I need a gun

[DavidEBSmith]

Because it's Flippin dangerous around here:

 

A 150-pound cougar was shot and killed Monday evening in the Roscoe Village neighborhood on Chicago's North Side, officials said.

 

For those of you who know Chicago a little, this is about 1 1/2 miles due west of Wrigley Field, very much in the heart of the city:

 

Google Maps link

 

What really worries me is that cougars apparently have an attraction to two-wheeled vehicles:

 

 

Although it's not clear who was more dangerous, the cougar or CPD:

 

Police cornered the cougar in the back yard of Ben Greene, 39, who lives on the 3400 block of North Hoyne. Greene said he heard a volley of gunfire shortly before 6 p.m. as he was bathing his 10-month-old son. His wife, Kate, ran upstairs screaming with their 3-year-old son, and they all took cover in a back room.

 

"At first I'm thinking there's a gun battle in the street," said Greene, who owns a trucking company.

 

As the shots stopped Greene heard the police yelling, "We got him! We got him!" Greene ventured downstairs and moved on his knees to the front door, where he saw police on his lawn. The officers had shot holes in an air conditioning unit on the side of Greene's house while aiming for the cougar, which died near Greene's garage.

 

[Kathy R]

Was this poor thing raised by humans and then abandoned? There is a coyote in my hood but he's not scary. I've often seen him on the Cardinal's property. He sure knows his politics.

 

I'd freak if I saw a cougar on the street. You just can't reason with a cat.

[Twisties]

Was this poor thing raised by humans and then abandoned? There is a coyote in my hood but he's not scary. I've often seen him on the Cardinal's property. He sure knows his politics.

 

I'd freak if I saw a cougar on the street. You just can't reason with a cat.

 

No, the trick is to sweet talk them into it, and be sure to leave them thinking it was their idea all along. With practice it's easy.

 

The coyote may not be scary to you, but to neighborhood pets he's a true terror.

 

Jan

[Wooster]

While your post's title may (or not) be tongue in cheek, I suspect that cougers attack so swiftly that no opportunity for armed intervention exists. Perhaps this is one more reason for ATGATT.

 

Wooster who'd rather eat animals than be eaten by them

[Mike]

It's sad to see such a magnificent animal die, but I don't see that the coppers had much choice in the matter. As the locals know, a cougar has been sighted repeatedly in Chicago's northern suburbs, some distance from where this took place. No one is certain whether it's the same animal.

 

We see a fair number of coyotes around the Chicago area. There's one particularly healthy--by which I mean BIG--coyote that frequents our neighborhood. I'd guess his/her weight to be around 40 - 45 pounds, which is at the upper end of size for the species. I've come within about 20 feet of him on a couple of occasions. He doesn't appear to be particularly scared, but he's not too hip on interacting with me either. It gets the heart racing to encounter a large-ish wild animal, but coyotes don't pose much of a threat to humans.

[ESokoloff]

Three weekends ago, my buddy & I were backpacking in the Sespe Wilderness.

The Poison Oak was out & heavy in places so I was keeping a careful watch on my footing.

Suddenly I saw the biggest cat paw I've ever seen.... it was almost the size of my hand

 

The print had to be several days if not weeks old but it was still very unnerving to see evidence of a

higher food chain member in the vicinity.

 

I told my buddy that I didn't have to out run the cat, but I did have to out run him

[rob1100r]

ANY cat, even the housecat that lives with someone, would assume EAT you, if it could! They are nothing like dogs or coyotes, we have coyotes in North Jersey here, even when you hear them and try to find them they are long gone! Cats are constantly on the hunt, and are programmed to KILL! my two cents(!)

[motoguy128]

You can trap and ship you cougars to Iowa. I was riding my bicycle along the river comming back into town and first had a dog run out at me. One of those mean Austrailan sheepdog breeds I think. Then 4 deer ran across the road and 2 missed me by less than 10'. A cougar could have eaten all 5 animals.

[Deadboy]

They are all around here in the foothills. Just helped a friend move freshly killed deer from behind his barn a few weeks ago (cat had covered it in brush)....the good thing is if a cat decides to take you out it will be over before you know it (you should have seen the deer)....one bite is all it takes...

[flars]

Cougars aren't nearly as dangerous as coyotes, but they do consider any small animals food. Little kids qualify as food to coyotes, and cougars, and probably wolves. The major difference is that coyotes are more likely to be found where people live because of the fact they are opportunity-vores, and are not easily frightened away by people. If it MIGHT be food, they will eat it, and they will stay around whether people are about or not, and whether it is noisy or not. Cats prefer their 'normal' prey, i.e. small rodents, rabbits, etc and don't eat everything that is slow enough to catch, and shun people and noise. And they aren't 'always hunting' - they sleep too damn much.

I'm sorry they had to kill the cougar, but they were the only ones at the scene - animal control wasn't - and their charge is to protect the populice. I am also sorry the air conditioner got caught in the line of fire because they seldom injure or eat people or pets.

[Agent_Orange]

Frickin sad. Where I live, Winter Garden, just north-by-northwest of Rat World, we have a plethora of criters. Racoons, possum, fox, coyote, turkey, osprey, bald eagle, hawks and bobcats. Not to mention the 'gators, otters, and various and assorted snakes.

And with every development built they get squeezed into our backyards.

With NAFTA, the growers, citrus industry, find it cheaper to sell to the developers.

And the 'paved parking lot', grows.

[pbharvey]

I am also sorry the air conditioner got caught in the line of fire because they seldom injure or eat people or pets.

 

says you. I'm an air conditioning contractor and a/c units hurt people every day....my worker's comp runs about $80,000 a year.

I say shoot'em all....and then buy new one's.

[DavidEBSmith]

I'm an air conditioning contractor and a/c units hurt people every day....my worker's comp runs about $80,000 a year.

I say shoot'em all....and then buy new one's.

 

Don't the cops have to file some sort of report with the EPA for releasing all that Freon?

 

On coyotes - my wife was once driving along that straight stretch of I-90 by Rolling Meadows and Hoffman Estates where it runs along the forest preserve. She looked over and saw, running down the side of the interstate, a fox being pursued by a coyote. All of a sudden the fox turned and ran across all the lanes of the interstate, dodging traffic, and the coyote just stopped and watched and didn't follow. So who was smarter, the fox or the coyote? (not to be confused with the fox and the hedgehog)

[big-t]

but coyotes don't pose much of a threat to humans.

 

Probably right on the humans,but they will hop a fence and snap up a small dog or cat.Not a good feeling to see your pet disappearing into the woods in the mouth of one.

 

Happened to one of my neighbors..

[Husker Red]

You can trap and ship you cougars to Iowa.

I'm sure Iowa will have their own soon. A couple of them have been shot in Omaha the last few years and there have been quite a few reports of them spotted all around Eastern Nebraska. They must like corn fed beef too!

[motoguy128]

You can trap and ship you cougars to Iowa.

I'm sure Iowa will have their own soon. A couple of them have been shot in Omaha the last few years and there have been quite a few reports of them spotted all around Eastern Nebraska. They must like corn fed beef too!

 

I figure they will hang around the hog confinements they're starting to build around here. Snatch and grab a hog at night on the edge of the fenceline.

 

I've seen a bobcat run across the road while out on my bicycle. Looked just like a house cat, only about 50lbs. knowing the quickness and relative strength of our housecats, a 50+lb cat of any kind scares me more than about any other animal. I honestly wouldn't want to mess with a wild 15lb cat.

[finallyabeemer]

I'll say the same thing I say everytime someone goes off on mountain lions around here...

 

More people die from DOG attacks in the US every YEAR than have died from mountain lion attacks in the last CENTURY. Based on this, the rational level of fear of mountain lions should be less than 1/100 that of your fear of dogs.

 

And of non-fatal attacks? Let's see, how many million per year treated for dog bites?

[finallyabeemer]

Oops, only about 800,000 medical treatments for dog bites per year in US. Over 5 million attacks, but most do not require medical treatment.

 

Versus an average of 22 medical treatments for mountain lions.

 

Not saying you should not respect them - they deserve serious respect. But not rampant terror and demand for control and elimination. Relatively speaking, they are one of the least likely ways you'll ever get hurt.

[MrHondamatic]

but coyotes don't pose much of a threat to humans.

 

Probably right on the humans,but they will hop a fence and snap up a small dog or cat.Not a good feeling to see your pet disappearing into the woods in the mouth of one.

 

Happened to one of my neighbors..

 

The real threat is Coy-Dogs. A cross between domestic dogs and coyotes. They do not fear humans like a coyote, and are dangerous. We have both in this area.

[DaveTheAffable]

Oops, only about 800,000 medical treatments for dog bites per year in US.

(minor Hi-Jack) A neighbor boy who is really trouble around here got bit by a dog he was teasing thru the fence. This same kid knocks over trash cans, throws eggs at houses, etc.

 

When animal control knocked on our door to explain they said, "...and even though the bite wasn't real serious, we may have to put him to sleep. Do you as a neighbor have any comments?"

 

I said, "Go ahead... nobody likes that kid. But you may wanna check with his parents first". (Hi-Jack off)

 

 

Cougars are beautiful animals, but RARELY attack. When cornered, they certainly will, which explains why those cops didn't try to "corner him until animal control arrived".

 

For California folks, linky is your friend.. CA State Brochure - Cougars

[Mark K]

You know, of course, living in Illinois, you can own a gun but you certainly can't have it with you!

[Tonopah]

I agree that having a firearm with you will be very likely useless against a lion. They attack from nowhere, bite into the neck, and hang on until the quarry dies.

 

Having agreed that guns are useless against lions, I none the less am still hoping the US Supreme Court comes down in favor of Heller in the 2nd Amendment case. I worry about crazy humans when I am outdoors a lot more than I worry about lions.

[Joe Frickin' Friday]

I agree that having a firearm with you will be very likely useless against a lion. They attack from nowhere, bite into the neck, and hang on until the quarry dies.

 

Perfect, that leaves your hands free to get the gun out of the holster.

 

Of course then you have to somehow stem the massive blood loss from the giant-cat bite on your neck whilst dialing 911 and explaing what the hell just happened to you...

[Boffin]

I agree that having a firearm with you will be very likely useless against a lion. They attack from nowhere, bite into the neck, and hang on until the quarry dies.

 

Perfect, that leaves your hands free to get the gun out of the holster.

 

Of course then you have to somehow stem the massive blood loss from the giant-cat bite on your neck whilst dialing 911 and explaing what the hell just happened to you...

 

Given that a bite from a domestic cat on my finger put me in hospital for a week, needing three operations under general anesthetic, I'll pass on that.

 

Andy

[rob1100r]

Bottom line, cats are filty dirty beasts! MEOW!

[lawnchairboy]

infection Andy?

 

cats are nasty...

[DavidEBSmith]

The truth comes out - it was self defense:

 

 

(in response to this column)