What Should You Do If You Encounter A Mountain Lion?

From USHikingtrails

People rarely get more than a brief glimpse of a mountain lion in the wild. Lion attacks on people are rare, with fewer than a dozen fatalities in North America in more than 100 years. Most of the attacks were by young lions, perhaps forced out to hunt on their own. Young lions may be attracted by easy prey, such as pets and small children. With this in mind, the following suggestions are based on studies of mountain lion behavior and analysis of attacks by mountain lions, tigers and leopards.

Do Not Hike Alone:
Go in groups, with adults supervising children. Make plenty of noise to reduce your chances of surprising a lion.

Keep Children Close To You:
Observations of captured wild mountain lions reveal that the animals seem especially drawn to children. Keep children within your sight at all times.

Do Not Approach a Lion:
Most mountain lions will try to avoid a confrontation. Give them a way to escape.

Stay Calm:
Stay calm if you come upon a lion. Talk calmly yet firmly to it. Move slowly.

Do Not Run From a Lion:
Running may stimulate a mountain lions instinct to chase. Instead, stand upright and face the animal. Make eye contact. If you have small children with you, pick them up if possible so they don't panic and run. Although it may be awkward, pick them up without bending over of turning away from the mountain lion. Stop or back away slowly, if you can do it safely.

Do Not Crouch Down or Bend Over:
Research has surmised that a human standing up is just not the right shape for a cat's prey. On the other hand, a person squatting or bending over looks a lot like a four-legged prey animal. If you're in mountain lion country, avoid squatting, crouching or bending over, even when picking up children.

Do All You Can To Appear Larger:
Raise you arms. Open your jacket if you are wearing one. Again, pick up small children. If the lion behaves aggressively, throw stones, branches, or whatever you can reach without crouching or turning your back. Wave your arms slowly and speak firmly. The idea is to convince the mountain lion that you are not prey and that you may be a danger to it.

Fight Back if Attacked:
A hiker in Southern California used a rock to fend off a mountain lion that was attacking his son. Others have fought back successfully with sticks, caps, jackets, garden tools and their bare hands. Since a mountain lion usually tries to bite the head or neck, try to remain standing or get back up if you fall, and face the attacking animal.

Also see http://www.sdgfp.info/wildlife/MountainLions/Language.htm for a good description of the "Language of Mountain Lions".