Before the recent predatory killing of a woman in Colorado by a mountain lion, there were a number of warning events. Kristen Marie Kovatch was killed by a mountain lion on January 1 in Laminar County. According to The denvergazette.com, there were five confrontations with lions in the area from October 28 through December 23. Only one of the incidents involved the killing of a lion which was attacking a dog in the owner's yard.
The Denver Gazette article gleans three lessons from the series of events. The third is a set of recommendations about what to do if confronted by a lion in the wild.
And third – if a mountain lion is encountered in the wild, hazing it away is the proper approach opposed to attempting to run. Running can trigger a chase response, while hazing it away by throwing objects in its direction can get it to leave an area or back off. Loud noises can work, too. It’s important not to crouch down and to keep your eyes on the mountain lion while retreating, as well. Mountain lion attacks are extremely rare, but it’s important to know what to do if you happen to spot one in the area.
What is obviously missing is advise to carry a weapon for defense when walking or hiking in lion country. Mountain lions are not known for absorbing large amounts of lead or of continuing to attack when wounded. Colorado is an open carry state. No license is needed to carry in nearly all outdoor areas, with the exception of Denver. Counties may have the ability to regulate open carry, it does not appear to be utilized outside of Denver. In a vehicle, if you do not have a concealed carry permit, firearms are prohibited from having a round in the chamber.
Handguns are now so inexpensive, effective, and light, it is easy to obtain one and carry it. Lightweight semi-automatics are commonly available for under $200. Lightweight revolvers run a bit more. The KelTec P17 weighs 14 ounces loaded with 16 LR cartridges. It has recently been on sale for $159. The Smith & Wesson 351 PD revolver only weighs 15.4 ounces loaded with 7 rounds of .22 magnum cartridges. It can be had for about $700. The Ruger LCRX revolver weighs about 15 ounces and is available in .38 special, .357 magnum, .22 LR and .22 magnum for about $500. Any handgun carried for self defense could work well against a mountain lion.
There does not appear to be any incidents where mountain lions killed or severely injured people who were armed with any firearm. Conversely, there have been several incidents where people who were armed with firearms killed and/or drove off aggressive mountain lions. The most recent successful defense was near Buckeye, Arizona. In 2023, an archery hunter shot and killed a mountain lion in self defense in rural Wisconsin, using a bow and arrow! An attacking mountain lion was driven off with a Glock pistol in a video appearing in 2022. There are other documented examples, including 12 year old Alyssa Caldwell, who killed a big Mountain Lion which was stalking her in October of 2014. A 12 year old girl would not ordinarily be a match for a mountain lion. Alyssa's rifle and skill made all the difference.
It appears there were four different incidents where mountain lions approached people, killed dogs, or had to be driven off in the three months in the area before Kristen Marie Kovatch was killed. It is likely, if any of the people in the four incidents were armed, they could have killed or severely wounding a lion, preventing it from killing Kovatch.
Mountain lion attacks have ramped up since the mountain lion populations have expanded in the last 50 years. Being armed is insurance against these rare events as much as against more common attacks by dogs or human predators.
©2025 by Dean Weingarten: Permission to share is granted when this notice and link are included.
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