I fish by myself most of time and do lots of bushwhacking. I don't, however, carry a gun. Like someone said in the other thread, if a cougar really wants to attack you, he'll probably be on top of you before you have a chance to pull the gun. I don't like the idea of being attacked by a big cat anymore than the next guy, but I refuse to give in to the fear. I love fishing alone in remote place and will continue to do it.

For some cougar safety tips, here's a good article: http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/wld/pub/cougsf.htm