Mountain lion attacks hunter in Swan

A hunter was attacked by a mountain lion Sunday morning in the Squeezer Creek area south of Swan Lake and was treated for his injuries and released from the hospital.

Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks Warden Chuck Bartos is invaestigating the incident.

According to Warden Bartos, early Sunday morning, the hunter left his car and was several miles in on a trail when he heard what sounded like the scream of a mountain lion. A short time later, he heard a growl and turned to see the mountain lion only 10-15 feet away. The man dropped his rifle and rushed to get behind a tree. The lion quickly caught up and pounced on the hunter's back, knocking him into the tree. The collision caused the lion to lose its grip and the hunter was able to reach his pistol and fire a shot. The noise of the shot spooked the lion and it ran away. As the lion ran, the hunter fired several more shots in the lion's general direction.

The man then picked up his rifle and made his way back down the trail. He met several other hunters who assisted him in reaching his vehicle. The injured hunter began driving back to Kalispell and notified relatives, who met him with assistance.

According to Bartos, the man received five stitches for cuts to his leg made by the lion's claws at Kalispell Regional Medical Center. The injured man was also treated for scratches on his back, shoulder and a few puncture wounds to the back of his head. The hunter's backpack probably prevented the lion from causing more serious injuries, Bartos said. The backpack was shredded.

Wildlife Conflict Specialist Erik Wenum points out that during hunting season, the chances of a mountain lion encounter increase because hunters use various ways to attract deer by rattling antlers and using grunt and doe-in-estrus calls. He notes that hunters using these techniques should be especially vigilant because a lion could easily be drawn in, looking for prey.

Wenum said that this is the first documented lion attack resulting in injury in northwest Montana in many years. He adds that all of northwest Montana is lion country and asks that all residents report any mountain lion incidents to FWP. An incident would include a lion demonstrating any unnatural behavior, such as showing no concern or reaction to the presence of people, or acting aggressively towards people or pets.

Wenum also said that artificial feeding of deer can concentrate the animals, draw in mountain lions, and create an unsafe situation for the resident and neighbors.

"Once you establish a regular feeding regimen, deer movements become predictable and the deer are more vulnerable to predation," he said. "Mountain lions can quickly key in on this and move closer to residences."

He added that as deer congregate on their traditional wintering areas, rural residents can expect to see more mountain lion signs. Cougars follow the annual movements of white-tailed and mule deer to lower elevation areas, placing the big cats in closer proximity to people.

According to FWP Wildlife Manager Jim Williams, these types of attacks are unfortunate but extremely uncommon.

"Given the number of people who recreate in the forests of northwest Montana, and the number of lions, there's always lots of potential for an encounter. But even considering this potential, documented attacks are extremely rare," he said.

More detailed information on living in lion country is available at the FWP office in Kalispell, or by calling FWP at 752-5501.