MISSOULA — Despite mountain lion sightings being down this winter, residents in Missoula's Rattlesnake area remember recent close encounters — prompting wildlife experts to remind people not to let their guard down.
Ashley Lucas-Hemphill and her neighbors have become all too familiar with mountain lion encounters in their Rattlesnake community.
She recounted a time she and her family were awakened by the sound of a mountain lion roaring near their bedroom window.
"We just woke up out of a dead sleep and we were like, 'what is that?' And then we heard the roaring even more because it was getting closer to our window and we're like, 'oh my gosh, that's a mountain lion,'" Lucas-Hemphill said.
She said the mountain lion was after a deer carcass that had been hit by a vehicle.
"In our backyard, early in the morning, we heard one roaring. She was making a lot of noise but she was out to get the deer carcass that was hit the previous day," Lucas-Hemphill said.
When the family looked outside, they spotted the mountain lion walking in their front yard — approximately 100 feet from their house.
"No matter where you live in the Missoula Valley, there's going to be a lion that's moving through the area," Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks Wildlife Management Specialist Eli Hampson said.
Hampson, who has been working with mountain lions since 2016, said this winter is different from previous years.
"We don't have the snowpack up high to really push the animals down, the game, your whitetail deer, your elk, mule deer," Hampson said.
Hampson said the cats roam from the Rattlesnake corridor, down to Lolo River bottom, across Missoula's Southside through Miller Creek and Davis Creek, to Turah.
With fewer deer at lower elevations, the ones that are present, still serve as attractants. Snow or not.
Mountain lions are typically solitary hunters active at dusk and dawn, but prey can draw them into residential areas during daylight.
Lucas-Hemphill said she contacted FWP immediately after her encounter so they could remove the deer carcass and ensure the safety of children and pets in the area.
"But we call FWP right away so they can remove it and make sure our kids and our pets are safe," Lucas-Hemphill said.
Keeping kids safe from mountain lions isn't new for Missoula.
In 1998, a 16-year-old camp counselor at Marshall Mountain fought off a mountain lion to rescue 6-year-old Dante Swallow, who suffered puncture wounds to his neck.
Hampson remembers that incident well, as his own family had a frightening encounter with a mountain lion just a week before at Snowbowl.
"The week before I was with my family up Snowbowl and we were just going for a walk," Hampson said. "I was four, I think my brother was eight, 10, something like that. And my parents were there. We had a very strange encounter with a lion as well."
"We had this encounter at five yards away with this lion, just would not leave us alone. We're fortunate my mom was on call. She was able to call 911 and then sheriff's deputies came up, the lion vanished. But it was a really scary encounter. It was face to face. We got big, we made a lot of noise, yelled the whole nine yards. The lion just would not leave us alone," Hampson continued.
More recently in 2017, during a high snow year, a female mountain lion with two cubs became quite the problem for the Rattlesnake area.
"She was being seen quite a bit and people were really starting to worry because here's a lion, it's 8 a.m., it's starting to get light, and we see a lion taking the sidewalk back to the creek trying to get out of town," Hampson said.
After the cubs killed livestock, they were later shot in Grant Creek. Hampson said the mother mountain lion could still be in the area.
"So it you know, I get it. It was totally scary for people," Hampson said.
With three mountain lions legally harvested in the immediate Missoula area this past season, Hampson said three to four family groups still remain in the area.
For families with children, Hampson recommends taking precautions.
"If your kids are going to be traveling to and from school, I'd be going with them or don't let them travel alone," Hampson said. "And keep your pets in at night. That's number one. That'll help solve so many issues here."
Lucas-Hemphill, an avid runner, recommends fellow residents carry bear spray — which Hampson said is effective on mountain lions.
"Just to always bring bear spray. It works for the mountain lions too and just be aware of your surroundings," Lucas-Hemphill said.
Despite the common belief mountain lions live in trees, Hampson noted they prefer cover and staying low to the ground. If you are faced with an encounter with a mountain lion, Hampson emphasizes the importance of proper response.
"Just be smart if you have an encounter. Face the lion, don't ever run, get big, make noise, do whatever you can. Don't turn your back, and definitely don't run," Hampson said.
