Mountain Lion (cougar, puma) - High Sierra Trail, CA 

hahahaha too funny .. but next time I'll be more prepared with a laser pointer :)

Right in the eyeball

@@bdmckinney I would love to see these and other apex animals that the US has to offer. Unfortunately here in the UK we only have foxes, badgers and pissed Karens when Starbucks get their order wrong. 😔🤣

It's over Brian McKinney! I have the high ground. Luckily, he backed away instead of foolishly attempting to challenge her skill, he may have been dismembered and rolled down a hill

yep! the cat was waiting for the hiker to continue along the trail, and ambush from above!

TikiShootah yes took high ground to counter strike. They are lucky it didn’t attack. I bet if one person. Attack was 100% yes

You're underestimating my POW-WER

@@iceoriental123 more likely to be partially fed on then left in the crotch of a nearby tree

They like to hit prey from above, I read about how they will go up a hillside or mountainside to land on prey from the heights and incapacitate the windpipe of the victim. Typically breaking the neck 🤯

This could have easily been "found footage". Why the hell would you try to follow and sneak up on a mountain lion?

Triforce Master you mean DON'T follow it LIKE THEY DID...then you wouldn't need to walk backwards slowly if you follow the first rule.

You never turn your back when you see a big cat.

Triforce Master thats true, dont turn your back, but as the other guy said, don't be so stupid an curious to follow a wild cat. Use your brain, or loose your brain

Walk don't run backwards. Let her know you are not a threat.

@@ForeignBlasianLA No..YOU'RE stupid. He didn't say anything about turning your back. He said walk backwards, don't run backwards. Also, u spelled ambushing wrong.

On an even playing field, humans don't even come close to the top of the food chain.

Arthur Bertram we are on an even playing field, our intelligence just takes us to another level

Our brains and intelligence makes us be on top of the food chain 😎

WAKANDA FOREVER I WILL CHARGE A LION BE MIGHTY MAN ME STRONG

we never were lol we just isolated ourselves from nature in order to to not be hunted

I think he migrated to d San Gabriel mountains..🤔

Good point

He can't migrate to San Gabriel 😑 thats as far as he can go hea stuck in Griffith...his name is p22 and is still there this very day he just came out in the news AGAIN a week ago lol

XD

hahahaha!

MaxMax Extreme that's so funny !!! Ha ha

...and a cucumber!

Always, ALWAYS carry a firearm, (my choice, 1911 .45) with a Laser pointer encase the cats doesnt go for the pointer..

😆🤣😂

Mountain lions generally aren't interested in attacking people. I wouldn't say he got lucky, as the lion's leaving him alone is the typical scenario. I've hiked all my life a few times a week, in mountain lion territory where there are regularly sightings. I'm more than certain I've been watched by mountains without my even knowing about it and I'm still alive. Mountain lions are most likely to attack when their food supply is short, when startled and cornered, and most likely to attack children or hikers whom to them, seem ill or crippled. The average person is astronomically unlikely to be attacked by one. We're much more likely to be bit by a rattlesnake, bit by a disease-carrying tick or stung by a yellow jacket. That said, if one does encounter a mountain lion, it's best to slowly retreat, make noise, make yourself appear bigger and never turn your back to it.

Yyoo I thought the same thing

Livereater00 haha, that made me laugh so hard

Livereater00 Funny, that's why I carry a gun!!

Joe Nobody can't carry guns in National Parks. Illegal.

I wouldn't agree with shooting that cougar your gun statement is inaccurate, you can carry in National Parks. Congress approved a new law allowing loaded firearms in national parks starting Feb. 22, 2010. That means people can openly carry legal handguns, rifles, shotguns and other firearms and also may carry concealed guns as allowed by state statute. www.nps.gov/grca/learn/management/upload/Firearms-in-IMRparks2-2010.pdf

What? I have an annual pass I renew to Sequoia every year, and in every pamphlet the Park Rangers hand out, it states. “Firearms/explosives are strictly prohibited inside the park.” .Could they just be infringing on this statute?

And died

LOL

HERE PUSS PUSS PUSS!!!

LMAO This just made my day

TheGuitarded1 lmao!

Thanks!! .. she is such a beautiful animal, feel fortunate to have had the experience

verisimilidude1 Thank you! I would've been outta there! Hell, I wouldn't even have been there in the first place to be outta there!

"Cocked and loaded, no doubt! " -- No. Just curious. You apparently don't have cats.

oker59 this could be the only sensible comment I've read on this video. Humans are dumb.

oker59 it's giving the look my cat does when she's curious...all cats are cats, after all, and curiosity is what they are known for

Um, no one said they did

Funny, National Geographic just wrote an article about this and said it had run up the trail as an ambush predator would. Most humans attacked by mountain lions are first hit from behind, from above, to the back of the neck.

oker59--Look up the word "anthropomorphism. Then reevaluate your comment.

I hope it dies so a dozen deer don't have to be eaten alive.

I think that if he had passed the mountain lion there is a good chance he would have been attacked. Mountain Lions defending their cubs are much more aggressive and more likely to back you down the trail than stalk.

Terrible encounter they should have never proceeded up the trail

Walk don't run backwards. Let her know you are not a threat@@andrewsimar6200

not showing fear is key.

coming from a former forest ranger you are 100% correct ! You should NEVER have proceeded up that trail right after seeing that mountain lion. super lucky. Very fortunate to walk away like you did. 🛑💯‼️

They rarely try to attack humans. If he was alone and walked past that rock there’s a 20/80 chance it jumps on him. They almost never attack a person if you’re facing them. Even getting injured by their prey can be a death sentence.

Yes, the 'shoulder bars' (black fur at front shoulder creases indicates juvenile).

Sub adult a little older than a teenager

@@taylorhill8001 possibly the first time she saw humans.

Hahaha

It's possible there may have been a cub nearby and she was judging if they were a threat.

Wings of Darkness most likely cubs around. I live in the mountains, leave them alone, don't be stupid and you'll most likely be fine.

strangehighways3 Game over! Game over!!

Wookie Hugs SD yeaaaa

Surprised your dogs didn't give chase .. thanks for the comment, was an incredible experience.

ha, I think they knew not to for their own sake

We remember passing a troop on our way back from Whitney .. wonder if it was your group.

We were wearing dark green shirts with yellow lettering.

Probably the first humans this subadult female had ever seen.

@@tannerfaust433 probably so.

agree .. was lucky. To be honest i was shocked when the mountain lion was still on the trail in front of us (perhaps naively). We had been hiking all day and our camp was on the other side of the cat. I assumed she would be long gone after spotting us. But agree .. will assume the cat is still in the area next time and just turn around and look for a different place to camp.

Brian McKinney you were shocked that a cat saw you, ran ahead to make you think it was fleeing, then when it knew you couldn't see it, it doubled back onto higher ground, all in a beautifully crafted scheme to pounce on your back and kill you when you walked by?? Even my house cat when he sees me walking to my bedroom runs ahead and quick darts behind the door so he can pounce on me when I walk in. Cats are brilliant hunters. That cat WANTED you to think it ran off, then doubled back and was waiting for you on higher ground. You were lucky bro. I got attacked by a regular size cat (not mine of course) and had to spend many days in the hospital, almost had to have my arm amputated, and then spent THREE YEARS in bandages waiting for skin to grow back... all from a standard size house cat. You have no concept of how fast an attacking cat is. You have no time to respond. And you can't hit it back bc they're so fast and their teeth and claws are ripping apart your flesh so fast you can't see clearly. With dogs you have time, they aren't as flexible or fast. Against a mountain lion you haven't a chance. Don't do that again.

Daisy Drifter Ya know... you're chastising him for something that he already acknowledged 2 years ago and said he wouldn't do again. 🙄

Probably not, but he might have panicked and ran, and gotten himself killed.

about an hour before sunset ..

Was an incredible hike! We joked before the trip that it would be amazing to see all 3 .. rattlesnake, bear, mountain lion .. thinking are odds were pretty low to just see 1!

Definitely a great story to tell ! Thanks for sharing

Sean Ó Briain You forgot to mention that you are supposed to stumble every twenty feet or so.

and spill bbq sauce all over yourself

ah .. you noticed :)

Enjoy!!

After this video we retreated quite a bit, but still within sight of the trail. After a bit she (?) proceeded down from the rock and back to the trail and just laid down, keeping her stare right on us. Our camp was on the other side of her and it was getting dark so we did try to scare it for ~20 minutes, making loud noises .. throwing sticks/small rocks .. being careful not to hit her but wanting to scare her enough to move off the trail. She just kept looking at us and didn't budge. We then gave up and turned around .. but as we kept walking she stood up and started walking off too (in the opposite direction) .. so, we waited a while and opted to try again thinking she had moved on. We rounded the same corner in the video and sure enough she was sitting up on the same rock looking down on us .. so, we just gave up and looked for another camp in the opposite direction. We went back through the next day without incident. You'll love the HST .. the park ranger told us this was very unusual (he had been with the park for 10 years and had never seen one himself .. and reports in the area are rare). Enjoy the hike!