a walk in the woods will never be the same

[Pthfndr]

Also, as more and more formerly remote areas are beginning to be popoluated (albeit sparsely), more and more people live in areas that have populations of cougars, coyotes, and in some cases bears. As an example: we live in the Santa Cruz mountains, on a 10-acre lot, and out here the typical distance between residences is 200 to 500 yards (not feet). The area is fundamentally a wild unmanaged forest, with a few roads and houses scattered in it (yet, it is 20 minutes by car from Silicon Valley). And it has the typical wildlife of an unmanaged forest: deer, varmint, coyotes, bobcats, lions. We see coyotes and bobcats regularly, and lions occasionally. Note that we don't hunt, and don't bother to call or attract predators, nor do we spend a lot of time hiking in the area; we encounter these animals in the normal course of life (driving to work, walking over to the neighbors house, looking out the window while washing dishes, and such).

The fact that predators exist does not bother us (although I wouldn't mind if the coyote population were much lower, as they are a great danger to domestic cats and dogs). The real problem occurs if people with a suburbia attitude move into these mostly wild areas, and have a nervous breakdown if anything threatening shows up.

Now, black widow spiders inside the house, and rattlers within 50 feet of the house, those are a different story; those get killed mercilessly. Those animals are seriously dangerous.

This mirrors my experience here in the lower elevation (4000') of the Sierra Nevada mtns. I enjoy the various wildlife that occasionally passes through my property on a game trail. Other people (transplants) freak out about everything from squirrels on up. The neatest experience so far was watching a bear go by

I've adapted to live in the enviroment, not tried to make my enviroment adapt to me.

[jerryg1776]

Never camp unarmed

I believe we are more of a threat to them than they are to us. If they didn't fear us encounters would be much more common. We always were prey, physically we have never been a good match for cougars. We just have thumbs. Actually, both attacks happened on the same day by the same lion. DNA tests on the dead lion showed traces of both victims. It is very sad, and very rare. During the attack, that lion was able to drag the girl and her friend, who was hanging onto her legs, 30 feet off the trail! They are very strong. She was a former marine and a fitness instructor. obviously no one's cup cake.

Just took the family camping up by Julian and the wife insisted that I take my snubby 357 with me when we went out hiking with the kids. On the way out the second day some folks hiking in bound said that thay saw a mountain lion a few miles out. Something about a lady and her dog, a mountain lion and lots of yelling. Nothing bad happened tho - the cat ran off. Maybe they were full of BS but its never hurts to be careful in the woods.

[Rumpled]

Camping/hiking while armed is all well and good, but what about all of the places in CA that we cannot have weapons, period.

The example I gave in Whiting Ranch = prohibited County park.
Rancho Cuyamaca fatality = prohibited State park

I think one thing to add about hunting lions, is it is not just the take. The active pursuit of lions while hunting adds to their fear.

Also, how many lions where taken when there was a bounty, not just sport huning?