Since they took the ability to hunt with hounds away there has been an increasing amount of contact between humans and the big cats. As the Cougar population increases they are widening their foraging range to include rural populated areas.
On the I-fish board web mistress Jenny had a run in with a cougar yesterday on the Trask. By her post she's still pretty shook up about it.
Packing heat is an option but carrying another 4 pounds, and having to carry it in the open (unless you have a concealed permit) in the rain equals more clean up work when you get home. The upside would be that it would tend to discourage the idiots on the river bank from crowding you out of the spot that you're in.