New Info On The Mt Lion Shooting Has Surfaced

[Tim Smith]

Bad decisions all around.

This is beginning to remind me of something....

Knock him out John!!

[fishinwrench]

I dunno y'all, I probably would have done the same thing. Even if the hunters had just backed on out of there after seeing the cat... those dogs weren't going anywhere. And going under that tree to physically pull the dogs away and leash them would be a pretty stupid move, and one I wouldn't even consider.

I'd definately take out the cat before I'd leave my dogs.

The only issue I can see in this is whether the guys were TRULY coon hunting...or had someone seen the cat in the area, so the guys were actually out hunting IT ? Do they have any coon pelts in the freezer to show that they have actually been out actively coon hunting this year ? If so then there's no reason not to buy their story and just let it go.

[Chief Grey Bear]

Well, self defense would not be as hard to prove as I think we have made here on the forum........

That is all fine and dandy here on this forum. It would be a slam dunk conviction. But you may want to do a little more investigating into the feelings and thoughts of those that would have been the jury. And you won't be getting a change of venue either. And please don't compare the MDC to the local police. There is a huge difference between the dweebs that were beat up in school and are now all hyped up on sugar donuts and attitude and those that have a deep appreciation for the outdoors like us.

[Quillback]

The message I'm getting is that Missouri has a shoot on sight policy on mountain lions, shoot it and tell the enforcement folks that you felt threatened. Only hitch in the giddy-up is they won't let you keep the carcass.

[skeeter]

Freely admit I don't know much about Cougars but I'm trying to figure out why some folks on here seem to want a breeding population re-established in Missouri ? Going to play the devil's advocate here....having read the stories about attacks by Cougars on humans in areas of California over the past few years with a couple of resulting fatalities and severe injuries to survivors I'm thinking do we really want them here again ?

If memory serves, the Cougars positively identified through carcass recovery or hair exams in Missouri have all been males supposedly seeking new territory. Do females do the same thing ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_cougar_attacks_in_North_America

http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks_ca.html

[jdmidwest]

Freely admit I don't know much about Cougars but I'm trying to figure out why some folks on here seem to want a breeding population re-established in Missouri ? Going to play the devil's advocate here....having read the stories about attacks by Cougars on humans in areas of California over the past few years with a couple of resulting fatalities and severe injuries to survivors I'm thinking do we really want them here again ?

If memory serves, the Cougars positively identified through carcass recovery or hair exams in Missouri have all been males supposedly seeking new territory. Do females do the same thing ?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fatal_cougar_attacks_in_North_America

http://tchester.org/sgm/lists/lion_attacks_ca.html

I was wondering the same myself.

[jdmidwest]

On a lighter note : Northern Minnesota 1978 . One nights hunt . We treed a bear that night too.

That is about the right era for me too, I did not hunt any after HS, dad sold his dogs about the time of the fur crash.

Back then, there were no bobcats, lions, or bears in SE. MO.

[Tim Smith]

Freely admit I don't know much about Cougars but I'm trying to figure out why some folks on here seem to want a breeding population re-established in Missouri ? Going to play the devil's advocate here....having read the stories about attacks by Cougars on humans in areas of California over the past few years with a couple of resulting fatalities and severe injuries to survivors I'm thinking do we really want them here again ?

Skeeter the question you're asking is what is at the bottom of the whole conversation here. Is the real but very low level risk of threats from a mountain lionworth the aesthetic ecological and potential ecotourism benefits?

There was a link provided on another mountain lion thread that had a complete (sort of) listing of all the attacks/confrontations over the last century. All of those attacks happened in the west and relative to the number of people and mounain lions slipping past each other in the wild it's vanishingly small. The elk they're talking about putting back in the Ozarks are a bigger threat due to increased mortality risk during collisions with cars.

For me, the answer is yes, you do want them. We have to be a bit more careful in places that have predators, but I also know that for the most part they are not looking for trouble. A rancher or a family with kids in the middle of nowhere might feel differently...but I would hope they could at least see the point.

This photo is from a sampling site where I work right now. This might be from a mountain lion, but it's probably a jaguar. Every time I find one of these, it's a good day.

[ozark trout fisher]

Freely admit I don't know much about Cougars but I'm trying to figure out why some folks on here seem to want a breeding population re-established in Missouri ? Going to play the devil's advocate here....having read the stories about attacks by Cougars on humans in areas of California over the past few years with a couple of resulting fatalities and severe injuries to survivors I'm thinking do we really want them here again ?

Are mountain lions a little bit dangerous? Yes. But if we're going to remove everything from society that is dangerous, cars, trains, airplanes, bikes, boats, swimming pools and countless other things in our daily lives would have to go. All those things I mentioned are infinitely more likely to kill you than even a large breeding population of lions. Oh yes, and we'd have to get rid of all the deer too. Those pesky things get in the way of cars all the time-and sometimes kill people. And no fishing either-you might drown!

I am sorry that you are frightened of the infinitely small possibility that a mountain lion will hurt you. But honestly, I think there's a good chance you'll be okay.

[jdmidwest]

Has any one defined a "Positive" effect a Mountain Lion in MO has on the Ecology or Environment other than having a new kitty to look at? Other than possible population control of the deer herd.