Big Cat Attack

[pepper]

The bears we have here are black bears.For the most part they only show up when there is heavy logging going on around us.Then they may find garbage cans & compost piles to explore but usually head back to the forest.There was one last year that knocked down a fence & took a goat.The state trapper was called & caught him the next night & "disposed" him.It was very large & old so may have been having trouble finding food & the goat was just an easy target.
Only saw one bear while riding here(many elsewhere)I swear my horse was shying at the tree shaking & not the bear..it was scratching his back on a tree off trail & it was shaking & rustling loudly but managed to just ride past.Also ran into a lion that just looked at us over his shoulder & continued down the trail in front of us for a long ways.My horse(my arab) didn't even notice it ,was busy trying to snitch tall green grass along the trail & again,I annoyed the heck out of him by pulling out my whistle & blowing it while singing another chorus of "lion don't eat me" songs.....but the lion was neither amused or frighten & stayed right on trail so i cut ride short & did an aerobic workout that day with a fast gallope up the hill to the trailer!
My nieghbor has alerted me on early morning trips to the pasture of lions snoozing on decks or in the middle of the road....again,I think the frequent sightings are from disturbing their habitat with heavy logging.Sightings down this year & no logging this season..

[Michelle Clarke]

You are a brave woman! I guess deep down I am still a city gal from the south side of Chicago!!

The whole back of our ranch and three sides are all untouched ranches, so they have plenty of room to still roam and keep busy.

[nrly]

with the drought here in the Mountains there have been sightings of black bears, on attacked a women just outside her place as she was walking her dog. she died several weeks later from complications...that is my worry when out riding. Jim was out riding and a rot got loose from it's owner and went after Flashy, Flashy and Jim did an awesome job. she kicked the dog several times, before the owner was finally nova his blm mustang is not the one he was riding, she did attack the dog that tried to get her, and she came out on top.but wild animals scary me to death...

[fantasykiger]

Again I love my desert the occasional coyote and mostly flying predators not the least bit interested in my horse. Of course there are snakes but I have never met up with the life threatening kind and there hasn't been a sighting of a lion here in my area in years. As a matter of fact my friends that ride with me marvel at the lack of wildlife we come across. of course a little more then an hours drive away in any direction and the terrian changes to from desert to woods and the bears and cats come alive.