Personally, I have a low opinion of the intelligence of people who go out in wilderness areas inhabited by large predators unarmed. His inane dialogue, “Dude!” had me rooting for the lion very soon.
If I were in his position, I’d have gotten fed up with that lion’s chutzpah early on and picked up a nice large rock or a stout stick and gone on the offensive. I suspect that lion would have run as soon as she saw a human bend over and pick up a rock. She certainly would have run if the human advanced on her with visible belligerent intent.
The nudists and vegetarians at the Mountain Lion Foundation, naturally, have rushed to defend that insolent lion’s behavior, and, of course, they think the millennial did exactly the right things. (groan!)
OneGuy
Most people who go out in the wilderness do not carry a gun. Generally speaking they don’t need a gun and cases like this are rare. From my experience your risk of getting killed is 1000 times higher if you go out to bars on Friday and Saturday nights. Mostly from auto accident, but other risks abound.
There was a similar video of a hiker in Canada being followed by a black bear. My thought then, was kinda like yours, in that being a Canadian he wasn’t allowed to have a gun. (Yes I know that some hunting rifles are allowed but with severe restrictions.) At least in the U.S. we are allowed to carry a gun for self defense.
SteveS
> “I suspect that lion would have run as soon as she saw a human bend over and pick up a rock.”
I’ve backed off more than one aggressive dog by pretending to bend down and pick up a rock. Something doggies have learned to beware of over the last 40,000 years or so, I guess. Of course, an actual rock is better, but improvise, adapt and overcome, right? Sure were a lot of rocks along that two-track…
I’m no lion expert, but that one looked a little small to me – a young one, or maybe female? And those aborted charges looked more like a threat display than an attack. Makes me wonder if the lion was defending young or territory rather than looking for a meal.
And yes, by the end, I was rooting for the cat.
JDZ
It seemed to me that an awful lot of territory was involved for it to be protecting its litter.
gwbnyc
outfitters in montana told me if you walk a spell in snow, then reverse your course, many times cat tracks paralleling your path are seen.
Joe
I wouldn’t necessarily call him a wussie millennial. He did turn away a charging mountain lion with nothing but a rock.
Poorly prepared millennial, Yes. Definitely. But he did rise to the occasion and showed some incredible intestinal fortitude.
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