Our neighbor who had the cow killed by the Mountain Lion stopped by this morning. Oregon Dept of Fish and Wildlife came right out to the location with a tracker who had dogs. Within two hours, the dogs tracked that lion and it was killed. The Mountain Lion was a very large male, 177 lbs. They determined by it's size, teeth, and ripped up ears (from many fights) and it was a fully adult animal. It was thought that this animal was the one that killed a large Mule (16 hands) about 3 years ago, at the same location.
My personal view on our local problem is two fold: 1. The proximity of large numbers of Elk (250+) as a main food source, that live right here. 2. The large number of Mountain Lions are pushing into areas previously avoided, such as heavy human activity. Mountain Lions are primarily a nocturnal hunter and avoid being seen most of the time (not that they do not hunt during daylight). They are very stealthy and hide very well, they can climb a tree quickly and quietly.
There are many Mountain Lions in this state because of laws enacted about 20 years ago, restricting hunting. This is not a rare occurrence here. I just read last week that a suburban area had 6 removed.
The Mountain Lions that come into human areas are truly a danger, to us, especially children, pets, and our livestock.
