You'll never guess...

[JLC]

...what we had in our back yard this morning!

A mountain lion!!

Unfortunately, I didn't see it, but my 12 year old did. (Through the windows...she wasn't outside!) She came running to get me to show me, but it was gone when we both looked out. She didn't get a good look at it as it was moving away from the house and through the trees, but she saw the tawny tan color and the black on the back of its ears. She thought it might have been a bobcat, but then she mentioned that it was bigger than a German Shepherd! Based on her description, I'm inclined to believe it was a mountain lion.

Just shortly after that, we were driving to school and the local news on the radio said for folks on the outskirts of town to not be surprised to see more wildlife like bobcats and mountain lions in or near their yards because of the drought we've been experiencing. Our backyard borders on a large expanse of open desert and we are just a couple miles from the base of the mountains.....so.......

I'm torn between hoping we see it again, and not really wanting a mountain lion anywhere near our yard where the kids play!

[srozell]

Yeah, Mountain Lions are nasty things.


If you think you'll be seeing more of them for a while I would reccommend getting a big smart dog. They'll sense the lion, and the lion will leave. ML's and bears were common where I grew up, but the ML's never approached while a dog was around because it spoiled their edge. Bears on the other hand? I've been too close for comfort too many times.

[Shelby]

Wowee.. that's cool, but scary at the same time.

Around here I've seen two coyotes in the neighborhood within the last two months, and before that I'd never ever seen one.

[Jeanne]

Ohh I grew up in Az, for me thats normal, the coyotes come down too and you do have to watch small children who play outside there, depending on exactly where you are, your local news will be good about telling you those things really. I have lots of pics of mt. lions that had come into my yard, and coyote, and javelina.... heck, we have even eaten javelina. I got to look through pics now..hehehe.

Just keep all trash out of thier reach, animal food bowls and stuff inside, dont give them much of a reason to hang around you know?

[JLC]

We've got packs of coyotes around here. We hear them yipping and howling all the time. They're pretty cool, actually...so long as you don't have an outdoor cat!


As for the dog....that would be a really good idea, except we're renting this house and no pets are allowed. (Well, things that live inside glass cages are ok! LOL) We took my sister's German Shepherd up in the mountains camping with us, and I'm quite sure she scared away a cat or two with her barking in the middle of the night. (Scared the bejeezus out of me, too!! LOL!!)

EDIT to respond to Jeanne: We've seen Javelinas right by our front door, munching on some bushes there. That was really cool. The wildlife around here is definitely one of the reasons Tucson is my favorite city in the world! But I honestly never thought we'd get a lion in the yard!!

[daniel1983]

I have always wanted to see a mountain lion in the wild. I love critters

...if you worry about you kids outside now....go buy some small air horns for them to carry in their pockets....if mountain lion gets close, let the horn sound....then the mountain lion will run away from the kid and Judy will run toward the kid...

....I carry an airhorn for several reasons when I go out in the woods...and one of them is incase a black bear starts stalking me....one toot with the horn and they will be gone

[Shelby]

Bears freak me out. I think they're ugly scary things. I'll have to remember the airhorn thing.

[JLC]

Daniel, that is REALLY a great idea. Of course, I'd have to figure out a way to make sure they don't use the air horns as toys....Goodness knows how much kids enjoy anything that makes noise! But I will definitely consider that and see if I can find a way to make it work.

[daniel1983]

Bears freak me out. I think they're ugly scary things. I'll have to remember the airhorn thing.

They are an endangered species around these parts but the national park that I hunt in has the largest population in Louisiana. I have never seen one in the woods....but my buddies have seen mommas with cubs, had them try to climb the tree they were hunting from, and had the bear 'stalk' them for a while.

Sometimes wild animals especially preditors can be hard to scare with screams and yelling. The best thing to do is make more 'unnatural' type noises....like airhorns or metal against metal contact....that usually sends them running.

[srozell]

The problem with Air horns and Mountain Lions is that Mountain lions are stalkers, and typically only strike when they don't think they've been spotted.


Seeing the ML in time to blow the Airhorn might be a bit of an issue.

AZ mountain lions MAY be different than our mountain variety, but from my experience, a cat is a cat.

You'd be better off sending your little kids out with a Rectic on a leash. They can hold the cat while the kids run away.

Personally I've never used an airhorn on a bear. Usually I found my feet ended negotiations before the conversation even started.