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The largest mountain lion study ever conducted in Colorado will begin this fall on western Colorado's Uncompahgre Plateau, and will be led by a Colorado Division of Wildlife researcher recognized as one of North America's top authorities on the big cats.
BRECKENRIDGE - There's a first time for everything.
Richard Wallace has lived in the Winterwood subdivision at the north end of Bart Road on Peak 7 in Breckenridge for five years, but had never seen a mountain lion before Saturday night.
Returning home shortly after 7 p.m. from a workout at the rec center, Wallace's headlights illuminated an animal standing in his driveway. He knew it was too large to be a dog, but thought it might be a lynx. Then he saw its tail.
"It kind of straightened up and turned around to face me, and it was a mountain lion with a big fat tail like they have," Wallace said. "I sat and watched it for a couple seconds then it took a look at me and charged down the driveway and it was gone in about five big bounds. I got a pretty good look at it."
Sightings like Wallace's are rare, said Randy Hampton of the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Mountain lions are populous locally, but are typically elusive creatures. They don't spend time around people and are commonly only seen when passing through an area.
Richard Wallace has lived in the Winterwood subdivision at the north end of Bart Road on Peak 7 in Breckenridge for five years, but had never seen a mountain lion before Saturday night.
Returning home shortly after 7 p.m. from a workout at the rec center, Wallace's headlights illuminated an animal standing in his driveway. He knew it was too large to be a dog, but thought it might be a lynx. Then he saw its tail.
"It kind of straightened up and turned around to face me, and it was a mountain lion with a big fat tail like they have," Wallace said. "I sat and watched it for a couple seconds then it took a look at me and charged down the driveway and it was gone in about five big bounds. I got a pretty good look at it."
Sightings like Wallace's are rare, said Randy Hampton of the Colorado Division of Wildlife. Mountain lions are populous locally, but are typically elusive creatures. They don't spend time around people and are commonly only seen when passing through an area.
"I was more excited about it than anything else," Wallace said. "It's something you might not ever see in your life. But then I started to think, well, I might as well leave the light on outside when I come home at night."
This summer a hunter eventually shot a lion after throwing things at the animal didn't scare it away. Given that there are 300,000 hunters in the woods every year to have only one encounter through 10 months of the year speaks to the elusive nature of the predators. The animals can cover 50 miles in a day, Hampton said.
Still, caution is the best policy, Hampton said. A Durango woman was scratched across the shoulders in August when a lion jumped at her as she sat on her deck.
"It's part of living in Colorado," Hampton said. "People live here because they love the wildlife and like to see what's out there, but with the deer and the elk that everybody likes to watch come the predators."
On the four-tiered scale of evaluation used by the Division of Wildlife, Hampton described Wallace's experience as rating between a sighting and an encounter. If Wallace had been on foot rather than in his car, Hampton said, the run-in would have been considered an encounter.
Sightings generally don't generate much response, but an encounter would involve officials visiting the area, assessing the risk and perhaps capturing and relocating the animal.
This summer a hunter eventually shot a lion after throwing things at the animal didn't scare it away. Given that there are 300,000 hunters in the woods every year to have only one encounter through 10 months of the year speaks to the elusive nature of the predators. The animals can cover 50 miles in a day, Hampton said.
Still, caution is the best policy, Hampton said. A Durango woman was scratched across the shoulders in August when a lion jumped at her as she sat on her deck.
"It's part of living in Colorado," Hampton said. "People live here because they love the wildlife and like to see what's out there, but with the deer and the elk that everybody likes to watch come the predators."
On the four-tiered scale of evaluation used by the Division of Wildlife, Hampton described Wallace's experience as rating between a sighting and an encounter. If Wallace had been on foot rather than in his car, Hampton said, the run-in would have been considered an encounter.
Sightings generally don't generate much response, but an encounter would involve officials visiting the area, assessing the risk and perhaps capturing and relocating the animal.
In the event of the more serious "incident," in which a lion takes some aggressive action before being scared off, officials would attempt to move the animal. An attack always results in the offending lion being put down.
Colorado law allows farmers to kill mountain lions that are endangering their livestock, and the state's annual hunting season keeps the animals' population in check. The biggest killers of mountain lions by far, however, are automobiles.
When deer and elk herds move with the coming of winter into lower elevations - and therefore more densely populated areas with more traffic - the lions follow their food source, making for a higher chance of accidents.
What To Do If You See A Mountain Lion
- Never approach a mountain lion
Colorado law allows farmers to kill mountain lions that are endangering their livestock, and the state's annual hunting season keeps the animals' population in check. The biggest killers of mountain lions by far, however, are automobiles.
When deer and elk herds move with the coming of winter into lower elevations - and therefore more densely populated areas with more traffic - the lions follow their food source, making for a higher chance of accidents.
What To Do If You See A Mountain Lion
- Never approach a mountain lion
- If the lion doesn't immediately run away, make yourself appear as large as possible. Open your jacket like a cape or hold it above your head
- Make noise
- Throw things at the lion, but don't bend to pick up objects, because a crouched position makes you appear smaller
- Never turn and run; you may trigger the predator's chase instincts
- If attacked, fight back with every available weapon
- If small children or pets are present, pick them up, but encouraging your dog to bark will help scare the lion away
- Make noise
- Throw things at the lion, but don't bend to pick up objects, because a crouched position makes you appear smaller
- Never turn and run; you may trigger the predator's chase instincts
- If attacked, fight back with every available weapon
- If small children or pets are present, pick them up, but encouraging your dog to bark will help scare the lion away
