Unforgiving

admin | 28 février 2010 | In English

My friend Bob Wiesner, who lives in Missoula, sends messages and photos that allow me to keep in touch with Montana wildlife and of course with cougars. I have tracked numerous cougars with him several years ago when I was researching material for my novel, Cougar Corridor.  During all seasons of the year Bob is the person that Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks contacts when people report the presence of a potential human-wildlife conflict between mountain lions or bears near their home or in their neighborhood.  Bob’s primary job is to educate people concerning wildlife issues and additionally he may have to trap or tree the problem animal with his hounds.  Then the animal is anaesthetized, marked, and relocated to a remote location where it is released again into the wild.  In some cases the animal may be euthanized if there is no better alternative. Each case is considered individually and the final solution is what is best for both wildlife and humans.

I sometimes regret that I do not live closer to Montana where I would have a chance to accompany Bob during his outings.  Additionally, during the winter season, when Bob is not working for MFWP, it is his pleasure to search for fresh cougar tracks and - with the help of his hounds - pursue the mountain lion in order to pressure the cat to seek refuge in a tree so he can admire and photograph the large cat.  I also suspect that Bob likes to feel the flow of adrenalin in his body because he frequently climbs closer to the lion in the tree in order to obtain a better angle or closer photograph.

Bob sometimes makes unexpected discoveries too while in the mountains.  Recently, he was searching Gold Creek and Belmont Creek areas of the Blackfoot River on his snowmobile, while surveying for wolf tracks.  He came upon 3 - 5 wolf tracks in deep snow that moved along a forest road for about 5 miles.  A large male cougar track also entered the road, moving in the same general direction as the wolves.

Photo: Orwan Smith

“I came around a bend in the road,” Bob said , ”and saw ravens and eagles on a dead cow moose 300 to 400 yards above the road on the hillside. The male lion killed the moose and was feeding upon it for several days when the wolves appeared and drove the lion from his meal”.

Later Bob continued his snowmobile route and surprised a mature female lion that was lying nearby as he opened the gate to another forest road. The lion tentatively stalked away parallel to the road. However, Bob, in his curiosity, followed the lion on his snowmobile whereupon she ran a short distance and climbed a tree where Bob took several pictures of her.

The next day Bob returned to the area with two friends, Don Dodge and Sandra Johnson, both of whom are familiar with cougars (she has written a book about them).  They found  the carcass of another cougar victim - a white tail deer.  A 40 pound cougar kitten was feeding on the carcass when Bob released both of his hounds and the young cougar - which was unable to run for a long distance when pursued by hounds - climbed a tree after about a 200 yards chase. Shortly afterwards,  the cougar changed its mind and leaped from the tree only to be ”bayed up” on the ground under a Douglas Fir tree where Sandra Johnson is pictured admiring the feline from a short distance away.

Photo: Bob Wiesner

I’ve also had - thanks to Bob and his friends - the privilege of admiring cougars in their natural environment in Montana. And watching this image, I feel coming back to me all the emotion that such a magnificent and secretive animal can trigger. After a while, Bob, Sandra and Don leashed up the hounds and the young cougar withdrew into the dark, snow covered woods.

When a pack of wolves enter into competition with a solitary cougar the wolves will often take the kill away from the lion (displace it). Cougars, even the mature large males cannot ward off a pack of wolves and are forced to retreat or seek refuge in a tree.  This in turn forces the cougar to search and kill prey at a faster rate than what it normally would do because it has lost its food source. Wolves and mountain lions are natural enemies and are constantly at competition with one another.  On the other hand, a single cougar will have the upper hand with a single wolf at a kill site and may even eliminate its competitor as illustrated by this picture, taken by Bryan McCravy (another lion specialist in Montana), of a wolf that was killed and eaten by a cougar.

Photo: Bryan McCravy

The photos of this story were taken on different days and in different places. They serve to illustrate how wolves and  cougars relate to one another in a wild state and how that interaction can be total and unforgiving.