Ridge Runner Chronicles – February 22, 2023

A Belated Happy Valentine’s Day

By Bill Hoagland
About four weeks ago, there was an adult male mountain lion roaming around a subdivision in Godfrey, about a quarter mile from my house.
There were several eyewitnesses, and one of them had the presence of mind to film this “kitty” on their cell phone. I saw a copy of the video shortly after it was taken. The odd thing about this “kitty” was that it was roaming around in someone’s back yard in the middle of the day.
Normally, they do their prowling at night.
About a week later, we found a mountain lion track near Annie’s horse barn, and we assume it is the same mountain lion as in the video. This mountain lion is probably long gone now, but the fact that it had been here just hanging out here in the neighborhood raises some issues — such as, are we safe?
Sightings of mountain lions in the Midwest are not that uncommon these days. Did you know that in Missouri, several have been killed attempting to cross either Interstate 70 or Interstate 44? And here in Illinois, one was killed by police within the city limits of Chicago several years ago. They are here for the deer. And who can blame them? What a smorgasbord it must seem to them with all these fat whitetails running around in our neighborhoods and subdivisions with no natural predators other than automobiles.
DNA studies suggest that these mountain lions migrated here from the Black Hills of South Dakota. They are young males who have been pushed out of traditional mountain lion country by other mountain lions and by encroaching civilization.
But once they relocate here in the Midwest, and they get settled in, one mountain lion will claim a “territory” that might cover as much as one hundred miles in circumference. That is why the mountain lion that was seen here in Godfrey four weeks ago could well be a hundred miles north of here today “running his traps.”
So, do these mountain lions pose a significant threat to us? Not as much as you would think.
Normally, they prefer to avoid humans. Based on reasonably current statistics, mountain lion attacks on humans are rare. Over the past five years, for example, there have been approximately 10 verified attacks on humans in the United States, and all of those attacks occurred in western states, such as Colorado and California, where encounters between mountain lions and humans are much more likely to occur simply because there are more mountain lions.
Of those attacks, two were fatal and the rest involved confrontations with a variety of injuries for the victim. Many of the non-fatal attacks involved small children who fortunately were with adults at the time or else there might have been more fatalities in these confrontations.
If you do encounter a mountain lion in a remote area, you are to let it become aware of your presence by yelling at it. Make yourself look as imposing and formable as you can, with direct eye contact, as opposed to crouching down in a submissive posture, or worse yet, running in the opposite direction. If a mountain lion has been seen repeatedly in your neighborhood, it is probably a good idea to put off your nightly jog or that walk after dark until the dust settles.
And keep the pets at home. Looking at the attacks that have occurred over the past few years, they often appear to be triggered by having a pet along. If you do get attacked, you should aggressively fight the mountain lion rather than acting in a passive manner, as you are supposed to do if attacked by a grizzly bear.
If you see a mountain lion in your neighborhood, the best advice would be to promptly contact the Illinois Department of Natural Resources directly and let them deal with the issue.
Under Illinois law, as of Jan. 1, 2015, mountain lions are protected animals. This means they cannot be killed by civilians unless there is an imminent threat to lives or property. There is no point in complicating things by taking matters into your own hands and firing off a few rounds down the cul-du-sac. The only thing worse than a live mountain lion is probably a wounded mountain lion.
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■ Bill Hoagland has practiced law in Alton for more than 50 years, but he has spent more than 70 years hunting, fishing and generally being in the great outdoors. His wife, Annie, shares his love of the outdoor life. Much of their spare time is spent on their farm in Calhoun County.    Bill can be reached at [email protected].