AM »

gypsywolf · « **Reply #38 on:** Mar 18, 06, 05:02:47 AM »

I told you that habit was silly

What a cute baby lion photo.

Thanks for sharing!

Wildman · « **Reply #39 on:** Mar 18, 06, 06:54:28 AM »

About ten years ago, we had just come back from an early morning response and were backing the apparatus into the station and I asked my Engineer if that was a dog in front of the station. It wasn't....it was a mountain lion carrying a small cockapoo type dog. We turned the engine headlights on to illuminate the two. The dogs tail was still wagging weakly. The lion just kept going down Elm and disappeared across Hwy 2 into the creek. We had just seen "Dances with Wolves" and the comment was made with a line from the movie, "Somewhere, someone's asking why don't she write?"
In our line of work two things were essential...remain cool in the face of the unusual and have a morbid sense of humor. I always thought of that little dog when I saw missing dog signs around town.

Several months later, a mountain lion was found dead along Hwy 2 and I stood guard over it until Fish and Game could arrive. It's the lion that is mounted and at Grassy Hollow. Even in death, it was the perfect predator...with claws that were like razor blades teeth that could wrap around a deer's neck. Magnificent animals.

Author Topic: Mountain Lion rumored to be....... (Read 70292 times)

angiepoo

MazzyStar

phoenixgirl

MontanaBear

gypsywolf

Blackcomb

gypsywolf

Wildman