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Legion81 wrote: I thought something similar to the HANS device .

Without a helmet, the HANS would have to bolt to your skull.

A mountain lion attack is generally over as soon as it's begun. To "react" to a big cat on your back, locking jaws on/around your head and neck, you'd need a presence of mind that the vast majority of us just.don't.have.

But, I have put some thought into being attacked over the years. You're best hope would be to have a simple sharp object in your hand... at all times. Like an ice pick, not a blade, just something sharp and strong, and at least 12" long. You aught to be able to inflict enough pain/damage with it to get the cat off of you... for a second at least. In the panic of the moment, you're probably just as likely to stab yourself.

A prevention option may be a simple scarf impregnated with something that tastes awful, yet doesn't irritate the skin. Good luck with that one.

Just don't hike alone, all party members should have a knife of some kind. Or, hike with an ornery mule.

My trusted coon hounds named Old Dan & Little Ann saved my life when I got attacked in the Ozarks by a mountain lion as a boy.

The Chief wrote:

Legion81 wrote:. What do you think? Do you think it would be useful when hiking or jogging alone in mountain lion country?

First of all, why and for what sane reason, would anyone do this knowing that there are cougars in the area?

Sport? Could become quite the competition.

alleyehave wrote:

The Chief wrote:

Legion81 wrote:. What do you think? Do you think it would be useful when hiking or jogging alone in mountain lion country?

First of all, why and for what sane reason, would anyone do this knowing that there are cougars in the area?

Sport? Could become quite the competition.

What Competition? It'd be over in less than 30 secs. And I don't think that the dude wearing the HANS would be on the winning side.

The Chief wrote:

alleyehave wrote:

The Chief wrote:

Legion81 wrote:. What do you think? Do you think it would be useful when hiking or jogging alone in mountain lion country?

First of all, why and for what sane reason, would anyone do this knowing that there are cougars in the area?

Sport? Could become quite the competition.

What Competition? It'd be over in less than 30 secs. And I don't think that the dude wearing the HANS would be on the winning side.

False, competition very real. Distance from start to imminent mauling.

The Chief wrote:

Legion81 wrote:. What do you think? Do you think it would be useful when hiking or jogging alone in mountain lion country?

First of all, why and for what sane reason, would anyone do this knowing that there are cougars in the area?

Well, I can speak for me only: because all the remote areas around here have mountain lions, and often it's necessary to jog to get down before you run out of daylight, cool temps, or water. When going down through brush and loose talus, it is often safer and easier to go fast.

It's a relative call. The chances of dying from a cougar attack around here are far lower than the chances of dying from rock-climbing, or from running out of water... or driving to the trailhead. So any protective measure I consider must be cheap, and is probably mainly to ease my wife's concerns.

It is hard to judge relative risk. I don't think we have recorded a mountain-lion-caused human fatality in southern NV, ever. But we have had a lot of people who just went missing. Areas like the northern Sheep Mountains probably have more than 10 mountain lions resident; but may see only 10 people in a year (more than a mile from the dirt roads), and a lot of those folks are hunters. So one could argue that the statistics are not reliable. In many areas like this, I see absolutley no sign that humans have been there before.

The chances of a mountain lion attack, for someone hiking alone, may be much greater in the CA Sierra.

There are many cases of people driving off mountain lions. They don't want to risk getting injured, and are looking for easy kills.

Would this "Cougar" you speak of be the GT version with the 390 cubic inch 'Big-Block" V8, or just the standard model Cougar with the 289 cubic inch engine? I think I might be able to get away from the 'standard' on my road bicycle, but the 390 would easily catch up to me.

I think the driver of the 390 would be better served using the HANS device - that 390 had some serious get-up-and-go when you pressed down on the accelerator pedal.

On a more serious note, try reading this. A few year old, but still accurate:

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

Mountain lions are pretty low on my list of things to worry about in the backcountry.

MoapaPk wrote:

mconnell wrote:If I was that worried about it, I couldn't walk out my front door without protection since there have been deer kills within 100 yards of my front door.

Mainly, you probably wouldn't run 100yds out from your house silently at night, for hours on end.

I run around here on a regular basis, occasionally at night. Several people do.

phydeux wrote:

Would this "Cougar" you speak of be the GT version with the 390 cubic inch 'Big-Block" V8, or just the standard model Cougar with the 289 cubic inch engine? I think I might be able to get away from the 'standard' on my road bicycle, but the 390 would easily catch up to me.

I think the driver of the 390 would be better served using the HANS device - that 390 had some serious get-up-and-go when you pressed down on the accelerator pedal.

And no brakes.

Funny you should mention the car; I've got one, an XR7, it's caged, I've got a harness, fire suit, nomex undies... but I can't afford a Hans yet. I'd say the car has a good chance of killing me.

taxinvestor wrote:My trusted coon hounds named Old Dan & Little Ann saved my life when I got attacked in the Ozarks by a mountain lion as a boy.

Does a red fern grow where you buried them?

The Chief wrote:

Legion81 wrote:. What do you think? Do you think it would be useful when hiking or jogging alone in mountain lion country?

First of all, why and for what sane reason, would anyone do this knowing that there are cougars in the area?

If you avoid areas with cougars, you would eliminate most of the western Sierra (including the Valley), all of the coast ranges, almost all of Colorado west of the front range, etc. I would put something like 90% of all of my hikes involve going through cougar country, and almost always alone. I've got a much better chance of tripping over my own feet, hitting my head and dieing from my injuries than I do of being attacked by a cougar.

mconnell wrote:

The Chief wrote:

Legion81 wrote:. What do you think? Do you think it would be useful when hiking or jogging alone in mountain lion country?

First of all, why and for what sane reason, would anyone do this knowing that there are cougars in the area?

If you avoid areas with cougars, you would eliminate most of the western Sierra (including the Valley), all of the coast ranges, almost all of Colorado west of the front range, etc. I would put something like 90% of all of my hikes involve going through cougar country, and almost always alone. I've got a much better chance of tripping over my own feet, hitting my head and dieing from my injuries than I do of being attacked by a cougar.

I agree. I've had a cougar come up to my tent but I still don't worry about them if I'm hiking alone. Just as you might wonder if a scene in the movies where they swim underwater will actually defend you from bullets, I was wondering if something like this would help during an attack. If you are afraid of animals, you don't have any business being in the wilderness.

I was being sarcastic Boys.....

I live in Cougar Country and do tons of solo stuff deep in the heart of their territory. Many a times I know there's one me watching me. Thing is, there is a deal in the animal dimension known as predatory senses where the predator can sense their preys emotional state i.e. fear.

The emotion of fear emits certain body chemicals that they can pick up on and know that you are easy prey.

I will leave it that.

The Chief wrote:I was being sarcastic Boys.....

I live in Cougar Country and do tons of solo stuff deep in the heart of their territory.

I wear a helmet to protect me.