The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Calling in the tracker because we live in lion country
[ By Mark Reaman ]
Following yet another mountain lion encounter with humans on the trails around Crested Butte Mountain Resort, wildlife officials have brought in a “lion houndsman” from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to assist in tracking and possibly capturing the lion.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife personnel have been made aware of at least four mountain lion encounters in the area and warning signs have been posted near the CBMR trails and the Gunsight Connector area up the Slate River drainage.
On Tuesday morning, November 3, the houndsman, along with CPW wildlife officer for the Crested Butte area Chris Parmeter, went up to the Happy Hour trail where several sightings have occurred. “The dogs picked up the scent of a lion and found a deer kill near the trail,” said CPW public information officer Joe Lewandowski. “The lion’s actions indicate that it was keeping intruders away from its food source. The deer carcass was picked clean and they estimated that the lion—or lions—hadn’t been there in a few days. The tracks were old. No other action was taken.”
Lewandowski said that while the previous reports weren’t attacks, the action by the lion was aggressive, so CPW was concerned. “We could only speculate that the lion had a kill nearby or perhaps cubs, and it was warning people to stay away. It is rare for people to have this kind of an encounter, but it is not unheard of,” he said.
Parmeter said such incidents are another sign of more humans populating the valley.
“There are more and more people everywhere and we also have a healthy deer population. Where there are deer there are mountain lions,” Parmeter noted. “So it’s odd that there have been so many sightings in a short period of time, but we can expect this will happen. People need to be aware of their surroundings. We live in mountain lion country.”
Lewandowski reiterated actions to take if you happen to encounter a mountain lion: Be aware of your surroundings as you’re hiking and biking. Hike with a buddy when possible. If you see a lion, yell at it, make yourself look big and back away slowly. Don’t run, since that can trigger a cat’s chase response. If possible throw something at it—rocks, sticks, handfuls of dirt—and continue to yell at it. Mountain bikers should put their bikes between themselves and the animal.
“We do look strange to lions—we walk upright, wear brightly colored clothes and usually make noise talking,” he said. “If you’re hiking alone it’s a good idea to do some singing or occasionally make noises.”
Lewandowski said that Parmeter is regularly patrolling in the area. “The most important thing is that any sightings or incidents need to be reported immediately to CPW. That would help us get to the site quickly and to try to find the animal or fresh tracks. We’ve received reports a day or two or a week after they’ve occurred. Late reports aren’t very helpful because lions can move long distances quickly.”
People who encounter a mountain lion can call the Gunnison Wildlife Office during regular business hours at (970) 641-7060. After hours and on weekends, call the State Patrol dispatch center at (970) 249-4392 and they will contact CPW.
