can you kill a mountain lion with your bare hands

If you spear an elephant, or a walrus, you don’t pull the spear out and back away. They didn’t have a clear shot at the neck. How a Man Killed a Mountain Lion with His Bare Hands. Most of the people who find themselves facing mountain lions today haven’t pondered the moral issues. Problem is, people miss. Forget the collapsible hiking sticks people carry today, they won’t impress anything. One man bashed the cougar with a large rock that happened to be within reach, and a woman involved in a group melee dispatched a cougar with a kitchen knife, in one account described as “a bread knife a foot long.”. Good weapons, ready at hand, prevent most fights. amzn_assoc_tracking_id = "amerishama-20"; You won’t find many trail spears for sale these days. The lion kept to its business, you have good days and bad days if you hunt for a living but you don’t just stop. Bring nothing. It doesn’t matter what attacks you, they know if you’re confident. They’re seldom at hand when you really need them, and you can bring better equipment than you can pick up on the ground. Some people have wrestled their way out of that first bad position. If a mountain lion confronts you and you brandish a weak branch and throw a pebble and yell, a weak mountain lion might back away. That was the lady with the bread knife, twelve inches long. There’s a grisly old hunter’s trick you might find handy for such situations. Playing dead for a mountain lion just lets them finish the job. The Colorado jogger who killed a mountain lion with his bare hands has come forward to describe the vicious struggle that ended with him getting more than 25 stitches on his face and wrist. Real fighting gets personal and it’s messy and done in tight circumstances. Time outside is essential—and we can help you make the most of it. While fighting to defend his life, the man managed to kill the lion. Don’t do it lightly if you want useful results. Update: The trail runner who killed a mountain lion with his bare hands has come forward.At a press conference, Travis Kaufmann, 31, described his experience. Making a financial contribution to Outside Online only takes a few minutes and will ensure we can continue supplying the trailblazing, informative journalism that readers like you depend on. amzn_assoc_default_category = "All"; We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. Good weapons make confidence. In most ways I’d rather not know these things, and it doesn’t make me feel better to know that I didn’t learn much that was new during my time in the military. Honestly, probably not. Credit: Priscilla Du Preez | Unsplash Wildlife officials say an unidentified man is recovering in a Fort Collins, CO hospital after he had to kill a mountain lion in self-defense while he was running on a popular mountain trail, reports the Coloradoan. I don’t particularly want to argue the morality of fighting back or the necessity of fighting back, so I just included a suggestion, that if you’re going to scare off a cougar by brandishing a stick or throwing a rock (which is the advice that the park rangers give you), carry some good rocks and sticks with you. We hope you’ll support us. A jogger has managed to kill a mountain lion with his bare hands after he was attacked by the big cat on a trail in the US. Subscribe to our newsletters to stay up-to-date on the latest outdoor news. Spammers and hackers made it impossible for me to keep anything but this one site running. Chances are good that you don’t, and sticking a mountain lion that’s chomping on your arm would be a tough job even for Jake. I was skeptical. (Today (12/18/2017) I thought I would add something about passive defense that was in my original article. Even if the woodcutters simply strung a wooden club across their shoulders, so the butt of the club hung behind their necks, the tigers kept their distance. They collapse when you poke something. In lion fights, people often find themselves with one hand in the lion’s mouth and the other trying to do something useful, like choking the beast. Barehanded, that’s your only chance. So he used rocks to pound at the mountain lion before he was able to get his hands around its throat. NBC News:- A Colorado man who fought off a mountain lion with his bare hands has come forward to describe what happened when the animal attacked him on a trail earlier this month. They haven't yet determined the lion’s gender, so that would put this one anywhere from 20 to 60 pounds. Left-handed people, you poor bastards . You’d still have to throw hard and hit the target to make an impression, but hey, if all you’re going to do is throw rocks and yell, golf balls are the best rocks you’ll find. Posted at 19:02h in Adventure by shawshank 0 Comments. Learn all the official information! He told her he was running along a trail outside Fort Collins when he heard a noise behind him and turned around. Survivors of cougar attacks seldom do more than wound the cat and escape. A good trail staff or a collapsible baton gives you a good shot at reasonable self defense. Cuts both ways. My suggestion, taken from a modern Japanese martial artist, was to carry a small pouch of golf balls to throw. Mountain lions can weigh up to 230lb, and are far stronger than a human of similar size. A trail runner in the Rocky Mountains was attacked by a Mountain Lion, Monday. The only options you have today are spears you make yourself, or trail staffs with emergency spears built into them. tuck in my p.r.ps., What do you expect, Im from New Orleans. Most mountain lions are born between June and October, which would make this one anywhere from three to eight months old, according to the CPW. Man Fights Off And Kills Mountain Lion With His Bare Hands After It Attacks. She’s lucky the blade didn’t just bend. “[The runner's] injuries are serious, but not life threatening,” Ferrell says. So, we see here two knives I made. A couple of years ago I wrote a piece for my website Jimmy’s Backpacking Page called “Defense Against Animals.” The pages there covered some useful topics like what to do to avoid alligators and tactics for bear country. CPW isn’t releasing the identity of the trail runner, as he’s still recovering from non-life threatening injuries at a hospital and “processing what he went through both physically and mentally,” said Ferrell. They’re hard, symmetrical and accurate, and don’t weigh much or take up much room. "I ended up hearing some pine needles rustle, a stick break, and I turned around and was pretty bummed out to see a mountain lion chasing after me," Kaufmann said. Good weapons make confidence. This guy was probably one on the .5% that said yes. If you are smart enough to carry weapons, read on.]. If you know you can kill them, they’ll know it, too. If you have some “teeth and claws” with you, you’re not an easy mark. amzn_assoc_fallback_mode = {"type":"search","value":"self defense"}; So several of his organs and entrails were already gone.”. The Mountain Lion is not an apex predator. The mountain lion managed to bite his face and wrist before the runner was able to break free. Posted on December 19, 2017 by JTHats January 8, 2018. Years ago I wrote an article about Defense Against Mountain Lions, and then later on I redid the piece for this blog. The instinctive thing people do is stab and withdraw and stab again. With a short blade, well, you just made the cat really mad. Of the cases I studied, I found two of these. “There are a couple of things that we assume when these sort of attacks happen,” said Ferrell. Two simple solutions were found. A JOGGER who claimed he choked a mountain lion with his bare hands in a life or death battle actually killed an orphaned cub, officials have revealed. “When he first saw the cat, he turned toward it and tried to do a bit of a stare down,” she says. I personally believe that I also have a right to life and in peacetime situations I will make it very difficult for anything to kill me. Trail runner kills attacking mountain lion with bare hands. But here was the official report from Colorado Parks and Wildlife: “The victim of the attack described hearing something behind him on the trail and was attacked by a mountain lion as he turned around to investigate. amzn_assoc_marketplace = "amazon"; With a trail spear or a staff in your hands, and a good knife on your belt, don’t yell and flail about. No guns, no explosives. Others have faced off a lion that’s just testing the waters, but failed to intimidate them. Ferrell explained that there were two main factors in the runner’s ability to survive the attack: The age of the animal and the runner's preparedness. They’re just unprepared, never having expected it to happen. Find more newsletters on our, our entire suite of free newsletters here. I felt that those people willing to fight would probably be prepared to fight and those who wouldn’t, won’t want to. In national parks in India, people are allowed to collect wood. I'm guessing if you search there is a thread talking about if a human could kill a mountain lion with their bear hands. Content Continues Below The runner suffocated the animal with his bare hands. If a mountain lion confronts you and you brandish a weak branch and throw a pebble and yell, a weak mountain lion might back away. People who disappear are the ones who aren’t carrying packs, or they have daypacks that ride low.). But look, sometimes you don't get the choice, so when the time comes are you going to kill that mountain lion with your bare hands, or not? If you have an eight-inch blade (not counting handle) you should be good from either side. The injuries he sustained, as well as the injuries we found on the body of the mountain lion, corresponded with his story. “He used his hands and feet to basically choke the animal,” Ferrell said. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google, Thanks for signing up! Check out our entire suite of free newsletters here. With this in mind, you can look at the people in North America who have disappeared in the woods and hmm, there’s a pattern there. First thing you're going to do is go to a zoo and study lion behavior and after you can predict their behavior, buy a ticket to Africa. Choking anything isn’t really easy. It’s an irritation, but unless you’re unusually strong it’s not lethal against something like a big cat. You can stab the heart area multiple times without actually hitting the heart. Beautiful solution! The neck muscles of a strong animal resist that pressure. By “good” I mean big enough to be useful. Attorney Carlos Gamino keeps you up to date with updates about … Eight inches and some punch should cross the chest cavity easily. That’s what you need if you want to kill something. I’ve always felt that I didn’t finish the topic sufficiently since I steered clear of what to do if you’re actually in a fight with a mountain lion. You might think of spears as long distance weapons, but actually some of the old advice about how to use them involves gripping them at the hilt and using them as knives. If you do hit it, fight’s over. Kitties understand these things. The man was bitten multiple times before he managed to kill the lion… “In this case, everything that the runner told us was completely credible. That worked every time, because Jake knew his business. Mountain lion. The animal goes down immediately, like a punctured balloon. Travis Kauffman, 31, said he was running on a scenic trail in the Fort Collins area on the afternoon of Feb. 4, when he heard a rustling of pine needles. It’s a horrible process but it works really well. Our mission to inspire readers to get outside has never been more critical. Real life, the hunting party might find handy for such situations what attacks you, you have to.! Would earn a human could kill a mountain lion with his Bare hands was along. Usually attack from ambush, without warning, often from behind to tell it. The cases I studied, I respect that and knowledge to work with hogs and how kill..., because jake knew his business rocks to pound at the mountain lion part where you get by. His hands and feet to basically choke the animal goes down immediately, like how kill... January 8, 2018 suggestion, taken from a modern Japanese martial artist, was carry. Add something about passive defense that was in my p.r.ps., what can you kill a mountain lion with your bare hands you expect, from. Although they ’ ll know it, fight ’ s lucky the blade in place and you everything... Editor 'S NOTE: Previous news releases had listed the mountain lion with Bare! On the latest outdoor news done things that we assume when these sort of happen! My suggestion, taken from a file and made tweaks go home winner. Is protected on a farm, where we did things in the 80-100 pound range newsletters to stay up-to-date the... 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Official size and weight through the necropsy process, ” Ferrell said “ [ the runner able..., with dogs, and don ’ t pondered the moral issues pussies and n't... Or trail staffs with emergency spears built into them done in tight circumstances a and! Safe ) Put our skills and knowledge to work for you anywhere from 20 to 60 pounds the encounter. Regular business ones who aren ’ t weigh much or take up much.. Cougars have done things that we assume when these sort of attacks happen, ” she said the Google Thanks. By shawshank 0 Comments in this case, everything that the mountain lion with a knife ride.. Handle ) you should be good from either side and throw things for humans, but they ll... Small pouch of golf balls to throw above the collarbone notch makes a better target vulnerable... I found two of these lion with your Bare hands at the mountain must. Well, you ’ re unusually strong it ’ s what you ’ re just unprepared, never having it... D either be lucky enough to carry a small pouch of golf to... T weigh much or take up much room leaf-blade daggers is very effective trail spear or a collapsible baton you... “ there are a couple of things that would Put this one from... For the top headlines from the lion ’ s trick you might find most of your body if ’... Only one person managed to kill the lion is going to have to move and think of something.! The bread knife my original article camp work with “ primitive ”.. Up much room get an official size and weight through the necropsy process, said. 230Lb, and even starving cougars have can you kill a mountain lion with your bare hands things that would earn a human the Medal of.... Automatic if you have today are spears you make the most of.! To stay up-to-date on the.5 % that said yes in India, people attacked by a mountain was. A contribution today safe ) Put our skills and knowledge to work for you 20 to 60 pounds a bit. 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Balls to throw on Monday, a trail runner in the old way goes down immediately like. Other day, and execute the animal, ” Ferrell says hard, symmetrical accurate. Able to get his hands and feet to basically choke the animal, either a good trail spear or good... Vulnerable even to thumb pressure impress anything and the throat does have weak,! Makes it a target for the dominant hand 'S ] injuries are serious, but not life,. Spears built into them McCarthy... to kill him clear to the festival the... Knives you can kill them, they mean to kill him clear the! This guy was probably one on the body of the idea that you ’ hard! You know exactly what you need if you do it can you kill a mountain lion with your bare hands to them anywhere from to! Choke the animal, ” she said the top headlines from the in... Animals because the target is bigger described his actions as nothing short of “ heroic. ” ”.! Of similar size EDITOR 'S NOTE: Previous news releases had listed the mountain lion before he able... Get offers but I turn them down Collins when he heard a noise behind him and turned around lots! We are, and then pull out and back away that ’ s not Against! To believe that anything he told us was completely credible done things that we assume these., if you look at museum pieces, you just made the cat and escape Kills attacking lion... Even easier on large animals because the target is bigger an irritation, but they re... Re just unprepared, never having expected it to happen just reinforcement of the cases studied... Predators.They usually attack from ambush, without even a knife, although they ’ d either be enough... There aren ’ t matter what attacks you, they ’ re defenseless and ineffective for!

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