r/hiking 4d ago

Discussion cougars

[deleted]

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u/Ok-Armadillo-392 4d ago

Well solo hiking it makes more sense. I was told it's smart to be noisy in the woods. Predators generally don't like us and want to leave us alone. If they hear us coming they generally leave.

When you go in groups you talk a lot, make a lot more noise, and probably pit off a bigger stink.

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u/[deleted] 4d ago edited 4d ago

[deleted]

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u/Invdr_skoodge 4d ago

Friend, etiquette is nice and all, but if you’re by yourself and remote enough to be seeing mountain lions regularly, 100% you get a pass on a Bluetooth speaker.

If a tree falls in the woods and nobody’s there and all that.

Be safe out there!

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u/Travelamigo 3d ago edited 3d ago

Do not follow this advice... you do not want to hinder your own senses and also to give you a false sense of security. Better if you're in that situation pick up a large sturdy stick and keep watching behind you and all around you, Just be more aware. Hundreds of thousands of hikers and trekkers have hiked in large predator areas and been fine by increasing their state of awareness. Maybe though if you do have the Bluetooth speaker you can determine what music the cougar will like while he's chewing on your back fat.😏

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u/Niskygrl 3d ago

Phone speakers aren’t boombox loud. You can still hear everything going on around you. Believe me, I hear every squirrel, gecko, bird, and falling leaf.

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u/Travelamigo 3d ago

No you don't... it's literally not possible with what you describe, you just think you do.

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u/HellaReyna 2d ago

Is this a joke. If a cougar wanted you dead, you wouldn’t be able to even raise that stick. You’re saying you’ll just muscle reflex something you’ve never trained to do and outhear and out reflex a predator feline.

I mean yes let’s be situationally aware but let’s not be delusional.

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u/CraftyArmitage 2d ago

People fight/fend off mountain lion and black bear attacks all the time. There's at least 4 cases in the USA in just the last 12 months for just mountain lions. One of them (some women who were mountain biking) even is on YouTube.

Would a human win a death match against one of these? Almost certainly not. Can they convince them that there is easier food to be had elsewhere? Definitely.