Wolves Kill Prized Quarter Horse in Darby, Montana

Black Bear Blog ^ | May 30, 2011 | Tom Remington

[Flycatcher]

Spooky isn't the word for it. I and my female partner were at about 6600 ft in Pinyon pine/Utah juniper mountain land. I was sleeping in the bed of my truck while the girl was sleeping about 50 yards away in a dry montane wash. At about 3am, I heard the most bloodcurdling screams I've ever heard before -- very close by. It sounded like a young woman (or teenage girl) screaming at the top of her lungs to prevent an animal from attacking her. I immediately thought it was my female partner screaming, of course. I jumped up and yelled in the near-total darkness: "Lisa, is that you?" From out of the darkness she yelled back: "Nnn, nooo, nooo... it's not!"

I grabbed my buckknife and went out there but saw nothing. But we didn't stick around long. We moved her cot and makeshift right near my pickup. We heard the screams one more time, then I finally went back to sleep. I don't think poor Lisa got any sleep, though. But she's a tough cookie, and I admire that.

Back home, I got on the internet and googled a search for the sound. There is no doubt what it was. It was a female mountain lion in heat. All the audios were exactly that sound. I guess the females scream like a banshee to let any nearby males know they are available.

Check it out on the internet. Now tell me if that's not the most frightening sound you could ever hear in the middle of a pitch-black night out in a remote wilderness canyon???

LOL!

More adventures to come... I'm sure!

[jazusamo]

LOL! I would say that is more than spooky.

I think Lisa is a tough cookie, a lot of people would have been sleeping in the cab of the truck after that, including men.

Even house cats can make a terrible racket like that in the middle of the night, multiply the size of a cougar and it has to be scary.

[Flycatcher]

I think Lisa is a tough cookie, a lot of people would have been sleeping in the cab of the truck after that, including men.

No kidding! LOL!

But that brings up a "delicate" subject. Lisa is a single young woman (25 years-old) and I'm double her age (and happily married). So there are definitely protocols and niceties you have to follow.

For instance, there is NO WAY I could actually invite her to join me in the bed of the truck after this spooky incident. As a father (and grandfather) with very protective instincts, I wanted to, but that could be easily misconstrued and some very unnecessary tensions added to the moment.

Now if she were to ask to join me in the bed of the truck, I would certainly say yes and scoot over to make room for her. Then we'd both be safe from the lion and civility and propriety would be maintained.

As you say, she could also have stayed in the front cab too, but that part of the truck is LOADED with equipment, clothing, and gear, and would involve a wholesale repacking effort.

It turned out fine though. I think she sensed that it might not be proper for even her to ask to stay with me in the bed. So she chose to sleep 10 feet from the truck (and all was well).

Funny, isn't it? But when camping out in remote areas, a middle-aged married man and a young single woman have to follow a lot of unwritten protocols to maintain a good working relationship.

Fortunately, she's a great co-worker and we both enjoy working with the other.

All the best, Jaz!

[Myrddin]

Thanks for the pointers. I've been a rabbit hunter most of my life. My dad always recommended "32 hairs behind the eye". Head shots work fine on rabbits. Other than that, I've been inclined to precision paper punching and "spinners" on the windy ranges in Idaho.

I have a few Savage rifles. My .223 doesn't have the "precision" trigger, but shoots just fine. The other ones with the precision trigger are nicer. The Remington 700PS (.308) has a very good trigger. It also has a very tight (SAAMI spec) .308 chamber with a tight throat. .308 only. No 7.62x51 NATO stuff.