personal safety while running

Lots of cougars out and about in the wooded areas where I run. And bears. They've never given me any trouble, but the last time I saw one I was about twice the size and probably looked like too big a meal. They didn't want anything to go to waste.

Not sure about cougars but we have bears where I live but have heard of very few encounters with them. I heard on the radio that you can tell the type of bears in the area by their poop. If it has nuts and berries in it - it's typically a brown bear pooh. If it has bells in it and smells like pepper spray, it's grizzly bear pooh.

I don't know... if you live in an area with critters, you generally understand the risks. However, that doesn't mean you don't acknowledge the risks. I would probably take the wise advice of the posters here and walk/run with a friend, carry bear spray and not use headphones.

I have little concern over creepers or personal attacks of that nature. I'm worried about animals. More importantly, I'm worried about Mountain Lions. There have been numerous reports in the surrounding area lately of Mountain Lion attacks - none on people yet but they have been getting dogs - big dogs, like 200 lb great Danes.

Your real worry should be cars, trucks, and dogs. A mountain lion attack on a human is very, very rare.

From the Mountain Lion Foundation...

ARE MOUNTAIN LIONS DANGEROUS?

To deer, yes! To people, not so much. Human encounters with mountain lions are rare and the risk of an attack is infinitely small. You are more likely to drown in your bathtub, be killed by a pet dog, or hit by lightning. If lions had any natural urge to hunt people, there would be attacks every single day. Instead, they avoid us.

But if you live, work, or play in cat country, be alert! Avoid walking alone between dusk and dawn when lions are most active. Keep your children and pets close to you. Never approach or corner a mountain lion (or any wild animal). If you do encounter a mountain lion, STOP. DO NOT RUN. Unlike safety advice for encountering bears, do not act timid or play dead in front of a cat.

Instead: Maintain eye contact. Stand tall. Look bigger by opening your coat or raising your arms. Slowly wave your arms and speak firmly. Throw items at the lion if necessary. Give the cat room and time to move on.

In the rare event of an attack, fight back. Most people succeed in driving the mountain lion away.

I have little concern over creepers or personal attacks of that nature. I'm worried about animals. More importantly, I'm worried about Mountain Lions. There have been numerous reports in the surrounding area lately of Mountain Lion attacks - none on people yet but they have been getting dogs - big dogs, like 200 lb great Danes.

Your real worry should be cars, trucks, and dogs. A mountain lion attack on a human is very, very rare.

From the Mountain Lion Foundation...

ARE MOUNTAIN LIONS DANGEROUS?

To deer, yes! To people, not so much. Human encounters with mountain lions are rare and the risk of an attack is infinitely small. You are more likely to drown in your bathtub, be killed by a pet dog, or hit by lightning. If lions had any natural urge to hunt people, there would be attacks every single day. Instead, they avoid us.

But if you live, work, or play in cat country, be alert! Avoid walking alone between dusk and dawn when lions are most active. Keep your children and pets close to you. Never approach or corner a mountain lion (or any wild animal). If you do encounter a mountain lion, STOP. DO NOT RUN. Unlike safety advice for encountering bears, do not act timid or play dead in front of a cat.

Instead: Maintain eye contact. Stand tall. Look bigger by opening your coat or raising your arms. Slowly wave your arms and speak firmly. Throw items at the lion if necessary. Give the cat room and time to move on.

In the rare event of an attack, fight back. Most people succeed in driving the mountain lion away.

I'm glad I read this. I'm getting rid of my pet dogs and never bathing again.

Thank you.


And now back to coffee.

I'm replying to this thread in case my experience might be helpful.

Years ago when my wife and I were hiking in the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica, we encountered and photographed a puma. He had apparently been sleeping in a tree and was disturbed by a troupe of howler monkeys passing through. He fell from the tree about 15 feet from us, walked around the tree a couple of times, looked at us, then jumped and climbed up out of sight. The encounter lasted probably about a minute, although it seemed much longer.

Some observations:

1. It did not occur to us to be consciously afraid of the puma until after he was gone. We were so excited to see him that we stepped closer to get a better look. Even so, the pictures I took were crap --- my hands were shaking so much that he was only partially in frame in all of them. I have only rarely fired a gun, but I've taken a ton of animal photos and been around lots of big potentially dangerous animals in the wild (bears, coyotes, moose, -- even orcas while kayaking). Never had that kind of adrenaline before (except maybe during a bar fight I got into in my 20s), and this was a puma acting sleepy, lazy and like a big housecat. I could never have hit him with a gun or bear spray.

2. We got pretty scared after he left, and the insane racket of the howler monkeys did not help. We would have felt much better with a gun or a can of bear spray.

So, based on that experience, I would say

1. I think it's really, really unlikely that a gun would be any help at all in protecting you against a puma.

2. I think it would be very likely to make you feel better. As long as you know how to carry it safely and don't accidentally shoot someone else (a real danger, per the warden's comments above), I'd say have at it.

HTH.

I'm replying to this thread in case my experience might be helpful.

Years ago when my wife and I were hiking in the Osa Peninsula in Costa Rica, we encountered and photographed a puma. He had apparently been sleeping in a tree and was disturbed by a troupe of howler monkeys passing through. He fell from the tree about 15 feet from us, walked around the tree a couple of times, looked at us, then jumped and climbed up out of sight. The encounter lasted probably about a minute, although it seemed much longer.

Some observations:

1. It did not occur to us to be consciously afraid of the puma until after he was gone. We were so excited to see him that we stepped closer to get a better look. Even so, the pictures I took were crap --- my hands were shaking so much that he was only partially in frame in all of them. I have only rarely fired a gun, but I've taken a ton of animal photos and been around lots of big potentially dangerous animals in the wild (bears, coyotes, moose, -- even orcas while kayaking). Never had that kind of adrenaline before (except maybe during a bar fight I got into in my 20s), and this was a puma acting sleepy, lazy and like a big housecat. I could never have hit him with a gun or bear spray.

2. We got pretty scared after he left, and the insane racket of the howler monkeys did not help. We would have felt much better with a gun or a can of bear spray.

So, based on that experience, I would say

1. I think it's really, really unlikely that a gun would be any help at all in protecting you against a puma.

2. I think it would be very likely to make you feel better. As long as you know how to carry it safely and don't accidentally shoot someone else (a real danger, per the warden's comments above), I'd say have at it.

HTH.

So the adrenaline had you shaking so much you don't think you could have hit the animal if you'd shot at it but you still recommend carrying a gun. :huh:

I don't think I've had enough coffee.

I would carry one of those VERY LOUD noise makers like they have at sporting events. I think that would scare the crap out of a cougar and not be lethal or dangerous to you or the animal.