The weather is bad enough right now.  Then add to that the 150+ Roosevelt Elk that roam all over this area. They eat all our forage to the ground and attract the Mountain Lions. There are both here right now. Hubby saw the Mountain Lion tracks on our place (there are 2). A call from a neighbor told us that there have been sightings of the Mountain Lions from the road, and they like to use a brushy area beside us to hide themselves. Another neighbor lost all his chickens this week to Mountain Lions....jumping into and out off his chicken yard, right in the middle of the day. I told hubby this is why I don't have chickens. I noticed that the deer are really watching and listening the sounds around them. Those big cats need to eat some of the elk! There are way too many elk. Oh, speaking of elk, I saw 4 big bull elk right behind our house, very nervous, they all had huge antlers on them........now hubby is training the dog to sniff out and retrieve antlers....and there is good pay for antlers to sell them. However, he can't chance losing the dog to a big cat. 

Update on Mountain Lion

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.

Mountain Lions in my Area III

A neighbor stopped by with news. He had a Mountain Lion kill one of his adult purebred registered Red Angus cows yesterday, a significant monetary loss. I have been concerned about our Dexter Cattle, because we knew that a lion was in the vicinity. One lion was shot..and not killed, last summer, after it killed a families goat. Well, for now our Dexter's are safe in their paddocks beside the barn. That area of our farm is away from the timber and brush, where a lion will be. It just makes me leery when I go near the those areas.

Mountain Lions in my Area

Today, at 3 pm I saw a Mountain Lion (Cougar) cross the road right ahead of my car. Not far from the golf course. This is only the second time that I have ever witnessed a Cougar in the wild. The animal is very close to homes, with horses. I hope that no one has an attack.  Daytime sighting is very surprising.