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Re: (meteorobs) More on Mtn. Lions at former Descanso Observing site

I live in mountain lion country; I've had two animals killed within 100
years of my home. So I am a tad nervous when I watch meteors, especially
because I have to move pretty far away from the house to get a good horizon.
Here are a few helpful hints: First, bring a dog or two. At the very least,
they'll smell or hear the lion before it gets to you. If they start barking,
you just stand up and raise your arms, which is usually enough to discourage
any lion. Moreover, the dogs will raise such a ruckus that the lion will
probably just slink off. There's a chance that the lion will attack the
dogs, but if they have any brains, they'll stay at a safe distance and bark.
Don't bring some froo-froo toy dog.

Another trick, if you use one location often: bring powdered laundry
detergent and dust around your location, at a distance of maybe 100 feet.
You could also use anything that smells unnatural. It's not environmentally
nice, I confess, but if you keep doing it, it might deter the lion. Burn
some incense, bring along a perfumed candle. These work because the lion
will almost always approach you from downwind. These are not guaranteed, but
they do have deterrent value.

Another trick: make plenty of loud nasty noises. Keep two pots with you and
clang them together every now and then. Your goal is NOT to keep hidden from
the lion; he can smell you a long ways off. Your goal is to make sure he
understands that you are not some helpless deer. Play a radio with strong,
garish music. I hope I don't offend anybody by commenting that current youth
pop music is excellent for scaring away lions. The clanging pots trick is
generally considered to be quite effective. A whistle is also good. When I
go walking through the woods, I step on sticks, break off branches, and make
plenty of noise so any lions will know I'm coming.

Unfortunately, some lions, especially those in the San Diego mountains, are
developing a tolerance for human smells. Indeed, the San Diego lions are the
boldest in the country, so you had better take them seriously. However,
lions don't like fights, they like kills, and if you look like a tough kill,
they'll leave you for something easier. Don't ever run away. Just stand your
ground, look as tall and as big as you can -- hold up a stick -- and make
low, low noises to indicate that you have big lungs (that makes you sound
bigger). Make and keep eye contact at all times.

Don't bring a gun; it the lion is going to attack you, you won't have time
to use your gun, and the odds are much greater that you'll kill something or
somebody else. If you want a weapon to make you feel safe, bring along a big
knife. Not some lightweight kitchen knife, but a heavy hunting knife that
can smash through ribs. Show it to the lion, let it glint, and if he
charges, use it underhand, not overhand.

If you hear a suspicious noise, it is probably NOT a lion; these guys are
cats, remember? When was the last time you saw a pussycat walk across ground
going "crunch, crunch, stomp, stomp"? When a lion is hunting, he's in silent
running mode. The closer he gets, the quieter he becomes. Remember, his nose
is more sensitive than your ears. You will NOT hear him, so don't jump every
time you hear a noise. Indeed, if you hear a noise, that's probably
something the lion would like to eat, and the lion will always prefer a
deer, coyote, or racoon over you. So if you hear a noise, relax; it means
you're safe. Remember what they say in the movies: "It's quiet -- TOO
quiet!"

Oh, here's another tip: there are some electronic products made that could
be useful. One is a little box that emits an ultrasonic chirp every few
seconds; the other is a little box that flashes a LED every second or so.
I've seen a version of the latter that clips onto a 9V battery and costs $2.
You get a bunch of these and scatter them around your site. They're just
exotic enough that they'll motivate most lions to go looking elsewhere. You
might be able to find some of these at smarthome.com or at
allelectronics.com.

I don't bother with these tricks because I have two dogs. One is a smart
retriever and the other has a great nose. Between them, they keep the
mountain lions away. The two kills near my house both took place before I
got the dogs; since then, there's been nothing. My neighbor has some nice,
juicy little children who love to wander into the woods alone and they're
still alive (I've tried to warn my neighbor about this.) I figure that the
kids are the canaries in the mine.

Lastly, don't sweat it. My sources on all this are loggers and cattlemen who
have spent decades in the woods. One old guy I know has been punching cows
for 50 years in these mountains, and he never brings a gun along. In all
that time, he has actually seen a lion just once, and it was an accident for
both of them. Lions are all around us, but they're really smart, much
smarter than domestic cats, and they know that humans are trouble. You'll
see their tracks, but actually seeing a mountain lion is one of the rarest
events in the wild. I've seen all kinds of rare animals, and I've seen
mountain lion tracks, but I've never seen the real thing. The loggers around
here don't see them either, unless they're hunting them. Trust the lions.
They know what they're doing, they know that humans are off limits, and they
keep to themselves. If the lion knows you're human, he won't bother you.
Just don't look, act, or smell like a deer, OK?

Chris 
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