On my very last long multi-day hike (as opposed to a simple day hike) I had my head down as I was walking over debris-covered ground when I looked up and about 50 ft away was an adult cougar just standing there looking at me. I put my hand on my pistol but did not draw. We stood looking at one another for maybe 2 minutes. I took a slow step back and paused. The cat cocked his head but made no other move. I took another slow step back all the while never turning and simply watching him watch me. I paused again and the Lion hand not moved at all. I kept this up until the slope of the hill took me out of sight. I walked back another 50 yds and waited about 15 minutes before resuming my hike in the original direction. The lion was gone.
I learned along time ago, show no fear, no sudden movements, and never turn your back. If possible simply slowly put distance between you and the animal. I'd had similar experiences with bears who IMO are far more dangerous. Black bears however normally aren't overly aggressive. The one-time one did make a move towards me, it was on all fours, and turned and took a step towards me. I pulled my gun and fired one round into the ground in front of the bear. It turned and ran off. In that encounter I did not continue on, I simply detoured in the opposite direction the bear went. Because of the area, I was hiking in I carried my Dan Wesson 357 mag. My buddy Ron (RIP) was a reloader and loaded some rounds hot and with a wadcutter seated reversed. Better than a hollowpoint IMO. You get maximum kinetic energy transfer without over-penetration (the problem with 9mm). When I did carry my 9 mm I used full jacketed bullets. Again to reduce penetration and maximize fragmentation.
Considering how many hikes and how many days I spent in the backcountry I've had relatively few problems with animals. Nowadays it's the two-legged animals that are the problem in the backcountry. A sad testimony to our times.
www.nationalgeographic.com
