My buddy was out hunting deer near Princeton BC about a month ago he had walked in quite a ways from the road he was standing quietly for about 20 minutes watching an area but also intensely listening for any sounds.
He all of a sudden heard a squirrel start chirping in a panic as he spun around towards the noise a mtn lion burst out of the trees less than 30 yards away from him it jumped up into the tree going after the squirrel which brought it closer to about 20 yards from him.
This fellow is an excellent hunter/shooter he tells me that if the mtn lion had of been after him there was absolutely no way that he would have had time for a shot.
In this same basic area about 15 years ago another buddy was following tracks of a big buck in the snow the buck did a circle and crossed their tracks but on top of their tracks were also mtn lion tracks.
He thought to himself no wonder I can't find the buck with this mtn lion around so he headed back towards his truck.
A few minutes later he heard a stick snap behind him so he spun around and there crouched appr 20 yards away was a huge male mtn lion he said its ears where flat against the head and the tail was twitching like a house cat before they jump on you.
He was able to unsling his rifle and shot the mtn lion as it leapt into the air at him.
About 25 years ago my now ex-wifes cousin was in the Kootneys hunting he was hiking across a steep rocky/gravely slope on a game trail he heard some rocks sliding down the hill behind him he looked back to see a mtn lion charging him it was so steep that he put his knee up onto the bank as he got his rifle up and shot the mtn lion while it was still in the air.
He told me that he was very surprised that the bullet didn't exit.
Here is my conclusion some times you have time for a shot sometimes you don't.
He all of a sudden heard a squirrel start chirping in a panic as he spun around towards the noise a mtn lion burst out of the trees less than 30 yards away from him it jumped up into the tree going after the squirrel which brought it closer to about 20 yards from him.
This fellow is an excellent hunter/shooter he tells me that if the mtn lion had of been after him there was absolutely no way that he would have had time for a shot.
In this same basic area about 15 years ago another buddy was following tracks of a big buck in the snow the buck did a circle and crossed their tracks but on top of their tracks were also mtn lion tracks.
He thought to himself no wonder I can't find the buck with this mtn lion around so he headed back towards his truck.
A few minutes later he heard a stick snap behind him so he spun around and there crouched appr 20 yards away was a huge male mtn lion he said its ears where flat against the head and the tail was twitching like a house cat before they jump on you.
He was able to unsling his rifle and shot the mtn lion as it leapt into the air at him.
About 25 years ago my now ex-wifes cousin was in the Kootneys hunting he was hiking across a steep rocky/gravely slope on a game trail he heard some rocks sliding down the hill behind him he looked back to see a mtn lion charging him it was so steep that he put his knee up onto the bank as he got his rifle up and shot the mtn lion while it was still in the air.
He told me that he was very surprised that the bullet didn't exit.
Here is my conclusion some times you have time for a shot sometimes you don't.
