Never expected to find what I did with my flashlights

[Aaron1100us]

Here is the story. My wife, two year old daughter and myself live on a small,wooded acerage just north of the small town of Pella, Iowa. Two nights ago, my wife and I were going to run into town to get some things at Walmart so I thought I'd show off my different flashlights to her before we left. I had my 3xaaa brinkman LED, pelican mitylite, two C-Cell Brinkmann LED, Dorcy Metal Gear, Inova aaa radiant, Inova X-5 and my Surefire G2 with the P61 bulb. While shining the lights down in the field, I heard something down along the fence line, back behind the shed. I figured it was a deer since there are allways deer out back. The area is a little secuded with alot of trees and hasn't been touched for about 15 years which is how long its been since I had horses out there. This animal that we heard started comming down the field and turned and looked at us. At this point, I new it wasn't a deer. When you shine lights at a deer, their eyes look red and the eyes are more on the side of their head. This animal had green eyes and were both in the front part of its face. I thought it was probably a racoon, possum or other small animal. When animal walked, you could easily hear it crunching the snow it was walking on. It then started comming up the hill, a little bit closer but still down in the trees. I had the Dorcy Metal Gear and the G2 going and could see the shape of its body even in the trees and tall grass. It would walk, like a cat would stop and keep looking at us with these wild green eyes and then go on a little more, like it was trying to check us out. It wasn't scared at all. Then, it came up the hill some more and was in a more open area with its body sideways to us and its head looking right at us. It was still a ways away from us but I had it lit up pretty good with the G2 and the Metal Gear. It had a brown body about 3-4 feet long, tail about the same and stood about 2-3 feet off the ground. Then, it turned and headed down into the field and we lost sight of it. At that point, I got kinda freaked out and realized what I'd probably just saw, a mountain lion. I looked on the Iowa DNR website and there have been several confirmed sightings and I think it said two were shot and killed last spring. Found tracks and they weren't real good, snow had melted some but it looked like they might be a large cat track. I dought I'll ever see it again since they travel several miles and have territories of several hundred miles.

 

[Sigman]

EXCELLENT!! I was out hiking in the Arizona desert/hills south of Phoenix a ways...looked up on a ridge and saw some movement - blended right in! Realized from the tail that I'd seen a puma/mountain lion...

Living in Alaska and having been stationed in many parts of the country courtesy of Uncle Sam, I've seen MANY different animals and I can say that the mountain lion was the rarest sighting that I've ever had!

 

[DUQ]

Whenever I hiked in the rockies, I was more nervous about running into a lion than a grizzly. Its the way they stalk their prey from up high. Amazing cats.

 

[cratz2]

Well, there have been two mountain lions confirmed in Illinois recently. One in far western (but I don't think northwestern) and one in southern Illinois.

Not quite as cool as a mountain lion, but my father in law has a lot of property and a couple months ago, we were in the far back part of the property putting out deer scent and clearing some shooting lanes for archery season. When we were done, we headed back towards the 'cabin' (if a 3800 sq ft home can still be called a cabin) and he noticed some eyes around he cabin. First we thought it was a raccoon since there are TONS of them around his property (which includes an orchard) then he thought it might be a stray cat. I whipped out the dimmer light I had at the time (which I think was the River Rock 2xAAA) to see if we could see any better without spooking it too much. Didn't really help much but it helped see the eyes better. Then I whipped out a Lux III Mag mod and clearly lit it up. It was a fox!

I'd seen foxes twice on his property, but never when it was this dark. This guy was just kinda hanging out like he owned the place. He was casually rumaging for scraps in the trash. When we started making our way to the front of the cabin, he let us get within probably 20 feet before falling back a bit. When we got to where he had been, he had fallen back probably 20 more feet.

Cool.

Back to your story... man, those mountain lions can be viscious. More than a couple bleeding heart 'please don't shoot the animals' animal lovers have been attacked and killed in California. When will they learn... there's a reason we're currently at the top of the food chain.

 

[missionaryman]

I recently took my MAG951 out for a walk in the Australian bush and heard a rustling in the bushes so I strobed the light around to see what it was. Suddenly the beady eyes of the beast reflected and caught my attention so I stopped the light on it.

It was...

A stupid poofy kangaroo - we have the gayest girliest animals in Australia - nothing that can eat you. All our animals are living food.

Then again there are the 6m crocks...

 

[GWC3]

if this cat came in that close to your property, I'd be careful out and about near that area. I'd suggest if you ever do that again, especially at night, you pack "heat". I'm serious, as you said it wasn't spooked by you at all. I'd also watch how far away from the house the kids play, and where. Does your wife know how to handle a firearm?

 

[ROVER]

Wow--they are really getting around. Here in Kansas City, my dad owns a little property just outside the city where the family hunts deer. Just last month, we found three deer carcases drug into one little area, eaten. My dad casually mentioned it at a local restaurant, and some wildlife department guys were very interested. They said they are surprised to suddenly be getting this many citings in places where mountain lions weren't thought to roam, and they asked if they could put up motion-sensing cameras around our property. I keep trying to get my dad and brothers to take firearms with them everytime they go out. From what I've read, people don't fare too well against these animals.

I think you, my friend, have just found justification to buy a flashlight to mount on a rifle.

 

[Trashman]

Yikes, mountain lions! There are mountain lion signs all over the local hills and creeks. When I was a kid, I never thought they would be all that dangerous and the signs actually made me want to see one. Though, in the past couple of years I remember a couple of stories on the news where some locals became lunch for mountains lions here in the L.A. area. I don't really hope to see one anymore......

 

[leddite]

I recently took my MAG951 out for a walk in the Australian bush and heard a rustling in the bushes so I strobed the light around to see what it was. Suddenly the beady eyes of the beast reflected and caught my attention so I stopped the light on it.

It was...

A stupid poofy kangaroo - we have the gayest girliest animals in Australia - nothing that can eat you. All our animals are living food.

Then again there are the 6m crocks...

you folx DO have some if not THE most deadliest snakes in the world, i think the close second being somewhat exotic and hard to trip over sea snakes. two step snakes. bite. step step. arggghh

and drop bears. my god, the terror of the drop bears! if they don't pull your head off, they'll mentholate you to death!

now, the cane toads, they're just for lickin'



leddite

 

[cratz2]

you folx DO have some if not THE most deadliest snakes in the world, i think the close second being somewhat exotic and hard to trip over sea snakes. two step snakes. bite. step step. arggghh

That's what I'm saying! I used to be quite interested in venomous animals and Australia is like the world headquarters for them... snakes, sea snakes, jellyfish and sea wasps... you have all kinds of things that can kill you!

 

[DUQ]

Hey missionaryman, roo's maybe girlie but their skin sure does make for nice rugby boots

 

[leukos]

CPFer 270winchester had a mountain lion attack him while out hiking at night. The lion bit his M3T and ran off with it only giving him a scratch. You can read the story in the archives here: http://candlepowerforums.com/vb/archive/index.php/t-83599.html

or on the SF website "Big kitty opts for light supper" http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main.pl?pgm=co_disp&func=displ&sesent=00&keyrf5=66&strfnbr=6&temp=animals_attack

 

[joecandlepower]

Yikes, mountain lions! There are mountain lion signs all over the local hills and creeks. When I was a kid, I never thought they would be all that dangerous and the signs actually made me want to see one. Though, in the past couple of years I remember a couple of stories on the news where some locals became lunch for mountains lions here in the L.A. area. I don't really hope to see one anymore......

Hey to my fellow Covinan Trashman!

I hear they like to eat your pets. So you probably need to secure them if you have any.
Like Trashman was saying, in the LA area they would come down out of the hills such as Glendora and eat German Shepherds and other like size dogs. And south of us they ate a bicycle rider a year or two back who was riding a trail.
I read recently where they think there is one around Whittier Narrows. And we actually had one work its way down to a Mall in Montclair once.
Out here its urban sprawl I believe.

 

[vic303]

Get your state wildlife dept out to confirm your sighting. Start carrying at least a handgun every time any of you go outside, especially at dark/dusk/dawn. A rifle would be better, or a shotgun with 00buck or slugs...
Secure any pets indoors, and if you have kids, you best not let them play outside unattended until the cat is killed. Warn your neighbors too.

Good luck.

 

[chmsam]

Just to destroy some folks' idea that NY state is all sky scrapers, there are quite a few critters 'round here in the part near Lake Ontario.

The horse farm across the road most mornings has deer in the pastures with the horses, and the tracks in my side yard make me want to set up a toll booth for 'em. The little critters like possum, raccoon, and fox are plentiful. I've seen, and lit up, all of them. I've only seen coyote tracks (but no actual coyotes) in the neighborhood and a few years ago there were black bear in the village. No big cats around but there have been unconfirmed sightings within 30 or 40 miles of here.

Now I always carry a light when going outside at night, but in just a few months, when the Spring warmth comes back, I'll have the pleasure of watching the local critters getting ready for their nightly mating rituals. Love will again be in the air. The skunks will again be back... :green:

 

[nikon]

I read that mountain lions are working their way eastward and might make it all the way to the east coast in just a few years.

 

[jeep44]

There are Lions here in Detroit, but they are no threat to anybody

 

[leukos]

There are Lions here in Detroit, but they are no threat to anybody

 

[CLHC]

Interesting reads here. . .I related some interesting find with SureFire 6P on another thread somewhere. At least we here have flashlights on us!

 

[Aaron1100us]

Thanks for all the interesting replies. I'll probably never see it again but every time I go outside besides just to the car, I'm taking my .40 caliber Glock and my .22 rifle. I've been out in the field during daylight the past two days and haven't seen anything. Saw some tracks that look like they might have been from it but the snow has melted and its hard to tell. Haven't found any good tracks in the mud yet, mostly snow covered grass. I've also been shining my flashlights out into the field from out deck at night to see if I can spot it. I'm going to shoot it if I do see it and you can see pretty much the whole field from the deck since the land goes down a slope. Its cool, I use my Dorcy MetalGear to see if I get any eye reflections back and then I lite up the entire area with 120 lumens of G2 Power Just saw a deer and a couple of rabbits last night. I'll post pics if I ever find it or come across some better tracks.