Lion Encounters

[BikerRN]

Howdy all,

 

I'm involved in a discussion on another forum regarding mountain lions and the carry of a self defense revolver. Here is something I posted and I was curious what you all thought:

 

Lions are pretty thin skinned and rounds that work well on humans tend to work well on lions.

 

With that said, when I am in lion country, and carrying a revolver, I favor the .357 Magnum in a revolver loaded with 125 grain JHP's that travel at 1450 fps out of a 4" Barrel. I also have a 38 Special in my pocket and while it wouldn't be my first choice, I wouldn't hesitate to use it. My load of choice in 38 Special is the Speer Gold Dot 135 Grain JHP.

 

Biker

 

Another post I made:

 

While we are focusing on the gun in this thread, I think it would behoove us to also look at our tactics when we encounter a lion so that maybe we don't have to shoot.

 

Stand tall, wave your arms and use a command voice. This makes you appear larger to the lion, but probably won't work against a mother and her offspring. Waving your arms, with a golf club in hand has been found to be effective here, and yes we do have lions on our golf courses. They have become somewhat conditioned to humans, and I contend that is a bad thing. They no longer see humans as a threat and have lost their fear, respect, for humans. That sets the stage for a tragedy, IMHO.

 

Biker

 

I look forward to what you all have to say.

 

Biker

[AntlerObsession]

I love these thought provoking threads you create, Biker.

 

My thoughts have changed on this in the past few years, the biggest thing being that I now have 3 little ones under 5 years old. A few years ago I would have said leave the cat(s) be, allow them to move on, or remove them if absolutely necessary. Now that I have my own to look after, there is no way in heck I'm going to let them outside with a lion anywhere near. Every cat that is comfortable living in close proximity to humans is already too comfortable, and we are asking for an attack by "waiting for signs of aggression." It may be too late.

 

I carry a pistol when I'm out hunting, hiking, camping, on the off-chance there is a cat in the area. If I know there is a cat in my neighborhood, what are my options? Sure, I can carry a weapon but what about my wife's options? My kids'? Are they gonna carry protection to and from school? 100 cats moved, or even euthanized, isn't worth one child being attacked. Just my "protective dad" opinion.

[BikerRN]

100 cats moved, or even euthanized, isn't worth one child being attacked. Just my "protective dad" opinion.

 

Your opinion doesn't differ from mine.