I talked with a friend of mine who fished Blue Creek Tuesday morning. Told me that a cougar spotted him about halfway down the trail and followed him until he hit the crossing point on the creek. When the cat saw all the people it bolted like a bat out of hell. SCARY! Is this a typical occurance?

Whoa dude, don't say sh^t like that. You'll scare the freakin' crap outta me!!!

I fish a lot of remote places by MYSELF on many different rivers around the state, especially on the OP. Off the bank. Without heat. How many of you think this is a bad idea?? If so, what should I be packing?? Suggestions anyone. I'm already looking over my shoulder. Dunno what the hell I'd do if I was 4 miles from the truck, in thick tundra, down a canyon and came face to face, eyeball to eyeball with a big cat, all by my lonesome. I'm not worried about bear. My Vancouver Island summer-run adventures on the upper Gold has taught me that, but them damn cats.. Every time I think about it... gives me the f'n creeps.

James

that is scary! my friends and i had a similar encounter with a bear. we kind of stumbeled upon his fishing hole. i'd say carry a big rifle on a shoulder harness.
tyler

I never leave home without a S.A.M. or scud so no worrys here

If they are coming at you don't run! Same with bears. Especially if you make a good sized profile. There are much worse 2 legged varmit out there worth carrying heat for.

Sounds like a pretty tall "Cougar" story to me!!! Did he get a look at the cat or just here something. I wouldn't think a cougar would hang out around a high "human" traffic area like blue creek. But, maybe this one has developed a taste for BLOOD.

Everyone knows that cats don't like water, right?
My recomendation on what to pack for protection is......Super soaker 2000 I would think anything less than a full one quart capacity might be a little iffy.

I have spent the last 15 years fishing the back country,taught survival to young troubled kids in tha cascades, Hiked cross country up on some of the headwaters of the oly pen and have seen one cougar,running from me!I have seen plenty of sign and fresh kills around a week old but I do not feel threatened!If god wants to feed me to a cougar so be it but I think I stand a better chance of being eaten by Ike!

that happened to me once where the north and south fork sky meet by index , just had that feeling that something was watching me made the hair on my neck stand up, kept lookin over my shoulder but didnt see anything finally spotted him sitting on a log in the brush watching me, he didnt bother me but i did head out....creepy feeling

i saw the bear in startup it was about 75yards away when we first spotted it then it went around a bend and we thought we were ok but we started fishing again and it came out of the bushes about 50 yards away. man that was scary!
tyler
p.s. we were about 2 miles down river from the car.

Looks like someone wanted to fish blue creek without the crowd...........

~ Dr Pepper

Perfect Drift - all you gotta do is out run Keith! Shouldn't be too hard!

I was fishing Pilchuck Creek one time up by the head waters. I came around a bend in the creek and came up on a black bear. I turned around and ran. I think that I even walked on water that day. I don't know what he did because I didn't stick around. Jim S.

Did the cat have HOOFS?


FJ...out.

Fishing is my religion dammit!

Why is it that I have been hunting cats and bears for years and with alot of effort cannot sneak up on a bear or walk down a cougar, but all of you guys get them walking up to you? It doesn't make any sense

I saw the Cougar you are talking about at blue creek. He went to WSU, I know him


Cats sometimes follow you and you rarely can see them. They are just curious. They don't attack. Sometimes they attack if you are 2 ft tall (little kids). I have been in their area many times, they avoid you.

[ 01-19-2002: Message edited by: UltimateFeashKacher ]

The best advice I can give is to make sure that you can outrun your fishing buddy!

Well if it isn't the a holes you are packing heat for at Blue Creek, it's cougars. Say, what's next, Bigfoot sightings? I fished BC one time since getting in W WA in August of 2000, never again. The crowds at that place don't even make the sport fun. If it is your bag, then have fun, I would rather catch nothing fishing all by myself on the upper Green than fight the crowds at BC. Good luck to anyone who does, and don't forget the catnip.

Paranoid, my fishing partner (Randy) who with bad knees and only capable of short bursts of speed makes him the perfect fishing partner. Just one of the many aspects that makes him a good one!

Actually I would go to battle for my brother and friends

FJ...out.

Fishing is my religion dammit!

Here in oregon they banned hunting cougars and bears with dogs. Now the population of those damn cats are increasing by alot in some counties. Myself i have had a runnin with a paticular cougar 2 days in a row. On the 3 day, i decided to go somewhere else.

FCTS,

Yeah, fairly typical, especially of preferred fishing holes. Lots'a cougars on the Queets and Quinault, too. And a friend of mine was carried off by Sasquatch on the upper Hoh. 8^) All good places to stay away from if you want to avoid strange encounters. And to think there are those who don't believe fishing is a heavy-duty sport. We should get more respect!

And speaking of strange encounters, the strangest I ever had was on the lower Green/Duwamish about 30 years ago. He was two legged, and it wouldn't be politically correct to repeat what I called him - but I was startled and didn't have time to think. The man may have just been a pervert. I didn't stay there long enough to find out! I'd rather take my chances with the cougars and bears any day.

perfect drift, i'll bet you didnt know that a kid up in gold river got mauled by a couger on his way to school a few years back. i'm more scared of bears, than i am of cougars. i've been stalked by black bears on the nekite river, and i didnt like it. i always carry a gun when i go to really remote places to fish

These are tracks of one that followed my son and I to the confluence of the Queets and Salmon on New Years Day, 2002. We didn't see it, or the elk that it trailed off after, but they are out there.



The tracks weren't there on the way in, but they were in MY boot prints on the way out.

Ive heard biologist tell F.S. timber cruisers that roughly half of the time they are cruising they are being watched by cougars.

I can't run for Shi...poop, so anything comes after me is gonna get me...I'm just a big ole puddin pop...I don't know karate, but I do know crazy....

Here's something we found last year while hunting ... makes you a little nervous at times, especially when this isn't the only kill we found like this.

I've seen two lions in the wild, one was stalking a herd of elk I was hunting and the other crossed the road last year during dear season. They are scared to death of humans but I typically have heat with me in remote areas, especially the O.P..
Keith

If I fished there I'd put up a white goal post.

Cougars can't figure out a way to go through one of them.

fp

I understand that not everyone may believe me, but I'm being completely truthful. And no, I'm not trying to stear people away from BC. I wouldn't fish there if my life depended on it. GIVE ME SOLITUDE. Just was wondering if this happened to anyone else?

Cougar at Blue Creek???! From what I've heard about that place it would have died of lead poisoning or at least got beat up for trying to crowd in.

gooose

I've seen two cougars and suprised a black bear but your odds of getting attacked are higher than winning the lottery. At least someone wins the lottery every few weeks.
Besides, if you can't outwit someone from WSU or CAL then it's just good Darwinism at work.

On a very rare occasion, if a cougar jumps you, it will be quick and without any early warnings. You WILL NOT have time to use your gun. Carrying a gun just makes you feel safe but it won't do much help.

But an H&K USP Compact in .40 S&W does come in handy when you need to shoot the cougar off of your slower buddy.

I don't know how big of an area a cat will have for its range.I live a couple miles downriver from BC and know of several cat sightings on the river.especially around the Mission launch.I wouldnt doubt it a bit if he saw one.

If I'm fishing with a buddy, I always talk them into wearing a "Good Luck Ham" around their necks......
x

I just made for my friend a new scent for killer steelhead bites. It's a mixture of honey and rabbit blood.

Wait.. did I say Steelhead bites?

Dogfish,

If a cat jumps your buddy then it is no longer your problem, more fish for you

Cats like to single out their prey and they avoid crowds. Besides if you can hit 8 1/2 by 11 piece of paper from 10 yds, you are considered a good shooter so I wouldn't want to shoot any cougar off my friend. Unless they have been out fishing me If I were you I would jump into may helicopter and watch.

[ 01-20-2002: Message edited by: UltimateFeashKacher ]

[ 01-20-2002: Message edited by: UltimateFeashKacher ]

That sounds like a rerun from Mutual of Omaha's "Wild Kingdom".

"While Jim is wrestling the cougar, I'll ready the tranquilizer darts...."

Hey guys......boo!!! Scare ya? You guys are at a higher risk driving on the freeway to the O.P. or any other place you fish than being eaten by a bear or a cougar. I've been in the woods as a contract forester and an avid hunter and fisherman for 20 years. Have seen lots of those critters, but luckily.....they're a whole bunch scarder than us than(most)of us are of them. The way I look at it is no sense worrying about it.....if they decide they do want you they probably will get ya! Myself....I'm way more afraid of the drunk I might meet driving down the road.

Sorry Dogfish....look again....NOT a cougar track!

Wear a Nixon mask backwards.Cat's will seldom attack if they think they are being watched.
FYI if you fish the Sandy around Marmot Dam you will be surprised when you see the local Cougar.This animal has sooo much skin it is unbelievable.He is not afraid of humans.Every now and then I leave him a steelhead in a secret spot.So if your a harvester of fish I would get the Nixon mask right away.Oh, and they like short people best.

I just can't believe your friend fished Blue Creek without any kind of firearm! How is he suppose to get or keep a fishing spot?

BILGRAT,
You are right about the backwards mask. Some tribes in Africa wear them when walking in the woods. I am not joking.

Personally I am more afraid to fly fish near locals than cougars or bears.

Marty reported that a fisherman was mauled by a cougar this weekend. Anyone see the story?

If you guys are going to wear your Nixon face masks on the back of your heads, make sure you get the ones that have the crossed-eyes molded into them.

That way you will be able to triple your protection! You'll get both sides protected and rear protection at the same time. This is true!!! Never ever trust a side sneaking cougar. After many years of evading cougar attacks, I have found (and highly recommend) the masks with the spring loaded wired hanging eyeballs. That way you also get some much needed added protection from those cougars that are hiding in those overhead trees where they may be looking down at you.


Got a few more ticks, but I will hold them back until someone on this bb shows us their bite marks!

Cowlitzfisherman

Is the taste of the bait worth the sting of the hook????

I carry a small .22 auto made by smith & wesson. Real small and light weight, 8-shot clip and fixed sights. Got an uncle on the O.P. who used to run dogs on couger. Killed many treed cats, with 1-shot from small caliber rifles and pistols. He sez hit them anywhere in the head or lungs and they go down. My .02

Keeps life interesting,eh. X_Fishing. "Fisherman Ready".

Glad E Ate Her

I have been stalked by a Kitty over on the Eastside Mulie Huntin.after playing cat and mouse for about 1/2 hour,I just put a wellplace 280 round between his front legs into the dirt,He only ran about 30 yds,the next one went between his ears.....he wouldn't have liked my next shot placement
But Blue creek
I don't go here very often,when I do I just bring Timberman
If I take Dan S. or Redneck....I make them carry the beef Jerky........Os

Typically you wont even see him coming and when you do. You might get the gun out but he or she will probably get you before you shoot. If you dont know what stress fire is and never practiced it good luck hitting a big cat coming at you with a short barrel pea shooter! Remember he dosent know what being shot is all about so he wont stop till you kill him! A bear can still charge full speed 300 ft and attack after his heart quits beating!!! A big Cat has about the same determination but is even faster and more stealthy. Id stand and look large and make noise before Id shoot him with a .22! Unless it was my only choice.(hes already on you so you better try to get it out and just empty it into the cat).

Bob D

8 quick ones in the ear-hole will put "ol puss" to sleep. Ya, he might chew on me some but I'll be eating cat for a while.

eight in the ear hole
If that big Kitty is on you.....save those rounds for yourself .................Os

They say that cat is really good eating. If I was attacked by one I would rub sh!t in his face. All I would have to do is reach behind me to get it. I won't have to hunt for it because it would be in my pants.

Hey Oz, look's like "ol" C-head is one cool customer! Keep packin, but you'll probley only need it for the 2-legged varmits @ B.C. From what I've read, most coug. attacks are on small kids and or by young inexperienced cats. Size and aggression seems to make them back off. So a regular guy out fishing may get looked over by a stray cat, but jumped? More likely to get run over by a UFO

Spring loaded eyeballs on a Nixon mask. LOL And rubbing your **** on a cougars face L O L ! ... might work if you had some real bad burritos for breakfast. But that story of the lady, strong and quick witted enough under water with a cougar on her to stab it to death with a scissors, is quite the story. The Bionic Woman.

I only skimmed thru the thread. Did anyone mention the double strength capsacin spray canisters they use for warding off Grizzly bears in the northern Rockies and other places? Seems that could slow down a cougar attack. Some contend they are often more effective than handguns because you can't miss their face as they charge; and it about stops them from seeing or breathing for a bit, while you escape. Providing you didn't also get a big dose of this hideous stuff in your face too. I did get a small amount of it by accident one time and it's a nightmare - slipped and shot some of that orange stuff down my pant leg testing it on AK black bears. Hard to even breath for a few minutes, followed by and hour or more of heavy coughing.

You guys can mock cougar attacks and not treat them as a serious threat if you want, but last week I saw not one but two cougars. They were traveling together and they were obviously hunting. I watched them cross a field til they came upon some tracks. It was an incredible scene that unfolded like this:

The first cougar looked at the second one and said "Look at those moose tracks".

The second cougar sneered and said "Those aren't moose tracks, those are antelope tracks."

The first cougar replied "Well, those are at least elk tracks".

The second cougar then said " Maybe they're deer tracks".

While they were arguing about what kind of tracks they'd found..... the train hit them.

Go huskies! less than 10 months til the Apple Cup threads start. Oh, boy!!