Mountain lions, also known as cougars or pumas (and panthers in Florida), are the ultimate ghosts of the backcountry. Most people will go their entire lives living near their habitat and never see one, but rest assured, the cats have probably seen them.
In a state like Utah, they are the undisputed rulers of the high-alpine forests, deep canyons, and pinyon-juniper woodlands. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources estimates a healthy, stable population of about 2,500 to 4,000 independent adults across the state.
Their entire existence in these rugged landscapes revolves around one primary food source: mule deer. Where the winter and summer herds migrate, the lions follow, relying on absolute stealth and explosive, short-distance ambushes. We are talking about an incredibly athletic predator capable of launching itself 18 feet vertically into a tree or covering 40 feet of ground in a single bound. Freak athletes.
And if you’ve ever heard what sounds like a zombie woman screaming in the pitch-black woods, that’s probably them. It’s actually quite frightening. They share a biological lineage with smaller felines, meaning they can purr and shriek, but they cannot roar like lions or tigers do. Actually, only four species of cats can roar: lions, tigers, leopards, and jaguars.
Interactions with Humans
While it is a terrifying scenario, unprovoked attacks on humans are actually astronomically rare. When a mountain lion stalks a human out in the open, it is almost always engaging in a behavior known as “escorting.”
More often than not, you have unwittingly wandered too close to a mother’s den. A female with hidden cubs views you as a threat, but she doesn’t actually want to fight you. If she wanted to attack you, there’s a good chance that it would happen well before you see her… bad news for you.
But a physical altercation carries the risk of injury… a broken bone or deep laceration, and an injured predator cannot hunt. When she can’t hunt, it’s a death sentence for her and her cubs. So instead of attacking, she decides to play bouncer. She deliberately breaks her stealth, reveals herself, and aggressively walks you to the exit. She will shadow your movements to ensure you are leaving her territory, and the second you cross an invisible boundary line far enough from her den, she will usually just turn around and vanish back into the brush.
That is what is happening in this viral video, however, in the event you’re being followed or stalked by cougar, there are a couple other possibilities.
If it isn’t a protective mother, you might just be dealing with a curious teenager. Juvenile mountain lions that have recently separated from their mothers are notoriously inquisitive and still learning the ropes of the wild. They might shadow a hiker simply because they are trying to figure out what exactly a tall, loud, brightly colored ape is doing in their woods.
And finally, the third, and much more chilling reason for this predatory standoff… they’re hunting you (gulp). If a lion is actively assessing you as a potential meal, it generally wants a clean, zero-risk ambush from behind. If you realize it’s there, stand your ground, make yourself look massive, and lock eyes with it… the absolute worst thing a person can do in that five-minute standoff is turn their back, crouch down, or try to run away.
The second you act like prey, their hardwired chase instinct takes over. But as long as you hold your ground and fight back, they usually decide you simply aren’t worth the trouble.
Kyle Burgess was running in Slate Canyon, Utah, when he realized that he was aggressively being tailed by a mountain lion. Quick thinking, he got big, he got loud, and did everything he could to scare the big cat, but she stayed behind him for more than six straight minutes.
She lunged at him with a terrifying false charge each time, trying to escort him away as described above, but holy hell if that ain’t enough to make me leave the trail with some soiled shorts.
According to Kyle, the mother cougar was just protecting her 4 young cubs, which he confirmed that he saw:
“I found what I thought were bobcats on the trail during a run. Turns out they were cougar cubs and their mother was not happy to see me. She follows me for over six minutes acting very aggressively while I walk backwards up the trail.”
He eventually threw a rock at it, and it finally turned and ran away. I don’t know how Kyle wasn’t more freaked out, but props to him for staying cool, calm and collected. But like I always say, everybody loves nature until they come face to face with it… not for the faint of heart.
Another Utah Hiker Has Close Encounter
Welp, that will most definitely get the blood pumping.
Another hiker in Utah documented a tense situation as he was stalked by a mountain lion while exploring Broads Fork Trail.
“I was hiking Broads Fork Trail up Big Cottonwood Canyon (a trail I’ve hiked frequently) when I heard noise behind me and I saw a cougar.”
That’s about the time you drop a brick in your shorts…
He adds:
“I faced the cougar and proceeded to back up and try to make myself big and talk calmly to the cougar.”
After watching the video, I’m not totally sure this fella got the sound “big and calm” part down, but can you blame the guy?
He detailed how the encounter ended, saying:
“The cougar periodically would sprint at me and hiss and show its teeth. She probably was about 10 feet away at her closest. The encounter lasted about 5 minutes and I have about 2 minutes of it on video. Eventually, she gave up pursuing me and I made it away safely.”
Maybe didn’t sound big and calm, but the guy didn’t get torn to pieces, so there’s a win…
Check it out.
