Mountain lion shot on opening day of deer hunt

[DaveOU812]

RANDOLPH, Utah (AP) -- A man who came across a female mountain lion during Utah's deer hunt opener says he thought he was going to end up as the big cat's lunch.

"When I saw her, it sent a chill through my spine that I can't explain. I was trembling," said David Garcia, 48, of Syracuse.

Garcia was in New Canyon near Randolph around sunrise Saturday when he encountered the animal. He said he thought about trying to scare away the big cat -- which was within 30 feet of him -- but instead decided to use his rifle.

"I thought if she calls my bluff, she's going to have me for lunch," said Garcia.

The avid deer hunter said he had hiked to a pine-covered area and begun scouting for deer when he heard a stick break behind him.

"I expected to see a squirrel or something," he said. "But I saw this 150-pound mountain lion staring right at me."

Garcia said the mountain lion was in a crouch position and was hissing. He shot the animal through the neck, and the bullet passed through its heart.

Investigators from the Ogden branch of the Division of Wildlife Resources determined Garcia killed the animal in self-defense.

"He was worried about getting arrested for shooting it," conservation officer Lt. Scott Davis said. "But we found the spent cartridge, looked at the footprints -- all the evidence indicated that he was protecting his life."

The cat was nursing and may have been acting on motherly instinct to protect nearby kittens, Davis said.

Cougar sightings and attacks seem to have increased over the past few years, he said.

He said the best approach is to try to scare the mountain lion away by standing tall, making noise and grabbing sticks and rocks. If it does attack, Davis said the victim should try to inflict pain by hitting, kicking and poking at the cat's eyes.

"The last thing you want to do is run," Davis said.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=148&sid=8404242

[DaveOU812]

Any thoughts?

I can't say if his story is true or not however, going by his story, I would like to think I would have done the same thing. The cat crouched down is a sign of hostile intent if you ask me. IMO, I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6.

The comments on KSL are priceless.