North American Mountain Lion Hunting

Mountain Lion

(Puma concolor)

Current SCI all time record: Score 15 15/16 - B.C., Okanagan - 1/85

Description: A large, long-tailed, unspotted cat; body long and lithe; tail more than half the length of head and body, rounded in cross section, and black-tipped; claws long, sharp, and curved; soles haired, but pads naked; ears small, rounded, without tufts; upperparts and sides dull tawny, darkest on middle of back and tail; face from nose to eyes grayish brown; a pale patch above each eye; back of ear blackish; chin, lips, throat, and underparts whitish; underside of tail grayish white.

Other Common Names: Puma, Cougar

Size:

Range: Southwestern Canada, western U.S., Mexico and Central America; primarily winter months.

Natural History: The mountain lion occurs only in the western hemisphere and has one of the most extensive ranges of any land mammal, from the Straights of Magellan in South America to the Canadian Yukon. The major reduction in mountain lion distribution has come as a result of its extirpation from areas of historic range in the eastern United States and Canada.

Mountain lions may breed at any time of the year and consequently litters may be born in any month. Summer is the peak period of kitten births, with litter sizes of two, three, or four being the most common. Young remain with the mother for 15 to 22 months learning the skills necessary for survival. Juvenile males tend to disperse long distances compared to relatively short dispersals for juvenile females. Mountain lions are essentially solitary animals. Adult females may be accompanied by kittens, but are normally not associated with other adult animals except for mating purposes.

Deer, both whitetail and mule, are the principal mountain lion prey species. In some areas javelina and/or livestock can be major components of mountain lion diet. Mountain lions will almost always attempt to cover the uneaten portion of a kill with leaves or other debris. An entire deer can be consumed in two nights. A conscientious observer is usually able to detect the presence of mountain lion in an area through the presence of tracks, scrapes, kills, or other sign.

Behavior: Mountain lions are very specialized top predators and consequently do not normally exist in high concentrations. Mountain lions maintain spatial separation between each other, thereby assuring that each individual has the resources necessary to survive. If these separations are not maintained, mountain lions will kill each other, which is the normal method of population regulation in undisturbed mountain lion populations. The cryptic system of boundary marking employed by resident mountain lions serves to provide for mutual avoidance and survival. Mountain lions kill large prey species with regularity, usually one deer-sized animal is killed every six to 12 days. Considerable skill executing stalks and more importantly consummating the kill is required to avoid debilitating injury.

Hunting Characteristics: