http://www.kptv.com/Global/story.asp?S=1598928

I bet it was cold jumping into the river, I guess better then being kitty food though.

WOW! thats why i carry my .45 with me on the olypen. only when i'm hoofing it down the river banks.

I wonder what all those people that voted to ban hound hunting a few years back think now that the couger population is out of control.

Maybe it's my imagination, but it seems like a lot of dogs have been turning up missing lately. Those big cats are getting awfully aggressive.

I heard somewhere that in Washington State there has been just 2 or 3 confirmed cougar fatalities in the last 70 years. I cant remember the exact number but the thing that stood out was how few cougar caused deaths there were.

Its always in the back of my mind hiking remote watersheds. Ive seen enough cat tracks to know they are watching us

Nothing to worry about really, its those a** busting rocks that will be the death of me

Hi All

I know a guy that was Deer Hunting down by Olympia last fall. He had a BIG cat follow him and he scared it off once. The second time the cat wasn't backing down so he took it down. It ended up making Boone & Crockett. The more of these close calls/attacks I hear about, the more I think I might start carrying a gun on my out of the way treks. I did see some nice prints on the Solduc last fall after that HIGH water in November. Looked fresh from the nite before.
Don't let the Big Kitty get you!!

I live about a mile away from where the cougar attacked the girls and fish that exact spot often, but it really doesn't bother me all that much. Chances are still slim that you would get attacked by a cat. These cats are just following their prey like rabbit and deer to the lower elevations because these critters are moving down to find food that the heavy snow has made scarce in the Olympics. This is why we are having more encounter with cats lately. They are just trying to survive just like us.

I see tracks all of the time on the dungy. In fact on sunday I saw some fresh ones down by the trestle, I swear I can feel them whatching me sometimes!!

"I live about a mile away from where the cougar attacked "

It was not an attack merely a sighting. I am sure the girls felt like they were in danger but most likely an over reaction based on lack of knowledge and understanding of Cougar behavior. Cougar sightings are on the rise primarily due to people licing in their habitat in ever increasing numbers and more people are using the out doors than ever before in this state. Since the hound ban in 96 cougar pops have gone up just a bit and the harvest has remained relativly stable at about 200 or so a year by sport hunters. Remember since the ban we all get a Cougar tag with the big game combo tags. this has allowed people to take a Cougar while hunting other big game animals. Where in the past they would have had to buy a tag. That meant the hound hunters got the Lions share(pun intended) of the kills. the switch has been benefical as more people are exposed to Cougar hunting than ever before. I am suprised when people are suprised at an encounter with a wild animal while in their territory. Reminds me of the Yellowstone rangers story of the couple from out of state. They asked the park service if they could quiet down the animals at night so the couple could sleep because it was their vacation.

Yeah I hate forests that haven't been cleansed and made child proof yet. Must be the budget cuts. Like the Californians who moved to Sequim and wanted something done about the elk eating their roses.

out at the burley store in south kitsap there is a poster that reads cougar warning, I guess it killed some farm animals lately and some cats and people are worried for there kids playing outside. ban on hound hunting was not a good idea

10-4 ROCKFISH!!!!

Was out on the Duckabush over the weekend. Still snow on the ground, and there were cat tracks everywhere - up and down the river and on all the roads . Now it has not snowed much for several years, but years ago it used to snow all the time, I used to fish the Duck all the time, and I never remember seeing cougar tracks along the river or especially on any roads - any cat that crossed a road would have hounds on his @ss right away as many locals kept hounds and hunted every day.

There are a few more people living up the Duck than there were 20 years ago, but not that many more, certainly not more year-round residents and probably less. There's nobody living in the hills because that's all USFS. We aren't moving into their territory in the Duckabush valley, they are moving into ours, because there is nothing happening to them to keep them out.

I can't run or kick like I used to (dislocated knee) neither can I punch (bad rotator cuffs) or bite (missing a few molars). I'm seriously considering packing, and I'm definately adding my foot long pig sticker to my fishing vest.

I have posted before about my cougar meetings on the OP. Just a Tip.
Fishing the upper or lower Hoko be very cautious about your wanderings.
Also on the Physt, and Sekiu I have seen first hand evidence of kittens milling about MEEOW.... CHOMP

I got nervous out there about the cat tracks and all.
But then I looked down and I knew exactly which direction to go thanks to my feathered friends.

or did I ?

Too funny Papa