Self-Defense in a Wildlife Attack: No Gun? Use This

It wasn’t with a gun, and it wasn’t against a predator of the two-legged kind, but it is one heck of a self-defense tale—or at the very least, a story of defense of man’s best friend.

Colorado Parks and Wildlife (CPW) is investigating a remarkable incident near Cañon City, where a man reportedly killed a mountain lion with nothing more than a shovel to protect himself and his dog. According to a report from Fox 31 News, the encounter took place late on the night of Thursday, September 26, when a CPW officer responded to a campground west of Cañon City. Upon arrival, the officer was met by a man who had the carcass of a dead mountain lion sprawled across the hood of his Jeep.

The man explained that he was sitting outside his car with his husky when they noticed a mountain lion approaching. His dog, a husky, quickly sensed the danger and began barking and growling at the predator, which continued to close in, eventually coming within about 10 feet of the pair. It was at this point that the husky, unwilling to back down, engaged the mountain lion.

Fearing for both his life and the life of his dog, the man grabbed the only weapon within reach—a shovel—and struck the mountain lion in the head. The blow proved fatal. While mountain lion attacks on humans are rare in Colorado, the man felt he had no other option, saying the lion had acted “unusual and extremely aggressive.”

Remarkably, neither the man nor his dog was seriously injured during the encounter, but that mountain lion sure was, and Colorado Parks and Wildlife is treating the incident as an act of self-defense. Though CPW does not classify the event as an official “attack”—since the lion didn’t physically touch the man—the department’s preliminary findings support the idea that he acted out of fear for his life and in defense of his dog.

The mountain lion, a female weighing around 95 pounds, showed signs of an injured paw and scratches on her back. CPW sent the animal’s body to a lab for a necropsy to determine if the lion’s behavior may have been affected by health or environmental factors.

Mountain lion encounters like this are rare but underscore the reality of living near wildlife in Colorado. Since 1990, there have been only 25 documented mountain lion attacks on humans in the state. However, for this man and his loyal husky, the situation was a stark reminder that the wilderness can still hold dangers—and sometimes, defense comes down to the simplest of tools and the strongest of instincts.

Fox 31 shared these CPW recommendations when mountain lions are near or on your property or when traveling in lion country:

• Make a lot of noise if you come and go during dusk and dawn, the times most lions are active. 
• Install outside lighting so you can see a lion if it were present. 
• Closely supervise children whenever they play outside.
• Landscape and remove vegetation to decrease hiding places for lions. 
• Planting non-native shrubs and plants that deer often prefer to eat encourages wildlife to come onto your property. 
• Keep your pet under control. Pets are easy prey and they attract lions. 
• Place livestock in enclosed sheds or barns.

TTAG might add a couple more recommendation:

• Carry a large caliber sidearm and be ready to use it. Doesn’t have to be too crazy, something, say like a Colt Classic Python in .357 Mag. or a Ruger GP100 in the same caliber will do just fine when loaded with 158-grain or 180-grain loads. Like to look more Western where you’re allowed to tote one, a lever-action rifle with open sights such as the Henry Steel Lever Action .30-30 or Marlin Model 1894 in .44 Mag. look cool and handle great. The open sights are excellent for making shots at charging or leaping animals such as large mountain lions. The smooth, natural operation of working the lever allows you to make fast follow-up shots when your first one doesn’t square on the hard-to-hit target, and your attention is being split by the realization that you just soiled your pants.

• No firearm handy and an attack is imminent or charge commenced, as our camper in Colorado showed us, use a shovel. An axe, hatchet or tomahawk would probably work well also though it could be a little messier.