Hunter Films Mountain Lions Charging Him In Terrifying Attack Before 2 Warning Shots Scares It Off At Last Second

Hunter Films Mountain Lions Charging Him In Terrifying Attack Before 2 Warning Shots Scares It Off At Last Second

iStockphoto / JHaviv


A man was hunting for elk near Boise, Idaho when he was suddenly thrust into a life-threatening situation. An adult mountain lion caught the hunter in its crosshairs and began to stalk the man, slowly pushing him back.

Luckily for the hunter, he had protection with him. He was out elk hunting but also had a pistol on-hand, presumably for a close encounter such as this with a mountain lion or another predator like a bear.

And luckily for both the hunter and the mountain lion, he was able to fire off warning shots and didn’t actually have to take the cougar’s life as it charged the hunter and he was able to scare it off at the last possible second. No blood was shed. But this sure was a terrifying encounter and it’s astonishing that he caught the entire series of events on video.

Hunter scares off an attacking mountain lion at the last possible second by firing 2 warning shots

Here is the video which was posted to Instagram and apparently filmed somewhere in the vicinity of Boise, Idaho:

If that Instagram video didn’t load you can access it directly here.

It’s scary to think what might’ve happened if that hunter wasn’t able to fire off those warning shots at the last second. That big ol’ mountain lion was coming straight for the hunter’s face and throat. And he was isolated out there in the woods. Who knows what could’ve happened if, in another multiverse, that person didn’t show up for dinner that night?

But those two perfectly-timed warning shots saved his life and the life of that mountain lion. There’s no doubt in my mind that if he was forced to fire another shot if the big cat attacked again that it wasn’t going to be a warning shot. And in his defense, he would’ve had the video footage to corroborate that he tried to scare the mountain lion off and save its life.

What people are saying about this incredible video

Comments on Instagram from fellow hunters all echo who dire of a situation that hunter was in. One person wrote “No doubt about it that cat was coming. Bluff charge maybe but we’ll never know because of the shot. Without that sidearm you’d be in trouble brother. Wheew.”

Another person commented “Wow that’s a rare encounter, she must have had cubs close by!” And if we are trying to come up with a possible reason that big cat was attacking, having young cubs nearby is one of the possible reasons. It’s also quite cold this time of year already in Idaho and many predators are loading up before the long winter.

One person wrote “way to stay composed. Respect to you for letting the cat live also. You could’ve unloaded and taken it down but didn’t.”

That hunter really should be commended for saving both lives, his own and that of the mountain lion. He could have easily fired the first or second shot into the cat instead of trying to scare it off. But he recognized that a warning shot was likely enough to scare it away. And it worked. Now he has this incredible viral video and a wild story to tell for the rest of his (hopefully long) life.