Watch the Moment This Elk Hunter Realizes He’s Being Stalked by a Stealthy Mountain Lion
OutdoorHub Editor: Keenan Crow 10.22.20
A Colorado man who was elk hunting over the weekend had a bone-chilling experience after realizing his role as ‘the hunter’ had suddenly become ‘the hunted.’
As CBS 4 Denver reported, Steve Shively had paused for a moment during an elk hunt to change the memory card in one of his trail cameras placed on a tree somewhere in the San Juan National Forest. That’s about the time Shively got a weird feeling, and then he saw it. The face of a mountain lion and two eyes staring in his direction, but seemingly right through him.
“Suddenly, I spotted this motionless mountain lion crouched down behind a rock ready to pounce on me,” Shively later explained to CBS4. “He had silently stalked to within 20 yards through the dry crunchy fall leaves on the ground.”
Luckily, Shively was prepared for such an encounter, and was carrying a sidearm with him. Always a good idea when you’re out running around in lion country!
“He had a fixed stare at me and didn’t flinch while I pulled my 9mm out of my pocket, racked one in the chamber, and fumbled with my cell phone.. he only moved when I started talking to him on video,” Shively stated.
“Be good, kitty,” Shively can be heard saying in the video. “You behave. You back on out of here.”
The mountain lion did eventually stand down, although it kept looking back at Shively as it walked away as if to say, ‘count your blessings, sir.’
Shively admits he was freaked out from the whole experience, especially after watching the video of a mountain lion chasing a jogger in Utah.
