News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon
A cougar like this one was spotted near Tollgate. photo by Larry Pecenka, ODFW
A Sisters area resident reported seeing a cougar crossing a Forest Service road just west of the Tollgate subdivision last week.
He said he saw the cat cross the road at about 6 p.m. on Wednesday, September 17. Later, he came across a deer carcass in the woods that appeared to have been a cougar kill.
The resident said he had talked to a local property owner who has spotted a cat or its sign -- probably the same cougar -- several times in recent days.
The presence of a cougar is not unusual in the Tollgate area. The big cats or their tracks and deer kills have been spotted in the area several times in the past few years.
The resident who spotted the cougar last week said he thought residents might want to be alert to potential danger to pets or small children.
Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife biologist Steven George has offered consistent advice in the wake of local cougar sightings.
He suggests that the most important thing to remember if a cougar is encountered is not to panic.
Do not run away. According to George, turning your back and running will trigger the cat's predatory instincts, making an attack much more likely. Instead, yell, wave your arms and make yourself as big as possible.
That should convince the cat that you are not good prey. Once the cat retreats, slowly and deliberately leave the area.
Dogs can be a problem, George acknowledged, especially if you run across a cat who has tangled with a dog in the past.
"Some cats don't like dogs to the point where they'll come after (the dog)," George said.
The best way to avoid cougar problems is to be alert and stay away from kill sites.
George recommends that hikers and skiers go out in pairs and avoid being in the woods in early morning or early evening -- the big cats' favorite hunting hours.
Jim Cornelius is editor in chief of The Nugget and author of “Warriors of the Wildlands: True Tales of the Frontier Partisans.” A history buff, he explores frontier history across three centuries and several continents on his podcast, The Frontier Partisans. For more information visit www.frontierpartisans.com.
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