Cougar chess

a lazy July Saturday afternoon, nothing much to do but watching baseball on tv and suddenly the day became much more interesting from my perspective; things I like and love doing. I received a call that some activities (probable logging) were going on in an area where this was prohibited and was requested to investigate.. As it happens I knew exactly where and what was likely going on there (nothing much and strictly legal, but it still upset the locals), I took a leisurely drive to that area, and expected a short walk and wander around one of my favourite places around here..

leisurely drive, the beginning of a series of mistakes which could have been.. well not fatal but at least a great deal of hassle for a good many people, including myself.

I arrived on site and there was (of course) nobody there. Should have known; heat of the day and I myself had previously requested that no work be carried out at that time, as at the moment that area is bone-dry.. a tinder box. Nevertheless, since I was now on site, I had to do the inspection. Not only because I was getting paid for it but because I was required to report back. So grabbed behind me for my trusted rifle, without which I do not usually enter cougar country but which I have as yet never fired and hope I never will have to, and... nothing!!! Must have left it at home... obviously too relaxed a state of mind when I went out on this job..

ah well, middle of the day, red-hot.... no doubt dog-walkers had been there already so why worry about cougar.. bear spray will have to do.. and my knife and a bear bell.. so kitted out I went. Into the woods..

bear bells are remarkably effective with black bears in this part of the world. If it clangs long and regularly enough no chance of encountering one unexpectedly. Unless it is deaf or has an i-pod in of course, in which case there's still the pepperspray. Not so useful with grizzlies, who tend to regard it more as a dinner bell. But until very recently we had no grizzlies in this area and even to date only a solitary one, miles and miles away from here...

warning thing for black bears, dinner for grizzlies which are non existent here.. what about cougar? I was about to find out.... in retrospect probably like the jingle of an icecream van. Cougar desert.

although totally unprepared but hellishly intent on what is happening around me, which is and should be second nature to me by now anyway, about a twenty minute walk down into the woods along a freshly hacked surveyor's line, I sensed something behind me. Swung around and.. there it was. A fairly young cougar, crossing the path behind me. I had obviously disturbed it during its rest or attracted its attention with that damn bell and it had probably been following me for a bit already given where it was and how it was behaving. This definitely was trouble.. And the only person who vaguely knew where I was since he was the one who had asked me to go there, in Vancouver, shopping.

older cougars are predictable and easy. They are either interested in you and you stand little chance, or they are not and you have nothing to worry about.. Younger cougars however are different. Like kids. Always interested but impossible to predict whether it is for food (or rather desert, given the bell I was carrying), just curiosity, playfulness, a bit of exercise or honing skills..

prey recognition for cougars is absolutely learned behaviour, and humans only exceptionally qualify as such. The plain reality is that over 80% of cougar attacks on humans are carried out by young animals, which are either still "learning" what prey is and how it should behave, or who have had some previous experience of human interaction, most likely as play-hunting or exercising, and experienced some rather unexpected success in this.

older animals attacks on humans are more likely to be in defense of kin or quarry, especially with cubs around, in which case the unfortunate victim is not considered prey but a threat to be dealt with or, indeed, as a result of a rare successful and tasty early life encounter. More common though, and often wrongly described as an attack on humans, is a cougar stalking and attacking a small dog, pouncing and trying to make off with it but which, unfortunately, is not only emotionally attached to its owner but also via a leash... all it was after was the pooch and the human was just collateral damage, but usually more mentally than physically.

so the chess game began. Stay aware of where it was, predict of where it was likely to go and staying clear of anything tall it could (unseen) jump out of at me, which is not easy in the forest, but not necessarily impossible..

stand and walk tall, big as I can, five steps while turning through 360 degrees, walking forward sideways and backwards, stand still for a minute and scan, assess the ground for the next five steps so I don't stumble or fall in which case I'd be easy pickings for desert, play or honing skills, whatever it actually had in mind. Bearspray (useless, given that it is going to go for a neck bite and there is no sensible way i can successfully deploy it at a cougar in full flight behind me, but confidence inspiring) knife and a big stick across at arms length creating a bit of a barrier and always ready to swing. Well that is all I had..

and so we, the two of us, went on for about twenty minutes; it circling me and me following it, predicting where it would go next, trying to find it for twenty long long minutes... and then I totally lost sight of it... decision time! What now? Is it still there? Has it got a vantage point I haven't noticed or has it lost interest seeing there is neither much meat on me nor do I seem to be in a very playful mood...

not having much of an option I decided to stick to my previous strategy but quicker, less "stalking" myself and walk tall, bear bell in pocket and wrapped in handkerchief by now, and make my way out, still avoiding jumpy places and go for it but not run.. another twenty minutes and I was back in "safe" territory. It must have lost interest after all..

one more stretch to inspect, but that can wait till tomorrow. Prepared this time. Enough of an adventure for today and a very good thing I am being paid by the hour...