I was tent bound in Yosemite in the early 90s when a cougar had been seen in the Valley - the park service had posted warning fliers EVERYWHERE! Around the same time a young woman, out for a run, was killed in Northern California by a cougar. As I drifted off to sleep one night I heard this blood-curdling cry that went on and on; only after it stopped did I realize what had made that hellish noise!!! A thin sheet of rip-stop nylon would provide little resistance to a critter that makes such a scream. Fortunately, I hadn't showered for days and most cougars know that there is little meat on the scrawny bones of a climbing bum.
John, your Yukon cougar has not been sighted in the area - good thing too 'cause I'd make for slightly better eatin' these days. We have lynx in SC AK and a few winters back I had the privilege to engage one in a 20-second stare down at sunset - I just had a Contax T3 with, so I didn't bother. I wouldn't be surprised if MTN lions travel to this neck of the woods in coming decades. Sitka blacktailed deer [SIC] from SE AK have been sighted near Anchorage in past years.
We've got bears though; lots of bears, just down the street:
http://www.adn.com/front/story/8067062p-7958666c.html
I couldn’t find pictures on the Anchorage Daily News site but they are worth surfing for. Google: “Kincaid Bear Electrocuted”, and ask yourself if you want to duck under the dark cloth
Cheers
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