Talk about one scary encounter in which the hunter became the hunted.
Seldom seen, the mountain lion is akin to a ghost in the woods—secretive, solitary and a highly capable killer. And, although mountain lion attacks on humans are rare, they do happen.
Dylan Ross, a Colorado resident, could have easily become a statistic Nov. 5, 2017. While working a mountain for mule deer that morning, he came face-to-face with a hissing lion that suddenly surprised him from 5 yards away.
Here's Ross' account of what happened, as posted to his Facebook page:
"Words can't even describe my hunting experience yesterday. I was an hour over a vertical mountain before it got light. I got to the other side and was sneaking through the timber then suddenly I hear something to my left. I turned and it was a lion! No more than 5 yards away. Right when I turned she hissed and came at me. I killed her at 8 steps away from me. It's one of the scariest things that's ever happened to me. I took these mountains for granted. All the way down that mountain all I could think about is I was one moment away from never seeing my family and my 2 little girls again. I killed the lion at 7:34 A.M. then came all the way back down that mountain. I reported it to DOW, I showed them all the video evidence and GPS coordinates and they said it was all legal. Unfortunately I wasn't able to keep the lion."
Here are two videos Ross shot immediately after taking down the mountain lion:
Talk about a close call! Situations can change in seconds when hunting, especially if alone, and keeping your wits about you can be the difference between life and death.
But, as his Facebook post continues, we come to find his hunt wasn't over.
"So after all that mess I went back to hunting around noon still shaking like a dog from the lion. I just kept recalling that lions hiss ten steps away it was like sneaking through the woods and stepping near a 120 pound rattlesnake. Anyways I shot up the mountain to one of my favorite spots and bam there was buck right when I got there. I didn't count points I just knew he was big enough and POW he was dead. This all happened at 130. I couldn't figure out what the hell happend!!!! A lion tried to kill me 6 hours ago, now here I am sitting next to the nicest buck I've killed. I'm very thankful for November 5th, I'm also thankful for DOW Matt I didn't get his last name, and most importantly to be alive and enjoy my family and friends and be able to share this story with them and you.
"All I can say is watch out, I thought I was the hunter and I was being hunted. I've never felt fear like a lion coming at me and killing it 8 steps away. She was aged at 4 or 5 years. My buck was 26" wide and 203 pounds dressed."
This is one incredible story, in what turned out to be a celebratory occasion after a such a scary, soul-searching start.
Thanks for sharing your tale with us, Dylan.
Images and Videos Courtesy of Dylan Ross/Facebook.
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NEXT: LIST OF FATAL MOUNTAIN LION ATTACKS IN NORTH AMERICA
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