There is a huge difference between the big cats in the West (California) than the cat he killed. He is just the kind of guy who would kill something standing over a bait station.

The original article says the hunter was perched in a treestand – how much danger could he have been in from above ground ? Granted if the cat started up the tree maybe, but could’nt he have fired a warning shot and tried to scare the animal off first ? Seems to me all too often these animals are “killed first, ask questions later.”

That having been said, it’s true that attacks by pumas are on the increase. Most pumas that attack people are young adult males which are dispersing from their mothers. They haven’t had a lot of experience with their main natural prey. Antlered wildlife such as deer, elk, and moose are the primary prey in most areas, although pumas will eat lots of animals including skunks and porcupines. People, especially children, sometimes become convenient prey for these inexperienced cats. And once they have stalked and attacked their intended target, they are extremely hard to deter. Pumas don’t appear to become “man-eaters” in the way that lions, tigers, and leopards sometimes do (interestingly enough, there are no records of “man-eating” jaguars, the other great pantherine cat). I do wonder about the puma that attacked the two trail bikers in California a few years ago, killing and eating a man and then deliberately ambushing a woman. I wonder if that cat, had it escaped and lived, would have begun taking people preferentially as prey (which is what “man-eaters” do). That puma was a fully mature male too, not a dispersing youngster. So there are exceptions.

It’s wise to follow basic behavioral precautions in the woods. I don’t blame anyone for killing an animal in self-defense, or in defense of their children, pets or livestock. I love cats, and I have a great love for pumas. In fact, although this runs contrary to what some experts say, and I’ll probably get some flak for saying it, pumas can make good pets. They will bond with a person or a whole family. I say “good pets” with caveats: it’s never safe to allow a big cat to have free run of a home, and much caution has to be taken when theere are visitors. But I have met pumas that are a friendle as any domestic cat. The problem is, even a domestic cat can get P.O.ed and swat you. Result: an annoying liitle scratch. Next minute the cat is purring and rubbing against your legs. Pet puma, same scenario: little swat, serious wound. Cat gets excited by blood and prey sounds and attack escalates. Person ends up seriously injured or dead, cat is put down.

Pumas are beautiful wild animals and I am glad they are rebounding and beginning to return to their former range. Most of the time they leave people alone and don’t want contact. But they can be dangerous, and people have to defend themselves. It’s OK to think, “poor kitty”, but if it was my life, or my child’s, or my pet’s, I would do whatever it took to defend that life, even if it meant killing a puma.

A lot of wildlife officials in the eastern US refuse to believe there are any cougars PERIOD east of the Mississippi, and yet they continue to turn up. Making a report to them is generally useless unless you have an actual body. If you don’t they will try to debunk your sighting. Sad, but true.