Mountain Lion California

Last night while star gazing in my backyard, I heard the all too familiar deer munching in the empty lot next to me. After an hour or so, I heard foot steps in the leaves as she approached my yard. I stood up and told her not to eat my garden in a firm voice. She retreated back to the land above.

Several minutes later I heard a ruckus. Running, bushes trampled, rocks flying, a deer screaming. Then silence. Shortly afterward, I hear huffing & hissing noises coming from the area. I pointed my trusty 2-million-candle-power spot light up the hill to see the black tip of a long tail in between the trees. I spotted a mountain lion 100 feet away.

The deer had run off in terror and the big cat was still pacing about next door. My friend & I stood up, started talking, pointing, then it disappeared into the forest behind my house. This was the first time (in 6 years) I had actually seen a mountain lion near my back yard in Los Padres National Forest, so I thought I would share it with you.

Wild big cats, called mountain lions in California are also known as cougars.
Deer is the main food source for these large wild cats.

There is estimated to be approximately 6000 mountain lions living in the wild in California. Mountain lions are not a threatened nor endangered species in the golden state. Proposition 117 (passed in 1990), means mountain lions are now a "specially protected species," making mountain lion hunting illegal in California.

Apparently, the biggest population of mountain lions in the US lives in the Santa Lucia Mountains, Los Padres National Forest, along the Big Sur Coast. Numerous lion sighting have been recorded in - Gaviota State Park, Lake Cachuma, and Santa Barbara's "front country trails"

Mountain Lion Attacks California
16 verified reports since 1890

FAQ about Mountain Lions
from the Department of Fish & Game