What to do if you meet a cougar?

Cougar Encounters in the Wild: Safety Tips and Facts

Don’t run and don’t back down!
If you spend time hiking, camping, or living in cougar country, it’s important to know how to stay safe. Cougars (also called mountain lions or pumas) are elusive, powerful predators that avoid humans most of the time—but knowing what to do in case of an encounter could save your life.

About Cougars

Cougars are rarely seen in the wild. In over 30 years of living in cougar country, I’ve only spotted one—from a distance—while gathering firewood. These big cats prefer solitude and typically avoid humans whenever possible.

Size: Adult males stand 24–30 inches tall and can reach up to 8 feet in length including their long 36-inch tail. Males weigh about 125 lbs. on average, while females are slightly smaller at around 100 lbs.
Speed & Skills: A cougar’s top running speed is 60–80 km/h. They’re excellent climbers, strong swimmers, and incredibly agile hunters.
Lifespan: In the wild, cougars live 8–10 years, though some reach 20 years.

Cougar Reproduction & Cubs

Female cougars usually give birth every 2–3 years.
Pregnancy lasts about 90 days.
A litter can range from 2 to 6 cubs, though 2 is more common.
Cubs stay with their mother until about 2½ years old, learning vital hunting skills before becoming independent.

Hunting and Diet

Cougars are carnivores that primarily hunt deer, but they’ll also prey on elk, moose, wild sheep, and rabbits.

A healthy cougar prefers wild game, but sick or aging cougars may target livestock, dogs, or easier prey.
To survive, they typically need one large kill every couple of weeks—more often if a female is raising cubs.

Cougar Tracks in the Wild

Cougar tracks look similar to large dog tracks but without claw marks. I’ve come across cougar tracks while snowmobiling, often overlapping deer or rabbit tracks. Once, I even spotted wolf tracks crossing cougar tracks—a reminder of the wild balance in nature.

Here is a picture of some cougar tracks on our sledding trail.

It’s like it followed us last time we were out, because the tracks were in our sledding tracks for miles.

Cougar and Wolf Tracks There were lots of deer and rabbit tracks as well, so I’m guessing he was more interested in them not us on a couple noisy machines.

A few days later we were out again and came across wolf tracks on one side and cougars on the other as shown in the photo here.

I was lucky enough on the way back to see a wolf crossing the road; another animal that you don’t see very often.

What To Do If You Meet a Cougar

Cougars generally avoid confrontation, but they can be unpredictable. If you encounter one:

✅ Don’t run or turn your back—this can trigger pursuit.
✅ Make yourself look big—stand tall, raise your arms.
✅ Speak firmly and confidently.
✅ Stay calm—avoid sudden movements.

If the Cougar Acts Aggressive:

Throw rocks or sticks.
Shout loudly and with authority.
Use anything available to fight back—convince the cougar you are not prey.

How Rare Are Cougar Attacks?

According to the BC Ministry of Environment, cougar attacks are very rare.

In the 100 years up to 1996, only 5 people were killed in British Columbia—4 on Vancouver Island.
In the same time period, 29 non-fatal attacks occurred (20 on Vancouver Island).

While encounters happen, actual attacks remain uncommon.

How to Prevent Cougar Encounters

Hike in groups.
Make noise on the trail.
Bring a dog for extra protection.
Watch for cougar signs (tracks, scat).
If you see cougar kittens—leave immediately. A protective mother may be nearby.

A Real-Life Cougar Encounter

When my children were young, they hiked with our dog near a cattle field. Suddenly, the dog started barking fiercely—alerting them to a cougar about to attack a calf. The cougar turned toward the kids, but our dog charged, chasing it back into the forest.

Later, a trapper in the area encountered an old cougar preying on livestock. It was nearly 8 feet long and no longer strong enough to hunt deer, explaining why it had turned to calves.

That day reminded us how valuable a dog can be in cougar country—and how close encounters can become dangerous quickly.

Final Thoughts on Cougar Safety

Cougars don’t want to see us any more than we want to see them. These solitary animals usually avoid human contact, but preparedness is key. If you hike or live in cougar territory, always stay alert, make noise, and know how to respond.

Have you ever had a cougar encounter? Share your story in the comments—I’d love to hear it.

2 thoughts on “What to do if you meet a cougar?”

Gary

January 17, 2017 at 12:01 am

Thanks for explaining what to do if you meet a cougar.

I’m in the Southeast US. We call them mountain lions here. Thirty years ago, wildlife management people released cougars in the Appalachian Mountains of South Carolina. The next day, my neighbor, an elderly woman saw a cougar reaching under the wire of her chicken coop and dragging out a chicken.

The only cougar I’ve seen in the wild was in Marin County, California, less than 10 miles North of San Francisco, in the Tennesse Valley park area. The cat was lounging in the shade under a tree and a photographer was dangerously close photographing it.

Sometimes when I tell people about the cougar I saw, they think I mistook a bobcat for a cougar. What I saw was a cougar in the range of a hundred pounds plus. I know bobcats and they are much, much smaller in the range of 15 pounds.
- Jill
  
  January 17, 2017 at 12:13 am
  
  Thanks for sharing your story Gary. I know it’s tempting to take a photo when you see one of these animals, but people need to be safe as well. I know when I saw the one when we were getting firewood I wanted to go get my camera, and my husband pointed out that it was headed the other direction, but if it turned around it could be on me quicker than I’d think…..so no pictures.