Wildlife Encounters

[JohnD]

I've never seen one...directly.
Years back we backpacked up to the GT lakes outside of Lone Pine. Set up camp at Muir lake to avoid everyone else. Ranger said that there were no fish there as they'd all been poisoned off in order to replant the lake with pure GT. We found that to be.....untrue.
Anyway, one night we're out fishing late while waiting for a buddy to come back from a trip over the pass. Finally it goes from dusk to dark and we can't see much beyond a few dozen yards. Still a few fish jumping so we're still casting, but blind. Anyway off to the south we hear some splashing at the water's edge. We discuss whether or not the lovely young skinny dipper that I saw earlier had come back but something about the way it sounded seemed odd. Anyway, we wander back to camp and eventually our buddy comes back and we all hit the sack. Next morning I'm up early casting at early risers and notice that directly on top of my footprints from the night before are LARGE cat tracks. We were more careful that next night.

[Bob Loblaw]

a couple of years ago we had two lion sightings in a week in Pleasant Hill. The following weekend I was out for a run with a friend in Briones open space and saw some big fresh tracks, a couple of days later a neighbor was out there for an evening mountain bike ride and wrecked breaking his femur. He was out there all night on a deer trail. He was found the next morning OK, guessing he didn't sleep much.

[RenoLipRipper]

Seen one in Chino Hills State Park (San Bernadino/So. California) while mountain biking early a.m.. Comming around a corner then a straight and off of the bank (15') on the left it jumps down maybe 60' feet away and does a few leaps on the road and then leaps down the canyon on the right. Needless to say I stopped very quickly and turned around and got the hell out of there. As I was riding out the ranger was comming in to his cabin in the park and I informed him, he said look big and that there is alot of small animals for him to eat.

But I have always had that wierd feeling while biking some areas or hiking areas (East Carson River below hangmans) that I am being watched. Being alone most of the time the hair on the back of your neck seems to stick up.

I have seen tracks at the East Carson @ Hangmans in the snow a few years ago. The upper jeep road that is gated and you go over the barbed wire and the road follows the river a long way down.

We have mountain lions here in the Virginia City Highlands, Reno Nevada, seen the tracks. Heard there is a person who tracks them and tags them, or so goes the story.

We see and I have pics of bobcats at our wild horse watering tank. I thought they were go, and the baby/younger one was just on the other side of the driveway watching me. The older one was not seen but the younger one split. I have since gotten another watering tank, much lower so the smaller critters can get water also, as the younger one was not able to get the water in the taller tank. I used to see bobcats all the time in Chino Hills State Park while mountain biking, they were so accustomed to seeing humans they would just look at you and go on there way.

We just had in the last month or two a mountain lion trying to get into one of the casinos down town. Couldn't get through the door. I heard animal control/sheriff was able to corner him downtown under some deck or something where they were able to dart it, and take it out and put it somewhere else. Much better than someone killing it. Anyone killing one because it kills their dog should be shot also.

How about the 3 mile hike into Kirman.

I mountain bike/hike all over Tahoe, Tahoe Rim Trail etc. and I bet they are there.

I am amazed at the size of the animal.

Discovery had a special about the lion attacks on Victoria Island in British Columbia.

Down in Orange County they had two people attacked while one was mountain biking and the other was hiking, Whiting Ranch area and Caspers Campground.

They are there, just be aware and hope they don't come after you. Usually they don't, but I am on high awareness while doing wilderness ativities.