Visiting Tucson? Meet one of the locals...

[Desert_Captain]

We live in a senior community of 5K homes just 6 miles up the road from Catalina State Park. We are at 3,300' at the foot of and about 5 miles from Mt Lemon {9,200'}.

Here are a couple of shots one of my neighbors took the other day:







Check out the paws and overall musculature of this cat. This is one seriously fit kitty! While Mountain Lions are known to frequent this area it is extremely rare for one to be so bold as to be cruising the neighborhood in broad daylight. If we have them here you better believe they are wandering Catalina State Park.

:S

[Grit_dog]

Itsy RV. I get it. AZ mtn lions are friendly apparently.....
Up here they eat livestock and bicyclists.
Good to see someone has curbed that behaviour in your Cougars!

I'm not paranoid, nor am I afraid of a hike in the woods, however y'all are still delusional if you think the big cats are as afraid of you as you are of them!
Nonetheless cool pic that started this discussion.

[Acampingwewillg]

+++ Why can't we view a Beautiful animal for what it is and leave it at that? People go out of their way to view Bear's and Wolf's in Yellowstone(very ominous animals) but a picture is a prized possession, a mountain lion is in that same category IMHO!! I say to the OP, Thank you!

[shelbyfv]

+1

[Desert_Captain]

I am the OP. I truly regret the ridiculous direction this thread ended up taking. I am beginning to think that it is impossible to post anything here without folks hijacking the topic, no matter what it originally was, to suit their own agendas. More is the pity...

I have lived in southern Arizona for nearly 15 years and have had up close and personal experiences {admittedly far more than most} with mountain lions on several occasions and coyotes even more. Yes, it happens but with a modicum of common sense there is no reason to end up "Film at eleven!"

Perhaps it is time for one of the mods to step up and shut this one down... not my call, just a thought... sad.

:S

[shelbyfv]

When folks use dog whistle terms like "clueless snowflake" and "all legal means at my disposal" it reminds me to be vigilant. You never know what might be in the trailer next door!

[CFerguson]

I really don't give a ---- what the odds are. If any animal (of any kind) threatens the safety of me or mine(and in certain cases, complete strangers), I will use any and all legal means at my disposal to stop it. Period. And if the clueless snowflakes want to deal with me afterwards, then I'm fine with that too.
I strongly suspect many of you feel the same way.

I am not paranoid, nor do I walk around in fear. Exactly the contrary- I enjoy my life confident in my knowledge/ability to deal with whatever life throws at me. I will probably never experience an attack of the type discussed in this thread, but to stick my head in the sand about ANY threat is the pinnacle of cluelessness.

{{please know this post is not directed at any individual. if you are offended by it and want to consider it targeted at you, then that's ok by me too}}

[pinesman]

For those doubting coyote attacks on humans, here is another one

[ItsyRV]

Grit dog wrote:
I get defending the territory of big cats. They're one of the most impressive animals for strength agility, adaptability etc.
But any of you who think your chances of a bad encounter with a cougar are not a real concern if in their habitat where they're present are sorely mistaken.
You may actually be using the Walmart parking lot as a basis for your theory. Or you're just a granola munching leaf licker who's in denial of the actual food chain once you exit the safety of your Subaru!
Go get yourself stalked by one and come back with the same view. You either won't come back or you won't have the same view.
It's just like wolves. The statistics involving human encounters seems innocuous. Only a few attacks a year. That's becasue there's relatively few that actually venture into their natural habitat enough to contribute to the statistics.

In the State of Arizona, there has been no reports of deaths from any mountain lion attack going back to the early 1900s. But, since 2000, over 25 people have DIED from attacks by africanized bees in populated areas. Africanized bees is Arizona's number one wildlife killer, surpassing rattle snake bites. Mountain lions don't even have a category and is lumped in with generic mammals. You have greater chance each year in AZ of being killed by rushing water on a wash compared to getting attacked by a mountain lion. So, tell em again why we need to be all fair weather RV camper scared out of our wits over some rare sighting of a mountain lion in a mountain lion habitat.

And just cause its now becoming a joke in AZ over the fear reaction to the story, Montini wrote that the headlines are wrong. he said (and many agree) it should have said "Retirees spotted in mountain lion's territory!" I mean what's next, some old retiree in their RV demanding national guard protection because they saw a scorpion?

[shelbyfv]

Other humans are obviously the most dangerous. Attacks by domestic dogs are next. Hysteria about lions, wolves and bears is just that. Most of us are much more likely to die from being fat and sedentary.

[Grit_dog]

ItsyRV wrote:

FF286 wrote:
I would like to visit where I could see some of the larger predators, but preferably from a distance.

Throughout the southwest there are always wildlife in the feline, swine, carnivorian and other species inhabiting just about everywhere. However sighting one is very rare as they do not make it a habit of hanging out with people. This is why on the few occasions human and animals interact, it's news. To see wildlife in a natural setting, you have to go where that specif animal inhabit. Javalina in one area, bears in another, Mexican Geay Wolves over there, bobcats somewhere else and mountain lions in others. Coyotes, rattle snakes, scorpions and fire ants are everywhere.

I know you can visit some state's Game and Fish or Natural Resources websites and read the areas in those states where these predator species inhabit. Still, you often have to get away from areas frequent by humans and be patient. I was camping one place and only saw tracks for a week until the day I was leaving when a bobcat happen to be sitting on some rocks watching the humanlife.

Truth be told, in Arizona, you have a greater chance of being attacked and killed by Africanized (killer) Bees while walking in a WalMart parking lot versus being attacked by a mountain lion.

Just get out into nature and away from humans, wildlife will appear.

I get defending the territory of big cats. They're one of the most impressive animals for strength agility, adaptability etc.
But any of you who think your chances of a bad encounter with a cougar are not a real concern if in their habitat where they're present are sorely mistaken.
You may actually be using the Walmart parking lot as a basis for your theory. Or you're just a granola munching leaf licker who's in denial of the actual food chain once you exit the safety of your Subaru!
Go get yourself stalked by one and come back with the same view. You either won't come back or you won't have the same view.
It's just like wolves. The statistics involving human encounters seems innocuous. Only a few attacks a year. That's becasue there's relatively few that actually venture into their natural habitat enough to contribute to the statistics.

[Boon_Docker]

coolmom42 wrote:

down home wrote:
We stayed at PICHAO(MISSPELELD park in 2012 next to park Didn't see Mountain Lions but did see lots of Coyotes, in broad daylight right before entering the RV Park and alongside the Interstate. A State Trooper hit a family of coyotes on his motorcycle. He lost his life and not far from the park.
Lots of kids and people with pets walked in the park, The parking area is not big and some parked at the store Beer outlet.
The coyotes think nothing of going after small humans/kids.
We saw coyote wen we left after visiting our kids in Red Rock a coyote across the street.
here at home two coyotes came down on my SIL and his two pups on a walk.
They were living in a blow down. He whistled for Dad a Chocolate lab and Mom an Australian Shepard came up an chased them until he called them back.

Can you give me one documented case of a coyote attacking a human?

Coyote Attack

[ItsyRV]

FF286 wrote:
I would like to visit where I could see some of the larger predators, but preferably from a distance.

Throughout the southwest there are always wildlife in the feline, swine, carnivorian and other species inhabiting just about everywhere. However sighting one is very rare as they do not make it a habit of hanging out with people. This is why on the few occasions human and animals interact, it's news. To see wildlife in a natural setting, you have to go where that specif animal inhabit. Javalina in one area, bears in another, Mexican Geay Wolves over there, bobcats somewhere else and mountain lions in others. Coyotes, rattle snakes, scorpions and fire ants are everywhere.

I know you can visit some state's Game and Fish or Natural Resources websites and read the areas in those states where these predator species inhabit. Still, you often have to get away from areas frequent by humans and be patient. I was camping one place and only saw tracks for a week until the day I was leaving when a bobcat happen to be sitting on some rocks watching the humanlife.

Truth be told, in Arizona, you have a greater chance of being attacked and killed by Africanized (killer) Bees while walking in a WalMart parking lot versus being attacked by a mountain lion.

Just get out into nature and away from humans, wildlife will appear.

[FF286]

Down home
I hunted the sinking cove area the last 6 years, and have had many people tell me about a cat in the area. This year we moved over the mountain to the other side of carter mtn. I have already had someone mention it.
About 4am one morning I was asleep in the camper and heard what I believed to be a wolf. I had never heard one before so I don’t know, but I know it wasn’t a coyote. I talked to a game warden one day and he said that it could have been a hybrid coyote/dog, which I guess is possible, but it sounded big. And close.
I would like to visit where I could see some of the larger predators, but preferably from a distance.

[ItsyRV]

bucky wrote:
I'd be willing to bet that those who are boo hooing about "they were here first" don't feel the same way about the Native Americans or others that we chased off of their land. I'm not saying go after the big cat with a mortar but when your grandchild becomes dinner you clowns will be singing a different tune.

Actually I do. That's why why I supported the Tohono O'odham Nation's casino project smack in a metro area. If the Native American Nation was smart enough to acquire reservation land next to the new football stadium, hockey arena, sports and entertainment venue; well it's their land, their nation, their money. So very glad the state and those stuck up city officials were smacked down by the courts. Now you can go to Cabellas for some free parking lot boondocking and blow the unused paid campsite money at their casino. Heck, heard they bought large swaths of vacant land between them and the Cardinal stadium and brought it into their reservation trust. Now for some discount cigarettes.