So I have noticed a serious increase in the population
I encountered a big cat today at work (in the woods). During last years deer hunt for blacktail I ran into one, and during the elk hunt as well. It seems like every time I get on a game trail and follow it for a while it ends up being covered by cat tracks and they end up hunting the same animals I do. Its starting to piss me off. they need to legalize dogs again! Tell me your stories, I'm tired of being stalked.

I always carry a tag and a 44. Here the season is open all year or until the quota is filled and I have never heard of a quota being reached.

If Oregon operates the same way you can do your part to control the population.

Saw this one while motorcycling out by Enterprise in the Northeast corner of Oregon


Zoomed out


That sparked my cougar bloodlust, and I haven't seen a track since then!  And southwest Oregon is supposed to be crawling with them!


Oregon is exactly the same.  Season is always and the quota's never reached.  Limit of two tags.

Well I couldn't exactly shoot the thing at work. My boss allows me to carry but its too close to people. I carry my Berretta everywhere and a 9mm is just fine for a cat. That cat in the pic looks pretty thick though.

I have only come across a few and I see tracks a good bit around here. One thing I am sure of, if you spend a lot of time in the mountains they will see you more than you see them.

Hmmm, Coast range, I didn't know.  We have quite a few in the foothills of the valley here.  I've never seen one in 35 years of hiking but I'm sure that they have seen me.  I have come across some darn large and fresh tracks though.  I do a little night hiking on the trails around town and usually carry for those times but I'm not sure if I could get a gun out quick enough.

My Dad lives on the coast in Gearhart. There's a big herd of elk in his neighborhood. Makes you wonder if the elk have moved in to the town to  get away from mountain lions.

I was over visiting my folks and my mom brought the Oregon field guide up on her Ipad and showed the Gearhart elk hear piece.  Pretty cool seeing them go through the water.  I sure hate the deer and turkeys that roam through my neighborhood.  I can't imagine elk snacking on my plants.

My Dad sent me the news article on the herd. Also, his dachshund got really sick from eating elk poop while on a walk.

The legislature is meeting to discuss the dog ban this year. ODFW did not want a ban, it was voted on by the public. Unfortunately the public is not well informed on how population dynamics work, and are coached by animal rights groups. I had a heated discussion with a professor at OSU once about this, and was told to come back with data. Well, I did and I went from an A student in the class, to struggling to pass from that week on (Week 5). There are those who would like to keep the population of lions up in Oregon  as the apex predator, but they do not take into account that cats have more kittens per litter than bear have cubs, and coyotes are a problem as well. I have tried calling them in, and have successfully been stalked, but getting a clean shot takes a ton of patience without running them up a tree with a dog. Not only this, but if you kill a female with kittens you get in trouble as well. ODFW has gone from a paid tag and season, to year around, and a free tag included in the sportsmans pack. What does that tell you about how ODFW feel about the situation.

I  just read a book (Beast in the Garden by David Baron) about the Boulder, CO cougar population in the 90's.  It was really interesting and had well worth a read.

OR coast is thick with them but it is some of the hardest country in the world to hunt.  Between the weather and the steep terrain hunting is really difficult out in that area.  The forest floor is covered in thick 6 foot ferns, the low lying areas are massive berry tangles, and the few clear cuts are massive logging tangles.  A major problem is the logging industry does not allow much needed forest fires that are vital to areas like these ecosystems.  

Not allowing running dogs and baiting have made both the bear and cougar populations explode and decreased millions of dollars coming into the Oregon economy from hunting revenue.  

I hunted Blacktail out there this year and came across a couple cougars driving in and out of the forest land.  Had a tag just in case I ever got a shot but never saw one in the field.  I did hear one screaming walking in one morning.  Nothing like walking in on a fog bank in almost complete dark and hearing a cougar screaming in the distance.  

My first time climbing Mount Saint Helens in 2013 we were stalked by a Mountain Lion. On the way down we saw that it was following us. The paws were huge, it was actually scary. On the way down 3 guys were coming up, they said they were hunting Mountain Lions, lol so that was interesting. After that I started carrying my .40 with me. People say your chances are slim to none, they say the same thing about lightning... Can never be too prepared.

I did some research on this and found some enlightening information that has been published and peer reviewed. In a nutshell due to habitat fragmentation and hunting the population has exploded, and is primarily young individuals. Cougars breed year round and fill any ecological area they can for their given space. With logging clear cuts, and urbanization the normal habitat is split up, and gives opportunity for an increased population. Add in hunting pressure, and you get these ecological sinks spread out everywhere a cougar can squeak out enough food to live. So, that leaves us with a bunch of young, Hungary cats with little fear of humans because they get little time to grow up and develop that fear. It is a man made problem that will never go away, but by not allowing dogs to hunt these animals the numbers remain higher than normal, but the age of the animal has increased. Problem with this is there is no room for the younger cats so they are pushed into urban areas where we get the human cat interactions we all see on the news. Most of those are 2-3 year old cats, and mostly toms. I don't have an answer to the problem, but hunting them whenever you can now is appropriate, and hunting them with dogs with a catch limit would also work, and be a better option due to the ability of game management to determine the proper level of sustainability for this species in the area given. That's just my opinion based on the research that is published.

This is an animal that does make the hair on the back of my head stand up. Saw one in broad daylight in SW Washington not that long ago, crossing a highway! I feel much less safe walking in to my elk hunt areas at night than I used to. The old ways of hunting with dogs were the way to go for this hungry predator. Too many urban dwellers do not understand the issues.

My eldest daughter was working as a culinary apprentice at the Ahwahnee Hotel Yosemite park. She was waiting for a shuttle ride one nigh about 2 in the morning back to the staff residences. She was covered in food smells and dead tired. She said she was leaning up against the awning over the walkway basically trying to stay awake waiting for the shuttle when she heard a sound about 20feet away in the parking lot. She looked up and it was a mountain lion walking along and just watching her. The lion walked on by before she could react, but she said later that she felt lucky that she wasn't attacked, she had spent the evening prepping chicken, pork and beef for a banquet the next night............

Mmmmmm! The backstraps taste awesome...its the other white meat.

It is tough, steep. Man's country. Love it.

North coast here, Tillamook county. Cats are all over. I watched one out the window of the house I was painting over on sandlake road. Middle of the day. Got some pics of another about two stone throws behind my house. Mountain lions are no joke, suprised we don't hear of dairy cows getting attacked.