{"id":137080,"date":"2020-11-02T14:13:27","date_gmt":"2020-11-02T19:13:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/digest\/?p=137080"},"modified":"2024-08-03T20:36:52","modified_gmt":"2024-08-04T01:36:52","slug":"hunt365-mountain-lion-chase","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/hunt365-mountain-lion-chase\/","title":{"rendered":"This Video of a Mountain Lion Chasing a Hiker is the Most Terrifying Thing You\u2019ll See This Week"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n

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Kyle Burgess was having a bad day one Saturday earlier this month.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nearing the end of his 10-mile trail run on Utah\u2019s Slate Canyon, the 26-year-old thought he spied four bobcat kittens and took out his phone to record a video.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He ended up recording something much more frightening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The animals were kittens, but they were mountain lions, not bobcats. And the mother was lurking just inside the tree line, defensive and unhappy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI took three or four steps, and I saw mama cougar,\u201d Burgess told the New York Times<\/a>. \u201cShe made a crazy growl. I started backing up like crazy. I am just running backward.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the six-minute video Burgess recorded, the mountain lion follows him along the trail, growling, snarling, and periodically charging. Meanwhile, Burgess can be heard attempting every form of persuasion to get the animal to leave him alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He tries insults (\u201cf— you!\u201d), intimidation (\u201cI\u2019m big and scary!\u201d), befriending (\u201cwhat\u2019s up, dude?\u201d), compliments (\u201cdude, you\u2019re scary!\u201d), begging (\u201cplease go away\u201d), reminding (\u201cgo get your babies!\u201d), assertions (\u201cI\u2019m not going to back down, I promise\u201d), and direct orders (\u201cget the f— away!\u201d). He also growls, yells, hisses and roars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGosh, where\u2019s my gun?\u201d he asks about halfway through the encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEE ALSO: Mauri Huntress Inspires Women of New Zealand to Stalk Game<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The cat remains unphased, at one point charging him with her paws up, claws out, and ears back. Burgess told Good Morning America<\/a> that she got within four feet of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are rocks all along the path, but Burgess said that the cat would charge and hiss each time he tried to bend down and pick one up. Eventually, however, Burgess managed to pick up a rock and hurl it at the cat, which runs back up the path.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWow, that just happened,\u201d Burgess recalled<\/a> thinking after she finally took off. \u201cHonestly right now it still feels like a dream.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many media outlets reported that the cat \u201cstalked<\/a>\u201d Burgess in an apparent attempt to kill him. But mountain lion experts say the cat\u2019s behavior, while dangerous and aggressive, did not indicate that it wanted to eat the hiker.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

 \u201cShe clearly did not view him as prey,\u201d the Mountain Lion Foundation said<\/a> in a statement. \u201cThe behavior was meant to chase him away, which it did very well. The mother lion was reacting to a perceived threat to her young.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The MLF points out that mountain lions try to remain out of sight while stalking their prey. The fact that this mother lion remained on the path suggests that her primary intention was to get Burgess away from her cubs\u2014not to kill him and eat him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

SEE ALSO: Mississippi Hunter Discovers Black Bear in Tree Stand with Her<\/a><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Wildlife biologists praised Burgess for how he handled the encounter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Scott Root, the Division of Wildlife Resources\u2019 conservation outreach manager for central Utah, told Deseret News<\/a> that Burgess did almost everything right.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHe backed away. He didn\u2019t go toward the mountain lion or her kittens. He made a lot of noise. … He stayed large, he stayed loud and he backed away from the area for quite a while. I think he did everything really well,\u201d Ross said. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

If hunters encounter a mountain lion on a hunt, experts suggest doing more or less what Burgess did. The MLF has published a list of recommendations that align almost perfectly with Burgess\u2019 actions:<\/p>\n\n\n\n