Hiking safety tips

Some of the most important hiking safety tips regard staying safe in the face of wild animals.

Cougars, also known as mountain lions or pumas, are elusive animals and very seldom seen by humans. Also worthy of note is that they seldom attack humans.

: Image by Grant and Caroline’s pix via Flickr

But, since there have been cases of cougar attacks on humans, rare as they are, it is good to have knowledge of how to stay safe in their territory. Here are some rules to remember when hiking in puma territory. I will offer two sets of rules: prevention rules and encounter rules.

COUGAR ATTACK PREVENTION RULES

Here are attack prevention rules:

Prevention Rule #1: Don’t let your kids run around. Keep them near by.

Prevention Rule #2: Leave pets at home. Your pet may provoke an attack. The largest dog is no match for a mountain lion.

Prevention Rule #3: If you do take a pet to the wilderness, always keep it on a leash. Your free-running pet could provoke a puma and lead it directly to you.

Prevention Rule #4: Be noisy while you hike so you won’t surprise a mountain lion. The noisy announcement of your arrival will give the cat a chance to retreat, a behavior it will exhibit in the great majority of encounters.

Prevention Rule #5: Hike in a group and decrease the chance of an attack.

Prevention Rule #6: Be extra vigilant at dawn and at dusk. Most predators are out and active at these times of the day.

COUGAR ENCOUNTER RULES

In the unlikely event that you actually encounter a cougar, you would be well served by having these encounter rules in mind:

Encounter Rule #1: Remember that mountain lions as a general rule, unlike black bears, do not bluff. If and when they attack, it is for real.

Encounter Rule #2: Due to a cougar’s habit of not bluffing, never play dead. Be prepared to fight.

Encounter Rule #3: In a threatening encounter, pick up your kids. This will help to discourage an attack. Pumas will pick smaller rather than larger prey.

Encounter Rule #4: Do not run. It may provoke an attack.

Encounter Rule #5: Keeping strict and steady eye contact with a threatening mountain lion, back away slowly.

Encounter Rule #6: Make yourself look larger and thus more threatening. Raising your arms and/or spreading out your coat are ways you can look bigger.

Encounter Rule #7: Be aggressive. Throw rocks or large sticks. Yell and scream. Wave your arms. These actions have been known to scare off mountain lions.

Encounter Rule #8: Gather, if you can, an arsenal of weapons for the event of an actual attack: rocks, sticks, trekking poles etc. But, be careful not to bend over and make yourself look smaller in the presence of a threatening cougar. This is tricky, and it may be best to stay standing.

Encounter Rule #9: In case of an attack, fight back with everything you have: fists, boots, and your arsenal of weapons.

Read these hiking safety tips over again and again so they’ll be in mind when you plan a trip to cougar country.

Be informed. Be safe.

by Richard Davidian, Ph.D.

Tired of paying full price for outdoor gear?